4 ms·

Well I'm drinking Absolut Vodka right now, but that's just 'cause I'm hung over. Writing code is the farthest thing from my mind right now... Seriously though,

by itmag 15y ago

Well I'm drinking Absolut Vodka right now, but that's just 'cause I'm hung over. Writing code is the farthest thing from my mind right now... Seriously though, let's start a discussion about better coding through chemistry in general. Nicotine patches? Smart/nootropic drugs? Supplements? Preferred caffeine delivery vectors? Etc. What works for you? Anyone tried Modafinil?

udp 15y ago
Hell no. I enjoy a drink or a cup of coffee, but I wouldn't touch any kind of supplement or nootropic with a barge pole.
- itmag 15y ago
  Not even stuff like fish oil, vitamin D, piracetam, gingko, stuff like that?
  - udp 15y ago
    Nope. Good diet, plenty of exercise. :-)
    - waterlesscloud 15y ago
      Diet is of course chemistry.
    - xpaulbettsx 15y ago
      At least Vitamin D is definitely worth it (unlike the controversial suggestions of the OP about booze) - at worst, it will do nothing (i.e. your diet and locale means you have sufficient Vitamin D), but I definitely notice a positive difference.
  - cschmidt 15y ago
    Well, many people (including me) are low in vitamin D, because we spend so much time indoors. My dermatologist said (only partially joking) that if you're aren't deficient in vitamin D, you're not using enough sunscreen.
    - gonzo 15y ago
      Your dermatologist and cardiologist may offer opposing opinions. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/26/us-vitamind-heartdisease-idUSTRE7AO1UM20111126 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/26/us-vitamind-heartd...
    - pjscott 15y ago
      If you're deficient in vitamin D, and you know it, then why not take vitamin D pills? They're cheap, they're small, and having micronutrient deficiencies is not cool.
      - cschmidt 15y ago
        I didn't see your comment until much later. I was just assuming that was a given. Of course if you know you're low in vitamin D, you should be taking vitamin D pills, as I do.
lrt 15y ago
I've tried Adderall, Ritalin, etc, and sometimes I'm able to concentrate on the things I need to get done, but unless I'm really careful about saying focused I end up going off on tangents and writing the most amazing but useless code for several hours. Experimenting with crazy metaprogramming techniques, writing over-engineered utility libraries, experimenting with new technologies, writing epic blog posts, etc. That said, I've learned a lot about programming by going off on those tangents.
- itmag 15y ago
  "Experimenting with crazy metaprogramming techniques, writing over-engineered utility libraries, experimenting with new technologies, writing epic blog posts, etc. That said, I've learned a lot about programming by going off on those tangents." Sounds like fun to me. But maybe the focus you needed was more in the TPS genre? :)
- MichaelGG 15y ago
  Yep - stimulants will give you amazing focus, but you need to make sure that focus is trained on the right thing first. It's best to take them after you're more-or-less on track, or at least committed to a plan. If you just take them while going through a "morning routine" and haven't decided what you're going to be doing, you can easily burn a day on tangents. (As a third party, you can notice this behaviour in others if those folks are prone to calling you with all sorts of great ideas and things they're going to do today, but by the evening, they're discussing how to improve TLB cache hit ratios for their Ruby-on-Rails app.) But if you get on track, wow, stimulants can make an amazing amount of difference. They're great for getting a large amount of work done, as well as dealing with complex problems.
X-Istence 15y ago
I stopped drinking caffeine because it was having a huge negative effect on my brain and thought processes, it made me highly irritable and a very unlikeable person.

by itmag 15y ago

udp 15y ago

Hell no. I enjoy a drink or a cup of coffee, but I wouldn't touch any kind of supplement or nootropic with a barge pole.

itmag 15y ago
Not even stuff like fish oil, vitamin D, piracetam, gingko, stuff like that?
- udp 15y ago
  Nope. Good diet, plenty of exercise. :-)
  - waterlesscloud 15y ago
    Diet is of course chemistry.
  - xpaulbettsx 15y ago
    At least Vitamin D is definitely worth it (unlike the controversial suggestions of the OP about booze) - at worst, it will do nothing (i.e. your diet and locale means you have sufficient Vitamin D), but I definitely notice a positive difference.
- cschmidt 15y ago
  Well, many people (including me) are low in vitamin D, because we spend so much time indoors. My dermatologist said (only partially joking) that if you're aren't deficient in vitamin D, you're not using enough sunscreen.
  - gonzo 15y ago
    Your dermatologist and cardiologist may offer opposing opinions. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/26/us-vitamind-heartdisease-idUSTRE7AO1UM20111126 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/26/us-vitamind-heartd...
  - pjscott 15y ago
    If you're deficient in vitamin D, and you know it, then why not take vitamin D pills? They're cheap, they're small, and having micronutrient deficiencies is not cool.
    - cschmidt 15y ago
      I didn't see your comment until much later. I was just assuming that was a given. Of course if you know you're low in vitamin D, you should be taking vitamin D pills, as I do.

lrt 15y ago

I've tried Adderall, Ritalin, etc, and sometimes I'm able to concentrate on the things I need to get done, but unless I'm really careful about saying focused I end up going off on tangents and writing the most amazing but useless code for several hours. Experimenting with crazy metaprogramming techniques, writing over-engineered utility libraries, experimenting with new technologies, writing epic blog posts, etc. That said, I've learned a lot about programming by going off on those tangents.

itmag 15y ago
"Experimenting with crazy metaprogramming techniques, writing over-engineered utility libraries, experimenting with new technologies, writing epic blog posts, etc. That said, I've learned a lot about programming by going off on those tangents." Sounds like fun to me. But maybe the focus you needed was more in the TPS genre? :)
MichaelGG 15y ago
Yep - stimulants will give you amazing focus, but you need to make sure that focus is trained on the right thing first. It's best to take them after you're more-or-less on track, or at least committed to a plan. If you just take them while going through a "morning routine" and haven't decided what you're going to be doing, you can easily burn a day on tangents. (As a third party, you can notice this behaviour in others if those folks are prone to calling you with all sorts of great ideas and things they're going to do today, but by the evening, they're discussing how to improve TLB cache hit ratios for their Ruby-on-Rails app.) But if you get on track, wow, stimulants can make an amazing amount of difference. They're great for getting a large amount of work done, as well as dealing with complex problems.

X-Istence 15y ago

I stopped drinking caffeine because it was having a huge negative effect on my brain and thought processes, it made me highly irritable and a very unlikeable person.