Is DIY Brainhacking Safe?

Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:13 · Score: 4, Funny

How long until the first Darwin Award is given to someone attempting this?

Re:Predictions? by pitchpipe · 2014-03-17 14:59 · Score: 3, Insightful

I'm thinking not long. Although tempting, I don't want to be the guinea pig.
I learned how to fix and improve computers through tinkering (which I would consider a form of hacking). What usually would happen is I would try to upgrade something, break my computer, and then spend the next four hours trying to fix it. The problem here is that you would be breaking the 'fixer' with no time to google how to roll back the buggy changes.

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Look where all this talking got us, baby.
Re:Predictions? by davester666 · 2014-03-17 15:16 · Score: 1

You'll be waiting a long time with that 40 IQ, while the rest of us get that extra boost up to 80! What could go wrong?

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Re:Predictions? by Jeremiah+Cornelius · 2014-03-17 15:46 · Score: 3, Interesting

Edison's Medicine
Georgia Power cocktail
Don't taze me, bro'!

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"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Re:Predictions? by Darinbob · 2014-03-17 16:06 · Score: 2

You're using hexadecimal I hope.
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 17:36 · Score: 1

How long until the first Darwin Award is given to someone attempting this?
I've been doing chemical hacks with my brain for quite awhile. Initially, I was hopeful about interesting results; now, as long as I get a buzz, it's all good.
Re:Predictions? by GeekHillbilly · 2014-03-17 17:46 · Score: 1

The real dangers,besides frying your brain,will be the ultimate of addictions.Called Wireheading,with electrodes implanted into the pleasure center of the brain,you could possibly "Pleasure "yourself until you die of neglect.I first heard of this via the Known Space series of books by Larry Niven.(Louis Wu was a wirehead in The Ringworld Engineers) Take your time,think it through(Something else from those books)

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The Geek Hillbilly
Re:Predictions? by DTentilhao · 2014-03-17 17:50 · Score: 1

> How long until the first Darwin Award is given to someone attempting this? Haa !!!
Re:Predictions? by GeekHillbilly · 2014-03-17 17:51 · Score: 1

Here is the Wikipedia link -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...

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The Geek Hillbilly
Re:Predictions? by tchdab1 · 2014-03-17 18:25 · Score: 1

Next threshold: grateful for getting up in the morning.
Re:Predictions? by sexconker · 2014-03-17 18:48 · Score: 1

The real dangers,besides frying your brain,will be the ultimate of addictions.Called Wireheading,with electrodes implanted into the pleasure center of the brain,you could possibly "Pleasure "yourself until you die of neglect.I first heard of this via the Known Space series of books by Larry Niven.(Louis Wu was a wirehead in The Ringworld Engineers)
Take your time,think it through(Something else from those books)
People already kill themselves with drugs in very unpleasurable ways. Dying during orgasm with electrodes on your scalp sounds a lot better than dying after your everything rots off from krokodil.
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 19:18 · Score: 0

Those pussies can't qualify easily for such a prestigious price. The award will go to the emerging home intracranial direct current stimulation (iDCS) community. Self-help for Parkinson's syndrome is a particular hit.
Re:Predictions? by ev4de · 2014-03-17 19:24 · Score: 0

IQ tests are biased & not applicable for general usage anyway. Quite possibly, each and every person is similarly intelligent, only adapted to different environments. See some mouse trials from a while back, I'd dig up a link if I had the time.
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 20:53 · Score: 0

Quite possibly, each and every person is similarly intelligent, only adapted to different environments.
Yeah, the dumb kids are just really 'street smart'... They only sound retarded so they don't get called 'fag' by the other bums.
Re:Predictions? by sFurbo · 2014-03-17 22:07 · Score: 1

IQ tests are [...] not applicable for general usage
Childhood IQ tests is one of the best predictions we have of adult success, in whatever terms we have tried to measure that. They aren't good, but they are better than, say, socio-economic status of the home.

Quite possibly, each and every person is similarly intelligent, only adapted to different environments.
You haven't been teaching much, I can hear. It seems that some people are just faster at understanding and applying information than others. In what environment is it an advantage to be slow to understand new information? Even within the same social strata, there still seem to be quite a spread, which wouldn't be expected if it was simply adaption.
Re: Predictions? by ShieldW0lf · 2014-03-17 22:07 · Score: 1

If you're into that kind of sci fi, check out Mindkiller by Spider Robinson. The book opens with a burglar finding a woman committing suicide by wireheading when he breaks into her apartment and runs from there. Great book.

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-1 Uncomfortable Truth
Re:Predictions? by flyneye · 2014-03-17 23:17 · Score: 1

I personally own the TENS device used by Clapton and Richards to alleviate withdraw symptoms, Ive used it recreationally off and on for years. Not even the slightest hint of addiction. Story sounds like attention whoring to me.
Whatever happened to good old fashioned LSD reprogramming? That was the most effective outside force in brainscaping I could think of. Other than that , there is only will to change...

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*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
Re: Predictions? by JayJay.br · 2014-03-17 23:18 · Score: 2

My IQ goes up to eleven.
Re:Predictions? by hawkinspeter · 2014-03-17 23:57 · Score: 1

Although IQ tests do have flaws, It's quite clear that some people have far more difficulty grasping concepts than others. Have you ever tried explaining something to someone who just doesn't "get it"?

There's definitely a big range of intelligence across the population, no matter how you try to measure it.

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You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
Re:Predictions? by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-18 00:26 · Score: 1

Some people's brains are broken and there is no known fix. To those people something like this could be potentially attractive. Medical science moves at a glacial pace when you are suffering and the temptation to try pretty much anything that might fix you is high.
It's dumb but it is also human nature to latch on to any sliver of hope.

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Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:29 · Score: 0

heh
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:31 · Score: 0

it could be that tests measure how well you are able to absorb information from texts, as opposed to say, learning nuances about prey's movement in the savanah, which may very well be useful (or at least was) and would require entirely different brain makeup
Re:Predictions? by Forty+Two+Tenfold · 2014-03-18 00:32 · Score: 1

You forgot

Burma Shave!

