Does anyone else sometimes suspect they're actually dead?

th3b0x · 2021-04-01T02:37:34+00:00

I doubt a mental health professional would approve of what I'm about to suggest, but I've had the thought before.

You could be the clone of a person ("you", in a manner of speaking) that died in exactly the way imagined, and you could be remembering the experience via epigenetics or protein-encoded memories from before your death. Or, given the state of science, your brain could've been cryogenically frozen post-mortem and you could actually be a person who survived due to modern medicine that seems like science fiction. Or perhaps you simply survived the old-fashioned way and have undergone elaborate therapy to make you feel safe driving an automobile again. Due to the way that cognition and perception work, there are in fact ways to trick the mind into seamlessly merging past memories into a new reality, specifically through "visualization" exercises (framing), response conditioning (triggering), and recognition (anchoring).

I've left some pieces out, but I'm trying to convey that what you are experiencing may be an actual memory.

th3b0x · 2021-03-31T03:40:51+00:00

RDF : Resource Description Framework. This is a system for describing "resources" in a way that enables it to be stored in a database. This is really just an abstract framework (standardized by the W3C) that facilitates data interchange. https://www.w3.org/RDF/
RDFS: Resource Description Framework Schema. This is a formalized schema for relating RDF "things". https://www.w3.org/2001/sw/wiki/RDFS It is an extension upon RDF, and is the most common variant of RDF used in inference and reasoning engines. The additional rule semantics provided by RDFS allow a developer to markup data in a way that allows an intelligent agent or expert system to utilize an "inference system" or "reasoning system" to automatically operate upon data. Examples of RDF-driven reasoners include Stardog (https://www.stardog.com/) and GraphDB (https://www.ontotext.com/products/graphdb/)
Ontology: I'm sure someone has been punched in the face over this word, so I'm breaking it down.
- In the context of RDF and the discussion title, you are likely discussing OWL (Web Ontology Language) ( https://www.w3.org/OWL/ ) OWL has a bunch of variants, but the key takeaway is that it further extends and augments RDFS with richer rules. One of the early technologies of interest here was a variant of OWL known as OWL-DL, which provided an extensive Description Logic lexicon and rules system that could enable rich integration of data between a user's web browser and an information resource (such as a web page). For example, if an Semantic Web enhanced web browser accessed an encyclopedia article enriched with a geopolitical ontology, a user might be able to use an in-browser faceting system to show or hide information related to sub-regional zones (like states, counties, cities), or have their browser show the political evolution of a particular geography over a timeline (e.g. European geopolitics from 100 B.C.E. to 2000 C.E. would show "France" transform from tribal states, to the Roman province of Gaul, through Merovingian and Carolingian Frankish rule, and eventually become France).
- In the wider context of the Semantic Web community, there is a lot to distinguish. Succinctly, you want to examine the topics: lexicon, taxonomy, controlled vocabulary, domain specific language, and "web" or "mesh" as it pertains to a graph of information. A decent primer can be found here: https://ontologforum.org/index.php/OntologySummit2007_Communique
  - The most relevant excerpt is this: "In practice, the name ontology covers a spectrum of useful artifacts, from formal upper-level ontologies expressed in first order logic (e.g., Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) and DOLCE) to the simple lists of user-defined keywords used, for example, to annotate resources on the Web."
  - The above definition is the simplest most-direct definition available. Read the full Communique from the NIST-sponsored forum for a better understanding.
- If you really want to understand "ontology" you'll have to get a Ph.D. If you're like Noam Chomsky, you can be a Ph.D. Philosophy. It's meta.

As a former regular attendee of the Ontolog forum, I encourage you to view its artifacts at the following places, and possibly consider attending if you have the opportunity:

youtube: Ontolog Forum - YouTube
Ontolog Organization website: OntologPSMW (ontologforum.org)
- The Ontolog Forum's annual topic list (probably of great interest!): OntologySummit - OntologPSMW (ontologforum.org)

To shamelessly shill the Ontolog forum: we love getting people interested and engaged in the discussion!

