• Log in with Facebook Log in with Twitter Log In with Google      Sign In    
  • Create Account
  LongeCity
              Advocacy & Research for Unlimited Lifespans

Photo
* * * * * 29 votes

Lostfalco's Extensive Nootropic Experiments [Curated]

nootropic

  • Please log in to reply
4029 replies to this topic

#3961 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 27 December 2022 - 11:03 AM

Good morning my friends!

 

After a long night of sleep I'm feeling almost 100% back to normal again. 

 

Jumping back into my Circadian routine this morning with Bright Light, Exercise, large breakfast, etc. 

 

I was able to get in 30 minutes of bright light during my Moonshot Session yesterday but that was all I could handle. 

 

The dilated pupils could really only handle so much light. 

 

I'll post more later in the day today once I've been up and moving around for a bit.

 

As I mentioned yesterday, the point is NOT to 'get high' or 'escape reality'. 

 

The point is to enhance synaptic growth and intelligence so that I can better 'embrace reality'. 

 

Big difference. 

 

I'm not 'running away', I'm 'running toward'. 

 

Anyway, just wanted to check in so you guys know I'm still alive. lol

 

I'll reply to other posts later in the day!

 

Talk to you soon. 

 

LF Out

 

 


  • Cheerful x 1
  • like x 1

#3962 Mr. Olive Oil

  • Guest
  • 16 posts
  • 2
  • Location:California

Posted 27 December 2022 - 08:38 PM

Has anyone seen the new Tendlite Pro? It does both 660nm and 850nm! I still like the LED boards for coverage.
 

 

My only concern with the new Tendlite Pro is that it has an extension guard on the front (to prevent too much heat on the skin). Wouldn't this extension reduce penetration depth (less gets to the neurons)?

Other questions that come to mind -

I wonder if the "guard" can be unscrewed?

If it can't be unscrewed, I wonder if the Tendlite is so much more powerful than the arrays where it can still penetrate better even with the extra distance.

The new "Shine" product seems interesting and a little easier to hold. Not sure if it is as strong though: https://www.tendlite...ir-light-device

 

Attached Files


Edited by Mr. Olive Oil, 27 December 2022 - 08:40 PM.


sponsored ad

  • Advert
Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

#3963 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 28 December 2022 - 12:48 AM

You know what's funny I worked nights for two years right after high school and took me less than 3 months switching to days before the first bipolar episode. I wore yellow glasses due to the florescent lights and wanted to fallow Dave asprey's advice on colored lenses but cost inhibited a lot of my biohacking and does now.

I don't suffer from depression just Mania if I don't get sleep. The reason latuda works is due to its ability to depress my nervous system and let me sleep. Even Ambian (if I spelt that right) does not work on me.

My primary wants to switch me over to naltrexone over time and low dose. I don't know a lot about this one. But latuda has caused weight gain and negative impact on physical pleasure. And I and numb to pain for the most part. Just numb.

So I need to take more a action on this. Taking all my morning supplements most are what Dave recommends alone with phenylpiracetam and aniracetam plus perceptions. Ran out of calamari omga3 oil. something that definitely impacts my mental state if take through the day in half grams say 5g total a day.

Doing better then ever. But sense starting working nights years ago, i i still am not at that state if high performance. I would read 500 700 pages a day. Along with class work and personal projects. I want to get to that point I would be at now if I hadn't made that epigenetic overflow of change from the initial episode.

I wish I could be of more help here Q...but definitely trust your doctor. He or she is going to be much more familiar with your situation than I am. 

 

Of course, I definitely recommend keeping as consistent of a schedule as possible even working nights. It's a lot more challenging but can be done. 

 

Glad you're still doing well over all! Keep it up!


  • like x 1

#3964 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 28 December 2022 - 12:54 AM

@lostfalco, coming out of the woodwork as someone who frankly had forgotten I was subscribed to the thread years ago... to say you are a gem and I appreciate your coming back to share both your latest developments and most recently this fascinating experiment.

 

I belong in the camp that believes in the power and utility of substances like MDMA and think it commendable and brave of you to include it in your designs. I have full faith that you will come out the other end having gained valuable insights

Thanks so much Kreaken! I've come a long way from shooting lasers at my head and inhaling 100% oxygen. lol

 

Yeah, the data on substances like MDMA is quite strong. There is really nothing like them that I'm aware of that can reopen a state of extensive brain plasticity in adults. 

 

In a lot of cases the changes have been noted to last up to a year or more post dosing.

 

I'm tentatively thinking about making my Moonshot Project a yearly or once every two years thing. 

 

We'll see how the next two sessions go and decide from there.


  • like x 1

#3965 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 28 December 2022 - 01:04 AM

My only concern with the new Tendlite Pro is that it has an extension guard on the front (to prevent too much heat on the skin). Wouldn't this extension reduce penetration depth (less gets to the neurons)?

Other questions that come to mind -

I wonder if the "guard" can be unscrewed?

If it can't be unscrewed, I wonder if the Tendlite is so much more powerful than the arrays where it can still penetrate better even with the extra distance.

The new "Shine" product seems interesting and a little easier to hold. Not sure if it is as strong though: https://www.tendlite...ir-light-device

Hey Mr. Olive Oil, I like the name! I'm a pretty big fan of olive oil myself.

 

Yeah, it looks like you could break that guard off if you wanted to. LLLT definitely works better when you can press it into the skin to get deeper brain penetration. 

 

The newer product looks promising, but like you said, the website didn't really say anything about irradiance. Hard to tell for sure. 

 

On a separate note, I'm definitely much more of a fan of bright light therapy these days. Much more powerful than LLLT in that we have a direct shot to the suprachiasmatic nucleus through the melanopsin cells in the retina. This affects the whole brain and the whole body. Doesn't get much better than this imo. 

 

Definitely look into it if it sounds interesting to you. 


  • like x 1

#3966 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 28 December 2022 - 01:13 AM

Well, amidst all the craziness of the past few days I kinda lost track of what day it is! lol

 

Tomorrow is Wednesday so I'll save a longer post for tomorrow for Abstract Wednesday. 

 

My brain is fully back online again. Feels great. 

 

Just needed to rest, eat, exercise, get some bright light and everything gradually started coming back until I hit my full mental stride again this afternoon. 

 

Sublingual was very different than I expected. 

 

It was extremely mental with very little bodily effects. 

 

And it lasted a long time! ha

 

I just closed my eyes and explored my thoughts for 8 hours. Very interesting. 

 

I had no desire for input from studying flashcards or music or anything else. 

 

It was just pure imagination. No hallucinations or anything. Just lost in my own thoughts. I didn't want to be anywhere else. 

 

So, one Moonshot Session down, two more to go!

 

The next one will be three weeks from now. I'll keep you guys posted. 

 

Talk to you tomorrow!

 

LF Out


  • Cheerful x 1

#3967 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 28 December 2022 - 11:06 PM

Hello my friends! Welcome to Abstract Wednesday. 

 

In my last post before my Moonshot Session I talked about the source of protons for the proton gradient in mitochondria. https://www.longecit...132#entry920503

 

Turns out that source is actually water. 

 

Water autoionizes into H+ and OH- and that H+ proton is grabbed by the proton pumps in the inner mitochondrial membrane and pumped from the matrix of the mitochondria into the intermembrane space. 

