Ben Mann Monthly Feb 2024
Nuclear winter, allegories, MAOIs, rapamycin, Claude 3
Purpose
An index for my memory
A menu of topics for my next conversation with you
A faster way to share what I’m excited about without the barrier of writing a complete blog entry on it
A skimmable way to spread content I found valuable
Experiments and experiences
2nd anniversary
We went to Dumping Home then Salt and Straw to celebrate. Everything was great!
Chinese New Year
Did hot pot at home with some friends. It felt like too much cleanup and prep work though; next time will go to a restaurant.
Warriors vs Hornets
First basketball game I've ever been to! It was a pitched battle, with the Warriors handily staying in the lead the whole time. I won't go again, but I'm glad I tried it. Excellent people watching opportunities, close to home, feeling of understanding a subculture better.
MAOI research
Chronic dry mouth, a side effect of duloxetine and glycopyrrolate, seemed to have caused my gum recession to worsen. When I asked my psychiatrist about what we could do, she suggested switching to selegiline patches. I wrote up my survey of MAOI literature. Based on that, I've decided to give it a shot. I stopped taking duloxetine on Feb 26 and will begin phenelzine on Mar 18. I bought a blood pressure cuff and have started taking readings to establish a baseline. Once I start treatment, I'll monitor particularly closely after consuming foods with high tyramine concentrations like cheese and soy sauce.
Rapamycin & acarbose
Last month I signed up for Healthspan and started taking acarbose. I listened to another Peter Attia podcast episode. While the research is still extremely speculative, I decided to start taking rapamycin anyway. It seems to have been well tolerated for decades, and the dose I'm taking is much lower than its on-label use. Lots of interesting info in the episode, but they mentioned an analogy that stuck with me: aging is like living in an old house. There isn't just one thing wrong with the house. Everything's breaking down at the same time in different ways. To fix the house, you have to hire a general contractor, who can then bring in all the specialists--plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc. Rapamycin is a key regulator of the mTOR pathway, which affects many different pathways. Maybe its broad effects lead to broad benefits? We'll know a lot more in 2026 when the dog study on rapamycin completes.
Meanwhile, I've already lost 10 lbs. It's definitely due to the acarbose. I plan to lose 10 more and then reduce dose to stabilize. I'm farting a lot as expected, but it feels kind of miraculous otherwise! If you're interested in trying it, I suggest seeing how you tolerate fasting and ketosis beforehand. The day-to-day experience is somewhat similar, and can be a bit intense at times. Here's what Claude had to say about it:
Acarbose is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor medication used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. It works by slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates in the small intestine, specifically targeting the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and disaccharides.
The main carbohydrates affected by acarbose are:
Starch: Acarbose inhibits the enzyme alpha-amylase, which is responsible for breaking down starch into smaller units such as maltose and dextrins.
Disaccharides: Acarbose also inhibits the enzymes maltase, sucrase, and dextrinase, which break down disaccharides like maltose (two glucose units) and sucrose (glucose and fructose) into monosaccharides.
By slowing down the digestion of these carbohydrates, acarbose helps to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia (high blood sugar after meals) in patients with type 2 diabetes. This medication does not significantly affect the absorption of monosaccharides like glucose and fructose, as they do not require enzymatic breakdown before absorption.
Treasure Island flea market
Fun day trip with Diana and Euda! This probably wouldn't have been a fun trip alone, but seeing things through Euda's eyes made it great. Everything is new and shiny for her.
Life updates
🤒 Got sick, recovered
🚀 Launched Claude 3
🐣 Due June 25
🏝️ Kauai right now!
🎤 Interviewed at an Accenture event on the future of AI
🎨 Visited Children's Creativty Museum
Content
5 point Likert ratings for “I would recommend this content to a friend”, sorted
What happens AFTER nuclear war? 5/5
A very well researched and presented video on the aftermath of a nuclear war. Maybe it's because I'm in withdrawal from my antidepressants, but I shed many tears watching this. It's easy to forget how terrifying nuclear war is, and how grave the consequences would be. Let's not forget.
Wonka 4/5
While it was clearly made for kids, I loved the "engineer protagonist" vibe; the songs were catchy and the world building was excellent. And of course, I love chocolate.
Actually, this film is the story of a drug dealer who comes to a town with an established cartel that has the police in their pocket. The newcomer (Wonka) has superior product, and gains the trust of sweat shop laborers to join his cause. The cartel repeatedly attempts to kill him, but he always manages to slip away, selling his drugs through guerilla tactics to whoever will pay. When he finally tries to go legit, his enemies cut his product with poison. His customers turn against him, and he's forced to flee the country, but at the last moment another cartel from a faraway land (the Oompa Loompas) saves him. He's finally able to make his product safe and legal, and he becomes the most successful drug dealer in the world.
Dune part 2 4/5
I saw this in a theater with Dolby. Wow, sound systems really have gotten better! Totally different experience from home theater. While this was just as much about the world building and atmospherics as the first part, I enjoyed it more.
I liked the overtness of the struggle between "we sold them this crock of shit propaganda centuries ago" and "aww shit emperor gonna subjugate this whole planet, better make sure we have a united front." Do the ends justify the means??
Piranesi 3/5
An unreliable amnesiac narrator finds himself at home in a strange labyrinth. What is true, real, meaningful? What is time?
Maybe an allegory for the way modernity encourages us to force rational thought and process on every aspect of our lives, perhaps leaving behind opportunities to experience awe, wonder, beauty, torture, insanity, pain, and other ancient staples.
Dream Scenario 2/5
Well crafted, but too cringe and depressing for me to enjoy at the moment. An allegory for cancel culture.
Yes, Diana blames me for things I do in her dreams, despite my protests that it's not me.