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Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
Re:Predictions? by delt0r · 2014-03-18 00:44 · Score: 1

Childhood IQ tests, only done in the US, becomes a self fulfilling proficy because of what kind of education they get depends on that test.

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If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
Re:Predictions? by jeffmflanagan · 2014-03-18 00:50 · Score: 1

Sure some will, just like some people destroy themselves with drugs, but a small current to your pleasure center might just increase enjoyment of life, rather than withdrawal from it.

Our baseline condition is pretty bad. Out of control appetites, greed, envy, violence, laziness, tribalism, superstition, etc... There's a lot of room to improve our selves via drugs and technology.
Re:Predictions? by Shalaska · 2014-03-18 01:06 · Score: 1

They are not just used to test for success, for instance in my case I was tested in the 4th grade and came up with a 138. BUT they had not tested me just for that, they tested me because although I was excelling at math and science I could not write a compound sentence. So after the test showed I had the capacity to learn they pushed to keep me in the highest level of classes and also put me in special education in order to give me additional teaching in English. Now I am writing my dissertation for a PhD in Computer Science and I am grateful for the additional help. Without that testing they most likely would have dropped me into remedial English and I would have been lucky to get in to college with the essay I would have written never mind made it into graduate school.

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Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
Re:Predictions? by yodleboy · 2014-03-18 01:14 · Score: 1

nah... probably Celcius...
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 01:45 · Score: 1

You're still not putting fucking comas in your compound sentences.
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 01:48 · Score: 0

We all know Fahrenheit is better. It's calibrated according to the human body!
Re:Predictions? by h5inz · 2014-03-18 01:54 · Score: 1

In a research done by Liebetanz on rats, it appeared that it would take tDCS current density of 142.9A/m2 for durations greater than 10 minutes to cause lesions in rats brains. So if we take a tDCS device that has relatively small electrodes, like 3x3cm, we would need at least 128.61mA current for more than 10 minutes to cause any brain damage. Given that even 2mA (most typical) sessions can cause skin burns when the electrodes have been poorly prepared, the currents above 127.8mA would probably feel torturous. I think the user would figure out that there is something really wrong fairly quickly. Typical DIY device uses a 9V convenient store battery as a power source, its capacity could be around 400-1200mAh, which means the subject would only get less than 10 seconds of 129mA "fun" if everything goes wrong, in case the internal resistance of the battery would allow that high current, but it won't.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pu...
Re:Predictions? by umafuckit · 2014-03-18 01:57 · Score: 1

I read up about this a while ago and I recall that the sort of voltage and current provided by a 9V batter would be sufficient for the technique. I just searched again and found this. They're using about 14V to 18V and 1.5mA. So it looks pretty safe to me.

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Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 02:26 · Score: 0

Wow I messed things up there, perhaps you even could get a brain damage from 9V battery if you really wanted to? Then there are many less painful ways available for killing yourself I believe.
Re: Predictions? by Fict · 2014-03-18 02:35 · Score: 1

You are profoundly retarded :(
Re:Predictions? by denmarkw00t · 2014-03-18 04:44 · Score: 1

In what environment is it an advantage to be slow to understand new information?
An extreme case, for sure, but: an abusive environment. An environment where learning faster or figuring things out can and often is detrimental to one's safety. An environment where you're forced to be quiet and where you're essentially ignored. This is an environment where being smarter will only help you if you have a means of escape, otherwise it's best to either keep those brains under wraps or to just give in and let the people around you tell you how to live your life, as it's your best chance to avoid violence.
Re:Predictions? by triffid_98 · 2014-03-18 04:55 · Score: 1

Childhood IQ tests is one of the best predictions we have of adult success, in whatever terms we have tried to measure that

Really? I thought your parents stock portfolio and political connections did that.
Re:Predictions? by triffid_98 · 2014-03-18 05:12 · Score: 1

Whatever happened to good old fashioned LSD reprogramming? That was the most effective outside force in brainscaping I could think of.

The DEA happened? And yes, the limited studies that have been done looked quite positive...but again, DEA
Re:Predictions? by sFurbo · 2014-03-18 05:29 · Score: 1

Socioeconomic status of the parents, including stock portfolio and presumably correlating with political connections, is worse than IQ tests in predicting success. However, so few people have large amounts of stock and many political connections that it could be a better predictor for this subpopulation, but still lose out over the general public.
Re:Predictions? by rogoshen1 · 2014-03-18 05:53 · Score: 1

you've never been to walmart before, have you?
Re:Predictions? by JWSmythe · 2014-03-18 06:14 · Score: 1

I already have bets in on the last words being either "Hold my beer and watch this!" or "What could possibly go wrong?".

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Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Re:Predictions? by deadweight · 2014-03-18 06:40 · Score: 1

I normally ignore both trolls and comma commandos, but that was funny!
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 06:47 · Score: 0

> Although IQ tests do have flaws, It's quite clear that some people have far more difficulty grasping concepts than others. Have you ever tried explaining something to someone who just doesn't "get it"?
I always find that to be a problem with the explainer.
Re:Predictions? by carbonUnit42 · 2014-03-18 07:05 · Score: 1

Wait, so what you're saying is, that I can watch one show, while recording another show, that's on a different channel? - With apologies to City Slickers. I also believe that it has a lot to do with exactly who is doing the instructing. My communications teacher, (electronic communications, wave guides, radio transmissions etc) was one hell of an engineer and any company would have been very happy to have him, but he couldn't teach. His course averaged a 60% failure rate and no matter how hard you studied, or asked questions, he was incapable of 'dumbing it down' where most people could grasp the concepts a lot easier.
Re:Predictions? by hawkinspeter · 2014-03-18 07:07 · Score: 1

You might be right, but there's definitely a big range of intelligence across people.

