☮ Social ☮ PD Social Talk Thread: If 2020 Was the Dumpster, Can 2021 Be the Fire?

[Pfafffed]

@Psychestim have you tested your new fancy scale against your old one?

You inspired me, Buzz.

I compared a seven year old Gemini scale with fresh batteries against an inexpensive ($500) laboratory balance accurate to one more decimal point. The scales were used on the same surface, but the lab balance was self-levelling. Wind shields were used (when possible) and scales were kept at some remove from other sources of electromagnetic interference. Both scales were calibrated before testing using the same calibration weights.

After calibration, the Gemini showed one 10g weight consistently as 10g, the other vacillated between 10g and 9.999g [1mg off]

The laboratory balance showed a consistent weight of 10g with both weights.

As I don't have any milligram-sized calibration weights, I chose to weigh 6.0mg of weighing paper on the laboraory balance.

When tared using weighing pan, the Gemini did not register the weight of the paper at all during the first attempt. After the second attempt, it vacillated between 4mg and 5mg. [1-2mg off]

When the weighing pan was used without taring, the weight of the weighing paper was shown to be 5mg. [1mg off]

All in all, this indicates a remarkable level of accuracy for the price, a degree consistent with what others have reported. Mind you, a difference of 1-2mg can make a substantial difference with many substances (looking at you, 2C-E) which reinforces the benefits of starting with large amounts of weighed material for volumetric dosing when possible.

My biggest issue in the past with the Gemini scale is issues with weighing small amounts of material, inconsistent weigh results with the same sample, and weight creep/flux with a sample on the scale. These are small, but significant frustrations. Still, for the price, the Gemini scale is a remarkable tool.

 

[arrall]

@Arnold I also strongly recommend the GEM-20. Been using one for years with no issue.

@Pfafffed's experience and test results are about what I'd expect and match up with other tests I've seen comparing the GEM-20 to lab-grade scales. It isn't perfect, but at ~$20-40 it's probably the best you'll get without spending $200-500+.

 

[Xorkoth]

Indeed, the Gemini-20 is a solid workhorse of a scale. I have owned 3 (and it's about time to get another because mine is beat up and I lost the weighing tray, though I improvise with an inverted vape juice cap that has a small top that fits in the weighing platform). Even with the state of mine, as long as I keep the batteries on the fresh side, I don't have any problems and have a high degree of confidence. Of course with some things, as Pfafffed said, I weigh a larger amount and use volumetric dosing, which divides any error evenly across all the doses, giving a high degree of accuracy even if the total weight is +/- 2mg.

 

[Deleted member 521610]

i dont know what id do without this ashwangda during these mandates. Its the one thing keeping me level headed and reducing my anxiety. Such a good fucking herb

 

[Pfafffed]

Ashwaganda is the only herb I will take every day for the rest of my life. It makes a tremendous difference in maintaining good mental health for me.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Just thought I’d chime in and praise the Gemini-20 as well. I’m on my second one, my old one got too beat up. Like Xork said, as long as I keep fresh batteries in it, it’s relatively accurate. I also weigh substances not by tarring it out, but by putting my weigh tray on it first then factoring in its weight with the substance, I.e. if I were to have a 3g weigh tray, and I wanted 10mg of substance, I would look for it to say 3.010 several times in a row before I would trust it.

 

[Buzz Lightbeer]

Anyone tried 5-MAPB + 5-MeO-MiPT?
I want to do "Borax" again soon, last time I did it with 4-HO-MET (slightly upped dose) and amphetamine which was great. Kinda want to do a little more than 1-2mg of 5-MeO-MiPT, but it's hard to judge at which point some of the more rough moxy side effects will become prominent. I'm skipping any amphetamines.

@Psychestim I guess?

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Dude... so my bedroom gets down to roughly 60 degrees F in winter here, which is lovely for sleep as well as storing my drug stash. But I decided to move my stash into the closet which shares an exterior wall, and I noticed it had dropped to about 54 degrees F in there last night. Being that most pharmaceuticals says they shouldn’t be stored below 59F, I decided to research a bit how true such a rule was...

And MY GOD was it hard. I used google like an idiot. It took about an hour of rewording and rewording over and over the search terms before I finally found a U.S. Military study that had factual info on medication shelf lives. It turns out cold is good as long as there’s little moisture (as I had expected) and that the military determined most medications not in liquid form are still 90% potent 10, even 15 years after their “expiration” date. I decided to move the stash back to the bedroom for now just because the temps don’t fluctuate as widely.

