It is amazing what psychedelics can bring to the table. Once you step outside of the stream of consciousness society creates for us, it's tough to want to be apart of it again. You feel free. No longer a cog in the machine, but perhaps more an observer or tinkerer. I realized for myself that I no longer have to be a part of that. It is truly out of the box thinking. I find myself outside of the box and generally I'm trying to find the boundaries. This may or may not effect my programming abilities, but it definitely puts the time I have in this world into perspective. The ability to abstract and visualize connections between objects has most definitely increased since experimentation, but I'm not sure if that's a bi-product of myself programming more, or the drugs themselves. All I know is that I would never take those moments back, the bad and the good, as they have shaped who I am and what I strive to be.
LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
71–80 of 307 posts
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have ADD and am a coder. I am on Concerta (methylphenidate, a derivative of methamphetamine) and find that my interest in math, as well as programming, has increased significantly.
Note: Methylphenidate is not actually an amphetamine derivative, although it's similar in structure and function.
Yes, it is a derivative of methamphetamine. Adderall (amphetamine) and Concerta both are used to treat ADD.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Prove it. You made a statement; burden of proof on you.
I'm sorry. You're asking me to... enumerate every single problem in software engineering? I don't see the point. How about we take one of the most impressive, extreme cases of software ingenuity: launching the Space Shuttle. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html "But how much work the software does is not what makes it remarkable. What makes it remarkable is how well the software works. This software…
The shuttle is an excellent example of many things, but not necessarily of a conceptually difficult task. It's hard, but it's not mind-bending. The hardest part comes from having to prove the systems correct because lives depend on it.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Prove it. You made a statement; burden of proof on you.
I'm sorry. You're asking me to... enumerate every single problem in software engineering? I don't see the point. How about we take one of the most impressive, extreme cases of software ingenuity: launching the Space Shuttle. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html "But how much work the software does is not what makes it remarkable. What makes it remarkable is how well the software works. This software…
You're right - there's no point trying to 'find the right approach' when it comes to space flight. But not every piece of software has to get every little detail right. When the issue is more about figuring out what you're trying to accomplish with software than accomplishing something perfectly, creativity is very important.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Prove it. You made a statement; burden of proof on you.
I'm sorry. You're asking me to... enumerate every single problem in software engineering? I don't see the point. How about we take one of the most impressive, extreme cases of software ingenuity: launching the Space Shuttle. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html "But how much work the software does is not what makes it remarkable. What makes it remarkable is how well the software works. This software…
If you read the article, it is about scientist/people who state lsd helped them with their ideas.
Not in working.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nothing major... About a dozen different strains of magic mushroom, lsd, pot a few times, and opium once. I don't smoke hardly ever, but I do try to trip a few times a year.
I think pavel_lishin is asking what things have you tried while on mushroooms - you indidcated that you plan out what you want to do and 'try'.
Ahh, haha. I see. I've watched certain movies and shows that I found profound without tripping (surprisingly the most profound thing I've watched is the Futurama episode, Godfellas). I've done many many artistic things, drawing, painting, etc. We built things with legos before. Listened to different kinds of music. Played with animals (I swear my dog could sense something was up... never seen him in such a lovey mode). Once I mixed highlighter fluid with bubbles and created a "universe" on the wall in our basement (no windows, and all black lights at the time). I've done the mundane like play video games (went for an hour in GTA-IV sailing out to sea.. it never ends). Played music alone and with friends (recorded some). I've tried reading books. One time I took a programming quiz because I'd forgotten to and it was due within the hour (extremely hard). One of the most profound things I did was go on a several hour walk through only back alleys with friends and reflected on urban decay. There's more, but thats the best I can think of off the top of my head.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Except for me, weed keeps pushing up the levels of abstraction (good for architecting software), but LSD makes things hypperreal. IMO, LSD should only be taken on a desolate beach at night, with people who are dear to you.
Right; I definitely don't recommend tripping and trying to code :) Or the woods, or a psychedelic show in the woods :)
Actually, my dream has always been the aurora borealis.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#78Let me chime in here with some personal experience. I am pretty much addicted to marijuana in terms of working and enjoying it. That is, I don't really enjoy programming nearly as much compared to when I am a bit baked. Mind you, I can work.. but it feels like such a chore (not always but I'm talking typically). There are a lot of us like this. As for LSD.. I have had many revelations while tripping, some I've had to…
>>> What it feels like is that you are tapping into something truer and deeper
It might feel like you are tapping into something truer and deeper, but that doesn't mean that you are.
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#79There's no reason to attempt to prove (because you can't) or even speculate (because it doesn't matter) whether any of the "best" programmers anyone has or could suggest have done LSD or still do on a regular basis. However, I find it odd when people seem to insist that LSD is completely unnecessary or necessary to do things. Like it has been brought up before, Steve Jobs cites LSD as one of the most important experiences of his life. To rate it that highly would imply that he feels it somehow changed his psyche in such a way that it impacted who he is today. If that's the case, then you could (not concretely, but with good certainty) argue that LSD can have a positive effect on people's creativity. In fact, it does not actually matter whether it does or not so much as whether people perceive that it does (this could all be a placebo effect). Thus, the worst arguments that can be made on each end of the spectrum are that a) LSD is always unnecessary to foster innovation (Steve Jobs would argue it fostered his innovation in a way that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't tripped) and b) that everyone should do LSD at least once because it will enable them to accomplish more than otherwise possible. The choice is obviously personal and would work out beneficially for some and be fruitful for others. The important part is to remove the stigma of doing illicit drugs and to recognize that they can provide psychological benefits that are otherwise unrealizable OR acid can give you the best time you've ever had sitting on a couch. Most people that do it develop personal realizations that don't extend beyond themselves and that's all. It would be nice if people stopped passing judgment on those who belong to the other camp and instead offered their insights into why they have or haven't felt compelled to do acid. (Full disclosure: I've tripped about a dozen times over the last four years)
Re: LSD: The Geek's Wonder Drug
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Others I know will literally lay on a couch for 10 hrs." You can't tell how much the person is getting out of the experience just by looking at them. They could just lie on the couch for ten hours with their eyes closed and be having one of the most profound experiences of their life. In fact, someone who is using the drug for introspection is almost certainly getting more out of the experience than someone who is u…
I remember hearing a story, maybe from Ken Kesey, of someone who was given LSD during a medical trial and left with a pen and pad and told to write down how they felt about their mother. The researcher would be back later to get their notes and ask questions. Research returns and is disappointed to find the pad empty and the subject unwilling to talk about his mother. The reason? He's just seen God and is busy drawin…
I'd recommed The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test to anyone interested in Kesey stories and LSD in general.