 

So, what does that tell us?

 

Drink water!

 

Harvard nutritionists recommend 13 cups of water per day for an adult male. https://www.hsph.har...onsource/water/

 

That comes out to 13/24 = .54 cups per hour. 

 

If you are sleeping 8 hours per night then that comes out to 8*.54 = 4.3 cups that you should drink upon waking. 

 

4.3 cups = 34.4 ounces which is why I recommend drinking 16 to 32 ounces of water upon waking in the morning.

 

Your mitochondria need the protons!

 

And, since we are on the subject of mitochondria, here's a fascinating (and somewhat controversial) study on how much hotter it is in mitochondria compared to the rest of the cell. 

 

A new study indicates that mitochondria reach 50 degrees Celsius which is 122 degrees Fahrenheit!

 

Insane. 

 

Think about how fast the water molecules are going to be flying around in there, colliding, and creating protons (remember Brownian motion). 

 

I've also included Nick Lane's skeptical response as a counterpoint.

 

Anyway this will come in to play for us going forward as bright light therapy heats us up in the morning and melatonin cools us down at night. 

 

Body temperature follows a very circadian rhythm and mitochondria are the primary generators of heat for endotherms (coolest around 4am, hottest around 4pm, and back down until 4am...these are approximations). 

 

Check out the studies and enjoy!

 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC5784887/

Mitochondria are physiologically maintained at close to 50 °C

Abstract

In endothermic species, heat released as a product of metabolism ensures stable internal temperature throughout the organism, despite varying environmental conditions. Mitochondria are major actors in this thermogenic process. Part of the energy released by the oxidation of respiratory substrates drives ATP synthesis and metabolite transport, but a substantial proportion is released as heat. Using a temperature-sensitive fluorescent probe targeted to mitochondria, we measured mitochondrial temperature in situ under different physiological conditions. At a constant external temperature of 38 °C, mitochondria were more than 10 °C warmer when the respiratory chain (RC) was fully functional, both in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and primary skin fibroblasts. This differential was abolished in cells depleted of mitochondrial DNA or treated with respiratory inhibitors but preserved or enhanced by expressing thermogenic enzymes, such as the alternative oxidase or the uncoupling protein 1. The activity of various RC enzymes was maximal at or slightly above 50 °C. In view of their potential consequences, these observations need to be further validated and explored by independent methods. Our study prompts a critical re-examination of the literature on mitochondria.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC5784886/

 

Hot mitochondria?

Abstract

Mitochondria generate most of the heat in endotherms. Given some impedance of heat transfer across protein-rich bioenergetic membranes, mitochondria must operate at a higher temperature than body temperature in mammals and birds. But exactly how much hotter has been controversial, with physical calculations suggesting that maximal heat gradients across cells could not be greater than 10(-5) K. Using the thermosensitive mitochondrial-targeted fluorescent dye Mito Thermo Yellow (MTY), Chrétien and colleagues suggest that mitochondria are optimised to nearly 50 °C, 10 °C hotter than body temperature. This extreme value questions what temperature really means in confined far-from-equilibrium systems but encourages a reconsideration of thermal biology.

 


Edited by lostfalco, 28 December 2022 - 11:15 PM.

  • Cheerful x 1

#3968 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 01 January 2023 - 06:36 PM

Hello my friends!

 

Happy 2023 to everyone!

 

This new year is going to be a crazy one.

 

I posted my weekend post here for this week: https://www.lostfalc...y-want-in-life/

 

I'm really trying radically simplify since at the end of the day it all comes down to taking HUNDREDS of SIMPLE, SMALL actions. 

 

That's how to truly change your life. 

 

I can post a million studies (and I feel like I've almost read that many. lol) but at the end of the day it comes down to very simple actions done every day in the proper order. 

 

I'll expand the post as I go along since I've written hundreds and hundreds of pages over the past few months related to the various topics that I haven't posted. 

 

I just don't want the utter simplicity of it all to get lost in scientific rigor. 

 

Anyway, it's a really short post and you guys will hear a few new things in it from me...and of course, a number of the basics repeated since I'm obsessed with fundamentals.

 

I'll be expanding it significantly (I think) in the coming weeks. 

 

I'm just making sure that I force myself to truly understand the space and time relationships of all the substances since that is required for true understanding in my opinion. 

 

Anyway, check out the post and enjoy!

 

And, more importantly, act on it!

 

Talk to you guys Wednesday. 

 

https://www.lostfalc...y-want-in-life/


  • Cheerful x 1

#3969 Sikorsky

  • Guest
  • 21 posts
  • 5
  • Location:Denmark

Posted 02 January 2023 - 01:23 PM

Hello Lostfalco,

similar to many people on this forum, I have been accumulating knowledge about every possible useful substance/practice relevant to improving cognition. Needless to say, you have been a major contributing factor to this quest.
Since my knowledge isn't as vast as yours, I don't know the most optimal way to implement this knowledge.

I would like to know if you could create a structured, detailed template of how the most productive possible day would look like - the most optimal combination/ implementation of all practices (Anki, 20/10, cold exposure, fasting, exercise, meditation, BLT...) and substances (nootropics, food, drugs...) - including detailed dosages, which would yield the greatest possible cognitive output. The sustainable structure that would maximize productivity without resulting in body adaptation/tolerance or some adverse effect, analogous to your "day frame" template just including all this additional detailed information.

So for example - I will create a random structure:

Monday
6:30 - wake up, 1 L of water
6:30 - 7 - bright light therapy, 20 minutes session of Anki
7 - take this much nicotine, Rhodiola...
Eat this, this, and this...
7 - 7:30 meditate
7:30 - take this much bacopa, B complex, nicotine...
7:30 - start using gamma binaural beats, 20 minutes of Anki
8 - take a cold shower
8:10 - 8:30 - Anki, binaural beats
8:30 - LLLT, nicotine, taurine...
...

Tuesday
Instead of this, this, and this, do this, this and this...
Take a break from nicotine, LLLT...
....
....
....
....

Wednesday
Fast the whole day
....
....
....
....

It would be really valuable to have something like that, and since you are the one who knows the finest details of everything useful, you would be the most competent person to create that template.

Kindest regards!

Edited by Sikorsky, 02 January 2023 - 01:25 PM.

  • Good Point x 1

#3970 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 02 January 2023 - 04:34 PM

Hello Lostfalco,

similar to many people on this forum, I have been accumulating knowledge about every possible useful substance/practice relevant to improving cognition. Needless to say, you have been a major contributing factor to this quest.
Since my knowledge isn't as vast as yours, I don't know the most optimal way to implement this knowledge.
 

Hi Sikorsky, these are all great questions. 

 

Before I give some huge list of things to do, let me try to be as helpful to you as possible first. 

 

I've realized over the years that I take A LOT of actions and these things can be overwhelming if someone is starting from scratch. 

 

I've been doing this for decades and so I've slowly built up everything over time.

 

So, let me ask you this...are you going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day...getting 16 hours of wakefulness and 8 hours of sleep every night?

 

This is ABSOLUTELY foundational to everything else because you are not going to have the willpower or disciplined energy to do any of the rest of the items unless you are well rested. 

 

As far as productivity goes, what this means is that you need to be efficient and strategic with those 16 hours of wakefulness. 

