The Democratization of Becoming Superhuman
How Ordinary Humans are Hacking Their Bodies, Literally
By Jared Willis
For less than $1000, I can become a superhuman. I can keep track of important biometrics like heart rate, skin temperature, brain waves, and even the overall well-being of my central nervous system. I can use these metrics to control the world around me, to start my car, unlock my door, make my coffee. Without breaking through that $1000 barrier, I can purchase - without prescription, photo ID or a doctor’s referral - a selection of powders and combine them to make pills that will make me think faster, more coherently, more creatively, more analytically. To take it a step further, I can (still under $1000) implant devices in my body that allow me to sense magnetic and electrical fields, find true north and pay for my groceries. I don’t need any credentials beyond internet access, a credit card and a mailing address.
Why is it so easy? Because our technological advancements, access to information, and society have created the perfect environment for “biohacking” to thrive. With the invention of the internet, almost overnight, the way we share information was forever changed. In the Moz Top 500 list, the top 5 most important domains are: Facebook, Twitter, Google, Youtube, and wordpress.org (in that order). All 5 of these domains represent massive changes in the way we access and disseminate information on the internet. According to internetlivestats.com, we have collectively downloaded 684,424,962,560 GB worth of internet traffic this year (as of 4:33 PM on August 2nd, 2016). If you think that’s a lot, hostingfacts.com estimates that, “by 2017, there will be more internet traffic than all prior internet years combined”.
The availability of this information, and the now instantaneous ways in which it is accessed, have changed the way we work and socialize. Our lives move at a faster pace because of the blazing speed that we have access to information. According to a study performed by Microsoft, the average attention span has dropped from 12 seconds, in the year 2000, to 8 seconds. This is shorter than the attention span of an average goldfish. This change in attention span has changed the way we do business. Companies have to work much harder to remain relevant in a society that only allows 8 seconds to be impressed. Once a company, product, or person captures the public interest, they now have to work to keep it. This creates constantly-evolving, fast-paced, work environments. How do we respond to this? According to BrainBlogger, “Self-improvement represents a $10 billion per year industry in the U.S. alone.” In other words, we adapt by trying to make ourselves better. A self-imposed evolution, if you will.
The beast that created the demand also produces the supply. The internet has become an excellent source of information to fuel self-experimentation, with stars like Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan and Dave Asprey successfully using these platforms to showcase their personal discoveries and experiments. It has also become a never-ending source of supplements, minerals, powders and elixirs that all claim to make you smarter, faster, stronger and sexier for just four easy payments of…you get the point.
With all of these options, the internet has also provided a vehicle to fight back on fraudulent claims. Scientific articles are now more accessible than ever, thanks to sites like PubMed, Google Scholar, and Examine. Reddit communities dedicated to r/nootropics and r/stackadvice have allowed self-appointed human guinea pigs to post the results of their experiments and collaborate with other, like-minded, home scientists. The topic “Nootropic” has seen a steady rise in Google searches, with Piracetam, Modafinil, and Noopept being the top 3 to pique searchers’ interests. It has now become easier to quantify results of these N=1 experiments. Wearables of all kinds can now quantify any biometric you can think of. Among untold numbers of heart rate monitors and step counters, not to mention your grandfather’s blood glucose meter, there are standouts like the NeuroSky Mindwave, Sculpt, and Lumo. Many self-experimenters have not been satisfied with simply wearing these devices and have sought ways to integrate these devices more closely with their bodies by implanting them under their skin. To go another step farther, some have not been content with devices that passively monitor their biometrics, and instead have opted to implant devices that are able to interact with or enhance the world around them. A common biohack implant is the insertion of a neodymium magnet into a finger. This allows the “hacker” to sense magnetic and electrical fields and even to interact with small metal objects. A more complex implant, worn by the famed “cyborg”, Neil Harbisson, extends the senses and allows the user to sense movement and even wi-fi signals around them.
How would an aspiring, DIY-inclined, home scientist embark on this journey? Or, maybe you aren’t a scientist and you just need a boost in your marketing career. The next step is to read. Read everything you can on the subject. Dig into the deep, dark parts of Reddit where the self-proclaimed grinders, biohackers, nootropes, and quantified-sellers live. Use caution, use common-sense and know what you’re getting yourself into. I probably won’t ever do a self-conducted procedure in my garage to implant a RFID chip into my finger, and that’s okay. I know the risks of taking aniracetam and phenylpiracetam stacked with noopept, and I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are the best starting points:
Know thyself:
Reddit r/quantifiedself
A resource and community for those that want to know their blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductivity and how what they ate for breakfast affects their VO2 max after lunch.
https://www.reddit.com/r/QuantifiedSelf/
QuantifiedSelf.com
Another great resource that provides information, a list of tools, and even provides information on meetups with local groups.
http://www.quantifiedself.com/
These resources should get you started down the rabbit hole, and oh what a rabbit hole it is. It starts with a heart rate tracker and before you know it, you’ve charted and graphed every place you’ve been and everything you’ve eaten, bought or felt over the last 8 months.
Smarter, faster, stronger:
Reddit r/supplements, r/nootropics, r/stackadvice
Again, reddit is a great resource and community to help you find other like-minded people. I can’t stress enough, when it comes to supplements, you are putting something into your body that could have adverse effects. Fellow reddit users are not reliable sources of medical advice, and you should take everything posted with a grain of salt.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Supplements/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/
https://www.reddit.com/r/StackAdvice/
Examine.com
Examine has compiled and decoded medical studies, journals and other official medical sources that may be out of reach for the layperson and decoded the information into easily digestible, well-organized articles. It’s WebMD for self-experimenters.
PubMed
PubMed is a compilation of information from medical studies, journals and books and often includes links to the original article. This is a great resource as you dig in deeper with supplementation. Often times, you can even find information that is not available anywhere else.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Cyborg endeavors:
Reddit r/Biohackers, r/Transhuman, r/Grinders
Are you seeing a theme? Again, I can’t emphasize enough that you verify very carefully the information and advice you see on Reddit. Aside from some potentially bad advice, Reddit really can be a fantastic resource. It is an easily-accessible community of people that are interested in exactly what you are. You have the resources and knowledge of the entire community at your fingertips.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Transhuman/
https://www.reddit.com/r/grinders/
Biohack.me
Biohack.me is another great community and resource that maintains a forum and a wiki on various biohacking topics. The same rules apply as Reddit here. These people are typically not qualified to provide medical advice. When it comes to biohacking and implantation, there is not a wealth of institutional knowledge available. It is a grassroots/alternative community and not as mainstream as some of the other methods of self-improvement.
Dangerous Things Dangerous Things is a vendor of biohacking supplies. I include this, not to encourage you to purchase and use these items - though after doing your research, you will find this to be a reputable source of equipment - but to give you a frame of reference on the physical items that would be implanted.