I'm not a doctor, but I have done enough (both personal testing and text) research to find that THC has a similar, but less detrimental effect on those with ADD/ADHD. My evidence is as follows:
Ritalin acts as a seratonin (essentially the chemical your brain needs to maintain activity and consciousness, which is elevated in patients with ADD/ADHD) reuptake inhibitor, simultaneously blocking absorbtion within the temporal lobe, and telling the brain to produce more seratonin. This is why people using the drug can often experience a "ritalin crash" when they miss their medications, and all that surplus seratonin kicks in.
(This is also why "normal" people who try to take Ritalin wind up zipping around like a mosquito on crystal meth)
THC (the active ingrediant in marijuana) also acts as a seratonin reuptake inhibitor within the temporal lobe. However, unlike Ritalin, it tells the brain to relax it's seratonin production. Thus, no seratonin surplus to cause a "Ritalin crash".
(This is why "normal" people basically eat an entire pizza and fall asleep after smoking a joint, and yet most who qualify as ADD/ADHD sufferers go through creative or constructive bursts)
As for personal observations, I took several attention tests to see how I measured up. After a few tests on the EEG biofeedback machine, I tried it while buzzed, and passed with close to a 50% higher level of attention than the prior scores.
It would be interesting if anyone out there could perform a study on the subject. I lack the qualifications to perform it myself, and can only give a layman's perspective on the subject.
Reminds me of that old Max Headroom joke,
on
Corn-Based Plastic
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· Score: 1
"Ever wonder why Zik Zak burgers come in plastic packs? Some of the plastic rubs off on the burger and doubles the nutritional value."
So naturally, if you wanted to play it on the big screen, you could wire in a simple composite or S-Video output, say a mini plug that comes with a connector adapter?
Does Madonna and the RIAA start paying me to share her #1 smash hit single "What the Fuck do You Think You're Doing?!?"?
Some Irony for the "Videogames are Evil" crowd:
on
Biofeedback Gaming
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· Score: 3, Insightful
One side effect of biofeedback gaming is that the player will have to learn to control their physiology to play the game. In other words, games like this (while overly sedate to some) will train people to be healthier. So first, we have video gaming to improve memory retention, visual response rate and eye hand coordination, but now they'll be reducing stress and blood pressure by practice.
I just had my Maxtor 60Gb drive die on me over a weekend, halfways through it's 3 year warrantee. The one drive still chugging along and surviving that crash is my 40Gb model.
Actually, I live in Washington State. The state budget here is so screwed right now, that they're digging for every penny the can get (hence the probably reason why they decided to pass this law). $500 a pop by sending in a plainclothes officer to the local videogame retail/rental store is just exactly the sort of tactic they'd use.
*SPOILER ALERT!* Scroll down if you want to see it.
(1) Agent Smith went rogue, developing both a new level of awareness and the ability to "infect" others with his code, including humans jacked into the Matrix. He developed this as a result of Neo merging with him at the end of the first movie.
(2) As such, Neo infected the Matrix with his own "code", in the form of the happily and gratuitously reproducing Agent Smith. The more Smiths, the larger the infection. Agent Smith, in the first movie, compared humans to virii, and in an ironic twist of fate, became a virus himself.
(3) The innate nature of viruses, biological and technological, is to reproduce, overwhelm and eventually take control of systems. Therefore, in the case of Neo and Agent Smith, they have cross contaminated two realities.
(4) As a portion of Neo's "code" is continuously reproducing and consuming more of the matrix's resources, and as the guardians are controlled by the matrix, Neo now can directly control the matrix without being jacked in. Being a part of it, however, means that disrupting the matrix while jacked out can also have an impact on his health.
As the Architect said, the point of the matrix was to create a 100% perfect harmony between man and machine. However, the Architect takes a totalitarian view of perfection, an all or nothing at all approach. Neo proves him wrong by rescuing Trinity, something he wasn't supposed to be able to do.
This indicates a flaw in the Architect's reasoning (which makes sense since he was originally human to begin with), this also suggests that wiping out either Zion or the matrix are not the only two options.
As Neo has infected the matrix, and Agent Smith has infected the physical world, this suggests that the final matrix will end with neither mankind nor the matrix being destroyed, but developing a truly symbiotic relationship, possibly evolving into a wholly new life form.