 

A lot of people try to cut corners here and it virtually never works in a sustainable manner. 

 

Also, it is very important to remember not to over think at first. If you are going to err on one side then err on the side of 'over acting'. 

 

Once you are taking actions it is REALLY easy to adjust, modify, and optimize them.

 

If you are not taking actions however, all the knowledge in the world is not going to do you any good. 

 

So, let's start there...waking (16 hours), sleeping (8 hours)...same time every day?


  • like x 2

#3971 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 02 January 2023 - 08:08 PM

A bit of an iffy popular article on water...but I'm going to link it since it does have some good things to say and I've been focusing A LOT on water lately. 

 

https://www.cnn.com/...ness/index.html

 

"But drinking enough water is also associated with a significantly lower risk of developing chronic diseases, a lower risk of dying early or lower risk of being biologically older than your chronological age, according to a National Institutes of Health study published Monday in the journal eBioMedicine."

 

"About half of people worldwide don’t meet recommendations for daily total water intake, according to several studies the authors of the new research cited."

 

“On the global level, this can have a big impact,” Dmitrieva said in a news release. “Decreased body water content is the most common factor that increases serum sodium, which is why the results suggest that staying well hydrated may slow down the aging process and prevent or delay chronic disease.”"

 

"More than 50% of your body is made of water, which is also needed for multiple functions, including digesting food, creating hormones and neurotransmitters, and delivering oxygen throughout your body, according to the Cleveland Clinic."

 

They ALWAYS leave out that it provides protons for the proton motive force that runs ALL of freaking life on Earth! lol

 

Every domain of life uses it. 

 

"Well, I mentioned that mitochondria were bacteria once, and they inherited their proton pumping machinery from their ancient bacterial ancestors, whose free-living descendants still operate the same way. It turns out that all bacteria work the same way; and so do all archaea. And it’s not only respiration. The process of photosynthesis, in which plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria tap the energy of the sun to form organic molecules and ATP, also works the same way, charging their membranes by coupling the transfer of electrons to the pumping of protons. 

 

"Transport of molecules in and out of bacteria, archaea and mitochondria is also powered by the proton-motive force; even the rotating corkscrew flagellum, which powers bacterial motility like a turboprop engine, is driven by the proton-motive force." (see Nick Lane's discussion below)

 

1600px-Phylogenetic_tree-of-life-correct

 

Anyway, see my post here on why water is absolutely crucial for us! https://www.lostfalc...y-want-in-life/

 

I'm gradually filling the post out. 

 

I added some Lithium studies and some studies on how insulin resistance is higher in the evening and lower in the morning.

 

This is why I recommend eating 50% of your daily calories at breakfast...you can actually handle the calories since your

digestive tract, pancreas, liver, etc. have had ALL night to repair and recover.

 

They are well rested and ready to go in the morning.

 

Circadian biology is an absolute game changer!

 

Use this knowledge to improve your life. =)

 

Oh, and remember that there is no such thing as 'breakfast food'. 

 

That sh*t is made up (just like 'weekends'...days are days). 

 

Food is food no matter what time of day you eat it. 

 

I eat kale and fatty fish and olive oil for breakfast. 

 

Who cares? lol

 

https://www.worldsci...52973251940008X

Why is Life the Way it Is?

by Nick Lane

The concept of the three domains of life (the bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes) goes back to Carl Woese in 19901 . Most scientists now see the eukaryotes (cells with a true nucleus) as a secondary domain, derived from bacteria and archaea via an endosymbiosis 2 . That makes the last universal common ancestor of life (LUCA) the ancestor of bacteria and archaea3 . While these domains are strikingly different in their genetics and biochemistry4 , they are nearly indistinguishable in their cellular morphology — historically, both groups have been classed as prokaryotes. In terms of their metabolic versatility and molecular machinery, prokaryotes are if anything more sophisticated than eukaryotes5 . Yet despite an exhaustive search of genetic sequence space in virtually infi nite populations over four billion years, neither domain evolved morphological complexity to compare with eukaryotes5 . The evolutionary path to morphological complexity does not seem to depend on genetic information alone6 . The most plausible explanation is that physical constraints stemming from the topological structure of prokaryotes blocked the evolution of morphological complexity in prokaryotes, and that the endosymbiosis at the origin of eukaryotes relieved these constraints6 . In this lecture, I shall argue that the dependence of all life on electrical charges across membranes to generate energy explains the structural constraints on prokaryotes, and the escape from these constraints in eukaryotes7 .

 

https://www.lostfalc...y-want-in-life/

 


Edited by lostfalco, 02 January 2023 - 08:20 PM.

  • Informative x 1
  • Cheerful x 1

#3972 Sikorsky

  • Guest
  • 21 posts
  • 5
  • Location:Denmark

Posted 03 January 2023 - 05:53 PM

Your way of thinking reminds me a lot about what one of the most accomplished and knowledgeable men in the fitness industry - Layne Norton says about building muscle. He says that there is a hierarchy of importance regarding training:

1. Adherence
2. Volume
3. Technique
4. Periodization
5. Failure, muscle damage, metabolic stress, time under tension...
6. Hormonal responses

He says that many beginners get so obsessed about the fine details of training that they forget the fundamentals - " I'm not saying that things at the bottom of the hierarchy are not important, they are important but train hard for ten years and you will be 90% percent where you would have been if you had optimized everything perfectly. Adherence alone - just taking action day in and day out, for 10 years, going harder than last time, will bring you 90% there. "

I feel like you are saying the same thing - " I am not saying Sikorsky that having this structure isn't important, but don't forget that if you take care of the fundamentals, adhere perfectly to taking actions day in and day out, incorporate all this substances and practices rationally, without obsessing about the finest details possible, you will still get 97% of cognitive output that you would get if you had done everything perfectly. Do not forget the fundamentals, I know that you have heard a 1000 times already about the importance of optimizing sleep, exercise... but there is a tendency of people to forget the hierarchy of importance in the pursuit of a shiny new "magic bullet" and forget that at the end of the day consistency in taking actions and taking care of the fundamentals is far more important than something lower at the hierarchy - it will bring you 90% there. Consistency is far more important than perfection. "
  • Well Written x 1

#3973 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 03 January 2023 - 08:21 PM

Your way of thinking reminds me a lot about what one of the most accomplished and knowledgeable men in the fitness industry - Layne Norton says about building muscle. He says that there is a hierarchy of importance regarding training:

1. Adherence
2. Volume
3. Technique
4. Periodization
5. Failure, muscle damage, metabolic stress, time under tension...
6. Hormonal responses

He says that many beginners get so obsessed about the fine details of training that they forget the fundamentals - " I'm not saying that things at the bottom of the hierarchy are not important, they are important but train hard for ten years and you will be 90% percent where you would have been if you had optimized everything perfectly. Adherence alone - just taking action day in and day out, for 10 years, going harder than last time, will bring you 90% there. "

I feel like you are saying the same thing - " I am not saying Sikorsky that having this structure isn't important, but don't forget that if you take care of the fundamentals, adhere perfectly to taking actions day in and day out, incorporate all this substances and practices rationally, without obsessing about the finest details possible, you will still get 97% of cognitive output that you would get if you had done everything perfectly. Do not forget the fundamentals, I know that you have heard a 1000 times already about the importance of optimizing sleep, exercise... but there is a tendency of people to forget the hierarchy of importance in the pursuit of a shiny new "magic bullet" and forget that at the end of the day consistency in taking actions and taking care of the fundamentals is far more important than something lower at the hierarchy - it will bring you 90% there. Consistency is far more important than perfection. "

Umm...Sikorsky...you just nailed the f*ck out that answer. 

