They essentially IGNORED the really BIG story...

[James Hong]

What?!?! But I LIKE to sleep. If drugs like these create expectations that I
should sleep less and work more, then I want nothing of it! :)

cheers,
james




----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Bone" <jbone@jump.net>
To: <fork@xent.com>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 6:01 PM
Subject: They essentially IGNORED the really BIG story...


>
> Just got around to watching GMA on the Tivo, been busy today.  A
> truly HUGELY important story --- IMO *FAR* more society-changing and
> profoundly important than Ginger --- has been mostly lost in the
> noise over IT.  GMA ran the story, but this would've been headliner
> news all over if not for the Ginger thing.
>
> Provigil / (Modafinil) [1] is a "highly selective CNS drug" that is
> *on the market today* (approved for treatment of narcolepsy, but
> being used more broadly) which creates a state of "gentle wakefulness
> and alertness" in its user --- potentially for days on end,
> eliminating the desire to sleep entirely.  And it apparently does
> this with none of the particular side effects associated with
> traditional CNS stimulants (caffeine, amphetamines, etc.)  Various
> researchers have documented test subjects awake for 96+ hours with no
> degradation on tests designed to measure the performance impact of
> sleep deprivation.  People can stay up FOR DAYS --- it's being used
> today by the bomber pilots flying from Missouri to Afghanistan.
> Interestingly, even when on the drug people *are* able to fall asleep
> if they so desire.  Folks, this is huge:  it's the first step along
> the path to sleep-free humanity, and if you don't think elimination
> of sleep will have a PROFOUND impact on our society, go read Nancy
> Kress's _Beggars in Spain._ [2]  Just intuitively, think about it:
> we (on average) lose about 1/3 of our life to sleep today.  Just
> think what you could do with that extra hour lost to sleep for every
> two hours of wakefulness!
>
> Huge, huge, huge...
>
> jb
>
> [1] http://www.provigil.com/physician/materials/default.asp
> [2] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380718774
>
>
>
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