"The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long."

So cognitive enhancement is a thing.  There is literally a common drug in pill form that works akin to the fictitious NZT-48 from Limitless, at least for me.  I get it from my local pharmacy in 10mg and 5mg pills.  By the hundreds.  For cheap.  Covered by insurance.  It's called hydrocortisone, and (for me) it serves a medically necessary purpose by providing the cortisol my body no longer produces in sufficient quantities.  Like its fictitious counterpart, it comes with serious, long-term health consequences.  One unintended side effect is significant cognitive enhancement.

Describing cognitive enhancement to anyone who hasn't experienced it presents the challenge of describing a subjective experience to which not everyone can relate:

Like illustrating the difference between two shades of green only discernible to tetrachromats.

Like trying to get an energetic toddler to understand chronic fatigue.

Like describing depression to one who thinks of it as synonymous with sadness. 

I'll go with simple and (hopefully) relatable metaphors: speed and strength.

Hydrocortisone (in sufficient quantity) makes me mentally faster and stronger.  If my daily tasks are stones, with the help of HC I can throw ten in the time it took me to throw one.  Or, I can throw one with only a tenth of the effort.  That's cool, but so what if I can throw stones faster and easier?  The tasks get done either way, right?  Wrong.

Some mental tasks are time dependent.  They only get accomplished successfully if one can complete them within a certain amount of time.  For example, noticing heavy traffic on the highway ahead, with ~20 seconds to decide whether to take the nearby off-ramp and a completely different route.  On HC, it is easy for me to make this decision, because I can quickly plan a new candidate route and estimate the time time it would take, even without total familiarity of the roads involved.  Another time-dependent task is wit.  Being witty is something that usually has to be done within a relatively short time, or the moment is gone.  Without HC, the act of thinking resembles wading through water, instead of walking (or running) on dry land.

Mental "strength" factors in because some difficult tasks cannot be subdivided and tackled piecemeal.  These are like boulders.  Either I am strong enough to handle them, or I'm not.  Just as no amount of time or willpower would let me lift a large boulder, no amount of determination would help me tackle difficult problems and concepts.  So it goes with cognitive enhancement via HC.  In Dungeons & Dragons speak: +5 INT per 5mg pill.

So, what's the point of tossing stones and hurling boulders?  Fighting giants, of course.  Let me go ahead and preempt the obvious David and Goliath remark -- this isn't a perfect metaphor.  It just serves to illustrate my point.  

Yes, taking hydrocortisone will likely cause me significant health problems, but there's not much I can do about that, given that adrenal insufficiency puts me in the hospital.  Of course I'll do what I can to wean off it as much as possible, but while the hydrocortisone high is there, I'll be riding it with a smile.  If I lose the cognitive benefits as I wean off, then maybe I'll have some interesting decisions to make.  Such as:

Is it better to burn out, or fade away?

Skin problem? Vinegar solution!

For the past few weeks, I've used Doxycycline, Clindamycin, and Bactroban (mupirocin) ointment to treat a mild (but persistent) skin infection on my big toe. Combined with daily saline (salt water) soaks, the infection didn't worsen, but also didn't go away. The use of antibiotics seemed to produce mostly just unpleasant side effects (skin rash and typical GI symptoms).  The ointment seemed partially effective, but my doctor advised I discontinue it, given the lack of clear results after 6 days of use.

Yesterday, my (Duke Medical Center) dermatologist suggested trying a vinegar or mild bleach solution.  She mentioned that vinegar is effective for treating both fungal and gram-negative bacterial infections, and provided me instructions for mixing and applying the solution.  Immediately following the soak, I noticed some stinging and inflammation.  Since then (overnight), the affected area has improved significantly. Thus, I feel compelled to share her instructions for this easy, affordable, and potentially effective home remedy:

Antibacterial & Antifungal Vinegar Soak

• 1:2 vinegar to water solution (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water).
• Use regular, store-bought white distilled vinegar.
• Use tepid water -- no extreme temperatures.
• Soak the affected region for 15 minutes, once daily.
• Dry the area completely and allow it to remain open to the air as much as possible.