 

Beautifully said and EXACTLY right.

 

God himself (Morgan Freeman) and I applaud you.

 

 

giphy.gif

 

 

I would also add that beginners often get obsessed with more 'knowledge'...what they should be obsessed with is more 'action'. 

 

Forget about Lostfalco for a second...if I didn't exist at all, what is the simplest, smallest, most fundamental thing you already KNOW you should be DOING to get the life you desire most?

 

Do that thing now. (Make sure it's REALLY small)

 

Now, once you've done it once decide a time every day that you are going to do it and do that for every single day for the rest of your life. 

 

This is how ALL growth begins...TINY movements. 

 

Many people use knowledge and learning as a shield to prevent them from having to take action.

 

Start with action. Daily action.

 

Once you are moving it is really easy to adjust and optimize using more KNOWLEDGE but just as you said when quoting Layne Norton...adherence is FIRST. Action is first. 

 

Adherence means acting...and acting CONSISTENTLY.

 

Don't do too much at once. Intentionally do one tiny action...and ONLY ONE tiny action...THEN stop.

 

For example, if you know you need to exercise, the first step might be putting on your running shoes. 

 

Therefore, right now, put on your running shoes. Then, take them off immediately. 

 

Next, decide what time every single day you want to exercise...let's say it's 5:30am like me. 

 

So, tomorrow you have one and ONLY one goal...put on your running shoes at 5:30am and take them off immediately. 

 

DO NOT go running or walking or jogging. 

 

Instead, do this routine for three days. (You MUST build a routine...you must build a SYSTEM...you must build HABITS)

 

If you maintain it for three days, then up your game...put your running shoes on at 5:30am, do 3 jumping jacks, and then immediately take your shoes off again and go start your day without doing anymore exercise.

 

Do this for three days straight or keep trying until you get this done consistently for 3 days straight. 

 

After a week or a few weeks of this you will be so desperate to exercise at that time that you will almost have no ability to resist going for a walk. lol

 

Again, keep it simple.

 

This is the type of thing you want to do in hundreds of areas of your life to get the life you want. 

 

I adapted this from James Clear's Atomic Habits which is a FANTASTIC book...one of the greatest self-help books ever written. Hands down. 

 

However, don't go out and read it right away. Instead think of the actions you already believe in and start doing those. 

 

Clear's book will be much more valuable for you when you are already in motion based on what YOU already KNOW. 

 

As an older man about to turn 45 at the end of this month, I can tell you that I have immeasurably transformed myself in every area of my life over the past 30 years using these ideas. 

 

I haven't told you guys about the THOUSANDS of other experiments I've done... the innumerable ways I've changed my social life, my beliefs, my desires, my looks, my voice, my finances, my relationships, my humor, my reasoning, my creativity, etc. 

 

My life has been one experiment after another (I was a strange 15 year old. lol) and tiny increment after tiny increment I've found hundreds and hundreds of things in every area of life that have benefitted me. 

 

I've also found 'a thousand ways NOT to create a light bulb' as Edison was reported to have said. ha

 

Every single time, I've found that it's not ONE big thing...it's a thousand tiny things that make a life exceptional. (This is what I call the 'Plus-One Threshold' as those of you who have been reading my posts will remember)

 

You may have heard me say before that I don't believe in 'million dollar ideas'...I believe in a million 'one dollar ideas'. 

 

Be VERY average at a million things EVERY single day and you will be absolutely extraordinary given enough time. 

 

This is one of the major findings of cognitive behavioral therapy. 

 

Let go of stifling perfectionism and 'dare to be average'.

 

One of the other greatest self-help books in history is Burns' 'Feeling Good'. 

 

He nails this idea and I believe it is ESPECIALLY important now days when every kid is brainwashed by Marvel into thinking that they have to be an EXCEPTIONAL superhero. Bullshit.

 

Dare be average and Dare to Love Life on YOUR f*cking terms. 

 

After all, no one's true goal is to be exceptional..it's to feel amazing. 

 

Just ask EVERY 'exceptional' actor, or athlete, or genius, or billionaire, or rockstar, or CEO...who HATE their lives.

 

They would trade all that in one second if it meant they could FEEL comfort, rest, peace, fun, happiness, laughter, love, connection, insight, surprise, joy, etc.

 

There are things we desire 'for their own sake', and things we desire for 'the sake of something else'. (Aristotle taught me that)

 

Find those things you 'directly desire' and it becomes VERY easy to persistently seek them every day. 

 

Start small. Start now. Take action. Build a system. Keep taking actions.

 

After enough time has passed, step back, look at your life, and you be in awe at who you are and what you've become.

 

I hope that helps!

 

LF Out (for today)

 

 

I've linked the aforementioned books here if anyone wants to check them out. https://www.lostfalco.com/books/

 

Check out my post here for some simple actions to start changing your life. It's a rough draft post in progress and I'll polish it and fill it out in the coming days and weeks.  https://www.lostfalc...y-want-in-life/

 

Check out my Day Frame here for timing rules on all of these things...since time is THE most important aspect by far. https://www.lostfalc...lcos-day-frame/

 

This post got kind of long so I think that should cover us for Abstract Wednesday. lol

 

I'll talk to you guys this weekend!


Edited by lostfalco, 03 January 2023 - 08:41 PM.

  • Cheerful x 1
  • like x 1

#3974 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 05 January 2023 - 02:13 AM

Holy crap, guys...I feel like I've had my head in the sand for the past year or two! lol

 

I JUST found out about ChatGPT a few days ago. 

 

And I work in freaking IT! haha

 

How did I not know bout this yet?

 

This sh*t is crazy. 

 

As are so many other AI's that are publicly available now. 

 

Alex Hermozi's video is a pretty decent introduction to ChatGPT. (linked below)

 

I've just been down the rabbit hole of all the possibilities for the past few days and I think I might be in that hole for the foreseeable future. 

 

I just had a long conversation with the Director of IT Security at the VERY large Fortune 500 Company I work at and it's going to change a lot of things for us...and for the whole freaking world. 

 

This is just next level insanity. 

 

Anyway, I'm going to see how many of these AI tools (there are a lot more than just ChatGPT) I can get a grasp on in the coming weeks and months and see what crazy sh*t I can create for you guys. 

 

Brownian motion heated water spheres should be create-able for me here pretty soon. ha

 

Should be a lot of fun. 

 

Anyway, be prepared to have your socks blown off if you are not aware of the capabilities of this stuff yet. 

 

The world has changed my friends. 

 

 


Edited by lostfalco, 05 January 2023 - 02:41 AM.

  • Informative x 2

#3975 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 06 January 2023 - 01:58 AM

Since we are on the subject of AI, check out Midjourney if you haven't yet. https://midjourney.c...llbackUrl=/app/

 

I know, I know...I'm a few months behind. lol

 

It's a text to image AI.

