Blade 1: One of the most slipshod Blu-Rays I have ever seen

So, I just cracked open my copy of Blade 1. I bought it. I am a big fan of the movie. I saw it on the occasion of my 32nd Birthday at the theater. I was dragged out by friends. Man was I surprised! I loved it. I was shocked to find myself thinking that Bruce Lee finally had a successor, and he was Wesley Snipes. This was the first financially sucessful comic book conversion from Marvel House. Everything before it had failed, both artistically and financially.

So you can imagine my dismay when I found a slipshod Blu-Ray in my package:

1. 25GB single layer
2. No Extras. No behind the scenes. No interviews. No nothing.
3. No English subtitles. Some of us are hard of hearing.
4. 17 MBits of video bandwidth. 30mbits to 35 is more common these days.
5. We do have a rather nice DTS which is uncompressed at 1.5 Mbits. They should have offered us 24/96 DTS-HD Master Audio
6. Only English and French. No Spanish. Some of us have Spanish-speaking relatives.

Well... look on the bright side. It is 1080p. We do have an uncompressed English sound track, at a minimum quality level. We do have fairly decent picture. This squashes any of the shitty DVD releases they did of the movie.

Still, Blade was the first successful Marvel property. It is a fine piece of work. It deserves better treatment than this.

Do you want to know why the Rams are moving back to Los Angeles?

I considered naming this blog entry "A tale of two moments", but this title was far too abstract. Fools might have thought it a love sonnet. Not so. Its a rational argument explaining why the Rams are moving back to Los Angeles. Some might call that a love sonnet. I don't think so.

So, I am out at lunch today. I don't have much time to eat. I have to have my car alarm looked at. It has been malfunctioning like a moefoe. I have to grab something quick and eat at SafeandSound1.com, around the corner and up the way from my apartment building. I will eat lunch while the mechanic fixes my problem.

On the road East to Canoga Park from Callabassas, I stop at Del Taco, a small MexiCali fast food chain we have here in SoCal. There is a 16-18 year old Mexican kid walking the drive through line, taking orders with a nice computerized PDA. The major chains do this at lunch to expedite orders. He asks me what I would like. I quickly place my order. I am shocked that the bill comes to $10. You know our sales tax just hit 9.75% here in Los Angeles County. Its astounding. In any case, the kid notices I am wearing the brand new 2009 edition of the Chris Long #72 Jersey in White.

He says to me "Man that's a nice jersey! My dad would love to have one of those! Do you think they are coming back?"

"I don't know, but there is a lot of talk. I suspect something is up." I reply. I wanted to guard my optimism.

The kid replies "Everybody is talking about it. My family is pretty excited. Most of the adults in my family remember going to the Ram games when they were younger."

"I'm jacked up too." I replied.

A dude honks his horn behind us. We are holding up the lunch line of cars with our conversation about the Rams returning to Los Angeles. This all took place in the West San Fernando valley, about 30 miles or so from the target zone in the city of Industry. Less, if DeBartolo builds on the site of the current Forum, or the old Hollywood race track. The date is 7/9/2009, about 5 days after Steve McNair was murdered.

I should mention that this was a full-blooded Mexican kid, from a full blooded Mexican family. These are the folks who don't watch football, according to Leigh Steinberg. He doesn't know many Mexicans. These guys were beaming with pride in the days of Joe Cap, Roman Gabriel, Anthony Munoz, Jim Plunkett, and Tom Flores. Oh did I forget Mark Sanchez?

Ad meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times is printing a very nice and nasty edgy shot at the city of St. Louis. This is a piece in the Sports Section. It is nominally about the UFC. It has a hidden agenda. After painting what rancid sport the UFC presents, the LA Times delivers the payload.

And I quote:

"Budweiser did research in St. Louis and became a UFC sponsor after learning males 18 to 34 couldn't name 10 St. Louis Rams, but could name 10 UFC fighters," he says, the Rams obviously just not the same without Georgia Frontiere.