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You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 08:40 · Score: 0

Hey fuckwad, fuck you AND compound sentences into the coma you are referring to you cock-smoking-ass-cheese-head.
Re:Predictions? by flyneye · 2014-03-18 22:57 · Score: 1

What, have they successfully cut manufacture and use to zero?
The DEA never stopped anything, they may slow it down a bit, every now and then.....
I think its just a matter of culture and trend. There was more acid in the 80s/90s than there was in the 60s.
Itll be back. Leary,Dass,Lilly, some of my favorite researchers.

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*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
Re:Predictions? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-19 05:23 · Score: 0

Next threshold: grateful for getting up in the morning.
In that case, the dude abides.
Re:Predictions? by david_thornley · 2014-03-19 09:00 · Score: 1

The DEA did not stop the production and use of LSD. What they did do was stop reliable production, so you never quite know what you're getting, which is a real damper on scientific experiments. Further, they stop any research on it in the US.
In a rational world, the usefulness of drugs for medical purposes would be determined by experiment, rather than having some legally designated as useless.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re: Predictions? by uninformedLuddite · 2014-03-19 10:39 · Score: 1

Are you allowed to say that?

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The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
Re:Predictions? by flyneye · 2014-03-19 11:51 · Score: 2

Like you ever knew what you were getting anyway. Usually, it would be some analog, if not the original.
The DEA does bust some. Never get them all. Thinkfully, there is still an underground evident in subculture. Burning man, various Dead-headish music tours, most universities and San Francisco.
Here is an interesting film about people I crossed paths with back in the day, their adventures, their bust, and whats left over. Totally fitting for /., this was pure Geek debauchery. I think we can agree that as long as chemistry majors want to alter their brains, there will be hallucinogenics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... This was like a Hunter S. Thompson wet dream when it was happening.
Frankly, anyone DOING it, becomes a researcher. It has been that way for thousands of years, I doubt, in the scheme of things, that the DEA will ever make a difference. I dont think theres anything but propaganda evidence that they make ANY difference.

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*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
Re:Predictions? by david_thornley · 2014-03-20 03:56 · Score: 1

When I buy aspirin, I know what I'm getting. The strength is clearly marked, and I know from clinical testing that it is effective at pain relief, and has certain known side effects. The clinical testing presumably was done by having specific doses of the same exact stuff administered to subjects. This is because aspirin is legal.
If I buy LSD, I don't know what I'm getting. The strength, exact chemical, and other things with it are unknown and mostly unknowable. It isn't possible to do scientific research on it, because the DEA makes it impossible for researchers to get and administer known doses of known chemicals.
LSD might or might not be good for me. I don't know, and unless somebody does real scientific research on it I won't know. I don't know what the ill effects are, really, and I'm unwilling to test it on my own brain. That's what the DEA does.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:Predictions? by flyneye · 2014-03-20 23:11 · Score: 1

Oh , I see, youre expressing fear over contents.
One thing that will make it seem safer is; there is no poisoning threshold for any amount you would be able to obtain.
Eat all you want, your bod will only process no more than around 250 micrograms. The concern is; would you benefit from that much? Probably not, at first anyway. The big long trip can take more than a weekend and is heavier than most care to deal with.
There is plenty of research out there from monographs to notes to biographical and autobiographical works.
The girl in the film is even promoting her works.
Frankly, if you are hesitant or have fear about it, it would affect your personal research in a negative way.
Perhaps best for you to just read about it.There can be ill effects, all self induced. Not everyone has a predispositon to hallucinogenics.
While untested by official agencies for anything useful, there are thousands of years of use of various mushrooms, peyote, ayahusca,purple salvia, and others. These DO have a poison threshold and any psychedelics should only be consumed by newbs in the company of the experienced.
Not exactly like LSD, but they did the trick for early man and remains an obtainable favorite in areas where it is found.In South America, there are even Ayahuca tourist packages available.(this is old information and I havent seen any lately)
LSD however, comes and goes in popularity and obtainability. Subcultural festivals where you can find hippies are where you will find any of the above.
But literally, if you think you dont want it, you wont. If you think it will be dangerous, it will. It IS what you make of it.
If there is no pioneer spirit in you, that is a better reason to stay away than fears of an office full of DEA clowns or lack of official testing by politically motivated institutions.

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*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
Re:Predictions? by Jmc23 · 2014-03-23 05:43 · Score: 1

In what environment is it an advantage to be slow to understand new information?
Republican party?

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Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
Re:Predictions? by Jmc23 · 2014-03-23 05:47 · Score: 1

Well, there's reprogramming through cannabis.
The danger of course is that people don't know they're supposed to be programming so it just keeps wiping out the old and not replacing it with anything new! :)
I'm being serious. Endo-cannabinoids are responsible for scouting out new pathways for neuronal growth.

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Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
Re:Predictions? by david_thornley · 2014-03-23 06:57 · Score: 1

You're completely missing my point.
I'm aware of lots of research on the good and bad things about alcohol, and I can take that research and make up my own mind. Further, if I buy a bottle of whiskey that says 86 proof, I know that 43% of that (or as close as doesn't matter) is ethanol (by some measure), and that there are none of the more harmful alcohols in it. If I decide I want a certain amount of ethanol, I can easily determine how much whiskey to drink to get it.
I'm aware of relatively little research on LSD. Moreover, if I want some, I can go out and get something more or less like LSD, of unknown (but probably sufficient) strength, and with unknown other chemicals accompanying it.
Taking that stuff is pretty pathetic research. If I could get a known dose of a known compound with a guarantee that it's the only active ingredient, I'd be much more likely to try it.

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"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:Predictions? by flyneye · 2014-03-23 10:57 · Score: 1

Yup, you would need to get it manufacturer direct.
Possible, not probable.
Yes, there are several other ways to do the same thing and similar things with other compounds, organic and laboratory.
Judgement of pathos should be reserved for post dose observation.

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*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!

We've done this one before... by Freshly+Exhumed · 2014-03-17 14:13 · Score: 1

http://science.slashdot.org/st...

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I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.

Re:We've done this one before... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:18 · Score: 0

"Is DIY Brainhacking Safe" ... WITH DRONES?
Re:We've done this one before... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:28 · Score: 0

It's called "Do-In-Yourself" technology for a reason...