 

I guess you could also call it an image to image AI as well since you can upload images to it and give it prompts to alter and/or combine those images.

 

If you're familiar with Discord then it's pretty easy to use

 

You get 25 free images to start when you create an account and then it's a monthly fee to keep using it after that. 

 

I went ahead and paid for the $30 monthly fee so I can try it out for a month and see if I can use it to enhance my posts for you guys. 

 

Well see how it goes.

 

Anyway, you can type in '/imagine prompt Einstein Spacetime Clock Train' (ya know, things I would type in. lol) and it will give you something like this...(click image to enlarge)

 

Attached File  Einstein spacetime clock train.JPG   79.79KB   0 downloads

 

Or you can combine two or more existing images.

 

I combined a mitochondrion with a firework...because...who wouldn't, right? 

 

Attached File  Mitochondrion Firework.JPG   75.75KB   0 downloads

 

The number of prompts and combinations are virtually endless. 

 

The stuff I showed you is absurdly basic and you can keep refining your image in countless ways with different styles, and lightings, and camera angles, zooms, etc.

 

It's crazy what this thing can do. 

 

Here's a little beginner's guide (below) if you want to take a look. 

 

There are obviously A LOT more so feel free to look around for some other tutorials if this sort of thing interests you. 

 

Enjoy our new freaking world! ha

 

 

 


Edited by lostfalco, 06 January 2023 - 02:02 AM.

  • Cheerful x 1
  • Agree x 1

#3976 Sikorsky

  • Guest
  • 21 posts
  • 5
  • Location:Denmark

Posted 07 January 2023 - 10:03 AM

People keep forgetting that consciousness is an emergent property of the configuration of matter that we call the brain and that by manipulating and influencing this configuration of matter, we are influencing the contents of consciousness. This is what books on positive psychology are missing. Whenever I'm reading them I always remember that quote from Andrew Huberman that it is very hard to control your mind with your mind. A more effective way is to control your mind by influencing your body using all of these practices and substances that we are discussing. This is why I applaud you because you are one of the rare people who recognize that. You are raising awareness about all the possible levers that we have at our disposal with which we can optimize ourselves as biological, material machines. I couldn't care less what kind of genetic predisposition someone has for depression, or any other mental disorder, if your priority isn't to focus on influencing your mind using exactly that way of thinking, you can implement knowledge from 1000 different books in positive psychology and self-help and you will come to realize that it is very hard to influence your mind using your mind.

I saw that you mentioned free will in one of your posts. I am very well aware of the discussion about free will and that there is no free will and so I have been thinking a lot about how to make the most out of that realization.

1. My goal is to find all the possible forces (influences) that are influencing me as an autonomous biological system, in every possible moment and their magnitude, and find all the possible levers with which I can manipulate these forces so that I can be aware of them and steer myself in the direction that I want. (For example, if I get very angry by some trivial thing, I can understand that one of the forces influencing me is the fact that I am in a big caloric deficit and that I have been functioning on a very small amount of carbs. This is, of course, only one of many forces influencing me at that moment.)

2. Develop the best possible self-awareness to understand myself as a system on the deepest level possible. That includes understanding my genetic predispositions and all other properties (intrinsic motivation, fears...) which are based on a neural circuits developed by nature and nurture, and which are consciously and unconsciously steering my decisions. That includes having the deepest possible understanding of my subconscious.

3. Since the brain functions as a Bayesian prediction engine, to close the gap between my model of reality and reality so that I can understand as precisely as possible all the possible causal chains and the magnitude of different effects that are part of that chain and therefore to form better decisions by having a more precise understanding of what kind of actions will produce what kind of results.

What do you think about this?

I also wanted to ask you - There are some psychometricians that argue that even though intelligence is impossible or very hard to augment by a significant amount, that there are ways of teaching people "learning how to think", different problem solving methods, critical thinking, abstract reasoning, learning how to learn, all of these practices which even though they wouldn't raise one's score on a standardized test of intelligence, they would in some sense increase the intelligence by making the process of problem solving in the real world, more effective, and make oneself make better decisions (which is a motivation behind increasing the intelligence because the whole point is that people with higher intelligence are able to better solve problems in the real world, make better decisions, learn faster - and by using crystalized intelligence also solve problems faster, more effectively - and therefore have better value on a free market, and all other causal chains that stem from these abilities - better relationships, happiness... (all the things that IQ is correlated with).

So would you agree that if you have someone with an IQ of 120 and someone with an IQ of 150, by teaching the person with an IQ of 120 learning how to learn(20/10, Anki, active recall...), Critical thinking, different problem-solving methods, different forms of reasoning, and having in mind that the person with an IQ of 150 wouldn't be aware of these practices, in some sense, the person with lower intelligence would make the gap of 30 points smaller, and even though we wouldn't raise the score of that person on a standardized test of intelligence, we would produce "real world gains" - make that person solve the problems in the real world more effectively, make more intelligent decisions, build crystalized intelligence faster (by learning how to learn more effectively) and thereby in a sense augment the intelligence of that person which is the whole motivation behind finding practices and substances for raising performance on a standardized test of intelligence.

Maybe investing time and energy in that way of thinking is equally important as optimizing the ways of augmenting fluid intelligence using brain training or the Moonshot project (if it turns out successful). I think this would be a worthwhile endeavor.

Here are some of the books that I am planning to read and study that have sparked this way of thinking:

David Perkins - Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence

Bigrocks Thinking - Critical thinking, Logic & Problem Solving: The Ultimate Guide to Better Thinking, Systematic Problem Solving and Making Impeccable Decisions with Secret Tips to Detect Logical Fallacies

Sternberg... - Teaching for Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, and Success

Sternberg... - Teaching for Successful Intelligence: To Increase Student Learning and Achievement

Arthur L. Costa - Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking (3rd Edition)

#3977 CitizenScientist

  • Guest
  • 11 posts
  • 4
  • Location:noyb
  • NO

Posted 08 January 2023 - 01:57 AM

People keep forgetting that consciousness is an emergent property of the configuration of matter that we call the brain and that by manipulating and influencing this configuration of matter, we are influencing the contents of consciousness. This is what books on positive psychology are missing. Whenever I'm reading them I always remember that quote from Andrew Huberman that it is very hard to control your mind with your mind. A more effective way is to control your mind by influencing your body using all of these practices and substances that we are discussing. This is why I applaud you because you are one of the rare people who recognize that. You are raising awareness about all the possible levers that we have at our disposal with which we can optimize ourselves as biological, material machines. I couldn't care less what kind of genetic predisposition someone has for depression, or any other mental disorder, if your priority isn't to focus on influencing your mind using exactly that way of thinking, you can implement knowledge from 1000 different books in positive psychology and self-help and you will come to realize that it is very hard to influence your mind using your mind.

I saw that you mentioned free will in one of your posts. I am very well aware of the discussion about free will and that there is no free will and so I have been thinking a lot about how to make the most out of that realization.

1. My goal is to find all the possible forces (influences) that are influencing me as an autonomous biological system, in every possible moment and their magnitude, and find all the possible levers with which I can manipulate these forces so that I can be aware of them and steer myself in the direction that I want. (For example, if I get very angry by some trivial thing, I can understand that one of the forces influencing me is the fact that I am in a big caloric deficit and that I have been functioning on a very small amount of carbs. This is, of course, only one of many forces influencing me at that moment.)

