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Hacking the Brain

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Hacking the Brain

#121

Post by throwawawathrow »

miscellaneous wrote: post #120
throwawawathrow wrote: post #8

It really takes a special kind of mind to take something originally intended to be fun, subversive and/or spiritual (recreational drugs) that's existed for decades or even centuries, and turn it into yet another tool to boost your React productivity by 12.3% on Friday evenings, under the new brand of 'enhancement' or 'hacking'. Because to what other end would that 'performance' boost be put to use?

Or perhaps these people simply aren't hedonists that orientate their lives around momentary pleasures. Instead, they derive pleasure from achievement and building things. Recreational drugs, on the other hand, have ruined millions of people lives. You are being disengenuous to suggest that they have a positive effect to most people. Finally, no one "intended" drugs to be anything. They are simply tools that humans ha…

You're right, people should eschew such debasing wordly pleasures for the noble task of checks notes tracking the living hell of anyone with an internet device to serve them with personalized ads. Much achievement, very world-building.

>Recreational drugs, on the other hand, have ruined millions of people lives.

Yes all recreational drugs are opiates and physically addictive. People have been overdosing on mushrooms and LSD for decades before the government undertook heroic prohibition efforts. That's definitely what's happened.

>It is ludicrous to suggest that they have specific intention.

The original users did them with a specific intention. That's what is meant by the passive form of 'intended'. Of course I am not forbidding you to enhance your IQ with minute LSD microdosings so that you can perform better at your next hackathon, by all means feel free to change the world.

Re: Hacking the Brain

#122

Post by voldacar »

manmal wrote: post #67
iikoolpp wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the funniest post I've ever read on this website Either it's entirely the placebo effect, or it somehow actually does something and you're cooking your brain to wage slave even harder

A simple "pubmed near infrared brain" web search will yield enough results to dispel your concerns somewhat. Overdosing is of course not desirable, so yes, don't use a 10W laser for several minutes. There are plenty of therapeutic options which make it hard to overdose. Since you mentioned wage slaving - I chose coding performance as an example, but I could also have mentioned improved guitar playing skills. Or being…

So do you just tape the thing to your third eye or something? Do you have some kind of harness rigged up for it?

Re: Hacking the Brain

#123

Post by vntx »

manmal wrote: post #16

I haven’t found near infrared radiation referenced in the article - I‘m using near infrared as a brain hack, by shining a cheap 850nm LED light on my forehead. This has, over the last 2 years, enabled me to code for weeks on end, for 12+ hours a day, with only minor cognitive decline. It’s not something I really want to do, but sometimes it’s useful. Before I started the near infrared routine (~5 minutes every other…

That’s cool that it works well , but aren’t there trade-offs for everything?

This method seems to help your brain work more because it increases its metabolism but that might also cause your brain to age faster right?

The harder you work something, the faster you wear it down.

Is my logic flawed or am I missing something? Just curious.

Re: Hacking the Brain

#124

Post by say_it_as_it_is »

manmal wrote: post #16

I haven’t found near infrared radiation referenced in the article - I‘m using near infrared as a brain hack, by shining a cheap 850nm LED light on my forehead. This has, over the last 2 years, enabled me to code for weeks on end, for 12+ hours a day, with only minor cognitive decline. It’s not something I really want to do, but sometimes it’s useful. Before I started the near infrared routine (~5 minutes every other…

I prefer to put my head in the oven with the gas on, especially when I am trying to tackle a landslide of difficult problems

Re: Hacking the Brain

#125

Post by throwaway_law »

knzhou wrote: post #112
mike00632 wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>like visible light,, infrared light gets stopped almost completely by skin Actually light passes through skin rather easily. You can test this by putting a flashlight up to your hand. Light even acts as a catalyst for nutrients in your body according to some recent studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24198392

Maybe a fraction can pass through the scalp, but what about the skull?

quantum tunneling

Re: Hacking the Brain

#126

Post by zarro »

iikoolpp wrote: post #24
manmal wrote: post #16

I haven’t found near infrared radiation referenced in the article - I‘m using near infrared as a brain hack, by shining a cheap 850nm LED light on my forehead. This has, over the last 2 years, enabled me to code for weeks on end, for 12+ hours a day, with only minor cognitive decline. It’s not something I really want to do, but sometimes it’s useful. Before I started the near infrared routine (~5 minutes every other…

This is the funniest post I've ever read on this website Either it's entirely the placebo effect, or it somehow actually does something and you're cooking your brain to wage slave even harder

Halfway through, I also thought this was some next level satire.

Don't listen to these bums, there are much more people that agree with you. Its just that butt-hurt is a greater comment motivator than agreement.

Re: Hacking the Brain

#127

Post by pinouchon »

CodiePetersen wrote: post #113

For those who don't want to read the whole thing. Use your brain regularly on many types of tasks, drink coffee or tea, play video games, exercise, and provide your brain with either proper nutrients or appropriate levels of supplements. Too much or too little supplements will have negative or no effects. Everything else doesn't have enough research and some side effects might not be what you wanted. Not to mention t…

Also, get high quality sleep. I'm still not sold on video games and coffee/tea. I'll have to look at it more. If you some research that shows the beneficial effects of coffee/tea and video games, please share

Re: Hacking the Brain

#128

Post by especial »

manmal wrote: post #105
especial wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mind explaining your routine of 5 minutes every other day? Is this recommended from a study?

It's basically self experimentation, and cross-checked with literature to make sure I don't overdose. Overdose is not that bad (it surely happened to me), slight light-headedness and confusion for a few hours, in my case. Not stay-at-home bad, only a bit annoying. I quickly learned not to overdose, and haven't for over a year. Prof Hamblin from Harvard gave an interesting video interview with the guy from selfhacked…

Very interesting. Last question, do you mind linking the exact CCTV led model you're using? Just so that I have a baseline for experimentation. Thanks for the info!

Re: Hacking the Brain

#129

Post by spookthesunset »

all_blue_chucks wrote: post #82
manmal wrote: post #16

I haven’t found near infrared radiation referenced in the article - I‘m using near infrared as a brain hack, by shining a cheap 850nm LED light on my forehead. This has, over the last 2 years, enabled me to code for weeks on end, for 12+ hours a day, with only minor cognitive decline. It’s not something I really want to do, but sometimes it’s useful. Before I started the near infrared routine (~5 minutes every other…

Your body will naturally develop an immunity, a bit like a callus, to constant IR light. To counteract this use an IR light with Pulse Width Modulation, such as a TV control. Then post pictures of yourself holding a remote to your head so that you can help educate others about your medical breakthrough.

Get an ESP32 and drive a MOSFET through a GPIO pin that in turn drives the LED array.

Then use the WiFi on it and make it controllable through Alexa. Hands free operation!

Re: Hacking the Brain

#130

Post by rubicon33 »

knzhou wrote: post #112
mike00632 wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>like visible light,, infrared light gets stopped almost completely by skin Actually light passes through skin rather easily. You can test this by putting a flashlight up to your hand. Light even acts as a catalyst for nutrients in your body according to some recent studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24198392

Maybe a fraction can pass through the scalp, but what about the skull?

Seriously, why is nobody else asking THIS question.

I'm usually convinced there are a ton of really smart people on HN... much smarter than myself. Yet, this thread is one of those few times where I'm found doubting.

Either I am just totally missing the facts here, or yea... there's some wild placebo + self convincing going on.

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