How to stop Procrastinating! When I was in gradudate school writing my thesis paper, a professor suggested this incredibly effective technique for overcoming procrastination and combating laziness. In this quick video, I go over what I learned and how it can help you as a Biohacker & Lifehacker with your work, focus, and productivity!
I sit down with Adrianne Jeffries & Emanuel Maiberg to talk nootropics at the Radio Motherboard studio in Brooklyn (actually, we were standing up!) They also try some nootropics! Emanuel comes in already on Alpha Brain by Onnit & Adrianne decides to hit some Optimind during the show.
We also consider:
– Why are noots so hot right now?
– There are disadvantages to self-experimentation? (Exhibit A: Noopept.)
– Research on nootropics is scarce. Why don’t nootropics companies pay for more studies into this stuff?
– What’s the deal with the butter in the coffee?
Link to full article/interview: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/53ddea/the-esports-adderall-scandal-may-be-overblown-plus-motherboard-tries-noots
biohacking
Meet the Biohackers Banned from YouTube: An Interview with Cortex Labs and Limitless Mindset
Today, I interview Biohackers Jonathan Roseland of Limitless Mindset and Ryan Ballow of Cortex Labs! Both of them had their YouTube channels terminated during the recent wave of nootropics related deletions. Join us as we talk about the aftermath of their experience, what they think is behind their mandatory exodus, where you can find them now, and their plans for the future. One thing is for sure, you can’t keep a Biohacker down.
If you enjoyed this content, please consider checking me out on Patreon!
On April 27th, 2018, YouTube deleted several YouTube channels posting content related to Nootropics and Biohacking content. Among these channels included Limitless Mindset by Jonathan Roseland & Cortex Labs by Jonathan Ballow.
Two days later, my channel (the one you’re watching this video on) and Jack’s EpicBeasts channel was deleted.
This video details the 14 day struggle of restoring the Steve Cronin YouTube channel, regaining my video uploading privileges (which just came back yesterday) and all the media coverage (thank you Motherboard, VICE, Adrianne Jeffries, and YouTube Contributors!) along the way.
biohacking, politics
VICE Reports on my YouTube Ban – “YouTube Is Removing Some Nootropics Channels”
On Sunday, April 29th, YouTube deleted my channel with over 400 videos and over 20,000 subscribers. VICE decided to tell the story and you can read their full article here. Here are some highlights:
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YouTube deleted at least three nootropics channels over the past three days, leaving members of the community confused and worried that a larger crackdown is coming. Steve Cronin was a typical nootropics YouTuber. He experimented on himself with various substances, many of which are available without a prescription at Whole Foods or GNC. Nootropics usually refer to a wide range of substances including prescription drugs including Ritalin and over-the-counter supplements like aniracetam, which can be bought online.
Cronin’s YouTube channel was up to about 22,000 subscribers when he received a notice from YouTube about one of his videos, “Relax and Improve Your Sleep with Natural Calm Magnesium.” The notice said the video had been removed for violating YouTube’s community guidelines, but didn’t specify further. The video was a review for the product, which he bought at Whole Foods, Cronin said in an email. “Nothing illegal, no medical advice offered, I’ve always been incredibly careful about this,” he said.
YouTube removed the video and issued a strike. Strikes expire after three months, but if a YouTuber gets three at a time, their channel gets deleted. Cronin set 101 of his videos—about a fourth of his oeuvre—to private, hoping that would deter YouTube from issuing more strikes. He appealed the strike against the magnesium video and got it reversed. Still, he received two more strikes, against a video titled “My Current Daily Nootropics Stack” and one called “Increase Your Energy with Adrafinil | Star Nootropics,” even though the latter had been set to private. To avoid his third simultaneous strike, he deleted 236 videos that showed products or mentioned nootropics—but YouTube still suspended his uploading privileges on Sunday. Late Sunday night, YouTube issued another strike for “Increase Your Concentration & Memory with Oxiracetam by Star Nootropics” and deleted his channel.
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In my opinion, YouTube needs to take a close look at [change] their automated systems and methodologies for outright deleting channels that content creators have spent years building. However, regardless of what they do, people are running to decentralized platforms like Steemit and DTube in order to express themselves freely.
And now I am moving my content over to Steemit & DTube and feel more free 🙂
Steve Cronin
This is my YouTube Crisis update: YouTube censorship is out of control.
Yesterday, I wrote about YouTube’s recent censorship of people talking about legal supplements being used for cognitive enhancement, including nootropics. Several LARGE YouTube channels have DELETED by YouTube for making this content (I also learned that someone had a channel about learning Archery that was deleted because it promoted “harmful or dangerous” content according to YouTube.)
After receiving strikes for reviewing products you can buy at Whole Foods, I have now deleted 263 videos off my channel. Years of content now gone. Even after this effort of deleting any video even showing a supplement on camera, YouTube has now disabled my ability to upload new videos entirely.
