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Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

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Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#601

Post by hirvi74 »

comprev wrote: post #554
nathell wrote: post #348

I’m 39. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD/AS about 11 months ago, after having seen a psychiatrist complaining about chronic fatigue (cf. my Ask HN from two years ago [0]). Methylphenidate has helped _immensely_. As has accepting the wiring of my brain, taking a two-months sabbatical, and practicing awareness about the ADHD habits. I’m having the year of my life. I can’t remember being productive this consistently basica…

I was diagnosed a few years back and use the same drug - the difference is night and day for me. Astonishing difference to my life! When people ask if I'm frustrated/angry that it took until I was mid-30s to get diagnosed, I respond by saying how I'm proud of myself for achieving what I have so far unmedicated/undiagnosed - and excited about what the future might hold.

> When people ask if I'm frustrated/angry that it took until I was mid-30s to get diagnosed

I've seen the Butterfly Effect movie from the early 00s. I know that going back and changing one thing can have drastic consequences, and not always for the better. ;)

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#602

Post by fao_ »

skeaker wrote: post #441
fao_ wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference between stolen art and ai generated stolen art? Both are illegal under the DMCA

Stolen art requires the original to be taken from its rightful owner. The original owner still has their work, meaning no theft has occurred. Also worth a mention is that in the case of AI art the original owner is hard to discern in the first place because the work is often too transformative to pin any part of it to even a single artist.

DMCA defines copying as theft. Derivative artwork requires paying the owner of the original copyright.

> A "derivative work" is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a "derivative work."

Let's tick all that apply:

    - based upon one or more pre-existing works [yep]
    - (...) any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. [yep]
"Sufficiently transformed" isn't enough to not consider it clearly derivative. The code takes in existing copyrighted art, transforms it, and shits out derivatives. Derivative artwork requires a license to the derivative rights to exist, otherwise it's in violation of existing copyright law. This is an incredibly simple case to argue. The derivatives literally cannot exist without that which they are derived from.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#603

Post by hirvi74 »

scohesc wrote: post #426
dymk wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It took me a long time to dial in my vyvanse prescription so it wasn't impacting my sleep, plus not taking it on the weekends. Stress in all its forms also turned out to be a critical factor in sleeping well, too. Simply taking on fewer responsibilities (which I attribute in part to my particular ADHD) helped a lot there.

My doctor suggests I take Vyvanse on the weekends, 7 days a week - I feel like after taking it so long (almost a decade) I don't know who I am anymore off the pills - like I'm a different person almost? Did your doctor suggest weekend breaks, or is this something you've tried yourself and found works for you?

Every doctor I have had has recommend taking breaks if and when possible. I try to do it myself, and I think it makes a difference. The research on tolerance to medications is not well agreed upon. I am not expert, but I do not see any biological way that the human body would not gain a tolerance to some degree when constantly exposed to an exogenous substance that alters dopamine, GABA, etc..

Nicotine tolerance is real. So is caffeine, cocaine, meth, etc.. I do not see how our medications would be any different.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#604

Post by gnicholas »

CobsterLock wrote: post #591
gnicholas wrote: post #536

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might check out BeeLine Reader (I am the creator). [1] It's fairly popular in the ADHD community because it enhances visual focus while you're reading. Some people are able to read for 2x-10x as long with BeeLine versus without. I'm always happy to help out HNers with a free code for our browser plugin, just shoot me an email (contact in profile). 1: http://www.beelinereader.com

Is this the same beeline from 10 years ago? I sort of remember installing it back in middle school and really loving it and helping my ability to read walls of text. I never knew it got popular within the ADHD community or that it was still around. Another reader helper I liked was the one that flashed words in place but that seemed more like a speed read hack rather than actually comprehending what you read, never u…

Yep, the same one. You probably heard of us from our Show HN, [1] which I later found out was the 9th-most-popular Show HN, by upvote count. It really gave us a boost, and led to a flurry of media coverage!

We still have our browser plugins for web [2] and PDF, [3] but are now also integrated into education platforms, [4] and even some news websites. [5]

I've been bootstrapping it (and raising a family) so growth has not been as meteoric as some other startups, but it's been consistently up-and-to-the-right!

If there's ever a platform you'd like to see us work with, just let us know and we'll get on it.

1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6335784

2: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/beeline-reader/ifj...

3: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/beeline-reader-pdf...

4: https://help.perlego.com/en/articles/6386814-read-faster-wit...

5: https://inewsource.org/2023/01/25/san-diego-unified-students...