Stupid by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:13 · Score: 1, Insightful

"People looking to boost creativity, or cure depression, are attaching electrodes to their heads using either DIT equipment or rigs from vendors like Foc.us."

If this tech can REALLY cure depression or boost creativity, then it is just as likely to cause depression or remove your creativity. I wouldn't take that chance with something as elementally "me" as my mind.

Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:48 · Score: 0

If this tech can REALLY cure depression or boost creativity, then it is just as likely to cause depression or remove your creativity.
This isn't inherently true, as such stimuli could have a tendency to direct your mind toward a particular state, as opposed to just randomizing the state or producing a variety of different states, etc. That said, without knowing what is going on it is hard to say what exactly it will do, but I wouldn't use the phrase "just as likely" when comparing different outcomes.
Re:Stupid by gl4ss · 2014-03-17 14:50 · Score: 1

yep..
if it has any chance of working it probably has some chance of damaging too.
it's just a way to relieve some people out of their money.

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world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Re:Stupid by Opportunist · 2014-03-17 14:51 · Score: 1

I know a few people where it can only be an improvement if they're no longer themselves...

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Re:Stupid by canadiannomad · 2014-03-17 15:38 · Score: 2

Yeah, well a business that call's itself "foc us" and sells a few dollars(cents?) worth of "simple circuits, and a couple of electrodes" to couch bums for $250 is definitely just out to "relieve some people out of their money."

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Hmm, the humour and sarcasm seem to have been be lost on you.
Re:Stupid by Darinbob · 2014-03-17 16:07 · Score: 4, Funny

With a name like foc.us it's gotta be good. With all the money they saved by not hiring someone to find out if it sounds funny when spoken aloud they added extra safeguards.
Re:Stupid by khallow · 2014-03-17 16:31 · Score: 2

I'd use the phrase "more likely" based on a thermodynamics argument. My take is that states where the brain functions better are far fewer than states where it works worse. So any modification of brain function is more likely to slide into a poorer state rather than a better one.
Re:Stupid by El+Puerco+Loco · 2014-03-17 18:27 · Score: 2

So what, it can take your brain from New York to like, Texas or Alabama?
Re:Stupid by hawkinspeter · 2014-03-18 00:07 · Score: 1

On the other hand, evolution has presumably made brains to be relatively stable, so I'd imagine that any artificial stimulation would soon wear off. If our brains were that sensitive to electrical manipulation, then we'd have to be a lot more careful during lightning storms.

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You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:58 · Score: 0

The first thing their device does is to activate your persuasion skillz and your need to tell your friends about products you recently bought. It's got a hack in it which can remotely update the facebook profile of the person using it. Simultaneously it suppresses your normal stinginess and scepticism of such products. Sadly though, it uses some really cheap capacitors, so it stops working exactly 366 days after purchase.
In that sense, it's really quite remarkable ;-)
Re:Stupid by Hentes · 2014-03-18 08:16 · Score: 1

True, but that's why it's nice that we have a herd of pioneers willing to try it out and provide us with lots of data. This is an interesting topic, and if people a doing voluntarily to get better at COD, we can learn a lot about how our brain works.
Re:Stupid by bill_mcgonigle · 2014-03-18 15:54 · Score: 1

foc.us
So much focus.
.
.
.
that you have to stop in the middle for moment (for a break).

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My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Re:Stupid by Dripdry · 2014-03-19 11:19 · Score: 1

Mallrats, anybody?

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Time for the old standby... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:13 · Score: 0

What could possibly go wrong?

Go ahead by msobkow · 2014-03-17 14:14 · Score: 2, Funny

Go ahead. Fry your brain. It's not like you're using it or anything. :(

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I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.

Re:Go ahead by Marginal+Coward · 2014-03-17 14:41 · Score: 1, Flamebait

"This is your brain. This is your brain on electrodes. Any questions?"
Re:Go ahead by houstonbofh · 2014-03-17 15:06 · Score: 1

Well, at least the people doing this are not anyway...
Re:Go ahead by Nyder · 2014-03-17 15:18 · Score: 1

Go ahead. Fry your brain. It's not like you're using it or anything. :(
I prefer to bake my brain. Apparently baking is better then frying.

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Be seeing you...
Re:Go ahead by ShieldW0lf · 2014-03-17 15:53 · Score: 1

This is your brain on electrodes with a side order of bacon!

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-1 Uncomfortable Truth
Re:Go ahead by antdude · 2014-03-17 16:19 · Score: 1

I don't even have a brain. :P

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Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Re:Go ahead by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 16:23 · Score: 0

I don't even have a brain. :P

Somewhere on a higher mental plane,
I might learn to come in from the rain,
If I only had a clue,
Would I still be here with you?
Gee whiz, if I only had a brain
Re:Go ahead by hey! · 2014-03-17 23:01 · Score: 3, Insightful

I think it would be very hard to fry your brain with a 9v battery, even if you couple it to your head with saline soaked sponges. It'd sting, but it's doubtful you'd be able to endure enough to do serious damage. If you want to exercise an abundance of caution, you could put a 2ma or 5ma fast blow fuse in series with the electrode (yes, they make them that small).
More to the point is *subtle* changes in your brain because you hooked the electrodes up wrong, or overstimulated your brain with long sessions without medical supervision. You could commit a fatal error if you are treating yourself for depression and you connect the device in a way that makes the depression worse.
One thing that's worth noting is tha most if not all the claimed benefits of tDCS can be achieved through exercise. That's worth considering as an alternative brain hacking scheme.

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Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Re:Go ahead by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:54 · Score: 0

I would use the fuse but I would also put a simple mosfet current limiter since it has an almost instant reaction time.
PS. My Catcha was Sadist... and people say there's no god.
Re:Go ahead by hey! · 2014-03-18 06:02 · Score: 1

Seems like overkill to me. I'd say building a simple resistive constant current source would be adequately safe. In fact a simpler circuit built entirely from passive components might even be safer given the unpredictability of homebuilt circuits. Say, two 9v batteries in series with an 20 K Ohm resistor (1 watt for safety), 1 mA panel meter and 2 mA fuse. You short out the leads out before applying them to the electrodes and you should get 0.9 mA.
It's hard to see how a circuit intended to be built by someone with questionable skills could be made safer -- at least with respect to limiting the possible current applied. The danger is in the *intended* operation of the device, not the failure.

