Ian Osmond

Comment Threads

• Bill Arnold commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  I assume that's A Periodic Diet that Mimics Fasting Promotes Multi-System Regeneration, Enhanced Cognitive Performance, and Healthspan (July 2015). Don't have access except to the abstract; how big was the study out of curiosity? Anyway, that's science, not woo. The problem as you note is that standards of evidence for policy-making, and standards of evidence for picking problems and guiding research and further investigation, are two different beasts. For the later category (particularly picking problems), one needs to be more willing to consider that their priors are entirely, or at least interestingly, wrong. While I'm thinking of it, unrelated question;...
• Dirk Bruere commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  The only thing I know is that microdosing with LSD is somewhat fashionable for "creativity". Not sure how well it works, but it seems logical. I have only ever done megadosing :-) Some discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/2grjbn/best_nootropic_for_enhancing_creativity/ Easiest thing would be for you to just try some Piracetam. It's about the safest drug I have ever encountered....
• Bill Arnold commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  Tx! Also found this (2009), related to Piracetam and intuition, and uhm other stuff. Search engines are great! (You might find it amusing.) Odd that the creative class hasn't picked up on it (or maybe they have), like performers have picked up on beta blockers etc....
• Dirk Bruere commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  Piracetam especially is more than subtle. For me its effect is imperceptible. I only notice it when playing something like Sodoku, where my scores increased over a period of around 3 weeks by some 7%. I initially thought the online game was somehow broken because they were getting significantly easier. However, I only do a few weeks with piracetam and then take time off. During the latter period the games get harder again. Perhaps that is why many people under rate it. Some of its relatives, like aniracetam etc tend to be significantly more effective more quickly, but I prefer...
• Michael Cule commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  Me to aliens: Borg off. To expand a little... I want immortality but not at the cost of self. I have no evidence that a group mind is any more likely to produce happy results than a bunch of individuals. (Show me some evidence and I might, I say Might, be convinced otherwise. I have no evidence that these aliens are honest and trustworthy. Again show me evidence that they are not con-artists or the equivalent of Scientologist or other types of evangelists and I might be convinced otherwise. I never agree to major changes to my entire species on...