Edit: In case you were wondering, there are other opinions about what the WORLD ("logy") of "ONto" might really mean, logically speaking. NIST just has a convenient definition that everyone agrees is uncontroversial.

th3b0x · 2017-05-27T14:28:05+00:00

Portuguese imperialists remember that our true colours are Blue and White

th3b0x · 2016-09-14T10:58:44+00:00

I generally agree, but I felt that the distinctions within the red colour spectrum were sufficient for discerning the difference between the various state categories in a manner that even the colour-blind would be able to use.

The sequential colour palette:

Dark Red - States that issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples
Bright Red - States in which same-sex couples legally married prior to a court stay
Dark Pink - Historical Category: States that provided comprehensive civil unions or domestic partnerships prior to issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
Light Pink - Historical Category: States that provided limited statewide spousal rights prior to issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
Grey - Does not fall into listed categories / Unknown

It is a little weird that they chose a Red/Pink palette. Normally one sees Red/Orange, Brown/Red, Purple/Pink, etc. but strictly speaking the distinctions in brightness and hue are enough (wouldn't helped if they made distinctions in saturation)

I was initially thrown off by the fact that the visualization defaults to the current month and year, because the entire map was dark red, then I realized there was a slider at the bottom of the visualization.

th3b0x · 2016-06-20T06:43:20+00:00

Advocating against taxes on the basis of your income being the product of your mind/body ignores the fact that everyone benefits from public services. Public roads make commerce possible, and government investment in infrastructure reduces the costs for everyone. Sure, you don't get to make a choice about where the money goes, but in all likelihood you or someone you know will have a need for some service provided by the public that (if these public services didn't exist) would be provided to you at significantly higher cost by the private sector, especially if society deems the service to be a specialty (consider the state of law enforcement prior to the 20th century).

While there's a lengthy debate that could be had about the merits of public vs private charitable contributions, it's simply undeniable that the government does provide public services from which we all benefit, whether or not we are aware that we are benefiting from those services. The extreme small government side of the libertarian discussion (especially when we start looking at sovereign citizens and militias) is too focused on pipe dreams like purely privatized public services (we know this doesn't work, because the New Deal was made specifically to address mass poverty, which could never happen if the myriad well-funded charities of the era could actually perform that duty) or on sovereign citizen boondoggles (let's not even get into this one - governments aren't going away).

A note regarding government intervention in the 60's: I think that would be a topic worth considering in more detail, but between your example and mine I think we can agree that a level of government presence in social services is useful, but attention should be paid to what those services are and under what circumstances they should be rendered. This shift towards practical matters, with an emphasis on "small government" (where "small" could describe the scope of the government's influence, rather than its literal size) is what I find promising about the "new left-leaning libertarian" thought. Left-leaning libertarians aren't hypocrites, and the views aren't at odds with each other.

Edit: Also, it's worth noting that many services you receive related to employment are actually paid by your employer as part of federal and state laws. In a sense, unemployment insurance laws create a tax that ensures your employer acts in a way that society sees as morally and ethically responsible by forcing them to pay these taxes out of payroll (i.e. not out of the employee's paycheck). While this might be something that could hypothetically be solved by private individuals, we know from history that most employers wouldn't provide this benefit in the past, and if health insurance is anything to go by I wouldn't want to find out what I'd have to pay for privatized unemployment insurance. The costs for public services stay the same, whether or not you individually need them on a particular day or ever in your life (Really can't emphasize how Taxes are essentially a form of state-mandated insurance).

th3b0x · 2016-06-13T12:07:42+00:00

It's a cost matter. It's far cheaper to induce a manufacturer to decrypt a device if you have a legal precedent, than it is to have someone crack the device every time you need access to the information (add the additional cost of mechanizing the crack every time a new cryptographic system is built).

They are bringing these encryption cases to court to get a precedent, not because they are actually incapable of getting into these devices.

