You don't need any god damn thing for creative stimulation. If you can't get yourself creative, drugs, booze, whatever isn't going to help.
What artificial stimulants do you use?
31–40 of 59 posts
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#32You don't need any god damn thing for creative stimulation. If you can't get yourself creative, drugs, booze, whatever isn't going to help.
There is a long history of artists, musicians, and writers that would completely disagree with that statement.
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#33It may sound stupid, but eat plenty of fish. Omega-3 fatty acids (in fish) have been shown to boost mood and concentration, among other things. I can attest to that. But fish is expensive so just buy the pills at Walmart..
DHA and EPA from marine algae instead of fish are available now (google it). Algae is where the fish get it anyway.
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#34A mortgage.
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#35I used to be a caffeine junkie. Weirdly, however, after hitting a rough patch this year and deciding that I couldn't afford 4 2L bottles a day any more, I found that I was no less productive without it, and I'm far less anxious. I have an occasional caffeinated soft drink or green tea, still, but the non-stop highly-caffeinated Randall days are no more.
Congrats for kicking the habit, but to anyone that likes being addicted to caffeine and wants to save money, you can buy natural sources of caffeine such as kola, guarana, and yerba mate very cheaply online.
I second the mate. I love espresso and would drink it all day if I could, but it often leaves me feeling dehydrated.
Mate has mateine, by the way, not caffeine (mateine is a stereoisomer of caffeine). I don't know it has different properties and that's the reason or if it's the plethora of other constituents, but in my experience mate gives me a mild, persistent buzz all over my body as where caffeine goes straight to my head.
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#36In Argentina they drink Matte, a substance which consists of what looks like leaves and twigs dug up from the Pampas. I believe they also eat tremendous quantities of beef... though that may not help with staying awake.
One of my favorite writers talks about Argentina's obsession with beef -- and mate, incidentally -- at http://www.idlewords.com/2006/04/argentina_on_two_steaks_a_d...
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#37Artificial light.
This is an important one. The brighter the light, the more I feel "worklike". To a point, of course, but 700 watts equiv. is as high as my office goes.
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#38It may sound stupid, but eat plenty of fish. Omega-3 fatty acids (in fish) have been shown to boost mood and concentration, among other things. I can attest to that. But fish is expensive so just buy the pills at Walmart..
Depends on your locale. I bought fish for a family lunch of twelve today. Six dozen fresh sardines, 24 EUR. It would have costed more to order hamburgers or pizza for twelve. YMMV.
Yeah, but then you had to eat sardines. ;)
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#39I'm on a strict regimen of EPO and Hemoglobin blood transfusions, but that's for cycling, not coding.
You should be banned from Le Tour De France, luckily YC doesn't dope test. We are in a tainted generation of coding.
Re: What artificial stimulants do you use?
#40Nothing - if I'm that tired, maybe it's best to get some sleep. I'll have some tea once in a while, but it's not something that really wakes me up or gets me going.