That's a shot across the port bow. Might even have a triple enterder in there. I am trying to decide whether T.J. Simers is actually smart enough to craft a triple enterder. He is a very clever wordsmith if he did this intentionally.

So what is the significance of this? No team has been treated as badly or ignored as much by the Los Angeles Times as the Rams. They have pissed me off a few times. This is the woman scorn. This is love turned to hate. This is boycott protest. But, at the first glimmer of hope that we might get our old team back again... Pow! Shots fired to remind the the Rams organization they ain't doing so well in St. Louis.

You might say they are lighting a match. Why? We want 'em back, that's why. When the L.A. Times begins to join the murmur, an interesting moment has been reached.

I wish I could find the link... Recently, a young local sports talk dude published a blog in which he chastised Southern Californians for continuing to cheer for the Rams. He slapped the Raider fans, but only in passing. The real subject of his ire were the Ram fans. He wanted to know why the entire Hollywood Hills (where he was raised) exploded with mad cheers the very instant Mike Jones tackled Dyson on the 1 yard line early in January 2000. The mad uproar went on for some 15 to 20 minutes. "Isn't this the moral equivalent of going to the wedding of the chick who dumped you years ago?", he asked us all.

What was left unsaid was palpable. The entire tone of the piece was clear: Said sports talk dude fears that the City of Los Angeles will throw a huge ticker-tape parade if the Rams return. He wanted to bitch slap us, imposing his view that this would constitute a total capitulation humiliation if we did that.

Okay, we have been warned. Now fuck off. little buddy.

Why should this dude believe such a thing might happen her in Los Angeles? Because it is precisely what the city of Oakland did the second the Raiders returned. They went mad. They haven't regained their sanity yet. The Raiders currently enjoy the 3rd best homefield advantage, according to the NFL Network. If the Rams return, you watch L.A. go bonko. The nation is going to be shocked. You all will shake your heads in disbelief.

As I sit here on the Thursday night in July of 2009, I can tell you that the crescendo is building. The murmur is rising to more than a murmur in the background. People are jamming the drive through lines at Del Taco talking about the Rams returning. Ed Roski is a rolling out his pocket book to construct a state of the art NFL Stadium with no guarantees. If he builds it they will come. I mean both of them theys.

Honest, good people of St. Louis, we don't have anything against you. We respect and like the fact that you took care of our Rams for us. We are glad you enjoyed them as much as we did in 1999. Maybe you enjoyed it even more. We now have a brotherhood. I would propose joint custody of the kids, but you know we can't do that to them. You can watch them on TV like we did.

Next time I intend to tell you about my Apartment Manager, Anthony Daily, and my Chiropractor Dr. Gary C. Kerr who practices in the prestigious and expensive 90025 zip code. He used to crack Steve Rosenbloom's back when he was the general manager. He also worked on Jack Youngblood, Fred Dryer, Hacksaw Jack Reynolds, Nolan Cromwell, Jim Youngblood, and the incomparable Merlin Olsen.

Quick refresher on the sale of the Rams

I have been tweaking my new.google.com custom page lately to bring me information of fellows like Stan Kroenke, Eddie DeBartolo, and Fred Smith. I have also setup a custom alert for news about the Rams and the sale of the Rams.

I have been shocked at how little information has come across my desktop. Right now there is very little to report on this subject. A couple of weeks ago, several published reports indicated that Fred Smith of FedEx is not actually interested in buying the Rams. He never was. Sources close to Smith indicated that all reports of Smith wanting to buy the Rams were false. They were probably invented by individuals who knew he fit the profile of a man ready to graduate from a minority ownership position in one franchise (the Redskins) to full owner of another franchise. Smith never had an interest in doing the deal.

