This saved me from a panic attack.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, November 22, 2010
From whence I came out into the open this is not what was begot.
All right hears the thing I'm homeless. Its not something that happened all at once. I didn't loose my job my apartment all over night. I usually not this vocal or this direct on my blog but The rules I put in places from the start were vague enough to include this possibility. The thing is theirs not that many people to talk to about this and I don't have much practice talking without my mouth open. This all started back in May. that's when I lost my job. There was two bosses giving me contradictory instructions and ass a power play by one, I was Fired. That was all right id been fired before but for some reason i couldn't get a new job in time. sure the economy was bad but I didn't expect it to hit me. But two months in and nothing and my landlord wanted to be paid. I owe him! He let me go with a lot uncollated. I still will try to make that up to him. I know that sounds like wishful optimism and it probably is but I still want to pay him back. So now i was out of my place but lucky for me I have one of the best grandmothers living rather close to me. The other amazing grandmother lives in west palm. (Miss you Grammy). And from July to November I was praying every morning and looking all day for work. until she got a letter. The letter said that the living facility she was staying in did not allow guests past a week and I would have to go or she would be evicted too. First I don't want anything to happen to happen to my Grandmother so I left to get some temporary assistance from my nearest Department of Social Services. After some exhausting cold nights in various underpasses and the like I was sent to a halfway house with bed bugs no sheets bad heating and one meal a day. It blows chunks and i suspect Ill be here for a while. I hope I'm not hear on my birthday. (Dec 8) but any way that is me for now.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
The Neuropsychopharmacological History of LSD
There is an eight page paper by Dr. Erika Dyck on the pre-war studies of d-lysergic acid diethylamide starts out pretty slow. The beginning is very straightforward stating “The therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs have recently resurfaced as a topic of debate in neuropsychopharmacology.” After a very brief mention of recent studies in hallucinogenic drugs, such as the drug referred to as ecstasy helping Parkinson’s, and PTSD, the historical overview commences.
As is described “[LSD] first appeared in the scientific literature in 1943.” The study of the drug became very popular in the medical community for its “potential contributions to psychiatric research.” Until the early 1960’s attention was strong. It faded but not before over 500 articles in 15 languages on the subject ware published in scientific journals. In 1962 Timothy Leary was fired for his “indiscriminant promotion” of the substance. The story was big news, so much so that this can be marked as the turning point for the public viewpoint on LSD. It all finally changed in 1966 as everyday news focused on the dangers of LSD and the masses were swayed into agreeing with negative associations. The same year Federal governments in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, France, and the UK banned the use of LSD. Despite this there were still proponents for using LSD in a medical environment.
The first sample synthesized was in 1938 but it was five years till the drug was discovered. The chemist Albert Hofmann did this by accidentally coming in physical contact with his creation and had the first recorded “trip.” The drug was studied, then published, and then embraced over the next few years. The decade 1950 was good for advancements in psychiatry. LSD experimentation coincided with the radical renovation of psychopharmacology, producing two Nobel Prizes. Article after article was published on different experiments involving LSD.
In 1952 two scientists; Humphry Osmond and Abram Hoffer, started “collaborating over their mutual research interests in biochemical experimentation.” Their experimentation found that drugs like LSD could induce schizophrenic like symptoms. This was followed with the deduction that mental illness is biochemical. In other words; “a theory that explained mental illness as the manifestation of metabolic functions. This assertion pointed to the possibility that mental illness was inherently a biological entity.” Both men took psychotropic drugs and reported on their effects so as to placate the populace. “LSD seemed to produce a “model psychosis,” which provided a new method for studying symptoms of mental illness.” Later that year Hoffer and Osmond looked for funding to develop this theory but doctors in Ottawa and Ontario did not provide.
In 1953 Osmond realized he could use LSD to help in the treatment of alcoholism. Using LSD to force the patent to simulate the complete and utter despair of their situation he may find sobriety. The first trial found two alcoholics, one male, one female, and subjected them to an intensive drug therapy combination. After six months the subjects were completely cured of there alcoholism. There was a two year flow up and both subjects were still sober. The second trial included 24 patients and after three years the results were; half unchanged, quarter improved, and one quarter much improved. The third study used a method close to the scientific method. Three groups; one with group therapy, the next with LSD, and the last had individual therapy. The LSD pool of subjects had a success rate of 65.5%, much larger then the others.