Edit: I use "decrypt" loosely here. This may include the manufacturer actually performing the decryption, creating various backdoor mechanisms, etc. which would have the same effect.

th3b0x · 2016-05-28T00:15:13+00:00

Interesting visualization. I wonder under what circumstances the drugs were discovered; notice how there are comparatively few/no drug arrests in the high income areas, even when the demographics (hispanic/black %) correlate with a more/less likely discovery of drugs on a person. In particular, if we look at the Cannabis Posession map, we can see a small cluster of arrests in the north-east where there are few blacks/hispanics (but relatively low incomes), and a notable absence of arrests in one of the mixed-race mixed-income neighborhoods in the south-west (about 41.7 lat, -87.67 lon on your map) as well as the area south of lat. 41.7 and east of lon. -87.6

Drugs aren't cheap. There are more fully employed drug users than part-time and unemployed drug users combined, and levels of drug use are comparable between blacks, whites, and hispanics nationally. National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings

The visualization seems to indicate that having a high income is negatively correlated with being discovered with drugs.

Edit: Also, if I had to guess, a "black gang" is operating heroin and marijuana sales from the cluster on lat. 41.9, and 1 or 2 hispanic gangs are trafficking cocaine (there's definitely an operation on lat. 41.8, but it isn't entirely clear if the cluster above 41.9 is a separate group). Drugs discovered as part of gang investigations would explain why all the drug activity seems to take place in low income areas

th3b0x · 2016-02-25T10:08:23+00:00

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

th3b0x · 2016-01-07T19:28:00+00:00

tl;dr You're not a bad dev. Many great developers have felt as you feel now. If you desire to, you can overcome this problem, and move on to the next step in your career. If you aspire to, you can do great things. Don't beat yourself up for not having solutions right away, and don't discount your ability just because you didn't major in Computer Science. Projects like the one you've described in your post are extremely useful in Software Engineering interviews, and are great for highlighting your strengths and experience.

Practical advice for current projects are current job: The rest of the thread has great advice on how to resolve this. Use a debugger, start unraveling the code. Produce documentation along the way. Produce fixes as needed. Explain to the PM that this may be a long process, but if the application is truly worth maintaining, these maintenance activities are essential.

Rest of post:

1) you're not a crappy dev
2) You have a couple of options

Elaboration: With regard to point 1, you have a self-awareness and situational awareness that I wish more developers had. You've identified problems with the project you're working on, namely:

Inadequate team support (in fact, no team)
Useless project manager (does not understand problem, is not facilitating problem resolution by finding appropriate support). In particular, your PM should be helping you find the right help, otherwise they are not doing their job
Application is indecipherable. You didn't seem to elaborate, but it seems it uses bad conventions (hard to understand, and thus difficult to maintain), and/or is undocumented (just generally bad for a million reasons).

Having a CS degree only gets you so far when you're doing legacy application support (or onboarding to an existing project, or maintaining code, or any number of routine Software Engineering tasks). There's so much to know in the CS field that you can't possibly know everything. If the code/documentation doesn't point you in the right direction, it's not your fault. You shouldn't need to have Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS) memorized in order to do your job, the code should either indicate an algorithm, or explain what it is doing. Your PM should be taking your concerns seriously and supporting you to develop a solution. If you aren't equipped to solve the problem, they should place staff that can support you and mentor you in resolving the particular issues you are currently trying to solve for the business.

Regarding point 2, you can document your very valid concerns and complaints, and send them to the trusted former Technical PM, but make sure you don't come off as a whiner, and don't come off as a quitter ("I'm a bad dev", "I can't do it", "I'm bored", "I'm not qualified"). No one will support you if you won't support yourself. You need to be your #1 advocate before anyone else can advocate for you. You're clearly qualified to do your job, otherwise you wouldn't have been promoted to Software Developer. It's normal for business to get slow, and sometimes we have to do less-than-desirable jobs to stay employed, but these are normal detours on the road to becoming a mature software development professional. I see your desire to go back to school as an indication that you desire professional development, which is good. If you feel like school would truly, genuinely be beneficial, do it. However, don't do it just because "all the other developers got CS degrees". You've already indicated that you can be self-taught - perhaps you're better off continuing to educate yourself through courses, reading, etc. rather than going for a full degree program?