Given the fact that Smith's full net worth is just about $1 billion at last record, it is unlikely that he would be able to make the transaction happen. We are no longer living in the year 2006. Free and easy promiscuous junk leverage is not obtainable by anyone anymore... Except maybe the U.S. Federal Government. He would need to produce a total package of $500 million (if he bought at a nice discount) just to acquire Dale & Lucia's 60%. He might be able to find a bank that would give him $250m in loans, but then he would need to pay out $250m in pure cash. That is a lot of dry powder for any active entrepreneur to come up with these days. And then he would be partners with Stan Kroenke... Ergo, it does not surprise me that Fred Smith is not in it.

See, I told you so! I still say this comes down to Eddie DeBartolo vs. Stan Kroenke for the title. The two may even choose to partner together. It would be interesting.

Back on June 23, my boy Tim Kutsarits published an interesting piece indicating that a final sale was going to happen sooner rather than later... Although I don't know what that means. He references a Mike Silver piece on Yahoo which I just can't find. Accord to Silver's sources (hear-say evidence is inadmissible in a court of law) Kroenke is intent upon buying the Rams. He just isn't in a hurry, and he isn't going to get involved in a bidding war. He wants somebody else to negotiate a low price and then use his right of first refusal to claim-jump.

But what about the cross-ownership ban in the constitution? This is the real story. According to Klutsarits' reading of Mike Silver's sources (hearsay!) the NFL will waive its provision against cross-ownership. Kroenke will be allowed to purchase a controlling interest in the Rams. What about all the stock, as in 100%? Who knows... Klutsarits praises Kroenke as a model owner. I don't know about that. The Denver Nuggets have frequently been good. They have never made it to an NBA final yet in their history. The Lakers just played in their 30th and won their 15th. Jerry Buss just won his 9th. He is a model owner.

Surprisingly quite in all this is Eddie DeBartolo. I haven't heard a word from him since the original Mike Silver story on the Rams for sale. He claimed only marginal interest at the time. He said he was more interested in buying the Bucs, because he lives in Tampa. He reminisced about the wars between the Rams and 49ers. He claimed he would never be motivated by revenge on his evil sister or brother-in-law. He quoted many arguments against Los Angeles as an NFL city.

We'll see. Every smart buyer plays coy. As far as totally forgiving and forgetting about his sister stealing the apple of his eye from him... BULLSHIT! BULL FUCKING SHIT! I don't believe it. Further, there were a considerable number of rumors floating in the Los Angeles smog, shortly after that event, that DeBartolo was investigating the real estate where the old Los Angeles Forum sits (along with other locations in Hollywood Park) for the purpose of building a large structure that would not be a shopping mall. You go figure what that means. They also said that he approached Skip, er... Dale with a proposition immediately. He was rebuffed because Skip knew he would move the team. Dale wanted to make St. Louis a component of the deal. We know that constraint has been removed.

Silver himself does not believe the NFL wants to put a team in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the best blackmail tool the NFL has ever had. Every time any team wants a concession or a better stadium, all they have to do is threaten to move to the 2nd largest market in North America. The Vikings have done this at least 6 times now.

We shall see. I stand by my basic business management 101 analysis. Anyone who lays down $557 million is going to want to recoup fast. That means going to the 2nd largest sports market in North America

On the merits of Internet on your HDTV

So, I just read a post in a forum which lit my fuse. I am sitting her shaking my head and chuckling right now. What was it?

A couple of guys were extremely excited about the new line up of XVT (Extreme Vizio Technology) LCDs from Vizo. Essentially, Vizio has joined the 240hz LCD and the LED LCD in one fell swoop. That is a lot of abbreviations. If you follow HDTV technology, you know what I am talking about.

One joker counseled the other joker not to buy one of these XVTs until later in the year when the 2.0 revision comes out. Why? Because the 2.0 revision will have Vizio apps, and you really want to buy the one with Vizio apps! You just don't want to get stuck with an HDTV without Internet apps.

Oh Jesus... What do you say to a statement like this?