2. Develop the best possible self-awareness to understand myself as a system on the deepest level possible. That includes understanding my genetic predispositions and all other properties (intrinsic motivation, fears...) which are based on a neural circuits developed by nature and nurture, and which are consciously and unconsciously steering my decisions. That includes having the deepest possible understanding of my subconscious.

3. Since the brain functions as a Bayesian prediction engine, to close the gap between my model of reality and reality so that I can understand as precisely as possible all the possible causal chains and the magnitude of different effects that are part of that chain and therefore to form better decisions by having a more precise understanding of what kind of actions will produce what kind of results.

What do you think about this?

 

At the risk of jumping in (uninvited, to boot) and immediately appearing argumentative, the notion that consciousness is an emergent property of the brain is only one perspective.  To mitigate any perception that I'm being antagonistic, I should say that, to the extent that your view is housed within a paradigm of materialism, it's on the money as far as sound advice goes.  To the extent that we want to act as though we have true agency, I agree (noting something tautological about acting as though there is agency).  Another perspective, however, is that consciousness is fundamental and prior to matter, which might be described as a situation wherein it is the brain that is an emergent property of consciousness.  It gets tricky, because we use "consciousness" as a placeholder for more than one thing, one that is primary to all, and the other that is more like the deepest and least fickle "self" from which to perceive the world, but one that still takes itself to be in and of the world.  For this discussion, it is the latter that seems more consistent with materialism, and I may be diverging from that when concerning myself with the former. 

 

We can approach the fundamental nature of consciousness in two ways: epistemologically and causally.  In the first sense, we might consider that consciousness is prior to our ability to know anything about ourselves or the world, and that this makes us (potentially) unreliable narrators of our own existence.  It's something like "trickle down consciousness", from "big 'c' Consciousness" down to "little 'c' consciousness", and a reality feedback loop that only ever includes the "little 'c'".  Wishing to act on the world in order to influence our consciousness might very well be an example of the Huberman quote you referenced.  That idea of Huberman's seems to me to implicitly highlight (or at least be extended to) the semantic variance in using "consciousness", because we're talking about using "little 'c' consciousness" to try to influence "big 'c' "Consciousness". 

 

The other way to look at it is causally, and this follows on from the previous view, and links in well with your free will discussion.  If consciousness is primary, then the experiences based on the material world are the "backfilling" by consciousness, the rendering of reality as a projection, where consciousness is simply the light that casts that projection outwards.  It is the case in that scenario that physical, material reality can only be an effect, and so any attempts in the physical world to alter consciousness are occurring on the wrong side of causal arrow.  The actions within reality as we know it simply play out, including any attempts to alter consciousness, but do not actually change the story any more than drawing a knife on a flipbook page cuts into the subsequent pages when flipped.

 

As for free will, under a model of determinism, if there is no free will then it's bigger than the idea of no personal will, which is what people often limit themselves to.  We can grasp the automaton-like notion of no personal will, without taking it to its conclusion that even our perception of that state is part of the automata, that our decisions and actions that stem from it, also automata.  It's that, by and large, the decisions are pre-made and we're acting them out, including whether or not to believe in free will or not, to take action or not, to agree or disagree with outcomes, etc.  If there is no free will, then wanting to involve yourself in all of your influences and causative factors is also "part of the show", and you'll do it or not do it as it was only ever going to be.  Whether you increase self-awareness or not, that's also pre-ordained under the auspices of a deterministic universe.  Another way to look at it is: no personal will would be like finding yourself an actor in a play, with a role assigned and a script to act out.  No free will whatsoever, determinism manifest, is that you find yourself in the same place, an actor, not knowing that your very presence as an actor, your flubbing of lines, your thoughts as the actor, etc., is, itself, already scripted.  

 

Accordingly, I'm in no position to influence you or anyone else.  I'm writing a message to convey my perspective because that's how it's playing out for me.  What you do with it is what's playing out for you.  All in all, the direction you're proposing seems healthy, and we could all benefit from progressing ourselves in those ways. If materialism prevails, I'm on board with your suggestions.  If determinism prevails, then it is what it is.  I do question that we have any agency in whether we do the work, whether we succeed, etc., but often the only thing to do is act as if we have the agency.  Likewise for consequences, so many things are beyond individual causation, yet the only thing to do is hold ourselves (and to a lesser extent, others) accountable, because what else could we do?

 

Welcome to 2023 folks.  Onwards and upwards.


  • Well Written x 1

#3978 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 09 January 2023 - 12:38 AM

Hello my friends! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

 

I'm going to hold off on posting for a bit and give Sikorsky a chance to respond to CitizenScientist if he wants to and then I'll let Citizen Scientist respond back if he wants to before I chime in. 

 

Consciousness is a fascinating subject and it deals with such a fundamental aspect of human experience that there is likely to be honest disagreement on all sides of the conversation for a long time to come. 

 

A quick update from me...my second Moonshot Session is still a go for this Saturday. I think I'll probably refrain from posting publicly in the middle of it this time but I'll talk about it beforehand and update you guys shortly after just to let you know how it went. 

 

So far, after session one my cognition has felt fantastic. The most noticeable thing however has been that I just feel ridiculously content. I don't even know how to describe it. I'm just so calm, peaceful, and satisfied all the time. It's been quite noticeable and quite surprising. Just need to make sure it doesn't make me complacent. Obviously, a serotonergic cause seems most likely since it is more associated with 'having' while dopamine tends to encourage a bit more 'wanting'. Who knows for sure though? 

 

Anyway, talk to you guys soon!

 

LF Out

 


Edited by lostfalco, 09 January 2023 - 12:39 AM.

  • Cheerful x 1

#3979 CitizenScientist

  • Guest
  • 11 posts
  • 4
  • Location:noyb
  • NO

Posted 09 January 2023 - 01:58 AM

A quick update from me...my second Moonshot Session is still a go for this Saturday. I think I'll probably refrain from posting publicly in the middle of it this time but I'll talk about it beforehand and update you guys shortly after just to let you know how it went. 

 

So far, after session one my cognition has felt fantastic. The most noticeable thing however has been that I just feel ridiculously content. I don't even know how to describe it. I'm just so calm, peaceful, and satisfied all the time. It's been quite noticeable and quite surprising. Just need to make sure it doesn't make me complacent. Obviously, a serotonergic cause seems most likely since it is more associated with 'having' while dopamine tends to encourage a bit more 'wanting'. Who knows for sure though? 

 

A quick 2c on the Moonshot: Aside from the hypothesised connectedness plus neurogenesis / synaptogenesis synergy, I pondered another possibility that may partially explain the described contentment.  The brain will entrain to an external rhythm, and neurons that fire together, yada yada.  I wonder if the bright light exposure, by increasing intra- and inter-network connectedness, is opening the brain up to broader (more global) entrainment, and that the MDMA is driving that entrainment?  Not only is there more synchrony / connectedness, which is beneficial (to a point), but the new connectedness is, for lack of a more technical term, being primed for the serotonergic state that is present when it arises.  Thoughts, anyone?

