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My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

johannhari.com

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Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#41

Post by ChazDazzle »

dustingetz wrote: post #22

Modafinil and Startups (Daniel Tenner): http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups Here is the conclusion: "I will come strongly on the side of saying that anyone who wants to build a startup should stay away from any regular or semi-regular Modafinil use, as it will impair their judgement enough to make up for any apparent gain in productivity, and I would further posit that any founder who takes Modafinil…

The impaired judgement he experienced could just as easily be attributed to his prolonged sleep-deprivation rather than the Modafinil.

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#42

Post by wyager »

throwaway3173 wrote: post #35
quotemstr wrote: post #31

If you think Modafinil and Provigil are controversial today, wait until we have genome-editing techniques for increasing intelligence. Transhumanism is inevitable. I really do not understand the opposition to allowing individuals to increase their intelligence.

I don't think there's an opposition to it. People just don't want to shoot themselves in the foot by gambling on Modafinil having no long term effects.

>I don't think there's an opposition to it.

There is definitely opposition. It's mostly on religious grounds, a la "My beliefs dictate that I should prevent you from 'playing god', because that privelege is reserved for my deit(y|ies).".

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#43

Post by throwaway3173 »

t__r wrote: post #21

I tried Modafinil (provigil). Its effect was mild at best, and it was hard to determine whether this was a placebo effect or not. Ritalin, on the other hand, was very effective, but it gives a bit of a cocaine-like high, which scared me enough not to use it for more than a week. Luckily that was enough to get me through that seemingly insurmountable pile of work I had to do.

How much did you take?

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#44

Post by spydum »

wyager wrote: post #42
throwaway3173 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think there's an opposition to it. People just don't want to shoot themselves in the foot by gambling on Modafinil having no long term effects.

>I don't think there's an opposition to it. There is definitely opposition. It's mostly on religious grounds, a la "My beliefs dictate that I should prevent you from 'playing god', because that privelege is reserved for my deit(y|ies).".

I bet they all consume copious amounts of coffee while saying it.

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#45

Post by jotm »

throwaway3173 wrote: post #35
quotemstr wrote: post #31

If you think Modafinil and Provigil are controversial today, wait until we have genome-editing techniques for increasing intelligence. Transhumanism is inevitable. I really do not understand the opposition to allowing individuals to increase their intelligence.

I don't think there's an opposition to it. People just don't want to shoot themselves in the foot by gambling on Modafinil having no long term effects.

Tell that to the idiots who make every slightly risky (aren't they all?) drug illegal or, if we're lucky, prescription only.

Oh, that includes Modafinil, and I'm counting the days until someone notices Phenylethylamine.

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#46

Post by Xophmeister »

I tried modafinil for about a month -- maybe a bit longer; I don't remember -- and believe it had the desired effect (although I'm not convinced that wasn't a placebo). I felt more focused and, importantly, less prone to anxiety and depression, without the unstable skittishness that, say, caffeine gives me. (That said, it made my pee smell rather funky!) After researching as much as I could, I felt the risk was acceptable. The only reason I didn't continue my "experiment" was that it's a bit too expensive for the relatively mild improvements. (e.g., A good holiday, as the article mentioned, has a similar effect.) I considered trying to get it on prescription -- as it definitely seemed to help with my anxiety -- but felt that, besides that being off-label and therefore unlikely to be approved, it would be an somewhat unethical use of NHS resources!

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#48

Post by wrongc0ntinent »

sparkzilla wrote: post #8

Not so smart: getting busted for plagiarism: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jan/20/johann-hari-qui...

From a recent Guardian article: "Using a false identity, Hari had maliciously amended the Wikipedia pages of journalists he disliked [...]"

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/02/johann-hari-int...

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#49

Post by fezz »

Modafinil is fantastic if you want to super-procrastinate on steroids. Rabbit holes go on forever.

You have to have tasks all lined up and the interwebs unplugged (selfcontrol doesn't help if you know how to disable it)

Re: My experiment with smart drugs (2008)

#50

Post by domdip »

dominotw wrote: post #28
sparkzilla wrote: post #8

Not so smart: getting busted for plagiarism: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jan/20/johann-hari-qui...

How is this related to the original article? Are you saying he might be lying about his experiences ?

It's the same author. There's a pretty big overlap between plagiarists and fabulists, so it's hard to put much stock into a subjective article like this.
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