Well, first let me re-iterate the fact that I am a career programmer. I have just about 15 years of profession experience. I have about 12 years of amateur experience before that. I am 42 going hard on 43. I have been using computers since I was 15 years old. I know a little something something about this subject of applications and the Internet.

In my 27 years of computer experience, I have seldom seen such a worthless idea as Internet applications on an HDTV. Samsung uses the Yahoo! widgets. I have these on my current Luxia 7000. They are as worthless as tits on a bull. I have played around with the whole Viera-Cast system on the Panasonic Plasmas, and I am not particularly impressed. It reminds me a bit of the old PointCast system I used to enjoy a long time ago (1996) but it is not nearly as content-rich or fresh. I have not used the Vizio system yet. I am sure it will be inferior to that of the Viera. It might even be worse than the Samsung Yahoo widgets.

In short, he who pays extra for Internet apps is an absolute fool. He who thinks Internet apps are a decisive reason to buy, sell, or trade HDTVs is a fool. He who holds on a purchase to pay more for Internet apps later is a fucking fool. Don't think for one second that the Internet content is compelling or useful in any way, shape, or form. It is not. You will look at it once, and you will quickly forget about it. You will never feel compelled to use the technology again. Internet apps on HDTVs have no merit at all. It is twaddle.

This is just rubbished tacked on to the package to try to make the product seem more advanced and compelling. It looks good on the brochure. Only this and nothing more.

With all that said, I think XVT is an exciting entry into the market. I would not buy it. I am returning to DLP land soon. However, it should make a nice point of entry for some folks who are both financially and space-restricted in their purchase options. Get one and enjoy if you are in this category.

The shocking death of Steve McNair at age 36

Well, I could hardly believe the news yesterday. It reached my ear via the NFL network sometime around 4:00pm. I am not certain of the time. I do know that the NFL network preempted the America's Game documentary about the 1979 Steelers to cover this story.

The facts of the case are these:

1. McNair was 36 years old, and had only been retired from pro football for 1 year.
2. McNair and his family had decided to live in the Nashville area after his retirement.
3. McNair was married with 4 children. All four of them are sons: Tyler, Trenton, Steven, and Junior.
4. McNair got involved in an extra-marital affair with a 20 year old Persian-Iranian woman named Sahel Kazemi.
5. He evidently met Sahel when she was a food server at a sports grill named "Dave & Buster's" some five months ago.
6. She May have broken off a four-year relationship with a fellow named Keith Norfleet in order to begin a relationship with McNair some 5 months ago. According to other accounts, her relationship with Norfleet may have ended a month before she took up with McNair.
7. Evidently McNair set her up with a modest home at located in the downtown area of Memphis. The exact location is the Rutledge House Apartments, 600 2nd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37210-2063. Manager Number: 615-255-8155. This is at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Lea.
8. The apartment has been described as Spartan, lacking any homey touches. Piles of mens sneakers in the kitchen. A dozen of bottles of booze on the kitchen counter. Reviews of the apartment complex on the web are unflattering at best. This place was no 5th Avenue townhouse.
9. This Apartment is within sight of LP Field, or the Coliseum, where the Titans play on Sunday. This is situated just across the Cumberland River. The Rutlege House apartments are also easy walking distance from a local sports-talk radio station. It is just 6 miles away from McNair's 14.000 sq ft mansion where he and his family lived.
10. Although reports describe the home as a condo, McNair clearly had a rental agreement, and the Rutledge House is listed as an apartment complex.
11. McNair also recently bought Sahel a 2007 Cadillac Escalade for her 20th birthday. The vehicle was registered to both Steve and Sahel.
12. Neighbors believed McNair had moved in with her based on the amount of time he spent there with her.
13. The two were photographed Parasailing together. Evidently, he took her on trips to Las Vegas and Key West.
14. McNair had been drinking with friends on the evening of Friday July 3rd 2009. He had visited two bars: The Bluemoon Lagoon, and the Looser's Bar. No bad jokes, please.
15. McNair apparently arrived at Sahel's condo sometime around 1:30-2:00am on the 4th of July. He never left alive.
16. Police could find no sign of forcible entry to the home.
17. The bodies were discovered by McNair's friend Wayne Neely. Neely is described as a Sporting Goods vendor and co-renter of the Condo. As the co-renter of the condo, he had a set of keys to the home. He had to use these to enter home.
18. Neely then called mutual friend Robert Gaddy. Gaddy had played football with McNair at Alcorn State. Gaddy subsequently made the phone call to 911 at 1:35 pm.
19. A time of death has not been established. Autopsy evidence indicates they both died in the early morning hours Saturday July 4th 2009; perhaps 9-11 hours before they were discovered dead.
20. McNair was found seated on the couch in the main living room of the condo. He had been shot four times, including two fatal shots to the head, and two in his chest. He had been shot once in each temple. One of those head shots was at close range.
21. Sahel was found dead, on the floor near McNair, shot once. She had a single gun shot wound on the side of her head (the temple). Her head wound manifested a contact burn, meaning the barrel was in contact with her head, and the flash of the muzzle burned her flesh. This is typical of suicide gunshot wound to the head. The murder weapon--a semi-automatic pistol--was found under her dead body.
22. The pistol was not discovered until deep into the investigation of the crime scene. It was only discovered when it was time to remove the bodies from the crime scene.
23. The Metro Police have ruled McNair's death a homicide. He was murdered. It is incredibly unlikely that he shot himself 4 times, including twice in the head, and then placed the murder weapon under Sahel's body.
24. The police have not yet ruled on Sahel's death.
25. The police are not looking for suspects.
26. The police are expected to rule Sahel's death a suicide
27. It is likely that this will case will end up a murder-suicide on the county record books.
28. Sahel Kazemi's family is adamant that she did not commit murder or suicide. They are insisting that a third party was involved in the crime.
29. Kazemi's family members state that McNair was in the process of divorcing his wife, and was going to marry Sahel. Reportedly, they say she was only willing to begin the relationship because she thought he was already in legal proceedings for divorce. We should not be too quick to believe that. A girl beginning an illicit affair with a married man would be inclined to tell her family this sort of thing, whether it is true or not.
30. No one in McNair's inner circle has confirmed any hint of a divorce. The county court house has no record of divorce filings or legal separation in Steve & Mechelle McNair's name.
31. Another Kazemi family member now says she fears that McNair was just using her relative. There is some acknowledgement that the reports of divorce may have been false or premature.
32. Steve & Mechelle's 14,000 sq ft mansion had recently been put up for sale for an asking price of $2.9 to $3 million USD. This is a fact of uncertain meaning. We shouldn't be too quick to draw a conclusion from this fact. It could mean anything. The family real estate agent claimed they were selling this mansion to buy another close to the lake.
33. Mechelle is denying that she knew anything of Steve's affair. She has stated that she was completely blindsided by this news. We shouldn't be too quick to believe that. Women can live in great denial of their husband's affairs... even when they know everything.
34. At least one source has described Sahel as mentally disturbed. We may have plenary evidence of this fact by now.
35. The police have determined that Sahel recently purchased a gun. The Federal ATF traced the weapon and determined that the murder weapon was the semi-automatic pistol purchased by Sahel Kazimi. It had been purchased Thursday evening, the 2nd of July. This is perhaps 32 hours before the murder-suicide.
36. The fact that Sahel could successfully purchase a semi automatic pistol is provocative. By Federal law, it is illegal for any individual under the age of 21 to buy or own a hand gun. A resident of Tennessee cannot apply for a weapons permit until 21. This must be an illegally obtained and unlicensed weapon.
37. The Police have now told Sahel's family that they are almost certain she is the shooter, but they have not locked-down a clear motive.

So what does a man say to an event and a case like this? Looking at the facts, a clear-cut pattern emerges.