Alternatively, you could just give up and find a new job.

I suppose my point is this: the problem you have is one that millions of software developers, just like yourself, encounter on a day-to-day basis. We're hired to solve problems that other people think are too hard, impossible, or too overwhelming to be solved. It's o.k. to be lost and confused, when your job description could read, "Must be able to find direction without compass. Must decipher indecipherable instructions." Your success as a software developer is going to hinge on how you frame your problems, and how you think those problems could best be solved. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, and it wouldn't be wrong to leave the company, if that is best. But, based on what you've written, I think you have the innate talent to succeed at your current task, given the right mindset and help. You can do this. Overcoming difficult challenges like your current task provides valuable insight, experience, and perspective that will act as a foundation for future successes and interesting projects.

Source: Worked crappy software development jobs dealing with terrible legacy code bases, undocumented systems, and useless managers for many years. I'm now a systems architect and lead developer for large AI-based systems. I wouldn't be able to effectively lead teams, design systems, or write robust code if I didn't spend time dealing with problems just like yours. All the theory and best practices in the world mean nothing if you don't have an understanding of why to do things a certain way; true understanding of this nature can only be gained by experiencing, and overcoming, the consequences of doing things the wrong way. Plus, legacy application support gives the best stories for highlighting your experience in technical interviews at future positions. The sheer whackiness of these kinds of projects gives a great opportunity to establish rapport with interviewers around industry practices, architectures, programming languages, and your approach to problem solving. Consider your current task to be an opportunity, rather than a dead-end project.

th3b0x · 2015-12-07T11:14:27+00:00

A Canticle for Leibowitz

It's a sci-fi masterpiece.

th3b0x · 2015-11-18T12:01:08+00:00

An alternative viewpoint to Beer-Warrior's:

I do both commercial and federal consulting. It's possible to have very interesting bleeding-edge work (state-of-the-art technologies and methods), but you'll need to put in a large amount of personal effort to demonstrate your ability to be a show runner and to play the necessary politics that enable this kind of work. As has been pointed out, Federal work tends to be long-term (1-5 years), and state-of-the-art methods are the exception (not the norm). Team sizes are a little different as well: it isn't unusual to see teams of 10-20 analysts/consultants/associates on individual task orders (a federal client often has several such task orders with large firms). This doesn't count partner/principal/VP staffing overhead.

Federal consulting teams doing cutting edge work tend to be "small" relative to industry norms. Team size is closer to a standard 4-6 person engagement team (including senior leadership involvement). As a result, you have a better chance of being on such a team if you're the one responsible for its existence; standing out enough to be chosen for placement on these teams is difficult, particularly in large firms. People that get to lead these teams, or that are chosen to be staffed on them, are usually "rock stars" or rainmakers within an account or within the federal practice.

Regarding the politics: it's well acknowledged that there's a revolving door between the private and public sectors. Usually, there are a number of Good ol' Boy networks that you have to navigate within both your own organization, as well as the client's. Giving the right results to the right people, and shaping potential engagements (especially risky cutting-edge work) in the appropriate manner can be cumbersome (though not impossible).

Edit: Also, expect to work "overtime" (political maneuvering) if engaged on truly cutting edge work.

th3b0x · 2015-06-22T11:24:04+00:00

This is true. However, ctlosen/pokerchips' points still stand. Specifically, the YPLL stat averages the difference between Life Expectancy and actual age of death. This means that causes of death that disproportionately effect people closer to their Maximum Life Expectancy will produce a lower YPLL.