Hence the cliffhanger ending, with Neo lying directly across from the surviving crew member (I forgot his name), who was infected by Agent Smith. They have a shared destiny where both may wind up having to work together to save both realities.
After pausing to think about it a bit, I've come to some possible explainatons. As these are both spoilers for the current Matrix: Reloaded, and possibly Revolution, I'll post them in a reply to this post.
I believe that the Matrix is making FAR more money than the box offices state;
(1) The DVD of the Animatrix actually has some direct tie ins with the movie, which in effect, in order to understand the plot entirely, is needed. What's the price of that combined with the box office per die hard Matrix fan viewing? $28 or so. So that actually translates as approximately 60 million in indirect box office revenue.
(2) The game, "Enter the Matrix" allows you to play as Niobi or Ghost, in the roles of the characters from the movie, from their perspectives. In addition, it also gives more definition to the plot of Reloaded. Translated in terms of ultra die hard Matrix fan numbers, that means the movie has taken in close to 100 million in its first day.
$8.50 average for the movie ticket. $19.95 for the Animatrix DVD. Another $49.95 or so average for the Enter the Matrix game. All of which are vital to understanding the entire plot. Now assuming there's 100 million fans buying all of the above, then you're talking a shitload of money.
And for the spoiler:
And how many here, after seeing "Last Flight of the Osiris" thought it would have no bearing on Matrix Reloaded? D'oh!
Would have been to make the female PC case an homage to A Clockwork Orange's milk dispensers. Then every time you get a "Is there porn on your computer?" popup, you can honestly answer "No, but there's a computer on my porn!".
"I dunno, I'm not familiar with the legal process or how our laws work, but I know taking $12,000 from a poor college student for downloading a few mp3s is not justified."
Especially since it wasn't downloading the mp3s that got him in trouble, it was writing the script that allowed people to *find* mp3s that got him in trouble.
Kewl, I've been getting phone calls from someone claiming to be calling from the Police Benevolence Association, which started off with a prerecorded message telling me all their representatives were busy and that I should wait for one of them to talk to me. Next time that happens, I'm gonna follow the lawyer's procedure and make me some bling bling! Woot!
There was no DMCA, no PATRIOT act, no (affordable) VCRs. The MPAA didn't control congress, records were not only fairly decent, but they were also comparatively cheap, all was good.
Except at the turn of the 70s/80s, with the first home computers. Loading. Very. Low. Resolution. Games. From. Analog. Tape. Cassettes. You thought CD loading times were bad? Try sitting around while "Loading..." is displayed on your TV for an hour.
Oh, and if you've dealt with furries, you'll find much of your favorite funny animal cartoons pornografied beyond all belief. But then again, that certainly is an improvement on what's been done to them by Disney/Warner.
But I am a cartoonist, so I more or less have to be careful about what I draw infringing all the time. This case is ludicrous, however. There are three critical points:
(1) Strawberry Shortcake is a childrens book character, an animated cartoon character, and for the sake of technicality, a recipe for a dessert.
(2) Strawberry Shortcake, in her current incarnation, looks absolutely nothing like the character being parodized.
Here is the old version: http://lakes.ring.com/bsetter/sberry/SB1.JPG
And the new version (albeit smaller): http://www.dicentertainment.com/Logos/S trawberry.g if
(3) In said parody, the only thing from the trademarked characters are in fact the hats from the old version.
Which leads to the conclusion that this is indeed a shaky case.
I am surprised, however, that I had not heard much in regards to an unrelated crossover parody published back in 1982 or 1983 in National Lampoon, showing a Smurf... Ummm... Smurfing Strawberry Shortcake like she's never been Smurfed before. One would think a lawsuit like that would get *some* publicity. I've only found one reference to this parodyu, and nothing else.
"We license drivers. How many idiots do you see on the road every day when you drive to and from work, who do not pay a penalty for being idiots? Think licensing computer users would be any more effective?"
Ahhh, but then what would insurance companies do for a living? Get a real job? No, wait...
Slashdot Mirror
Or does SCO seem to be more and more like the black knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail?
IBM: You fought well sir knight, but the battle is mine.
SCO: Tis but a scratch!
IBM: A scratch?! I just took your arm off!
SCO: It's just a flesh wound!
ETC ETC ETC.