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Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Re:Go ahead by Marginal+Coward · 2014-03-18 16:21 · Score: 1

I'm not a big fan of sigs, but I've been toying with creating one along the lines of "If you think this is a troll or flamebait, you probably didn't get the joke."

"It would have worked if you hadn't stopped me." by cirby · 2014-03-17 14:19 · Score: 1, Redundant

- E. Venkman

Depends on how long the drill-bit is. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:20 · Score: 0

Q.E.D.

Go easy on your EBEs by Trekologer · 2014-03-17 14:21 · Score: 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Betteridge's law of headlines by SuperBanana · 2014-03-17 14:22 · Score: 3, Funny

No.

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... )

--
Please help metamoderate.

Re:Betteridge's law of headlines by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:38 · Score: 1

Next submission on /.
Ok. So is DIY Brainhacking Hazardous?
Re:Betteridge's law of headlines by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:47 · Score: 1

then the submission after that: "Is Betteridge's law of headlines correct?"
Re:Betteridge's law of headlines by gmhowell · 2014-03-17 17:37 · Score: 1

then the submission after that: "Is Betteridge's law of headlines correct?"
And slashdot's servers react like Mudd's android.
I wonder if beta has paradox absorbing crumple zones?

--
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Re:Betteridge's law of headlines by Dripdry · 2014-03-19 11:21 · Score: 1

No.

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-

as long as you have the download code by Joe_Dragon · 2014-03-17 14:25 · Score: 1

then just jack in away.

Drugs are probably safer by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:27 · Score: 1, Interesting

Can we just legalize drugs instead? Most of them actually have a proven safety record, despite governmental claims (mdma, for example, is significantly less toxic than acetaminophen).

Re:Drugs are probably safer by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:30 · Score: 0

Apples and oranges. They are completely different drugs, used for different reasons and with different side effects. MDMA can cause damage to the brain, acetaminophen can cause damage to the liver.
Re:Drugs are probably safer by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:58 · Score: 0

Except there have been only a few studies regarding MDMA's supposed brain damage, and they have come to different conclusions.
If you want to criticize MDMA you should probably focus on the comparatively well-established psychological effects of long-term regular usage, rather than the somewhat dubious claims of neurotoxicity.
Re:Drugs are probably safer by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:38 · Score: 0

No. We can't. Get back to 420chan.
Re: Drugs are probably safer by WilyCoder · 2014-03-17 16:00 · Score: 2

The generally accepted usage regimen of MDMA is once every three months. That indicates that MDMA is highly disruptive to the normal functioning of the brain. There would be more quantitative studies of MDMA if the stupid government would allow it. But one can look at heavy users of MDMA for a good gut-feeling estimate of the toxicity of MDMA. Other drugs such as LSD and psilocybin are not suspected of being neurotoxic like MDMA possibly is...
Re:Drugs are probably safer by gmhowell · 2014-03-17 17:38 · Score: 1

Apples and oranges. They are completely different drugs, used for different reasons and with different side effects. MDMA can cause damage to the brain, acetaminophen can cause damage to the liver.
Far fewer people use their brains than use their liver.

--
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Re:Drugs are probably safer by ev4de · 2014-03-17 19:14 · Score: 1

Many standard "Big Pharma" drugs are also neurotoxic. It's kinda hard finding data on that. Yeah, I know this is not a conspiracy, this is just how the market works etc. Marketing trumps safety.
Re: Drugs are probably safer by drinkypoo · 2014-03-18 01:28 · Score: 1

But one can look at heavy users of MDMA for a good gut-feeling estimate of the toxicity of MDMA.
Only if one can stand to see them twitching and doing weird shit with their hands at all times.

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Drugs are probably safer by uninformedLuddite · 2014-03-19 10:45 · Score: 1

Heroin is less toxic than acetaminophen.

--
The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.

Is this dangerous? by michaelmalak · 2014-03-17 14:29 · Score: 1

Redneck haircut

The Terminal Man? by stox · 2014-03-17 14:32 · Score: 1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

--
"To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "

zapping your own head? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:34 · Score: 0

what's next, self-lobotomy?

Re:zapping your own head? by Tablizer · 2014-03-17 16:55 · Score: 1

I always wanted to open a Drive-Thru Lobotomy joint. Had difficulty raising funds. There was concern the exit was not sufficiently reinforced.

--
Table-ized A.I.
Re:zapping your own head? by Muad'Dave · 2014-03-17 23:58 · Score: 1

Your wish was once frighteningly true. Dr. Lobotomy used to drive around in his lobotomobile doing lobotomies with an ice pick.

--
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.

Re:"It would have worked if you hadn't stopped me. by o_ferguson · 2014-03-17 14:37 · Score: 1

I think the quote is actually "that would have worked if you hadn't stopped me." - P. Venkman

--
- In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.

The inexpensive route by edibobb · 2014-03-17 14:37 · Score: 1

I read on the internet that you can use an arc welder for this.

Re:"It would have worked if you hadn't stopped me. by arielCo · 2014-03-17 14:39 · Score: 1

- Egon Spengler

(obligatory nod to the memory of Harold Ramis)

--
This post contains no rudeness or derision of any kind. All arguments are friendly. Terms and exclusions may apply.

Sure by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:42 · Score: 0

Go for it.