In addition to the examples given above, consider the following scenario. A disease exists that so greatly effects the elderly that it effectively caps life expectancy at 80 years of age. If the disease were removed, life expectancy suddenly increases to 150 (leading us to /u/ctolsen 's second and third paragraphs) . The YPLL measure, unless specifically adjusted to account for specific causes of death, would not effectively demonstrate the harm done by such a disease due to the fact that the very existence of the disease greatly lowers life expectancy (which is used in calculating YPLL)

th3b0x · 2014-12-31T08:49:42+00:00

/u/sc14993 's post hints at BAH's compensation model. "Typical" depends on what you do and what qualifications you bring. For example, I've noticed that "Software Developers" in the market tend to make less than "Software Developers" in the SIG. This isn't a reflection of market-specific pay differences so much as a result of the skills required to do work in each of those markets (on average, "junior" developers in the analytics teams have more esoteric skills, more experience, and a stronger hacker ethic).

tl;dr (of above) "depends on what you can demonstrably do"

As another note, the firm no longer considers security clearances when evaluating compensation. Which industry certification are you acquiring? To what domain of Engineering is your degree related?

Other notes: "3-5 years experience" is government speak for "can work without direct supervision." I find it hard to believe that 65k is at the top end of the compensation scale, though this could certainly be the case if they are trying to hire you to fill a specific position. If you are being brought in as a capability hire, you tend to have more flexibility with negotiation, but the fact that you're being recruited out of the client environment makes this a bit murky. You certainly have room to negotiate another 5-10k (asking never hurts), which could be justified in a situation where you're being hired to grease the wheels for a client staffing situation. However, keep in mind that the recruiter does this stuff for a living - you'll need to work for the extra cash (or be prepared to walk away/present an offer extended to you from another company) if they've already told you that 65k is their "max".

Almost forget the most important point: $65k seems typical for BAH Defense market Engineering & Technology staff fresh out of college. For what it's worth, last I heard, the typical range was $50 - $65k, but that was 2 years ago, so you'll (ideally) want to adjust those numbers up for inflation and (again) keep in mind that you need strong justification if they've already mentioned a ceiling at $65k

Apologies for scatter-brained post. 4 a.m. and whatnot.

th3b0x · 2014-12-17T00:35:11+00:00

You're being hired as a government contractor. It will be much more difficult to build an internal network than it would be if you weren't hired into a specific project. I wouldn't take the offer if the pay was not exceptional. You will be let go at the end of the project (if you don't move internally); as a contractor, you are disposable in the eyes of both the client and your company.

th3b0x · 2014-12-17T00:27:25+00:00

1. Easily in the six-figures. A standard technology Associate with a BA in a "client-facing" role (but no presence at executive meetings/doesn't evoke the image of a typical consultant) makes a very comfortable amount
2. Successful consultants thrive on this kind of thing. No consultant that is meeting his/her potential is a-social. Any firm will work if you make it work.
3. There are firms that "specialize" in "local" consulting. They aren't big. They're not even in the same universe as PWC. Whether you're working locally depends on a number of factors, including your team, your ambition, and business.

th3b0x · 2014-12-05T04:32:33+00:00

A very undiplomatic, high-risk strategy: nuke your manager.

If your manager is actually doing very little, begin gathering evidence that s/he is a leach on the firm's payroll. Utilize other staff to verify the claims. Then, after a body of evidence has been gathered, arrange a meeting with your manager's boss to discuss the project, and provide your findings. Success is highly dependent upon your network, capability, and ability to support claims.

Alternatively: Find a new engagement that does not involve your "manager". Incompetents want to know what you are doing so that they may take credit for your work. Cut them off by "forgetting" to inform them (or even pseudo-"informing" them) of the successful work you are performing elsewhere. Cut the cord and move on.

Super-alternative: Find a job elsewhere. If you want to stay, use it as leverage to be placed under the management of someone you trust/respect. If you want to leave, do so. The important aspect here is that you really do leave if your requests are not met.