I will continue to post my work here and videos on DTube, however I cannot express enough how disheartening it is to lose a YouTube audience of 22,000 subscribers that took years to build. These are sad times for all content creators on YouTube. I have two final thoughts:
- Censorship HARMS communities
- Casually destroying years of someone’s work without rational review is NOT ethical.
That’s all for now.
If you can play the video above, we’re still in the clear.
It’s been a wild 48 hours of YouTube censorship. In the past two days, several YouTube Channels have been completely deleted, like Jonathan Roseland of Limitless Mindset and Ryan Ballow of Live Cortex. What do these channels, including all of the other deleted ones, have in common? They talk about legal cognitive enhancing supplements called nootropics, which is part of a larger field of study called “biohacking.”
Jonathan Roseland announcing the removal of his channel.
Ryan Ballow announcing the removal of his channel
My YouTube channel is also under attack. I have received two strikes for reviewing products you can buy at Whole Foods, one more and my channel is in danger of being deleted. I have been working to delete any “suspect” videos on my channel (I have removed 101 videos so far) but even this may not be enough.
What does YouTube’s actions mean for You and all Content Creators?
YouTube has now proved several times over they are not a free-speech platform. I’m not saying it is intentional in all cases (because they want to make money via ads on videos that their advertisers approve of) but their automated systems and methodology of deleting entire channels needs to be improved.
Jonathan & I have already joined DTube, a decentralized application running on the Steem blockchain (the vlog version of the new blogging platform Steemit.) Content Creators deciding to move towards decentralized platforms on blockchain technology (yes, similar to Bitcoin) seems to be one solution.
Have you have a poor experience with YouTube or a similar platform? Have you used, or thought of using, a platform like Steemit or DTube? Consider signing up for Steemit (it’s free) at https://signup.steemit.com and once you’re approved, visit my profile and give me a follow 🙂
Modafinil is probably one of the most coveted nootropic / smart drug because of its prescription-only status in the United States. In the video, I outline my favorite 5 modafinil alternatives!
5. Adrafinil – the nootropic that metabolises into Modafinil.
https://nootropics.com/product/adrafinil/?ref=78
4. Smart Caffeine – an effective combination of L-theanine and Caffeine.
https://naturalstacks.com/products/smart-caffeine?rfsn=194431.62301
3. Smart Drug Coffee
To learn how to make Smart Drug Coffee, watch my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHivn8Ii8Ck&t=2s
2. SPRINT – Ideal to use to conquer a big project, a long day at work, or any mentally demanding task.
https://hvmn.com/?ref=stevecronin
1. Nexus – Designed for both cognitive performance and maximum long-term brain function.
http://axonlabs.io/?rfsn=244875.255c5b
(Just to let you know, the above are affiliate links!)
As some of you may know, I frequently make videos on my YouTube channel about increasing focus & productivity within the context of biohacking. I’ve recently launched a shiny new Patreon page (Patreon is a tool which allows people to support the content creators they love) and as a part of it, I’ve launched a monthly podcast about various topics I’m interested in. Here’s a sample bit below! Check out Patreon.com/SteveCronin for the full version.
Enjoy!
I started reading Ken Wilber in 2005 after some ARG-contextualized correspondence with someone who I later discovered to be Chris C. Stewart. Ken’s work has been incredibly influential in not only my personal development, but also my perspective on – and work with – biohacking.
I wanted to take a moment to share with all of you an absolutely stellar piece of work put together by Tami Simon & Ken Wilber entitled Kosmic Consciousness (don’t let the title fool you, this is not a New Age artifact.) Kosmic Consciousness is an audio-book, but probably better described as an extensive conversation between Tami & Ken, that fleshes out a variety of topics (like consciousness hacking & biohacking) under the umbrella of Integral Theory. This release is a decent introduction to this world, however, it also compliments those persons who have difficulties dipping into some of Wilber’s more dense texts.
At this point, in 2017, having read almost all of Ken’s work, Kosmic Consciousness certainly tied a lot of knots for me when I first listened to it in 2011. It’s a must-listen for those who want a more integral take on biohacking.
Here’s a list of my favorite tracks:
KC04 – 02 – Waking, dreaming, and deep sleep
KC04 – 03 – Your Original Face – the ever-present Witness
KC04 – 04 – How the experience of altered states leads to the acquisition of higher stages of development
KC04 – 06 – Levels and fields of subtle energy
KC07 – 03 – EEG evidence of brain states associated with satori
KC07 – 04 – How meditation accelerates vertical development
KC07 – 06 – Turiya- the fourth state of consciousness
KC07 – 07 – Highlights of Ken Wilber’s personal experiences
KC07 – 08 – Breakthroughs, downturns, and plateaus
I may summarize these later in future posts. Happy hacking!