Niven reference by rossdee · 2014-03-17 14:47 · Score: 1

Do you want to be a wirehead

Re:Niven reference by Charliemopps · 2014-03-17 15:01 · Score: 1

Those books sucked.
I'm just saving anyone from looking up that authors name, ordering any of his books on amazon and then proceeding to waste a good 40hrs of their lives before realizing he's a terrible author.
No offense if you like him. I like hot-dogs, but I'm not about to claim they're some kind of delicacy. Although, hot dogs could likely write better than Niven, but I digress.
Re:Niven reference by drinkypoo · 2014-03-18 01:24 · Score: 1

No offense if you like him. I like hot-dogs, but I'm not about to claim they're some kind of delicacy.
You make Niven sound like a bad writer, when he is merely mediocre. He never, for example, takes extra time to piss on your mind simply because he can. Now, Piers Anthony, he is a bad writer. Actively bad.
And hot dogs can be good without being a delicacy. Or truly fit for human consumption.

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Niven reference by rogoshen1 · 2014-03-18 07:39 · Score: 1

strongly disagree. read lucifer's hammer. it was like 700 pages of introducing this MASSIVE cast of mediocre characters.. most of which are developed and then never heard from again) It's as if they either wanted to write a post-apocalyptic version of Lord of the Rings, but got bored halfway through and decided to wrap it up. Or decided to write the first sci-fi troll novel. I think B is infinitely more likely.
On an aside, I think i finished it.. i'm not sure -- the ending was that underwhelming..

It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by Lumpio- · 2014-03-17 14:48 · Score: 1

Is it even possible for that to sound the least bit safe to any sane individual?

Re:It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:00 · Score: 0

This is slashdot; if you were expecting to find sane individuals, you've probably come to the wrong place.
Re:It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by somepunk · 2014-03-17 15:14 · Score: 1

simple, just use the existing, tried 'n true APIs until the new ones are vetted. I hack on my brain all the time. All the sane kids are doing it!

--
Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. (Isaac Asimov)
Re:It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:47 · Score: 0

Not Invented Here, and I've Got a Great Start-Up?
I swear, the dotcom is doing its best to come back in force.
Re:It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by noh8rz10 · 2014-03-17 17:00 · Score: 1

i was at the bookstore yesterday and came across the "diy law" section, which sounds equally dubious.
Re:It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 18:57 · Score: 0

Stupid name indeed, even though I've increasingly realized that learning at least certain areas of law yourself (such as consumer rights) seems very beneficial. Not because I'm so dumb that I plan to ever represent myself should the need for a lawyer to arise but because knowing when I should consult with one. As I've learned more by studying some on my own, I have realized that sometimes when I've gotten shitty treatment by a company and felt that "this isn't right but I don't know if it's illegal", I would actually not simply have had to "suck it up", if only I had turned to a lawyer. But thinking that I don't have a case and thus don't want to waste money on a lawyer, I didn't do it.
Re:It's called "DIY Brainhacking" by gweihir · 2014-03-17 19:04 · Score: 1

If these people were sane, they would have some minimum of common sense. They do not have that. Hence it is perfectly safe, as where there is nothing, nothing can get broken...

--
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.

Yessssss by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 14:49 · Score: 0

sssssCarrier lost

it saf by pitchpipe · 2014-03-17 14:54 · Score: 1

i ben hakin my bren its ben rely gude. i wuz werried fur a bit butt my lernins ben rely takkin off.

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Look where all this talking got us, baby.

Re:it saf by Immerman · 2014-03-17 15:18 · Score: 1

Algernon, is that you?

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--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Re: it saf by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 19:03 · Score: 0

Algernon is the mouse. The protagonist is Charlie Gordon.
Re: it saf by Immerman · 2014-03-18 02:23 · Score: 1

Yeah, but who would get that reference out of the blue?
Besides, that mouse was a clever bastard, who knows what he was up to when left alone in the lab?

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--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.

9-volt Battery / Scrotums by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:03 · Score: 0

blah blah blah. It's a 9-volt battery. This is hardly the kind of thing that makes for a nightmare scenario where thousands of people around the country fry their brains.

Have you _seen_ the internet? There a hundred times more people who nail their scrotums to the chair as a hobby, and way more than that who run much more than 9-volts through their genitals.

I'm not about to do any of these things, or anything even remotely similar. But knowing the _reality_ of the crazy stuff people do really helps to put things into perspective.

What does that have to do with anything? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:05 · Score: 0

Safe? Hell no.

But so what? Why should that stop people, if they want to experiment on themselves? It's their brains.

Isaac Newton stuck a bodkin in his eyeball, to observe what effect it had on his vision.

Re:What does that have to do with anything? by kwbauer · 2014-03-17 18:24 · Score: 1

but that would have been back in the bad old days where the government didn't care about us. We have progressed so much since.

Of course by Kardos · 2014-03-17 15:05 · Score: 4, Funny

I did it last week. Setting up the electrodes was the easy part. The hard part was setting up the electrodes!

Mandatory by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:08 · Score: 0

How long before you have to submit to such "modifications"? To enhance soldiers in the field perhaps?
Or once those not doing it lose their jobs for someone that's more of a "team player"?
Perhaps to ensure the kids are all at the same level in class and learn what we want them to learn instead?

No worries by WaffleMonster · 2014-03-17 15:12 · Score: 1

If something were to go wrong you'd know it..

Monsters, John... Monsters from the Id. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 15:18 · Score: 0

Doc Ostrow: Morbius was too close to the problem. The Krell had completed their project. Big machine. No instrumentalities. True creation.

Commander John J. Adams: Come on, Doc, let's have it.

Doc Ostrow: But the Krell forgot one thing.

Commander John J. Adams: Yes, what?

Doc Ostrow: Monsters, John. Monsters from the Id.

Commander John J. Adams: The Id? What's that? Talk, Doc!

