Comment author: kodos96 16 September 2010 07:36:52AM 6 points [-]

Only some people experience psychedelic effects from marijuana, and then usually only some of the time.... and when you do get psychedelic effects, they're nowhere near as intense as they are for "traditional" psychedelics.... still it's enough to get some of the positive effects being talked about here.

It's a real shame that its become rather hard to get ahold of "real" psychedelics these days.

Comment author: ieai 28 September 2010 04:30:18PM 0 points [-]

You can have level 5 trips from THC, you just need enough of it. See http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/faqs/psychedelic_experience_faq.shtml

Comment author: XFrequentist 16 September 2010 07:21:57PM *  4 points [-]

I've been mulling over getting an iPhone, basically weighing two considerations.

On the one hand, it's another distraction. As Paul Graham wrote, the ability to carry the internet around is not necessarily a move someone aspiring to get more done should make.

On the other, it seems like it must have awesome potential as an intelligence amplification tool! I feel like I'm missing a step towards human-machine integration by not getting one.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to optimize the tool for intelligence amplification?

A few apps that seem to have potential:

  • SuperMemo/SRS
  • EverNote
  • QuickReader (or some sort of flash-read app)
Comment author: ieai 28 September 2010 03:22:26PM 2 points [-]

Honestly, having the ability to access any piece of knowledge as long as I know how to find it has revolutionized my life. I would for years get hung up in my own mind when I was missing a key fact in a discussion or debate, now I find I can more eloquently present myself while essentially throwing links at the other person (rarely in real time and if in real time usually just as an exercise in my own mind). As someone with a short attention span my ability to pull hard data from my active memory has always been difficult. But now, what was a hindrance, is now an incredibly powerful asset. My conversation now lives at the edge of my consciousness almost continuously, my responses are natural and precise. I study the "zone" as an adrenaline and video game junkie, just knowing that I have the internet's knowledge comfortably in my pocket has freed my mind to exist in this state more often than ever before.

I don't have an iphone, I have a blackberry. I use it for talking and email, web browsing when needed. I also have an extensive social network and at any given time can converse through bbm/gchat/fbchat/msn with around 100 people. Where before I was forced to be stuck at home on my desktop or to lug around my laptop to connect with my peers I can now go anywhere and do anything and still be able to make those connections when I have to. I've found myself becoming a much more social creature, shedding chains while at the same time gaining real time information updates that allow me to know where to go on any given night.

I've just started keeping my phone on silent, no vibration, no nothing. I haven't had a ringtone since 2002, but even the vibrations started to get to be too much. I check my phone often, but its always on my terms. When I'm at home I have my phone facing me on my desk and the alert light fits nicely into what is essentially my HUD of monitors and input devices. Though sometimes "phone calls only" which is essentially the same as silent with the obvious difference, when I "need" to be reached.

I could never go back. Going back at this point would be like deciding just to sit in a basement and smoke weed all day, sure it might be nice, relaxing, whatever, but what good is it doing? If I got rid of my smartphone I'd be jumping off of the society train into the dinosaur graveyard.

I could go on, but I've been awake for longer than I remember and my active memory is failing me, I hope what I've written here makes enough sense and I'd be more than happy to elaborate and would even like to get into more detail as to specific benefits (politic power and sex, to name a couple more).