In these studies the doctors were mostly successful in curing the patient’s alcoholism. This shows just one example of positive uses of lysergic acid diethylamide and how people see it can, with further study, be more positive. The trouble with this drug is the stigma behind it. There is this idea that all illegal substances are bad. The only problem is that no good would come with out the research into drugs like fungus derivatives or methamphetamines. With out certain antibiotics or ADHD medication the medical community would be set back. So if no advancements are made than no cures are found. Even LSD has its good side.
This good side is the one that is not known to use completely, but that is because of the negative stigma that plagues the drug and others like it. “LSD is bad. It can make you go insane. It will make you see what’s not there.” These fears are not completely based in falsehoods but there is no real reason that with the proper research this drug could be a very helpful medication in the future. There is no real rationalization, in fact, for the idea that LSD is a hard core psychotropic. The idea that something so powerful is shunned away like bad odor is simply wrong. Not even the mass murdering atom-bomb was discarded, it was developed into energy. LSD has such potential which seems to be squandered for the simple idea that it is to scary.
As is described “[LSD] first appeared in the scientific literature in 1943.” The study of the drug became very popular in the medical community for its “potential contributions to psychiatric research.” Until the early 1960’s attention was strong. It faded but not before over 500 articles in 15 languages on the subject ware published in scientific journals. In 1962 Timothy Leary was fired for his “indiscriminant promotion” of the substance. The story was big news, so much so that this can be marked as the turning point for the public viewpoint on LSD. It all finally changed in 1966 as everyday news focused on the dangers of LSD and the masses were swayed into agreeing with negative associations. The same year Federal governments in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, France, and the UK banned the use of LSD. Despite this there were still proponents for using LSD in a medical environment.
The first sample synthesized was in 1938 but it was five years till the drug was discovered. The chemist Albert Hofmann did this by accidentally coming in physical contact with his creation and had the first recorded “trip.” The drug was studied, then published, and then embraced over the next few years. The decade 1950 was good for advancements in psychiatry. LSD experimentation coincided with the radical renovation of psychopharmacology, producing two Nobel Prizes. Article after article was published on different experiments involving LSD.
In 1952 two scientists; Humphry Osmond and Abram Hoffer, started “collaborating over their mutual research interests in biochemical experimentation.” Their experimentation found that drugs like LSD could induce schizophrenic like symptoms. This was followed with the deduction that mental illness is biochemical. In other words; “a theory that explained mental illness as the manifestation of metabolic functions. This assertion pointed to the possibility that mental illness was inherently a biological entity.” Both men took psychotropic drugs and reported on their effects so as to placate the populace. “LSD seemed to produce a “model psychosis,” which provided a new method for studying symptoms of mental illness.” Later that year Hoffer and Osmond looked for funding to develop this theory but doctors in Ottawa and Ontario did not provide.
In 1953 Osmond realized he could use LSD to help in the treatment of alcoholism. Using LSD to force the patent to simulate the complete and utter despair of their situation he may find sobriety. The first trial found two alcoholics, one male, one female, and subjected them to an intensive drug therapy combination. After six months the subjects were completely cured of there alcoholism. There was a two year flow up and both subjects were still sober. The second trial included 24 patients and after three years the results were; half unchanged, quarter improved, and one quarter much improved. The third study used a method close to the scientific method. Three groups; one with group therapy, the next with LSD, and the last had individual therapy. The LSD pool of subjects had a success rate of 65.5%, much larger then the others.
In these studies the doctors were mostly successful in curing the patient’s alcoholism. This shows just one example of positive uses of lysergic acid diethylamide and how people see it can, with further study, be more positive. The trouble with this drug is the stigma behind it. There is this idea that all illegal substances are bad. The only problem is that no good would come with out the research into drugs like fungus derivatives or methamphetamines. With out certain antibiotics or ADHD medication the medical community would be set back. So if no advancements are made than no cures are found. Even LSD has its good side.
This good side is the one that is not known to use completely, but that is because of the negative stigma that plagues the drug and others like it. “LSD is bad. It can make you go insane. It will make you see what’s not there.” These fears are not completely based in falsehoods but there is no real reason that with the proper research this drug could be a very helpful medication in the future. There is no real rationalization, in fact, for the idea that LSD is a hard core psychotropic. The idea that something so powerful is shunned away like bad odor is simply wrong. Not even the mass murdering atom-bomb was discarded, it was developed into energy. LSD has such potential which seems to be squandered for the simple idea that it is to scary.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Two Ships, Both Not of This Verse
The universe is big. In fact, it is very big. It is so big that we cannot prove there is not other life out there. This other life might be just like our own or there might be four elephants on the back of a turtle. The genre of science fiction has given us ideas of what that life might be like. Two sci-fi television shows, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly are examples of this genre. Through evaluating characters, science, and setting, we will see what that life might be like.