[Doc slumps and dies]

Commander John J. Adams: Doc?

the internet circa 1995 by globaljustin · 2014-03-17 15:18 · Score: 2

I wouldn't take that chance with something as elementally "me" as my mind.

right? me neither...

problem is, there are tons of people willing to line up to do this...**tons**...and they will all surely blog about it in hopes of getting picked up by mainstream news publications

with this "brain mod" crap I'm getting a bad feeling...

remember back in the early days of the 'web'...say 1995 when AOL was king...we all knew that there was so much more that could be done with the internet but even then, the question was **are we willing to sacrifice privacy**

same with cell phones

i remember when the internet was new, everyone was skeptical of it & **assumed** what they did on the internet was not private...

then the commercialization effort started in earnest and before long every desk job required internet usage...

what I'm getting at is ***I feel that same feeling now***

SKEPTICAL...it's not what its made out to be...and if we ever *do* get hyper-selective brain stimulation I can only envision all the ways the tech could be misused

--
Thank you Dave Raggett

Re:the internet circa 1995 by khallow · 2014-03-17 17:02 · Score: 2

I can only envision all the ways the tech could be misused
Don't worry. There'll be a fix for that.
Re:the internet circa 1995 by david_thornley · 2014-03-19 09:03 · Score: 1

There'll be an app for that.

FTFY

--
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes

Trepanation by The+Grim+Reefer · 2014-03-17 15:20 · Score: 2

"The most prominent folk theory for the benefits of self-trepanation is offered by Bart Huges, alternatively spelled Bart Hughes and sometimes called "Dr. Bart Hughes", although he is not a doctor but rather a librarian by trade. He was better known for his advocacy of drug use and trepanation and in 1965 he drilled a hole in his own head with a Black and Decker power drill as a publicity stunt. Hughes claims that trepanation increases "brain blood volume" and thereby enhances cerebral metabolism in a manner similar to cerebral vasodilators such as ginkgo biloba. No published results have supported these claims."

I knew someone who wrote many letters and emails to Black and Decker back in the 1990's requesting a recommendation for which drill bit to use for self-trepanation. It was an amusing joke. He got dozens of panicky replies and was contacted by their lawyers who informed him that they did not support him using their power tools for medical procedures. He finally did receive a reply from someone with a sense of humor though. I kept a copy of that email chain for years.. I wish I still had it, or knew where it was.

Re:Trepanation by russotto · 2014-03-17 15:40 · Score: 1

Modern technology has solved this problem, there's a drill bit linkage made for drilling a hole in your skull without damaging your brain.
Re:Trepanation by gstoddart · 2014-03-18 03:23 · Score: 1

Ummm ... wow, really?
I wonder how many of those they sell.

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Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Re:Trepanation by ImprovOmega · 2014-03-18 04:15 · Score: 1

To neurosurgeons? A fair few I should imagine.

Be careful ... by PPH · 2014-03-17 16:13 · Score: 1

... not to overclock or there might be consequences.

--
Have gnu, will travel.

Re:Be careful ... by hyades1 · 2014-03-17 16:44 · Score: 1

'Way back in my last year of high school, a buddy of mine's older brother dropped by our "common room", where senior students were allowed to relax during spare periods and after school. The guy was well known for his spectacularly comprehensive use of recreational drugs.
So this guy sees that a chess game is just ending, and challenges the winner (one of our top players, as it happened). He took forever to make his moves, but it became obvious before long that he had the game in the bag. When our classmate resigned, my buddy's stoner brother turned around to us, tapped his head, and said, "It might not work as fast as it used to, but it still works".

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I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.

Unsafe by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 16:23 · Score: 0

Of course it's unsafe. Improper use of e-stim can kill you and DIY bainhacking is basically e-stim applied to your head. Magnetically induced is safer than direct electricity, but only because it's weaker. Once you start using the really strong magnets, then you're in danger just by being around them. Two strong magnets can snap together and completely crush that part of your hand.

Even if the levels of everything was kept very low, you're still MESSING WITH YOUR BRAIN. You're using an external force to break pass your skull and directly interfere with your neurons and other molecules moving around your brain. Are the benefits worth the unknown risks? There's plenty of proven ways to hack your brain through food, lighting, sound, exercise, breathing techniques, and meditation.

Back up by TheWingThing · 2014-03-17 16:25 · Score: 2

Better back up your firmware, just in case this makes you infirm.

Fleh by Tablizer · 2014-03-17 16:48 · Score: 1

Asdfbbb asdf asdf su lkjasld asdbbb bb blkasdf aj

--
Table-ized A.I.

Question of safety is moot by John+Pfeiffer · 2014-03-17 16:57 · Score: 1

The kind of people who actually would have the means, motivation, and wherewithal to do this probably face at least as much risk and danger in their everyday hobbies and activities. (Serious tinkerers and the like who play with electricity, fire, chemicals, metalworking tools, lasers, plasma cutters, etc. day in and day out.)

It's when the technology goes 'As Seen On TV' and Joe Six-Pack can buy himself an "Easy-peasy dew-it-yerself brain-zappery kit" that the question of safety truly becomes relevant.

--

Friend: "The NIC is misconfigured..." Me: "No prob, I'll just telnet in and fix it." *Silence*

Just you wait by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 17:15 · Score: 0

Wait until someone finds out how to trigger orgasms on demand, so you can masturbate with the click of a button - all of Slashdot will be performing DIY lobotomies.

Is Lasik At Home Safe? by locopuyo · 2014-03-17 17:33 · Score: 1

Is Lasik At Home Safe? http://www.lasikathome.com/

--
The Official Site of 1337 Pwnage

Re:Is Lasik At Home Safe? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 02:19 · Score: 0

Why is that doctor still wearing glasses?
Re:Is Lasik At Home Safe? by Smurf · 2014-03-18 08:46 · Score: 1

Ha!
Perhaps the most hilarious thing about that website are the photos of "Dr. Amir Khadim, M.D., Ph.D." with the device... He's wearing glasses!
(Yes, I know. Not all eyesight defects can be corrected by LASIK. Still it's bad publicity as it suggests lack of confidence in the device you are selling – or its effectiveness.)
Re:Is Lasik At Home Safe? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 10:28 · Score: 0

If that wasn't a scam, then they would charge more for it. There is plenty of scope to increase the price while still undercutting the price of conventional LASIK operations.
I suspect it is safe because it doesn't actually do anything, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to risk my eyes trying it.

Movie by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 17:43 · Score: 0

There's an interesting/amusing movie about trepanation on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/trepanned

I never asked for this by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 17:48 · Score: 0

Sounds like an easy way to scramble your brain and make mistakes like assuming you pushed the button on the soda machine for orange, when you actually asked for (and got) lemon-lime. Of course, you can always blame the maintenance man for that.

