I wonder if there's a simple mechanical fix (apart from getting off your bike and walking it uphill)
Incidentally, there is one such fix. It's called gears. I reckon (mostly based on personal experience, haven't done any calculations), that even uphill, taking the weight of the bike into account, cycling is more efficient than walking at the same speed. (But probably not 3x more efficient, as it's the case on level ground).
currently the most advanced form of communication to have evolved, human language, is still very low bandwidth
Language is just one of the means of communication available to human beings. Its seemingly low bandwidth is due to the fact that the neocortex, the part of the brain responsible for processing language, logic, visual reasoning etc, is itself rather low bandwidth/low speed, so language itself isn't the bottleneck. (The bottleneck itself is mainly due to the more recent evolution of this neocortex, and the fact that these processes were not th...
I recommend the book "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky, in which the exact mechanisms of the stress-response are being described, alongside with a long numbers of experiments and a huge body of evidence pointing towards how harmful chronic stress really is, how it is at the root of an astounding number of pathologies from the metabolic syndrome, ulcers, gastritis, to cardiovascular diseases, to autoimmune diseases, to mental illnesses like depression.
The recurring theme of the book is how the stress respo...
On a meta note, this LW-specific habit of introducing new names/labels for things that already have clear, well-established terminology is particularly bothering. Especially when the name is completely unrelated to the concept (i.e. lotus leaves). (OTOH, the social forces that drive this habit are easy to intuit).
(On topic, like most if not all of us have dealt with the intricacies of the dopaminergic system, perhaps I will at one point write my experiences on my blog).
Survey has been taken.
Biking is not always more efficient, as this quora answer points out: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-more-energy-efficient-to-walk-run-or-bike-up-a-hill/answer/Raj-Kumar-855
Regarding muscles, as an (former) cycling enthusiast, cycling uses a lot fewer muscles than running. The muscles used for cycling are some of the strongest in the body (hamstring, quadriceps). Compared to running which uses almost the whole body, including core muscles for stability, this is a downside for cycling, because it may not be as natural as running. But I wouldn't say you e... (read more)