In today’s culture characters that the audience can connect to are vary important. In Battlestar Galactica the characters struggle with being the only survivors from a war that destroyed all of there worlds. Not only are they on overcrowded spaceships, most notably the Galactica, they also do not always get along. The fact that these people cannot get out of their current situation means that they must deal with their feelings for each other or repress them. Conversely in Firefly the characters are part of a larger society that spans many worlds and speaks both English and Chinese. There is a lot more room for the small crew, on their ship Serenity, and there is much camaraderie with little argument. These people chose to live on a firefly class ship and they seem to be happy with their choice.
An enemy helps shape the way we look at our selves. In Battlestar Galactica the enemy, the Cylons, have troops that have infiltrated their military ranks. The Cylons are cybernetic machines that were created by the people of the twelve colonies. The people struggle with the doom their own creation has caused and the burden they must carry. This is the nothing like Firefly which has an enemy that is a major company called Blue Sun. Blue Sun is responsible for the one of the crewmembers to go mad in a facility that tried to tern her into a psychic weapon. The fact that the enemy is so huge makes the crew feel they must make a great impact to show change or else there is no point in fighting.
In Battlestar Galactica, there are many things that they take for granted but we would consider outlandish. Such technologies as faster than light drives, cybernetic-organic hybrids, and transference of consciousness make up these fictional technologies. Firstly the FTL drives are definitely impossible as depicted in the show. To show this ships “jump” or shimmer and disappear than reappear in a deferent location. This is not possible, for the laws of physics state that nothing can go faster than light. Secondly, the concept of integrating electronic hardware into an organic creature, though not new to science fiction, is still not possible by today’s technology though this dose not mean it is impossible all together. There is simply the matter of translating the electronic synapses into comprehensible computer code. Thirdly, transferring the entire memory of someone from one body to the next is still in theoretical stages. Though the process might be possible, having the whole event happen wirelessly across light-years is highly implausible. To summarize, the technologies that help the plot precede are not always in the realm of possibility.
In Firefly, the science is based on real knowledge that is implemented into a futuristic setting. The physics are incredibly real as exemplified in such cases as the sound, culture, or technology. As it was eloquently stated in the move Alien “In space no one can hear you scream.” This phrase has special significance to the science fiction genre because most shows and movies do not hold to this law of physics. In Firefly, they do. This shows up in one particular scene where a space ship is being destroyed, and the explosion is seen but not heard. In other forms of hearing the languages spoken make sense from an anthropological point of view. Chinese and English are the two most spoken languages on Earth so it makes sense that in the future they would be part of every child’s linguistic exposure. The technology of Firefly is advanced but it again stems from real technology of today. Taking the guns as an example, they do not fire special photon thingies. Instead they fire bullets, real mettle bullets. For all the fancy stuff that could have been done to this show it is surprising what was deliberately avoided for quality.
In the two television shows, there are differences in where they take place. Though Battlestar Galactica has a militaristic base there is also a civilization behind it. The main example is “the United Colonies of Kobol,” which serve as a democratic republic but with a president to break ties when voting on legislation. Galactica is a battlestar class ship and it is also a very old one. Despite this show being very futuristic there is also an old-fashioned feel to it. Such as corded phones and worn-down consoles. In Battlestar Galactica the crew, for the most part, stay on the ship for their planets were all nuked. Conversely, in Firefly, the show is more of a western but still has futuristic qualities trademark of the sci-fi genre. This is marked by the end of the opening credits, which show the spaceship Serenity flying over a herd of horses. On Serenity there is use of hovercrafts and medical implements that are definitely futuristic. In Firefly, at least once an episode the crew “goes planet side.” Separating distinguishable characteristics are important, for people, to not make assumptions about all science fiction.
Alternately the shows are not completely alien to one another, bizarrely enough they do share similar points. In the case of the crew, the people on board a ship, whether it be a spaceship or otherwise, have got to get along. They do, for the most part. There are arguments on both ships but the cooperation, whether it is due to a military hierarchy or just plain respect, these people know how to make a ship function. In the case of the technology and setting, it is obvious where the similarities are. Both shows center around space and crafts that fly through it. Though there is much to contrast the comparisons are not to be overlooked.
If you want to know all the pretty little details that make these two shows special than there is more that can be read. But this is a good beginning for any new fan. To recommend one show over the other would make no sense. They both have there qualities and the viewer deserves the right to make up their own mind. All the time that is put into a show is not always seen by the viewers. Despite this there are great people making shows like Battlestar Galactica and Firefly possible. Without TV like this I would have nothing to geek out about.
