I'm a co-founder of Nootrobox. We're super excited to really invest into the rigor and quantitative metrics behind cognitive modulation. I'll be floating around answering any questions if you folks have them.
interesting. we use coffeescript at nootrobox.com, but as you noted, it doesn't have a lot of hand rails. many a time, i've run javascript through a js2coffee translator to verify. will look into typescript.
Yes, I encourage you to do your own research. A lot of the chemicals have not been formally studied on a significant group of healthy adults. A lot of the models in studies are mice models or alzheimer patients, etc.
I'd say erowid leans more heavily towards recreational drugs which is out of the scope of what we wanted to talk about, but note taken. Definitely will shoutout erowid in any future discussions.
Lucy and Limitless were used as a writing hook - cheesiness noted, but they're relevant and accessible examples of how nootropics are entering the mainstream consciousness.
The broad stroke of your thinking is in line with ours -- it'll be inevitable. However, we do think it's important to start the dialogue and bring in policy makers as nootropics get more mainstream and as more exotic, unregulated/prescription drugs get roped into the scene. For example, sourcing unregulated research chemicals from labs in China or India zip-tied up in large, plastic baggies is sketchy. Bringing nootropics out of their current 'homebrew' status will really push the market forward.
You should try your caffeine with l-theanine if you don't like an over-stimulated, jittery effect. l-theanine is a pro-drug for GABA, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and is shown to ameliorate some of the edge off stimulants. Our indiegogo campaign for SPRINT makes it really easy to use: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sprint-declaring-war-on-a...
Check out our 2nd product line SPRINT if you want a really effective 'stay-awake' pill. We think it compares really well against alternatives like espresso, red bull, 5-hour energy especially for working.
Sorry you feel that way. As TechCrunch / HN is a predominantly Silicon Valley centered community, we grounded the current work in nootropics with analogies and metaphors that make sense in the tech world today. I think this biohacking / nootropics ties into the broader context of the quantified self theme that many, many technologists are working on.
We're working with TechCrunch on a more in-depth series of posts, including one that will cover the classification and regulation around the three broad classes of compounds: 'supplements', 'prescription', and 'unregulated' research chemicals. We'll get into the world of noopept, piracetam, and DARPA-funded peptides etc. for you guys.
The supplements industry definitely needs to be reformed. We at Nootrobox hope to do it right. Nice link you shared. It's a special level of sketchiness when they photoshop articles, tweets, video appearances to boost their brand.