 

The entrainment factor had occurred to me when LF first suggested his Moonshot, and it seemed that gamma frequencies might be ideal, as they seem to be most prevalent in cross-brain, inter-network communication.  The entrainment could be by pulsing the bright light itself, or accompanying audio, or gamma-focused neurofeedback during the exposure.  The general centre for this is 40Hz, but I think that since brains seem to vary in their optimal response frequency (ORF), if this could be determined for the individual, then the multiple of the ORF nearest to 40Hz might work even better.  Either way, gamma entrainment might be another potential synergy with this protocol.



#3980 Sikorsky

  • Guest
  • 21 posts
  • 5
  • Location:Denmark

Posted 09 January 2023 - 04:35 PM

I do not think that you should care what I think about consciousness, or that I should care about your opinion. There are plenty of books written by experts in the field that are far more qualified than you or me.

The point that I was trying to make is that when people are experiencing emotions, they are forgetting that the process can be explained mechanistically and that since we are material machines, by influencing the matter (brain), we are influencing the contents of consciousness. It seems to me that people who have a religious view of consciousness, as something that can exist independent of the brain, are very
resistant to this idea and are often preaching about controlling the mind using only the mind. It's like it's beneath their dignity to accept the notion that mental disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and OCD, like all other contents of consciousness are based in biology and that treating them as such is far more effective in attempts to find solutions. Most positive psychology books ignore this fact and are trying to sell people the idea that you should only meditate a little bit more, have an optimistic approach to life, and like magic, everything becomes better.

#3981 CitizenScientist

  • Guest
  • 11 posts
  • 4
  • Location:noyb
  • NO

Posted 09 January 2023 - 10:03 PM

I do not think that you should care what I think about consciousness, or that I should care about your opinion. There are plenty of books written by experts in the field that are far more qualified than you or me.

 

I find consciousness to be a fascinating topic, which was why I replied to your post.  I tend to think that's the spirit, even the raison d'etre, of a forum.  I seem to have struck a nerve though.  I'm sorry, Sikorsky, if you were bothered by my post.  It was not about you, it was the topic that inspired me.  I went out of my way to try to limit the offence I might have caused, but I apologise if offence resulted.

 

Your attitude leaves something to be desired though, not for what I might take from it personally (which is very little), but for its implications.  Let's not care about consciousness, or care about each other's opinions.  Great.  Although there's a circularity (or at least hypocrisy), since you cared enough to post as a way to try to shut me down.  Do I continue that cycle by telling you not to care what I think or post?  Plenty of experts out there, yes.  That appeared to be an attempt to put me in my place as a non-expert.  Although you might admit, you more so than I, set yourself up as something of an expert with a sweeping claim that people keep forgetting about consciousness the things that you purport to know, including what all of the positive psychology books are missing about consciousness.  But let's limit all internet contributions to just the experts sticking to their fields of expertise, is that the idea?  And if so, will you be declaring an area of expertise and limiting yourself to it?  I'm an expert on very little, so I'll be rather quiet.  Or is it just that people who you deem not to be experts, commenting on your posts, they are the ones who should limit themselves?

 

My last little bit of shared non-expertise is to suggest that your original post was, perhaps, not about consciousness as I conceived it in my reply, but rather, systems theory.  Again, mea culpa for gripping the aspects pertaining to consciousness that interested me and running with them, when you wanted to stick to applications of systems theory and an ecological approach to self-improvement.  Mea maxima culpa to all, if my tangential response derailed the spirit of Sikorsky's post. 

 

Here do I retreat, until I better learn the arts of eggshell-walking and place-knowing.

 

Be well, all.


  • Enjoying the show x 1
  • Good Point x 1
  • Cheerful x 1

#3982 Sikorsky

  • Guest
  • 21 posts
  • 5
  • Location:Denmark

Posted 10 January 2023 - 02:21 PM

The mistake that I made was to go into the issue of free will. I have voiced my opinion about what I found to be an "acrobatic" way of avoiding nihilism that comes from the realization that everything is predetermined. I should not have cluttered the information space with that since there are plenty of people smarter than I am who have already provided superior solutions, I will edit that part out of the reply.
 
The only thing that I was trying to say is that information space about any topic, in this case, consciousness is so large that one simply does not have enough time or energy to consume it all. We are living in times when everyone has an opinion about everything and I simply do not see the point of cluttering the information space with our own opinions when there are plenty of superior sources of information. 
 
As I said, I am guilty of that. There is a lot of practical value in this thread relating to improving one's life and we have to take into account that when someone comes across this thread, he/she will start searching for practical nuggets of information. The less we are cluttering this space with non-practical information, the more efficient that process will be for that person. I don't care when lostfalco goes into different topics since he is the one who has provided a monumental amount of value and invested huge amounts of time and energy into researching and giving us useful, practical information on a silver platter, but I think it is a mistake for the rest of us to do it since we have to take into consideration time and energy of those who will try to consume information in this thread.
 
The reply was not intended at all to devalue your opinion. I do not know who you are, or what your qualifications are (believe me, they almost certainly are better than mine).
 
I am only a guest on this forum, but my suggestion is that we should let lostfalco lead this thread, and try to focus on providing practical value relevant to improving one's life.
 
I think that it is clear to everyone that intelligence is one of the best predictors of success in life and my questions relating to "outsmarting" IQ were intended to do just that - spark a conversation about levers that one can give to those who have been dealt a bad hand in terms of genetics with which they could "effectively" increase intelligence (make real-world gains) - get higher paying jobs, make better decisions... I think that part of the reply was as practical as it can get.
 
I won't reply to this thread anymore if I don't think that I have something of value to say.
 
Btw - here is an essay that you might find interesting
 

Edited by Sikorsky, 10 January 2023 - 02:24 PM.

  • Well Written x 1

#3983 Daniel Cooper

  • Member, Moderator
  • 2,699 posts
  • 642
  • Location:USA

Posted 10 January 2023 - 04:47 PM

I do not think that you should care what I think about consciousness, or that I should care about your opinion. There are plenty of books written by experts in the field that are far more qualified than you or me.

The point that I was trying to make is that when people are experiencing emotions, they are forgetting that the process can be explained mechanistically and that since we are material machines, by influencing the matter (brain), we are influencing the contents of consciousness. It seems to me that people who have a religious view of consciousness, as something that can exist independent of the brain, are very
resistant to this idea and are often preaching about controlling the mind using only the mind. It's like it's beneath their dignity to accept the notion that mental disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and OCD, like all other contents of consciousness are based in biology and that treating them as such is far more effective in attempts to find solutions. Most positive psychology books ignore this fact and are trying to sell people the idea that you should only meditate a little bit more, have an optimistic approach to life, and like magic, everything becomes better.

 

I have seen no explanation of the brain from a purely materialistic point of view that explains consciousness (so I would take issue with the parts in bold), and a few good arguments that such reductionist explanations will never work.

 

There is no doubt that the material aspects of the brain have strong implications on emotional state. But as far as an explanation for consciousness - we really have no idea what is going on there.

 

As far as AIs becoming conscious (which I think was the entry of this part of the discussion) - AIs can do amazing and world changing things without being themselves conscious. There are very good arguments that Turing machines can never be conscious - See Roger Penrose.

 

 

 

 


Edited by Daniel Cooper, 10 January 2023 - 08:34 PM.


