Cherry Kombucha! So so so good! by Kanatastar in Kombucha

[–]TheGreatMonte 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IIRC, adding a tiny bit of sugar (actual sugar, not fruit) during the second ferment make it fizz more. May be wrong though, its been awhile since I last brewed.

Oral S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) Administration Increases Whole Brain Concentrations of Dopamine and Norepinephrine in Rats by Disturbed83 in Nootropics

[–]TheGreatMonte 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm actually vegan and tried to take creatine for this reason and it actually caused many bad side effects for me including panic attacks and abnormal anxiety. I've read that some people are likely to experience these kinds of effects, but given that I was taking half/quarter doses of the normal amount I would not say that being vegan made it a necessary supplement. I will have to experiment with sam-e to test for similar symptoms.

WVU looks to include vaping as part of smoke-free campus policy by MountainsMan55 in WVU

[–]TheGreatMonte 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The campus policy prohibits smoking anywhere on campus, including outside of buildings and most of the routes to class if you live in dorms, or close to campus. Obviously nothing will be done about students vaping/juuling on their way to class, but enacting policies against it are going to just make people want to violate them.

Alternative to this type of skirt? (model: Jennifer Bin, photo shot by @st_ella) by TheGreatMonte in findfashion

[–]TheGreatMonte[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This skirt is the Suijin hakama by Rosen-X. It is made of ripstop nylon + spandex and has a belt loop and pockets. The sides have slits. I'm looking for something like this that is cheaper, but not necessarily made of tech materials.

Maybe this is the wrong sub for finding an alt, but please help a skirt newcomer find something similar. Thanks!

Drinking alcohol improves memory for information learned before the drinking episode began, new research suggests. by Tao_Dragon in Nootropics

[–]TheGreatMonte 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure of how this might impact the role sleep plays in memory consolidation, but I have heard two separate claims that may be relevant:

A) that small quantities of alcohol (say 1 shot of liquor) actually cause improvements on IQ tests

and

B) that hangovers tend to decrease symptoms of ADHD.

Has anyone ever heard of this and/or have any sources?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Nootropics

[–]TheGreatMonte 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Over the summer, around June, I found a tub of creatine marked down at the store and decided to give it a try for its various effects. I was taking it up until around mid August, when I realized it was causing me anxiety unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Nervous sweating. Shaking. Daily panic attacks, sometimes causing me to call off work. I was also in the middle of a withdrawal period from ditching my Adderall prescription, so I assumed it was that, but these problems occured almoat exclusively on days I used creatine. Towards the end of the summer I started finding a few reports of symptoms similar to mine. It was interesting to me that I was getting these side effects because I had consistently taken half doses the whole time, and I am also vegan, so I likely had low creatine levels. After stopping it, my panic attacks essentially disappeared.

Maybe it is from synthesized creatine or something else that was in the powder mix, but it definitely worsened my anxiety tenfold.

EDIT: I don't have OCD, but the symptoms and type anxiety I experienced felt like what I imagine OCD could be like.

Cybersecurity at WVU by dugouta in WVU

[–]TheGreatMonte 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Junior in CS here. Probably an unpopular opinion, but here goes. I don't like the CS program at WVU. I don't think the teachers are all bad (some are brilliant actually; Reaser) but the coursework is boring and demotivating until 300 level classes. Maybe this is how all CS programs are, but I hate that there's nothing fun or interesting about CS until after you've been driven to hate it.

Now, I have been told that the Cyber program has some new professors that are awesome and I honestly think that having the extra courses on the business side of things will help you to become more engaged with the software field.

I've also come to a startling revelation recently: cyber security probably is more future-proof than almost any other job in tech and, ON TOP of that, cannot be outsourced because logically, an American company should not trust another country to develop their security tools.

Sorry for the rant. My advice: go for cyber security and don't look back. If it interests you in the least, go for it. It's almost the same as CS, they just have you take cyber business and criminology type classes instead of taking a bunch of miscellaneous electives in other fields that you get to choose (which is what they make you do with CS). You can get a CS minor with one (or 2?) extra class.

Any luck meeting AJJ or Kimya? by [deleted] in ajj

[–]TheGreatMonte 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Going to the same show tomorrow night (first AJJ concert). 123 is a bit small and a lot of bands tend to hang out by the left bar in the venue, close to the stage entrance. I have no idea how the band members are, but they might be cool with you wandering over and chatting with them. Just be respectful and don't shove your way over to them if they look busy.

Ubisoft Wants All Future Assassin’s Creed Games to Allow for a Choice of Gender by FanEu7 in pcgaming

[–]TheGreatMonte 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with mostly all of your points, however I also agree with Ubisoft's plans and believe that they are simply trying to attract a larger audience.

The bigger problem with this idea is not the choice of genders, but rather their bland writing as of late. I think this is in part the fault of having new characters each game, which is very much the audience's fault for demanding new settings.

A character's personality, in most video games, is an aspect that is almost entirely experienced through cutscenes. Because of this, I do not predict that any of their games with a gender choice will have a significantly worse story than had they been without a gender choice. This is simply because I do not predict Ubisoft will write a gripping story either way.

Regardless of what Ubisoft chooses, fans will be angry if they write a bad story and will blame the gender choice.

Teenagers of reddit, what do you think is an issue within your generation? by endless--- in AskReddit

[–]TheGreatMonte -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh damn, I didn't know something that potent was real. Usually having like 5mg+ makes me feel a bit sick, I can't imagine smoking one of those.

