The climate change debate is in a difficult place where the people arguing don't understand the details of what's happening (e.g. fluid dynamics, the reflectivity of clouds, etc.) so all of us uninformed folks have somehow made a decision on joining a side. I understand very little of the physics of climate change, but if lots of people are willing to spend their lives looking at a problem involving lots of painful math, that's a good indicator that climate change is a real effect.

Terrible phrase that should never be used

To "wrap your head around" something as in, "It took me a while to wrap my head around that idea". I've used the phrase 3 or 4 times in my life, but it caused an increase in my Douchebag Factor, so I stopped. Please also consider stopping. It just sounds weird and pretentious.

Since researchers have had such a hard time figuring out the causes of diseases from genetics so far, is there reason to believe that epigenetics will have more luck?

"Some German guy is running around naked. Maybe someone should do something."

--note I saw on a trail register in the Henry Mountains in March

Debbie Downer thought of the day

Evolution needed to reward us immensely for eating and fucking, but perhaps it also punishes those who think too much about evolution by making them feel depressed when they realize they can view the raison d'être of all lifeforms as just wanting to exist as long as possible and also make copies of themselves. So if we're bummed by that thought, we'll stop thinking about it because it sucks and go back to sex and chocolate.

Once in a while I'll see someone smiling big at me on a commercial and then I'll remember that this person is lying to me for money and that's just one of the things people do with each other.

Cognitive enhancement

I recently tried two supplements reported to enhance cognitive ability - piracetam and sulbutiamine. They didn't work for me, but even if they had there's an issue. If they had worked well and I could focus better and I wanted to take them every day - would that be an addiction?

Stopping piracetam and sulbutiamine was a no brainer since they didn't work for me, but in general if it's not found in nature, and there are no large placebo controlled trials for effectiveness and safety I think it's best to stay away. (Here's a cool balloon race of supplements and their trial results. All in-vitro and small trials thankfully excluded.)

atm, I'm currently testing out creatine -- for my brain, not my body. There is a mechanism for creatine in generating ATP quickly in the brain when the brain is fuel limited. (My working assumption is that more ATP equals better mental performance, but is that right?)