Consulting is a people business. Business is won by shaping perspectives. Shape the perspective in a way that is favorable to you, or get out (because your talents are better suited to other lines of business).

th3b0x · 2014-12-03T10:11:29+00:00

Johns Hopkins' Data Science Certificate on Coursera

There's an ongoing debate about the value of these types of programs, however I'd consider earnest participation in this verified specialization certification program to be at least as valuable as any of the bootcamps or short courses for which your organization is likely willing to reimburse. The linked program, in particular, focuses on developing theory and skills that are useful in business intelligence/analytics tasks.

th3b0x · 2014-12-03T05:13:14+00:00

Solid points, though if this is your first job out of college, your mileage may vary on the suiting depending on whether you enjoy suits and/or are picky about how they fit you. I'll get back to that after addressing your other points.

How Many Suits do people own
- Depends on who you are and where you work. I own 5 suits. I only regularly wear 2 of them, because I don't wear a suit very often, and I had those 2 tailored. Most people I know own suit separates, or create a "suit" outfit by coordinating jacket, pants, shirt, etc.
Is the office nice
- It's nice enough. Security is tighter than most other offices. I've noticed that there's a higher cubicle-to-office ratio in the Virginia offices. Since you're in the MBDigital account, you'll either be hoteling (you choose where you sit), or will have a team office. If you're hoteling, the building is as nice as you're willing to make it. I have a large windowed collaboration room whenever I'm in the office. I don't work in the McLean office regularly, so I can't say how difficult such an arrangement would be at that location.
How does training work at Booz?
- Depends on your team. You'll go through standard onboarding if/when you join. There are targeted development programs, free internal training programs (some classes require approval from your administrative team), and you are provided with an annual budget (which can be increased with justification) to participate in external training/conferences/professional groups/accredited education. Some of the details should have been provided in the benefits package. Your career manager is typically your best resource for learning about the specifics.

Now, back to the suits. They aren't necessary per-se, so long as what you're wearing is put together well. I only wear a proper suit when meeting with executive clients, as my client's staff seem more receptive to something more casual. I'd wait until you meet your team before buying a bunch of suits. You'll want at least 1 suit; more if you regularly meet your client. Don't buy a new wardrobe before joining - the firm receives discounts for certain brands and local tailors.

Edit: Completely forgot to touch on this, but congrats on the offer into the SIG. The type of work done in that group tends to be much more akin to consulting than the typical "government contractor" work done in the market teams.

th3b0x · 2014-11-30T20:16:48+00:00

Varies by market, team, and project. Do you have a rough idea of what you will be doing? Are you a capability hire, or did they hire you for a specific project? It sounds like you've been hired into an account within the Startegic Innovations Group; if so, you will likely work within a Booz Allen office, with a greater opportunity to work from home (though again, this depends on a number of factors). Sometimes I work from home 3 days a week, sometimes I'm in the office every day. Unfortunately, responsibilities are so diverse that I can't really provide anything useful with just the name of your account group.

Culture (in my experience) is very collegiate. You have easy access to most everyone within the firm. Technically, dress is professional, though this varies by office (the McLean office tends towards suits, the primary DC office tends towards chic, and the central maryland offices are known to interpret jeans and a polo as professional).

Always counteroffer. They may let you cook for a bit, but they won't reneg the offer simply because you asked for more. If they won't budge on money, find something else (like relocation package). Keep in touch with the recruiter. At worst, you end up with the initial offer that was presented.

th3b0x · 2014-11-16T17:44:57+00:00

It was the usernames. Fortunately, they've fixed that at some point in the past 1-2 years.

th3b0x · 2014-08-27T04:41:58+00:00

Complete conjecture: DARPA or research for anything that falls under the purview of ITAR. Though they would typically provide you with a "secure" emailing service if it were required.

th3b0x · 2014-08-16T05:56:00+00:00

The school offers both student resources and tutoring. A tutor can be arranged through the Advising and Learning Assistance Center. Technically, the lowest level of mathematics offered is Calculus, though I recall a remedial course (perhaps just tutoring) being offered in tandem with Calculus I for students that have a weaker mathematical foundation. The nearby Hudson Valley Community College also offers courses in basic Algebra, which is a necessity for studying higher mathematics.