#3984 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 10 January 2023 - 06:02 PM

I apologize to everyone who doesn't love this discussion on consciousness! I promise that we will return to our regular programming shortly! lol

 

I, for one, find it fascinating (as I think consciousness is the starting point for all human discussions) and it's given me the impetus to revisit some of my old philosophy of mind texts. I'm going to do a little reading on those, brush up on Donald Hoffman's recent arguments, take another look at Hameroff and Penrose's theory (I read it years ago) and then chime in a little more fully soon.

 

On the argumentation side...I really appreciate the initial tension that seems to have been resolved amicably. I think we are all just trying to make our way through life as best we can and there is always room for amicable disagreement...especially on the internet!

 

I've been wrong a million times (and I'll be wrong a million times more!) and I don't think there is any shame in that...it's all about growing, progressing, and gradually becoming less wrong over time to the best of our ability. 

 

And, of course, guiding, correcting, and sharing each other's perspectives kindly. 

 

I'll try to address each of the recent posts in succession (as soon as I'm able) to the best of my ability. 

 

I'm kind of curious to see what my MDMA and photon enhanced (if 'enhanced' is the right word. lol) brain comes up with. ha

 

Probably nothing profound (as consciousness has baffled the greatest minds in history) but I like my experiments so I'll approach it that way. 

 

Let's keep it positive, curious, searching, and ego free!

 

We're all in this crazy life together. 

 

It's cool to share some of my time with you guys and for you guys to share yours with me. 

 

I'll start responding soon!

 

LF Out


Edited by lostfalco, 11 January 2023 - 01:37 AM.

  • like x 2
  • Cheerful x 1

#3985 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 13 January 2023 - 12:31 PM

Good morning my friends!

 

I've been putting out fires at my day job the past few days so sorry about the absence. 

 

I'll be back tomorrow morning at 9am for Moonshot Session 2!

 

Same doses, same everything.

 

My experience so far with session one has been unbelievable. 

 

My brain feels extremely connected, controlled, and absurdly quick.

 

I'm genuinely a different person.

 

I walk differently, I talk differently, I move differently...it's crazy. 

 

My thoughts and movements have become VERY fluid and flowing compared to my past self. 

 

It's been a fascinating experience. 

 

I know that I need to start communicating with you guys through video so you can see my face and hear my voice. 

 

I've been practicing recording a little bit and I'm pretty close to being open to sharing my hideous visage and screeching witch-like voice with you guys. ;)

 

I'm gonna start off simple and just talk without editing for a bit to get into the habit and then we'll see where things go from there. 

 

Writing is such a limiting medium...though it has its extremely worthwhile purposes!

 

Anyway, for the next few days it's going to be text but video is coming soon. 

 

Remember to keep up ALL of your circadian enhancements...sleep, light, food timing, sequence eating, plenty of water, fiber, enough electrons from food, exercise, etc.

 

Don't do ANY of theses things out of duty. 

 

Instead, do them because they make you feel amazing. 

 

That will allow you to consistently maintain them over time...which is the most important thing.

 

I hope you guys are all doing great!

 

I'm still going to respond to the recent posts...just give me a little time. 

 

Talk to you guys tomorrow!

 

LF Out

 


Edited by lostfalco, 13 January 2023 - 07:13 PM.

  • Cheerful x 2
  • like x 1

#3986 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 14 January 2023 - 02:59 PM

Hello my friends!

 

It's 9:00 am CST so it's time for Moonshot Session Two.

 

Just like last time, I've already done my 30 min of bright light therapy, exercised, eaten, taken 20mg of testosterone this morning, 200mcg sermorelin last night, etc...

 

As previously mentioned, the two main goals are:

1. Enhanced Synaptogenesis (100mg oral (not sublingual this time) MDMA taken at 9am CST and 50mg oral MDMA taken at 10am CST)

2. Enhanced full brain connectivity and efficiency (30min Bright Light Therapy at 10am and every day for the duration of the cycle)

 

What that said, 3....2....1.....dose!

 

Talk to you guys later this afternoon when the effects start to war off. 

 

LF Out (for now)


  • Cheerful x 1
  • like x 1

#3987 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 15 January 2023 - 04:03 AM

Moonshot Session 2 went off without a hitch today. 

 

I was able to move around more, think more, and study more during the session compared to session one. 

 

I think the oral dosing versus the sublingual probably had something to do with that. 

 

I'm pretty tired so I'm gonna go ahead and rest. 

 

Chat with you guys soon!

 

LF Out


  • Cheerful x 1
  • like x 1

#3988 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 15 January 2023 - 01:53 PM

Good morning my friends!

 

Over the past few weeks I've mentioned AI and how that is already transforming everything humans do. 

 

This is only going to become more prevalent in the future and learning how to use these tools and write the best prompts to get the AI to answer specific questions you have will become extremely useful skills to have no matter what field you are in. 

 

So, how does this affect us with our brain enhancements?

 

In my opinion, the game has completely changed. 

 

We now want to optimize our brains and our timing rules and our circadian schedules in order to optimize the ways in which we communicate with the AI's and get them to perform actions for us. 

 

They can write code for us, build websites for us, create art for us, create videos for us, write emails for us, research for us, etc. 

 

The list goes on and on and on. 

 

Prompting the AI's properly has now become an essential skill in today's world and we want to optimize our brains so that we can quickly and easily learn to optimally communicate with our robot overlords. lol

 

I kid...but only a little bit. ha

 

I've mainly been using ChatGPT and Midjourney so far as I previously mentioned but there are obviously A LOT more out there and there will be MANY more to come in the near future. 

 

For those tools, I've really been enjoying this guy's Youtube vids:

1. https://www.youtube.com/@AdrianTwarog

2. https://www.youtube....@CodexCommunity

 

Also, I thought that this guy's video gave some interesting tips for getting the AI to answer questions in a way that is useful for us. 

 

 

Anyway, these ideas have been constantly on my mind since I started to realize what this tech can do for us. 

 

The possibilities are endless. 

 

So, create a circadian schedule, keep your brain fit, healthy, and creative and use that brain to creatively take advantage of the most insane technological leap of our lifetimes. 

 

That's what I'm doing and I definitely recommend it to everyone who has even the slightest interest in what AI can do for us. 

 

This is the new normal my friends. 

 

I realize it can be scary to a lot of people but all new tech seems scary at first. 

 

We will quickly get used to it and the people who can use AI properly will have a massive advantage over those that can't. 

 

Get on board now, start practicing with it, and figure out how you can use it to help get the life you want. 

 

Have wonderful Sunday everyone!

 

LF Out

 

p.s. Still going to respond to consciousness posts! Coming soon.  


  • Cheerful x 1

#3989 MidwestGreg

  • Guest
  • 37 posts
  • 9
  • Location:US

Posted 15 January 2023 - 03:05 PM

LF - enjoying the thread

 

Question - for the light therapy devices how do you determine that the claimed power intensity and wavelength are correct?

 

Thanks



sponsored ad

  • Advert
Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

#3990 lostfalco

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest
  • 1,686 posts
  • 414
  • Location:the present

Posted 15 January 2023 - 04:47 PM

So, the skill I was just talking about related to AI has a name...'prompt engineering'. 

 

Here's a good site that walks you through how to acquire this skill from beginner to advanced levels: https://learnprompting.org/

 

I hope that helps you guys!


  • Cheerful x 1





Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: nootropic

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

Topic Led By