That's it!  I hope this proves informative and useful for someone.  Don't hesitate to leave a quick comment here letting me know, if it does.

How to fix your dead Samsung netbook

If you own a Samsung netbook with a wonky DC power connection, or one that just plain won't charge or power on, here's how you might be able to fix it for about $20, like I did for my friend's Samsung NC20. Warning: opening up your netbook might void your warranty. However, it might also save you time, money, and a lot of hassle. For example, I sent my friend's NC20 in for warranty service, and Samsung failed to fix the problem. When the problem recurred only a week after they returned it (supposedly fixed), they refused to repair it--the netbook's warranty had just expired. Meh.

1. Test your AC power adapter.


Do this first, because you'll kick yourself if you take apart your netbook for no reason. This helps confirm whether the problem is with your netbook or the power supply. Plug it in and use a multimeter (if you have one) to confirm that that the DC output (the cylindrical jack which connects to the notebook) of your AC adapter is putting out its rated voltage (about 19V for the Samsung NC20). If it doesn't, then consider ordering a replacement from http://www.samsungparts.com before proceeding further.


2. Take off the bottom cover.


Flip the netbook upside down, and remove all of the screws (except for the screws to the memory access panel). Keep track of which screw went where. Use a flathead screwdriver to pop off the bottom cover. Avoid applying too much force, so as to prevent scratching or denting the plastic chassis.


3. Test the DC jack and harness.


Here's what the area around the DC jack and harness looks like, on the Samsung NC20:



Here's DC jack and wiring harness look like, when removed from the netbook:



Here's a closeup of the connector which attaches to the netbook's motherboard:



The simplest way to test the DC jack and harness is to plug it in, then use a multimeter to test the voltage at the connector which attaches to the motherboard (shown above). The connector terminals (copper colored, in the picture above) are relatively easy to use for testing, despite being small. For the Samsung NC20, you should see about 19V between the black wires and the red wires. Test both black wires against both reds. If you get a positive voltage for each pairing, and the voltage remains steady when you wiggle the DC connector or wire harness, then your DC jack and harness are probably fine. In this case, the problem likely with something else in your system, and is beyond the scope of this tutorial.

If you don't see voltage across one or more of the black/red wire pairings, or the voltage is intermittent when the DC connector is wiggled, then there's a problem with your DC jack or harness. To order a replacement, go to http://www.samsungparts.com, look up your netbook, and click the "Entire Parts" button to show all parts for the system. Look for a part named "BRIGHTON,WIRE HARNESS CBF HARNESS-DC_JACK", or something similar. For my friend's Samsung NC20 (model number NPNC20KA02US), the correct part number is BA39-00789A, and it costs $11.75. Shipping, handling, and tax brought it to almost twice that, and it was delivered within a day or two.


4. Alternative: fix the harness yourself.


Rather than (or in addition to) ordering a replacement DC jack and wire harness, you could opt to repair the existing harness. It helps if you have some stranded 26 AWG (or similar gauge) wire available, but you might be able to simply resolder the existing wires onto the DC jack, if you're careful. Find the broken connection (probably at one of the soldered joints on the DC jack) and repair it. Here was how mine looked after my repair, but before I wrapped it in heat-shrink tubing:

If you found this tutorial helpful, please post a comment saying so! I'd love to hear if anyone found it useful. I suspect that many other Samsung netbook owners may encounter this issue, due to the design and positioning of the DC jack.

Risking the intellectual integrity of my blog...

Here are a few early pictures of Izzy, one of our foster kittens from about a year ago:

Late one night, Anna found her in the bathroom, anemic and too weak to walk. We took her to the emergency vet at 3:30am. When she tested positive for feline leukemia virus (FeLV), we were faced with the difficult decision to euthanize her. She was such a happy kitten, but FeLV is often a (painfully) terminal illness. It is not uncommon for rescue/adoption organizations to euthanize FeLV-positive kittens when they show signs of trouble. This is for the kitten's own well being, but also due to resource limitations. The resources needed to care for and quarantine dying kittens could be used to rescue otherwise healthy kittens. Such is the difficult reality of regions with significant feral cat overpopulation.