You don't support our policies? by tlambert · 2014-03-17 18:05 · Score: 1

You don't support our policies?

Don't worry, I'm sure we can change your mind...

Why not LSD? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 18:07 · Score: 1

If you want to enhance creativity and reduce depression, why not just drop some acid instead?
Probably a lot safer and more likely to produce the desired results.

Re:Why not LSD? by captjc · 2014-03-18 03:54 · Score: 1

Because there are currently no laws against strapping electrodes to your head. There are laws against dropping LSD.

--
Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment

baement circuit hacker's version of... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 18:37 · Score: 0

Testing in Production

This quote says it all by tgv · 2014-03-17 19:35 · Score: 1

Quote from the article: "Lee’s first plan was to use tDCS to learn German, but when he realized that language-learning would still be a huge time commitment, ..."
How serious can you take someone that thinks learning German is going to take a 10 minutes instead of 10 years because you strap a 9V battery to your head?

Re:This quote says it all by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 22:52 · Score: 0

that thinks learning German is going to take a 10 minutes instead of 10 years because you strap a 9V battery to your head
Fun fact: This is how we Germans actually do it.
(Trust me, I'm an AC.)
Re:This quote says it all by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:29 · Score: 0

Does it mean that one could learn German in one minute using a 90 V battery ?!?
Re:This quote says it all by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:33 · Score: 0

> (Trust me, I'm an AC.)
But the battery is DC.
Re:This quote says it all by drinkypoo · 2014-03-18 01:26 · Score: 1

How serious can you take someone that thinks learning German is going to take a 10 minutes instead of 10 years because you strap a 9V battery to your head?
Some people claim to have learned to understand various sorts of mathematics rapidly through the use of LSD, why not electricity? We only have vague notions of how memory or indeed thought actually works, we can only measure which parts of the brain are working so far. Big achievement to be sure, but it's hard to say what might be effective. Which is why it's daft to make yourself a guinea pig. Who knows what you will achieve, regardless of your intent?

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:This quote says it all by tgv · 2014-03-18 01:36 · Score: 1

We might not know much about memory, we do know that language learning requires many, correlated changes in the brain. You need to learn to identify German words, their meanings, classes and features, the rules which operate on these classes and their exceptions, and the combination of meanings, plus all kinds of idiomatic, opaque expressions. You cannot expect a bit of electricity to facilitate making those changes to all these different processes and still be "compatible" with each other much faster. And if you don't understand that about brain processes, why would you be able to claim aforementioned effects?
It sounds like medieval experimentation to me.

I'm all for it by GauteL · 2014-03-17 22:18 · Score: 1

As long as foc.us will also sell me a replacement brain if something goes wrong.

Hmmm... let me think. by Arancaytar · 2014-03-17 22:26 · Score: 1

Is it safe to electrocute your own brain?

This is going to be a bit of a puzzler.

The foc.us advert by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-17 23:15 · Score: 0

Apparently foc.us makes you think wearing flat brim is cool.

Arrange a tDCS network party for best results! by ctrl-alt-canc · 2014-03-17 23:47 · Score: 1

Invite a few friends, connect all your tDCS to a ethernet hub, then attach to the WAN side of the hub this device for best result.

Achievement Unlocked by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:12 · Score: 0

Found an alternative to Steam

Meh what could happen? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:19 · Score: 0

Most people aren't using their brains for anything anyway.

heahahehheahaheahehahheaahe by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 00:57 · Score: 0

Remember kids, this is what a crazy person looks like. If they ask you "Let's tape electrodes to your head" you respond "No".

"My brain? But that's my second favorite organ!" by DutchUncle · 2014-03-18 01:28 · Score: 2

- Woody Allen, "Sleeper"

No by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 02:44 · Score: 0

No it's not.

self-trepanation is the shizznit! by Thud457 · 2014-03-18 02:53 · Score: 1

The same thing we do every night, Pinky...

--

the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

more light! by Thud457 · 2014-03-18 02:59 · Score: 1

These Canadians claim they can alleviate migraines for some patients with a magic electrical headband. But who's going to trust Canananadians?

--

the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

never above the waist! and don't cross the streams by Thud457 · 2014-03-18 03:07 · Score: 1

oh god, those pictures! lolololololo! Definitely need to use one of those on my okcupid profile!

Plus, everybody knows, the proper pad placement is where the crease of you buttocks joins your thigh.

--

the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

too close to electroschock therapy by peter303 · 2014-03-18 03:17 · Score: 2

I remember depictions of George Nash in the Beautiful Mind movie. He never did great math after that.

Go easy on your EBEs by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 04:10 · Score: 0

http://youtu.be/spF6A2QK31s

Microsofts by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 04:23 · Score: 0

Oh please; any joeboy can tell you you've gotta be careful what you plug into your Hosaka or you'll end up fried.

Real risk of dangers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 05:51 · Score: 0

Posting this anonymously because of the sensitive nature of the content...

But after a number of years playing with very expensive gear for genital electrostimulation with no ill effects, I recently developed a problem after an accidental high dose of current resulted in irritated veinous tissue also known as phlebitis, or in this case, penile thrombophlebitis. The affected vein walls thicken, resulting in an uncomfortable and potentially hazardous situation.

As much fun as electro-play has been, the damage is relatively minor and is likely to heal. The possibility of something like this happening within the cranium, however, is devastating to consider. Strokes, permanent brain damage, potential death all outweigh the potential benefits of this.

foc.us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-18 06:10 · Score: 0

All right, gentlemen, free your mind.
I'd like to free something.
"Foc.us. "
That's what I was thinking.
She said "focus. "
Whatever.

Re:never above the waist! and don't cross the stre by obscuro · 2014-03-20 13:24 · Score: 1

Please, PLEASE, somebody mod this guy up FUNNY. LOL ROFLMAO

--
Every rule has more than one consequence.

183 comments