[FRIAM] post you seem to have missed from FRIAM

[Steven A Smith]

Nick -


I think the "overclocking" analogy is not entirely fitting to the larger
discussion of "altered states" because it merely invokes a quantitative
increase, but might be a good starting point to continue the
discussion.  I *don't* find the appeal of a 30% faster CPU very
compelling, so am not inclined to overclock my own systems nor invoke
the extra maintenance of liquid-cooling, etc.  Neither do I feel
compelled to open up the aspiration of my car engines with tuned
headers, custom cranks/cams, supercharging compressors to get a similar
expansion of performance from them either.   I believe it can be done, I
respect those (to some extent) who do it, and by extension I have some
appreciation for those who experiment (responsibly) with boosting their
minds and bodies biochemically.   Our former "friend of SFx/FriAM"
Stephen Kotler has made a very dynamic career of such things, including
elaborate documentation of same: https://www.stevenkotler.com/ .  


My own roots/origins might be described as having "Puritanical" roots,
though I'm more inclined to use the term "Calvanist" which I suppose is
very related.   I also have avoided significant excursions into drug
experimentation.   My own avoidance is roughly fourfold: 1)
Puritanical/Calvinist upbringing/embedding; 2) Criminal embedding of
drug-culture; 3) Legal implications (esp. security clearance); 4)
Conflicted trust in "experts" in the domain.


In spite of above I have been strongly drawn to a larger domain of
"altered states" of which mood/perception-altering drugs are most
commonly considered.   Starting with mood/perception altering drugs, 
the socially acceptable/legal subset we all know (and many indulge in)
of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and the less acknowledged carbohydrates
and fats.     Many of us are at least strongly habituated to one or more
of the above if not literally biochemically dependent.   Nicotine is
perhaps the most overtly addictive, but alcoholism demonstrates the risk
of alcohol, while many suffer significantly over the lack of or delay in
caffeine consumption.  


I am not acutely sensitive to blood-sugar levels myself but know many
who become quite difficult if they don't get a hit of carbs regularly.  
I have experimented with ketogenic (ultra-low-carb) diets and thereby
came to appreciate more of how my own body responds to carbs (and fats)
over different time scales.   One thing that ketogenic states are
suggested to effect is brain function.  The basic argument is that
neural tissue predominately uses the ketone energy cycle rather than
glucose and that a ketogenic diet can have significant implications for
mental function.   There are therapeutic applications of ketogenesis for
things like childhood epilepsy and investigations into relief of the
symptoms of dementia.  I can't claim to observe any significant
difference in my mental function while my metabolism is ketogenic with
the exception that during the transition *into* that metabolic mode,
what many call "carb flu" or "carb-induced brain fog" is familiar.    My
experience is less acute than others report but I can unequivocally
report that for a short while (days) my mental function feels
"disturbed"... it is very difficult to decide if *after* this period
that my mental function is enhanced beyond baseline in any way.   I have
not done any controlled experiments.  I can also report that when I
*return* to carbs, that I don't feel any specific mental changes.   I DO
feel (during ketogenesis) a nearly complete loss of desire/hunger for
carbs/sugar which returns in spades when I return to carbs, but much of
this is obscured by simply enjoying some of my favorite foods with carbs
(beer, popcorn, tortillas).


Having always been somewhat identified with my rational/intellectual
self as well as an intuitive self (but not as much my emotional self), I
have been tempted by various claims of mental enhancement through
chemistry.   I (from a distance) appreciate the draw of strong
mood/energy enhancers (e.g. a suite of uppers) and the draw of mind
expanders.   Not having a significant attachment to religious modes, I
have traditionally been less interested in (or put off by) entheogenic
substances.   This has somewhat changed as I move toward my twilight
years, having been close to two men who slipped into (and ultimately
died from) alzheimers-dementia, I find myself more aware of my own
mental state/acuity/memory function.   I am not one to be easily
entranced by other's personal testimonies about the experience of
"altered states" since it seems so very subjective.   I *was* however,
somewhat swayed by the work of Strassman while at UNM... his subsequent
work seems a lot more hyperbolic and somewhat of the flavor that has
turned me off with other Psy researchers.