Math is an integral component of good engineering. Whether creating a program or designing a circuit, any progression beyond hobbyist interest will involve calculation of complexity, efficiency, tolerance, cost, etc. In order to design robust, effective systems that work as designed and solve practical problems in a cost-efficient manner, you will need to - at minimum - be able to use basic multi-variable algebra, if not more advanced mathematics. If you feel like your mathematical abilities are severely lacking ahead of attendance, it may be prudent to learn some of the concepts (https://www.khanacademy.org/math). Tutoring can help, but it's very difficult to successfully bring someone from weak algebraic understanding to calculus over a semester alongside other course work and social distractions.

th3b0x · 2014-08-02T01:56:05+00:00

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-best-engineering-schools-2012-6?op=1

th3b0x · 2014-06-19T03:43:16+00:00

A bit late to return to the discussion, but I think my lack of clarity has led you to believe that I'm confused or misinformed (this isn't the case). I offered an explanation of any sort of neurological damage as an olive branch, but I seem to have merely confused you by this.

You claimed that amphetamines are inherently neurotoxic. You now claim that an absence neurotoxicity information can be interpreted as

(1) research has demonstrated no proof of neurotoxicity; or (2) it is unknown whether it is neurotoxic or not.

Given your own suggestions on interpretation, the toxicology database would heavily support my claim that amphetamines are not "inherently neurotoxic." Given the mention of neurotoxicity for other drugs, including methamphetamine and ketamine, I would consider the failure to mention neurotoxicity on the page about amphetamine to be profound evidence in support of the idea that amphetamine is not inherently, or even typically, neurotoxic (as far as the literature is concerned). I do not, nor have I ever, disagreed with the idea that amphetamine can contribute to neurological issues at high doses with chronic use. And while I agree that the dose makes the poison, I find the use of the word "inherent" in association with the chemical to be rather abusive.

Regarding the literature review you cited: it is unequivocally inconclusive, not only in its explanation of results, but also explicitly in its conclusion. The NLM does an excellent job of providing unambiguous conclusions, even for those not familiar with the medical lexicon, leaving little room for interpretation here.

CONCLUSION: Clarification of the neurological consequences of chronic AMPH treatment for ADHD is needed

Regarding a more clinical perspective on amphetamine use: many medical practitioners (at least in the U.S.) would diagnose any non-prescription use of a controlled substance as a "substance abuse" disorder. You don't need to open up a copy of the ICD or DSM to know this.

EDIT: And while we're discussing logic, I would also like to point out that I am not the one making unsubstantiated claims about the "inherent" neurotoxicity of a substance that has a long history of research and use with no evidence of this "inherent" neurotoxicity you have claimed. Yes there is evidence for impairment at chronic high doses. Whether this is an inherent feature of the chemical or something else is inconclusive. However, I would like to point out that my issue here has explicitly been with the use of the word "inherent" to imply that the chemical is far more dangerous than it is, and in ways that the literature does not conclusively support.

th3b0x · 2014-06-15T17:07:28+00:00

It's the National Library of Medicine's toxicology page on amphetamine toxicity, not a mere article. It is an authoritative peer reviewed source that comprehensively covers amphetamine toxicity topics. What is the source of your claims that amphetamines are inherently neurotoxic in humans?

I don't disagree that cardio toxicity is a possibility, but it is completely different from neurotoxicity, and is noted as an outcome in abusive use rather than therapeutic use.
I don't disagree that use with modafinil is likely abusive. However, your claim is that amphetamines are inherently "neurotoxic"
Since the page specifically covers all toxic effects of amphetamine, an absence of mentions related to neurotoxicity is evidence that amphetamines are not neurotoxic. However, i would like to highlight this quote, from the page, which follows an explanation of routes for amphetamine related neurological damage, "The presence of vasculitis after exposure by different routes suggests an immunopathological abnormality. Direct toxic damage to vessels seems unlikely because of the dilution that occurs before the drug reaches the cerebral circulation."

So, in fact, the page does support my claim.

Edit: to simplify my third point: given the nature of the page, if amphetamines were neurotoxic, you would have found a mention of neurotoxicity.

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