I'm not a doctor, but I have done enough (both personal testing and text) research to find that THC has a similar, but less detrimental effect on those with ADD/ADHD. My evidence is as follows:
Ritalin acts as a seratonin (essentially the chemical your brain needs to maintain activity and consciousness, which is elevated in patients with ADD/ADHD) reuptake inhibitor, simultaneously blocking absorbtion within the temporal lobe, and telling the brain to produce more seratonin. This is why people using the drug can often experience a "ritalin crash" when they miss their medications, and all that surplus seratonin kicks in.
(This is also why "normal" people who try to take Ritalin wind up zipping around like a mosquito on crystal meth)
THC (the active ingrediant in marijuana) also acts as a seratonin reuptake inhibitor within the temporal lobe. However, unlike Ritalin, it tells the brain to relax it's seratonin production. Thus, no seratonin surplus to cause a "Ritalin crash".
(This is why "normal" people basically eat an entire pizza and fall asleep after smoking a joint, and yet most who qualify as ADD/ADHD sufferers go through creative or constructive bursts)
As for personal observations, I took several attention tests to see how I measured up. After a few tests on the EEG biofeedback machine, I tried it while buzzed, and passed with close to a 50% higher level of attention than the prior scores.
It would be interesting if anyone out there could perform a study on the subject. I lack the qualifications to perform it myself, and can only give a layman's perspective on the subject.
"Ever wonder why Zik Zak burgers come in plastic packs? Some of the plastic rubs off on the burger and doubles the nutritional value."
And I bet Richard Gere will be the first. That guy's probably a walking Habitrail by now.
(yes, I know, urban legend and all, but one can dream)
So naturally, if you wanted to play it on the big screen, you could wire in a simple composite or S-Video output, say a mini plug that comes with a connector adapter?
AND for something that actually exists.
I don't quite think that spyware DLLs qualify as "legitimate". Unless of course you own the company that creates said DLLs.
Does Madonna and the RIAA start paying me to share her #1 smash hit single "What the Fuck do You Think You're Doing?!?"?
One side effect of biofeedback gaming is that the player will have to learn to control their physiology to play the game. In other words, games like this (while overly sedate to some) will train people to be healthier. So first, we have video gaming to improve memory retention, visual response rate and eye hand coordination, but now they'll be reducing stress and blood pressure by practice.
I think this can be a good thing.
I just had my Maxtor 60Gb drive die on me over a weekend, halfways through it's 3 year warrantee. The one drive still chugging along and surviving that crash is my 40Gb model.
Actually, I live in Washington State. The state budget here is so screwed right now, that they're digging for every penny the can get (hence the probably reason why they decided to pass this law). $500 a pop by sending in a plainclothes officer to the local videogame retail/rental store is just exactly the sort of tactic they'd use.
*SPOILER ALERT!* Scroll down if you want to see it.
(1) Agent Smith went rogue, developing both a new level of awareness and the ability to "infect" others with his code, including humans jacked into the Matrix. He developed this as a result of Neo merging with him at the end of the first movie.
(2) As such, Neo infected the Matrix with his own "code", in the form of the happily and gratuitously reproducing Agent Smith. The more Smiths, the larger the infection. Agent Smith, in the first movie, compared humans to virii, and in an ironic twist of fate, became a virus himself.
(3) The innate nature of viruses, biological and technological, is to reproduce, overwhelm and eventually take control of systems. Therefore, in the case of Neo and Agent Smith, they have cross contaminated two realities.
(4) As a portion of Neo's "code" is continuously reproducing and consuming more of the matrix's resources, and as the guardians are controlled by the matrix, Neo now can directly control the matrix without being jacked in. Being a part of it, however, means that disrupting the matrix while jacked out can also have an impact on his health.
As the Architect said, the point of the matrix was to create a 100% perfect harmony between man and machine. However, the Architect takes a totalitarian view of perfection, an all or nothing at all approach. Neo proves him wrong by rescuing Trinity, something he wasn't supposed to be able to do.
This indicates a flaw in the Architect's reasoning (which makes sense since he was originally human to begin with), this also suggests that wiping out either Zion or the matrix are not the only two options.
As Neo has infected the matrix, and Agent Smith has infected the physical world, this suggests that the final matrix will end with neither mankind nor the matrix being destroyed, but developing a truly symbiotic relationship, possibly evolving into a wholly new life form.
Hence the cliffhanger ending, with Neo lying directly across from the surviving crew member (I forgot his name), who was infected by Agent Smith. They have a shared destiny where both may wind up having to work together to save both realities.