In today’s culture characters that the audience can connect to are vary important. In Battlestar Galactica the characters struggle with being the only survivors from a war that destroyed all of there worlds. Not only are they on overcrowded spaceships, most notably the Galactica, they also do not always get along. The fact that these people cannot get out of their current situation means that they must deal with their feelings for each other or repress them. Conversely in Firefly the characters are part of a larger society that spans many worlds and speaks both English and Chinese. There is a lot more room for the small crew, on their ship Serenity, and there is much camaraderie with little argument. These people chose to live on a firefly class ship and they seem to be happy with their choice.
An enemy helps shape the way we look at our selves. In Battlestar Galactica the enemy, the Cylons, have troops that have infiltrated their military ranks. The Cylons are cybernetic machines that were created by the people of the twelve colonies. The people struggle with the doom their own creation has caused and the burden they must carry. This is the nothing like Firefly which has an enemy that is a major company called Blue Sun. Blue Sun is responsible for the one of the crewmembers to go mad in a facility that tried to tern her into a psychic weapon. The fact that the enemy is so huge makes the crew feel they must make a great impact to show change or else there is no point in fighting.
In Battlestar Galactica, there are many things that they take for granted but we would consider outlandish. Such technologies as faster than light drives, cybernetic-organic hybrids, and transference of consciousness make up these fictional technologies. Firstly the FTL drives are definitely impossible as depicted in the show. To show this ships “jump” or shimmer and disappear than reappear in a deferent location. This is not possible, for the laws of physics state that nothing can go faster than light. Secondly, the concept of integrating electronic hardware into an organic creature, though not new to science fiction, is still not possible by today’s technology though this dose not mean it is impossible all together. There is simply the matter of translating the electronic synapses into comprehensible computer code. Thirdly, transferring the entire memory of someone from one body to the next is still in theoretical stages. Though the process might be possible, having the whole event happen wirelessly across light-years is highly implausible. To summarize, the technologies that help the plot precede are not always in the realm of possibility.
In Firefly, the science is based on real knowledge that is implemented into a futuristic setting. The physics are incredibly real as exemplified in such cases as the sound, culture, or technology. As it was eloquently stated in the move Alien “In space no one can hear you scream.” This phrase has special significance to the science fiction genre because most shows and movies do not hold to this law of physics. In Firefly, they do. This shows up in one particular scene where a space ship is being destroyed, and the explosion is seen but not heard. In other forms of hearing the languages spoken make sense from an anthropological point of view. Chinese and English are the two most spoken languages on Earth so it makes sense that in the future they would be part of every child’s linguistic exposure. The technology of Firefly is advanced but it again stems from real technology of today. Taking the guns as an example, they do not fire special photon thingies. Instead they fire bullets, real mettle bullets. For all the fancy stuff that could have been done to this show it is surprising what was deliberately avoided for quality.
In the two television shows, there are differences in where they take place. Though Battlestar Galactica has a militaristic base there is also a civilization behind it. The main example is “the United Colonies of Kobol,” which serve as a democratic republic but with a president to break ties when voting on legislation. Galactica is a battlestar class ship and it is also a very old one. Despite this show being very futuristic there is also an old-fashioned feel to it. Such as corded phones and worn-down consoles. In Battlestar Galactica the crew, for the most part, stay on the ship for their planets were all nuked. Conversely, in Firefly, the show is more of a western but still has futuristic qualities trademark of the sci-fi genre. This is marked by the end of the opening credits, which show the spaceship Serenity flying over a herd of horses. On Serenity there is use of hovercrafts and medical implements that are definitely futuristic. In Firefly, at least once an episode the crew “goes planet side.” Separating distinguishable characteristics are important, for people, to not make assumptions about all science fiction.
Alternately the shows are not completely alien to one another, bizarrely enough they do share similar points. In the case of the crew, the people on board a ship, whether it be a spaceship or otherwise, have got to get along. They do, for the most part. There are arguments on both ships but the cooperation, whether it is due to a military hierarchy or just plain respect, these people know how to make a ship function. In the case of the technology and setting, it is obvious where the similarities are. Both shows center around space and crafts that fly through it. Though there is much to contrast the comparisons are not to be overlooked.
If you want to know all the pretty little details that make these two shows special than there is more that can be read. But this is a good beginning for any new fan. To recommend one show over the other would make no sense. They both have there qualities and the viewer deserves the right to make up their own mind. All the time that is put into a show is not always seen by the viewers. Despite this there are great people making shows like Battlestar Galactica and Firefly possible. Without TV like this I would have nothing to geek out about.
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