Since Izzy did not seem to be in pain, we opted to give her every chance, and tried to help her how we could. Over the next several days, we nursed her back to health with nutritional supplements and TLC. She bounced back, found a great home, and eventually tested negative for FeLV (indicating that her body fought off the infection before it became chronic). She's been doing great for almost a year, her owners sent us these photos yesterday:

Virgin America nitpicks

Nonfunctional Gogo Inflight Wifi: -10
The holy grail of passenger perks, ended up being a holy carrot on a stick. Worse than nonfunctional, the HTTP redirector simply takes you to 127.0.0.1 while advertising that "you are now connected to the Internet." I've never had it work for me on a single flight. Technically, they do offer wifi, but it only connects you to yourself. FAIL!

Chris Cornell soundtrack: -1
Virgin's techno-savvy demographic overlaps significantly with Twitter's. One of Twitters coolest celebrity (ex-)users had some infamously choice words to describe Cornell's latest offering. Does anyone disagree with that review, or not think of it when hearing the album?

No Web Check-in For Hotel Kiosk Users: -5
My hotel guest computer system was so thoroughly locked down, the Virgin America web site check-in process simply wouldn't work. The web site mostly worked and I could even log in and print my itinerary. But apparently, no Javascript + no Flash = no check-in or pre-printed boarding passes for you! Grosvenor Suites shares half the blame for this, though. IE 5.5 on a 486 with everything locked, does that even count as Internet access?

In-flight "Entertainment": +/- 0
It's like Skynet's retarded cousin. So much potential, utterly wasted and occasionally embarrassing.
Movies on demand: decent selection, overpriced as hell. Par for course.
Chat & TV Chat: very cool, but nobody uses it. /sadpanda
Games: Doom was pretty neat 15 years ago. It's forgivable if it's just there for geek cred, but it looks like the feature offering.
TV: I got to watch WSOP, good enough.
"Best of the Web": More like the best of the web from 6+ months ago. Web content rots quickly.

Pre-boarding Trivia Contest T-shirt giveaway: +5
Kudos for trying.

Airfare: +100
San Diego to San Francisco (and back!) for $120. Ninety minutes, each way. You're doing something right, at least...keep it up!

Absent mindedness

I just forgot what I was about to do. I just needed to do one thing before I did it, and that small act derailed me.

I tried retracing my steps. I almost remember, but not quite. I start getting that "ah ha!" feeling, but then the feeling itself distracts me and I don't capture the memory. Just a glimpse, as it slinks back into my subconscious.

The feeling of almost having remembered, having it on the tip of your tongue, is not so bad. Trying hard to remember and not having a clue, that's frustrating. Like fishing all day with no bites. At least you know you've got a decent chance, when you're getting nibbles. The longer it takes, the bigger the "ah ha!" moment will be, but it'll probably come. Sometimes it will even happen multiple times, before finally getting there. (I wonder if that's how it is for girls...)

When I come close to remembering, I'm usually fine with just waiting for it to click. Unless there's an imminent deadline, I can go about my business--it will usually come back to me at some point. Similar to déjà vu, it's not usually something one can consciously achieve. Trying harder is usually counterproductive.

I remember that I needed to go into my bedroom to do this thing, and it was something I'd been intending to do for a little while. Not napping, not cleaning.

Time to stroll back to the scene of the thought. It's a little risky, as the conscious effort of remembrance might only throw me further off track. Sometimes the familiar sights will lure it out again, and it's too tempting not to try.

Nope.

Now I'm totally off track. The only thing to do now is give up and wait.

Conjecture About Lyme Susceptibility

It's a fact, mosquitoes are more attracted to certain people. I always wondered why I was the only one complaining about mosquitoes whenever I went camping, and why they would still bite even when I was wearing repellent.

Hypothesis: what if the same holds true for other biting insects, such as ticks? What if so-called "mosquito magnets" are also tick magnets?

I wonder if this merits experimentation. If true, it would make sense for "mosquito magnets" to be even more vigilant about preventing tick exposure and bites. I was an active Boy Scout for many years, yet I never heard of anyone else in my troop getting Lyme disease. Hmm...