After pausing to think about it a bit, I've come to some possible explainatons. As these are both spoilers for the current Matrix: Reloaded, and possibly Revolution, I'll post them in a reply to this post.
Or perhaps they didn't have a chance to rescue all the tailors and dry cleaners from the matrix yet?
I believe that the Matrix is making FAR more money than the box offices state;
(1) The DVD of the Animatrix actually has some direct tie ins with the movie, which in effect, in order to understand the plot entirely, is needed. What's the price of that combined with the box office per die hard Matrix fan viewing? $28 or so. So that actually translates as approximately 60 million in indirect box office revenue.
(2) The game, "Enter the Matrix" allows you to play as Niobi or Ghost, in the roles of the characters from the movie, from their perspectives. In addition, it also gives more definition to the plot of Reloaded. Translated in terms of ultra die hard Matrix fan numbers, that means the movie has taken in close to 100 million in its first day.
$8.50 average for the movie ticket. $19.95 for the Animatrix DVD. Another $49.95 or so average for the Enter the Matrix game. All of which are vital to understanding the entire plot. Now assuming there's 100 million fans buying all of the above, then you're talking a shitload of money.
And for the spoiler:
And how many here, after seeing "Last Flight of the Osiris" thought it would have no bearing on Matrix Reloaded? D'oh!
And they have a stupid .wav audio clip of a gunshot for no goddamnned reason. This is almost as bad a site as Homer Simpson's "Mr. X".
You just described 99.9999999% of all Blogs!!!
Would have been to make the female PC case an homage to A Clockwork Orange's milk dispensers. Then every time you get a "Is there porn on your computer?" popup, you can honestly answer "No, but there's a computer on my porn!".
"I dunno, I'm not familiar with the legal process or how our laws work, but I know taking $12,000 from a poor college student for downloading a few mp3s is not justified."
Especially since it wasn't downloading the mp3s that got him in trouble, it was writing the script that allowed people to *find* mp3s that got him in trouble.
Add spammers to the mix, and have it in THUNDERDOME. Everything's better in THUNDERDOME!
Kewl, I've been getting phone calls from someone claiming to be calling from the Police Benevolence Association, which started off with a prerecorded message telling me all their representatives were busy and that I should wait for one of them to talk to me. Next time that happens, I'm gonna follow the lawyer's procedure and make me some bling bling! Woot!
There was no DMCA, no PATRIOT act, no (affordable) VCRs. The MPAA didn't control congress, records were not only fairly decent, but they were also comparatively cheap, all was good.
Except at the turn of the 70s/80s, with the first home computers. Loading. Very. Low. Resolution. Games. From. Analog. Tape. Cassettes. You thought CD loading times were bad? Try sitting around while "Loading..." is displayed on your TV for an hour.
Oh, and if you've dealt with furries, you'll find much of your favorite funny animal cartoons pornografied beyond all belief. But then again, that certainly is an improvement on what's been done to them by Disney/Warner.
Baby Loonie Toons. Need I say more?
It doesn't appear to work for me, but then again, I'm using Avant Browser and have firewalling as well. Ahwell, their loss.
But I am a cartoonist, so I more or less have to be careful about what I draw infringing all the time. This case is ludicrous, however. There are three critical points:
S trawberry.g if
(1) Strawberry Shortcake is a childrens book character, an animated cartoon character, and for the sake of technicality, a recipe for a dessert.
(2) Strawberry Shortcake, in her current incarnation, looks absolutely nothing like the character being parodized.
Here is the old version: http://lakes.ring.com/bsetter/sberry/SB1.JPG
And the new version (albeit smaller):
http://www.dicentertainment.com/Logos/
(3) In said parody, the only thing from the trademarked characters are in fact the hats from the old version.
Which leads to the conclusion that this is indeed a shaky case.
I am surprised, however, that I had not heard much in regards to an unrelated crossover parody published back in 1982 or 1983 in National Lampoon, showing a Smurf... Ummm... Smurfing Strawberry Shortcake like she's never been Smurfed before. One would think a lawsuit like that would get *some* publicity. I've only found one reference to this parodyu, and nothing else.
"We license drivers. How many idiots do you see on the road every day when you drive to and from work, who do not pay a penalty for being idiots? Think licensing computer users would be any more effective?"
Ahhh, but then what would insurance companies do for a living? Get a real job? No, wait...