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#605

Post by chx »

charles_f wrote: post #401
chx wrote: post #126

This again? A blog post stuffed with stolen art and often heard but absolutely not working advice? > Every morning, I start my day by planning it out in a custom template that displays my Google Calendar events and Todoist task list. For real? One of the best ADHD tools I am aware of is called the Anti Planner. It doesn't take long to find posts like "why to-do lists don't work for people with ADHD" https://coachjess…

Yes, the morning routine and "at the end of the day" journaling are things that I never successfully implemented. Thanks for pointing to body doubling and anti planner. They seem like interesting concepts. Do you have any others that are worth checking?

Follow Jesse Anderson's Extra Focus substack (there's a book too), his newsletter helps you understand ADHD much more than anything I know of. And there are useful tips too. Remember, if it works for you, it's not weird :)

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#606

Post by [deleted] »

falcolas wrote: post #376
dijit wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well. 1. Self-diagnosis is not a diagnosis. 2. Things exist on a spectrum. The definition of it becoming a "disorder" is when it negatively affects your life enough. During diagnosis a psychotherapist will be tasked with identifying traits of ADHD (IE; Markers), you will not have all markers. Everyone will have some. Then those markers are investigated to discover how much they impact your quality of life. If it is a…

> Self-diagnosis is not a diagnosis. Nit: Self-diagnosis is the first step towards a formal diagnosis. You don't go to the doctor to get antibiotics before self-diagnosing that you're sick. That said, as useful as a formal diagnosis is (getting proper help, and even meds), don't skip it if you can afford to do it.

[deleted]

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#607

Post by WendyTheWillow »

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 19 but nobody really did anything with that information, and I to this day refuse to use it as an excuse for why I can or can’t do things.

I think it made parts of my life harder, and if I had ever ended up in a seriously bad place I would have taken it more seriously, but I very much didn’t want to define myself in terms of any one aspect of who I was.

Now, my adaptations make me an awesome combo of ADHD strengths with only the charming and quirky downsides, rather than the debilitating ones, and I am immensely proud of that fact.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#608

Post by aldonius »

swozey wrote: post #458
gosub100 wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you have the inability to read books? I notice that I simply cannot focus on reading a book to save my life. I can read internet comments and articles all day though. If I try to read a book I get annoyed that they're "not making their point" fast enough, especially with fiction and visual descriptions of people and places. I used to just complain about it, but now I wonder if thats actually pinpointing something…

I read a ludicrous amount of books as a kid. Stuff like The Wheel of Time, 1000+ page books. Now I just buy books and don't read them. I'll also buy audiobooks and bounce between them not really remembering much of the plots until I fall asleep. I think the instant gratification of refreshing reddit/digg(rip)/instagram and having completely new things to see/read has destroyed my long term attention span. I don't rea…

fuck, are you me?

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#609

Post by yibg »

gibagger wrote: post #97
icepat wrote: post #3

I've been in the diagnostic process for ADHD twice. First time I ended up losing all the paperwork, and getting kicked out of it. In the time between the first and second attempt, I developed PTSD which essentially stalled the second diagnostic as they could not cleanly differentiate between the two. For some reason, getting a diagnosis has been nearly impossible for me, despite each diagnostician saying "ADHD is hig…

Do you also have an aversion to paperwork? Seems to be "a thing". Paperwork has paralysed me ever since I've been in high school. Have gotten in trouble and paid fines over procrastinating paperwork over my whole life. I am also on the "Highly Likely", and currently on the waitlist for a clinic. The best thing I did was being open and honest with my partner, as my ADD behaviors would sometimes exasperate her. I did t…

Paperwork is my nightmare. I don't forget to do them, I just can't seem to get started on them even if they're simple and quick. Things I've done in the past

- Put off paying a traffic citation until I got a late fine that doubled the amount

- Put off gathering paperwork for taxes until my accountant told me if I don't send it now he won't be able to file this year

- Drove around with expired plates for 6 months until the car got towed parked on the street

Looking back, it feels silly to procrastinate on these simple tasks for so long but I guess that's the ADHD brain at work.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#610

Post by hirvi74 »

fredgrott wrote: post #63

From someone that actually has ADHD and has finally got it under control: 1. Our genetics means that one gene producing double the dopamine uptake receptors and a combo of other genes messes with something else (50% of all ADHDers have an anxiety disorder either GABA or serotonin based). In fact that is why ADDERALL is not addictive for us but is addictive to a normal person with the normal count of dopamine uptake r…

> In fact that is why ADDERALL is not addictive for us but is addictive to a normal person with the normal count of dopamine uptake receptors as cocaine, meth, etc. work on the TAART stretch of the dopamine uptake receptor.

What evidence do you have to support this claim? I have plenty of anecdotes of little value that would conflict with your claims. I find your claims hard to believe without evidence. Addictions are highly circumstantial and complex disorders.

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