This is an update on a thread of a year ago. I think it’s very relevant for this forum: 100% of humanity suffers ADHD, which is especially crippling for AGI work. I am fully convinced that it’s a main reason we don’t have it yet.
My post: http://cognitive-focus.blogspot.com/2013/03/cultivating-focus-on-extreme.htmlhas gone through a few revisions since, & a couple of more specific additions: “… Such broad stimulation is easy: tea, cocoa, & very low-dose nicotine do it for me. I never smoked in my life, but started using e-cigarette ~ 3 months ago. A couple of well-timed puffs in the afternoon can be very helpful for concentration, & seems pretty benign (see Gwern). Another potent “stimulant” is exercise while working. I was switching between standing & sitting desks for 3 years, it certainly helps. Two months ago I got a treadmill desk & now alternate between walking, standing, & sitting, all while remaining in front of the computer. Definitely recommend it, probably added ~1 hour of work per day. … But even more insidious, at least for a generalist like me, are internal distractions: wandering thoughts. Relatively recently, I came up with a low-tech solution: thought conditioning. Negative conditioning is simple & old-fashioned: just slap your face whenever you catch yourself thinking about irrelevant crap. Eventually, these subjects become subconsciously unpleasant, & you stop thinking about them. The very habit of constantly monitoring your thoughts for distractions already helps to terminate them. Positive conditioning (reinforcement) of relevant memories / thoughts is more difficult, but I recently found that a puff from a e-cigarette (see above) seems to do the trick. It only takes nicotine ~ 7 seconds to hit the brain, while you’re still on the subject, although it stays in the system for another ~ two hours. Also helps behavioral conditioning: reserving specific desk, computer, & times of the day only for work, down to locking oneself in. …” More on http://cognitive-focus.blogspot.com/ , my intro on http://www.cognitivealgorithm.info ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-f452e424 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-58d57657 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