But God man... google is so, so evil. Up till I found that military study, all I found were addiction/rehab websites with falsified information. I wasn’t even searching any terms related to drugs of abuse, I literally just used the term “medication”, and yet... nothing but fucking propaganda came up. One site even had a link about buprenorphine saying that “crushing and snorting Suboxone activates the naloxone and makes it impossible to get high on and forces WDs,” which I know is 100% a lie as I only consume Bupre via insuflation of crushed suboxone tablets... and I get high as a fucking kite.

I used to think the 20th century was the beginning of the end of the dark ages of modern life... but no, it was the golden era, it was modern Rome. The world we live in is about as close to a realization of George Orwell’s 1984 as we have ever been. I’m honestly considering ditching my smart phone soon and just switching to an old school flip phone. You can’t even buy a car today without it having features out the ass that you don’t want which infringe on your rights.

I’m so sick of the 21st century. Everything has gone to shit. I honestly kinda hope Russia/China will force us into another world war so we can tear everything down and build it up proper again. It takes massive conflict to bring people together and unite us under the concept of peace. We need violent conflict so we can, as a planet, remember why we should love and support one another.

My heart goes out to the citizens of Ukraine. I hope that the U.S. and EU have the balls to challenge Putin/Xi Jinping. They need to be put in their place.

 

[Psychestim]

Anyone tried 5-MAPB + 5-MeO-MiPT?
I want to do "Borax" again soon, last time I did it with 4-HO-MET (slightly upped dose) and amphetamine which was great. Kinda want to do a little more than 1-2mg of 5-MeO-MiPT, but it's hard to judge at which point some of the more rough moxy side effects will become prominent. I'm skipping any amphetamines.

Nope, I haven’t combined 5-MeO-MiPT with 5-MAPB so far. I’ve taken 5-MeO-MiPT plenty of times on its own though and for me physical side-effects like nausea/persistent bodyload start becoming apparent at maybe 12mg, or more. I suppose the dose where these side-effects become annoying would be considerably lower when you combine it though. Maybe raise it to 5mg? I wouldn’t go higher I think.

 

[Xorkoth]

Ashwaganda is the only herb I will take every day for the rest of my life. It makes a tremendous difference in maintaining good mental health for me.

Interesting, I have never given it a proper try I don't think but I hear a lot of good things. What do you use? The KSM-whatever extract? Raw herb powder? Some other extract?

 

[Xorkoth]

Dude... so my bedroom gets down to roughly 60 degrees F in winter here, which is lovely for sleep as well as storing my drug stash. But I decided to move my stash into the closet which shares an exterior wall, and I noticed it had dropped to about 54 degrees F in there last night. Being that most pharmaceuticals says they shouldn’t be stored below 59F, I decided to research a bit how true such a rule was...

And MY GOD was it hard. I used google like an idiot. It took about an hour of rewording and rewording over and over the search terms before I finally found a U.S. Military study that had factual info on medication shelf lives. It turns out cold is good as long as there’s little moisture (as I had expected) and that the military determined most medications not in liquid form are still 90% potent 10, even 15 years after their “expiration” date. I decided to move the stash back to the bedroom for now just because the temps don’t fluctuate as widely.

But God man... google is so, so evil. Up till I found that military study, all I found were addiction/rehab websites with falsified information. I wasn’t even searching any terms related to drugs of abuse, I literally just used the term “medication”, and yet... nothing but fucking propaganda came up. One site even had a link about buprenorphine saying that “crushing and snorting Suboxone activates the naloxone and makes it impossible to get high on and forces WDs,” which I know is 100% a lie as I only consume Bupre via insuflation of crushed suboxone tablets... and I get high as a fucking kite.

I used to think the 20th century was the beginning of the end of the dark ages of modern life... but no, it was the golden era, it was modern Rome. The world we live in is about as close to a realization of George Orwell’s 1984 as we have ever been. I’m honestly considering ditching my smart phone soon and just switching to an old school flip phone. You can’t even buy a car today without it having features out the ass that you don’t want which infringe on your rights.

I’m so sick of the 21st century. Everything has gone to shit. I honestly kinda hope Russia/China will force us into another world war so we can tear everything down and build it up proper again. It takes massive conflict to bring people together and unite us under the concept of peace. We need violent conflict so we can, as a planet, remember why we should love and support one another.

My heart goes out to the citizens of Ukraine. I hope that the U.S. and EU have the balls to challenge Putin/Xi Jinping. They need to be put in their place.

Yeah google is absolutely infested with rehab/"recovery industry" sites that monopolize any and all drug related searches, unless you add the site you specifically want results from., or it's something really obscure where only reddit or bluelight or something has any mentions of it. It's pretty sickening. Those rehab/recovery sites have SO MUCH false/bad/misleading information. And they're all essentially advertisements for their (extremely overpriced) services. It really pisses me off.