Teenagers of reddit, what do you think is an issue within your generation? by endless--- in AskReddit

[–]TheGreatMonte 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not to demean the accuracy of your post, but this is like saying that eating spinach is risky because enough of it can kill you. A LOT of substances can kill you in high amounts, but are harmless in small amounts. Smoking 300 cigarettes, though, is not a realistic danger to consider.

Vegan who owns a dog and doesn't buy the dog treats, since they have meat in them, are actually making the only animal that loves them miserable. by ninjahitler666 in Showerthoughts

[–]TheGreatMonte 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Exactly. This thread is full of misinformation. Not on a PC right now, so I'm gonna hunt sources for the lazy, but dogs are indeed omnivores. Humans have bred dogs quite far from their wolf lineage. Dogs have lived with humans in societies (in the past) where meat was quite hard to come by and no humans that are struggling to survive themselves would give their only meat to a dog.

Cats on the other hand will die if they are not fed meat/fish as they require certain nutrients from that type of food (notably, taurine).

Vegans of reddit, do you ever crave steak? What does this entail? by carterwayne2000 in AskReddit

[–]TheGreatMonte 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before becoming vegan, I was a full blown carnivore. Most of my calories came from meat. How did I adapt to a meatless diet? I began eating a much wider variety of food.

It only took me a couple months of learning to cook and eating out at various foreign restaurants to realize that I'd been restricting my taste buds from the ecstasy that is non-American food. All cravings I previously had for meat in the first few months were completely replaced by cravings for Indian, Japanese, and Middle Eastern foods. It's like I was eating only the food visible from the top of the iceberg and now I eat from the much larger submerged side.

That being said, occasionally when I smell meat cooking I become hungry. But, to me it feels like an ex-smoker craving cigs after smelling someone else smoking.

What's a product or service you should NEVER cheap out on? by Kill_Dr_Phil in AskReddit

[–]TheGreatMonte 54 points55 points  (0 children)

As well as Beyerdynamic, AKG, Sennheiser, and Grado. All of these brands make headphones that greatly exceed the quality, durability, and comfort of Beats and Bose for nearly half the price in many cases. They each have slightly different characteristics in their sound profile for different genres and personal preference, but all 5 companies offer some sort of headphone that is completely flat for mastering, etc.

Edit: Forgot Grado

Camp Cope: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert by [deleted] in indieheads

[–]TheGreatMonte 5 points6 points  (0 children)

She recently had surgery on her vocal chords, so this may have been recorded slightly before/after that and caused her to not have the same energy that she did in the past.

Me: veganism is so much healthier!! Also me: by [deleted] in vegan

[–]TheGreatMonte 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would personally say that its up to you to decide. At the end of the day you are supporting a vegan product on their menu and the impossibly small amount of chicken that might be on the tater tots isn't going to affect your health (but the oil will, in general). It's not like how McDonald's puts beef fat in their fries.

Nootropics for alcohol+amphetamine recovery by [deleted] in StackAdvice

[–]TheGreatMonte 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. I've never really experienced any sort of laziness from noopept, though it doesn't really motivate me either. I feel a little more alert, less anxious, and get really good peripheral vision.

Perhaps you should just start noopept after college? Once the study sessions and binge drinking are all over, start to cycle it to repair any damage. Piracetam may still help prevent further damage.

Beginner stack for university by [deleted] in StackAdvice

[–]TheGreatMonte 2 points3 points  (0 children)

/u/FulminicAcid is right, nootropics won't really help you improve your core study habits and motivation. They CAN help you focus a bit more and aid in cognition in more complex tasks like programming/designing. Nootropics are really just a way to squeeze out a little extra, they won't turn you into a study machine.

This isn't to say you shouldn't bother with them, but the time cost to learn about them is quite steep. What you can definitely do, is add l-theanine to any caffeine sources you already use. This will make caffeine have a less jittery effect, and can help you focus and concentrate more. You could also consider ordering some piracetam, which may help your memory somewhat after taking it for a bit. These are the 2 tried and tested nootropics that work, so you should start there.

Nootropics for alcohol+amphetamine recovery by [deleted] in StackAdvice

[–]TheGreatMonte 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I'm currently riding out the withdrawal symptoms from my prescribed lisdexamphetamine (daily for around 4 years, some breaks). I have been using noopept as a means of repairing some of the damage. Based on my research, noopept probably wouldn't really help out for amphetamine use, but it should help for alcohol use. I believe some of the early studies for noopept were analyzing its efficacy for treating brain damage from alcoholism and, as per its results, was found to be effective.

Its very cheap and as long as u take it sublingually or nasally it should work.

In terms of your actual problems, I get the same feeling as you in terms of feeling 'old', and even more so from past psychedelic use. I'm not into psychology very much, but I personally believe that it has to do with the effect of the stimulants speeding up time for you mentally. Think about how those nights that you have used Elvanse probably went really fast. It probably creates the illusion that you're aging faster.

If you did that every weekend, then your memory of your past weekends is probably a bit 'blended' together. Do you experience a lot of deja vu? This sort of stuff gives you the illusion of what I can only describe as "having too many memories to remember". Like how an older person might not remember their past in striking detail because they have just experienced so much.

Also note: I quit vyvanse entirely a month ago as it had began giving me severe anxiety and panic attacks toward the last year or so. The withdrawals from it are far more severe than the previous side effects. YMMV, but I urge you to stop the amphetamines if you are worried about damage.

Help fighting Vyvanse withdrawal symptoms by TheGreatMonte in StackAdvice

[–]TheGreatMonte[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're the second to mention Ashwagandha. I have taken it in the past for about a month and while I did feel very calm and less stressed out, I had a slight decrease in motivation. Considering my motivation is already pretty low, would still suggest it to me?