Orthogonally to the question of chemically induced altered states, I
also share your avoidance of extreme physical inducement of altered
states.  I *have* been exhausted and sleep-deprived in my life, but do
not find either particularly appealing, though I *do* have some
experiences of altered mental/emotional states in those conditions.  
More aptly, I am a vivid dreamer and go through phases of strong lucid
dreaming starting as early as my late childhood.  I can't be sure that
lucid dreaming wasn't part of my early childhood experience as well, I
suspect I held less distinction between my waking and sleeping awareness
at that time.   My professional arc which started out in investigations
of objective reality (science/engineering) began to yield to
investigations into human understanding in the context of objective
observations... in particular in the area of first computer graphics,
then scientific visualization, visual analytics and ultimately virtual
reality.    I have also been very interested in collective
consciousness, both from a technological (global brain) and a
mythopoetic (e.g. Jung/Campbell) perspective albeit without overt or
strong "spiritual" perspectives.    I DO think there is an emergent
phenomena in the individual and the group which can be called
"spirituality" which is somewhat different than the more common idea
that there is some kind of objective spiritual realm which humans are
more or less aware of.  


Carry on!

 - Steve



On 11/21/19 9:16 AM, Marcus Daniels wrote:
> Nick writes:
>
> < Can somebody explain “overclocking” >
>
> A computer's processor (CPU) runs at a certain clock rate.  These days
> it is around 3 billion cycles per second on average.   A higher clock
> rate will generate more heat and increase the risk of a malfunction
> (or a meltdown).  To mitigate this, manufacturers or enthusiasts will
> add cooling systems.  That could be anything from a large heatsink to
> liquid nitrogen.   My main computer has a closed-loop water-based
> system.  The pump breaks down about once a year, and then I have to
> buy a new one.   The cooling system is more useful to mitigate
> temperature variations in the ambient environment than it is to
> increase the clock rate.  The degree to which a processor can be
> overclocked varies by processor design.   Typically it isn't very
> much, but with a good cooling system a 30% increase in performance can
> be possible.
>
> To really get high clock rates, there is the possibility of using
> superconductors.  This engineering work is in its infancy. 
>
> Marcus
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> on behalf of Nick Thompson
> <nickthompson at earthlink.net>
> *Sent:* Thursday, November 21, 2019 9:06 AM
> *To:* 'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group'
> <friam at redfish.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] post you seem to have missed from FRIAM
>  
>
> Can somebody explain “overclocking”
>
>  
>
> That’s a new one for me. 
>
>  
>
> Nick
>
>  
>
> Nicholas S. Thompson
>
> Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology
>
> Clark University
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
>
>  
>
> *From:*Friam [mailto:friam-bounces at redfish.com] *On Behalf Of *Prof
> David West
> *Sent:* Thursday, November 21, 2019 5:09 AM
> *To:* friam at redfish.com
> *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] post you seem to have missed from FRIAM
>
>  
>
> Marcus,
>
>  
>
> "puritanism" was mentioned only because Nick, and indirectly Frank,
> used the term as a self-descriptor. Obviously there are other reasons
> for self imposed limits other than puritanism.
>
>  
>
> You might not pour gasoline on your computer to improve it, but you
> might overclock it.  For me, hallucinogens are closer to overclocking
> the brain/mind while cocaine, morphine, oxycodone, etc. are akin to
> gasoline. The latter are (bad) habit inducing but not the former.
>
>  
>
> Interestingly, most hallucinogens also have a side effect  like
> overclocking — of generating excess heat.
>
>  
>
> davew
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
> On Wed, Nov 20, 2019, at 7:07 PM, Marcus Daniels wrote:
>
>     Dave writes:
>
>      
>
>     < Puritanism is one of those things that IS relative, in the sense
>     that most everyone has a line that is not to be crossed, for no
>     objective, rational, reason but just because "I don't want to." I
>     won't use recreational drugs (e.g. cocaine), drink to excess, or
>     read (well I have, but don't anymore) romance novels. We are all
>     puritans sometimes. >
>
>      
>
>     Puritanism?  Among the reasons I don’t take cocaine is that I
>     held/hold a security clearance and I would have been caught within
>     a few months if I had done that.   For example, I also would not
>     think of improving my computer by pouring gasoline on it.   Why
>     would I expect some ham-handed intervention like that to work on
>     my brain?   Why should I go out of my way to find more bad habits
>     within unknown consequences?
>
>      
>
>     Marcus
>
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