 

[Deleted member 521610]

Interesting, I have never given it a proper try I don't think but I hear a lot of good things. What do you use? The KSM-whatever extract? Raw herb powder? Some other extract?

i was using ksm-66. But, have switched to raw root from the averdya shop i go to mainly due to the cost ratio i save alot of money, i get 120 capsuales for $30 this can easily last over two months.

 

[JTemperance]

Yeah google is absolutely infested with rehab/"recovery industry" sites that monopolize any and all drug related searches, unless you add the site you specifically want results from., or it's something really obscure where only reddit or bluelight or something has any mentions of it. It's pretty sickening. Those rehab/recovery sites have SO MUCH false/bad/misleading information. And they're all essentially advertisements for their (extremely overpriced) services. It really pisses me off.

Bluelight = real talk from personal experience + sourced claims with scientific evidence + total absence of personal gain + strict adherence to HR principles
Google >> "Dangerous page blocked for your protection!" – 'Take me back to safety!' Right? Y/Y

Rehabsite = only secondhand content posted + urban legends parroted with authority + total self-interest with no transparency + strict adherence to ABC* principles
Google >> "Good news! Your site is now ready to show AdSense ads!" – You're on a need-to-know basis...and this is all you need to know.

[*=Always Be Closing]​

 

[Deleted member 521610]

holy shit this one of the most hilliarous things i have seen in a long time

 

[perpetualdawn]

I always wonder if these sorts of things backfire, or if they help. But whatever, it's hilarious and that's the real agenda.

omg this one is amazing:

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I always wonder if these sorts of things backfire, or if they help. But whatever, it's hilarious and that's the real agenda.

omg this one is amazing:

Lol... my wife thinks I'm weird for it, but I don't think anyone outside of Catholics are really Christians. Most Protestant faiths are like maybe 500 years old at most. No pedigree!

 

[perpetualdawn]

Yeah as a non-christian I'd agree that Catholics are closer to "real" christians, if there were such a thing.

 

[Pfafffed]

Interesting, I have never given it a proper try I don't think but I hear a lot of good things. What do you use? The KSM-whatever extract? Raw herb powder? Some other extract?

First, there's no telling if it would be beneficial for you. I went through probably a hundred different herbs before I found this one. That said, I do have a lot of friends that have found it to be helpful for them.

I've never tried any of the extracts. Some herbs benefit from extraction--I don't see any reason why this would be one, especially with the lack of clarity on both active constituents or mechanisms of action. I have heard good reports, but it seems expensive compared to regular root powder.

That said, I've had issues with product quality over the last decade. Himalaya (India, not US) stopped selling their tablets and started selling capsules. The capsules were stuffed with a green leafy material, clearly not ashwaganda root, so I had to switch to another supplier. This was about 5-7yrs ago. Then late last year, the organic bulk root powder supplier I was using sent me a bag that didn't taste like it should. Instead of a slightly bitter, faintly ginseng-sweet, earthy powder, it tasted like dirt-flavored flour. It did nothing. So I guess quality controls and supply chain stuff may be impacted right now. I found another supplier that is somewhat better, but it was a literal crapshoot. Perhaps the KSM extracts might be a safer bet right now? Who know?

 

[Pfafffed]

I joined the BL Discord briefly. It seemed mostly like people yelling at each other, trolling, and people in need of urgent emotional support.

Sometimes I forget the rest of BL exists. There's a reason I stay out of CEPS.

 

[Bagseed]

First, there's no telling if it would be beneficial for you. I went through probably a hundred different herbs before I found this one. That said, I do have a lot of friends that have found it to be helpful for them.

I've never tried any of the extracts. Some herbs benefit from extraction--I don't see any reason why this would be one, especially with the lack of clarity on both active constituents or mechanisms of action. I have heard good reports, but it seems expensive compared to regular root powder.

That said, I've had issues with product quality over the last decade. Himalaya (India, not US) stopped selling their tablets and started selling capsules. The capsules were stuffed with a green leafy material, clearly not ashwaganda root, so I had to switch to another supplier. This was about 5-7yrs ago. Then late last year, the organic bulk root powder supplier I was using sent me a bag that didn't taste like it should. Instead of a slightly bitter, faintly ginseng-sweet, earthy powder, it tasted like dirt-flavored flour. It did nothing. So I guess quality controls and supply chain stuff may be impacted right now. I found another supplier that is somewhat better, but it was a literal crapshoot. Perhaps the KSM extracts might be a safer bet right now? Who know?

have you tried growing it yourself? no experience myself but it should be comparable to growing tomatoes skill wise...