A great quarterback retires from the NFL. As always he feels his life and career have blown past him far too quickly and ended too soon. He is confronted with thoughts of his own mortality. He believes he is on the count down to death, rather than the count up to his greatest achievements. This triggers his mid-life crisis, something all men go through. He stews at a low boil for some 7 months, probably in a state of depression.

McNair solves the mid-life crisis the way all men do: He gets his groove back by getting sexually involved with a young and gorgeous exotic woman. He becomes her sugar daddy, setting her up with everything she wants and needs. He buys their 'love nest' in the shadow of Titan stadium, so he can be reminded of the glory years as he is reinvigorated for his 2nd act in life. They go through a torrid sexual affair which lasts some 5 months, in which McNair is re-invigorated.

The fact that he could maintain her on the cheap, with a sub-part apartment condo, sparsely decorated & furnished, not to mention a used 2007 Escalade, may have been a plus in his mind. But she had much bigger ambitions for this relationship. She wanted to graduate from this temporary (good enough for now) status and become the queen of the 14,000 sq ft castle. Incidentally, the quality of Sahel's abode does not speak well of Steve's generosity toward his concubine.

Many men divorce their long-time wives and break up their first families in order to marry their mid-life crisis girlfriends. Regrettably, John Elway--a long time hero of mine--completed this pattern recently. Based on what happened, this was probably not the case with Steve McNair.

No one has confirmed that McNair was divorcing his wife Mechelle. It is more likely that McNair had come to his senses, was going to put an end to this relationship, and return to his wife. The breakup discourse may well have begun sometime around 1:30am Nashville time on the 4th of July 2009.

Another plausible theory is that McNair told Sahel that he would not divorce his wife, and he would never marry her sometime on or around July 2nd. He may have told her he would be happy to continue the affair (which is why he partied with her the next night) if she was willing to continue as his concubine, but their would be no marriage with her. Shortly after that discourse, Sahel purchased the gun.

She probably freaked out, knowing that Steve intended to keep her in this bare-knuckle arrangement, as a side-bitch, with few rights and little status. This was probably totally unacceptable to her. Given her possible record of insanity, she probably gave up on the notion that her life could work out well. This is when she decided on the course of murder-suicide.

In either case, Sahel snapped and drilled McNair four times with a semi-automatic 9mm pistol, including the two fatal shots to the head. She then put the gun to her temple and pulled the trigger, blowing her own brains out.

At least this is my theory. It would make all the facts fit together in a dreadfully tight package. We'll see. Sahel's ex-boyfriend might have killer them both. We can rule out the notion that Shi'ite Fundamentalist might have killed them both for consorting defilement with Infidels. Sahel was a member of the Baha’i faith sect, a non-Islamic group. Right now the cops are not looking for anybody. This would make the 3rd party murderer unlikely. Of course, the cops could start up a new investigation at any moment; the second the autopsy is finished.

The Police finished their interview of Sahel's former boyfriend, Keither Norfleet. They say he was fully cooperative, and he is not under suspicion. No suspects are being sought. I would say they are pretty close to closing this case.

Behavioral scientists would be shocked by this. As a rule, men do all the killing. When women murder and suicide, it is not usually with a gun. As a rule, it involves poison. Women are great poisoners. However, mentally disturbed woman have used guns to commit multiple murders. Since this was almost certainly a crime of extreme passion, I suspect that she did this abruptly in a massively emotional state.

There is a terrible tragedy here. Shakespeare said that Hell hath no furry like a woman scorn. This would appear to be another Fatal Attraction situation, much like the one Michael Douglas produced back in 1987. This one had a far worse outcome.

For all of us men out there: This is one of the best reasons why you should keep your snake in your pants... zipped up. Women go crazy in these situations. You could wind up dead.

I am very sorry to hear that this is how Steve McNair's life ended. It seems like a dreadfully wrong ending to his life. He didn't seem like a guy who would either encounter or be worthy of this sort of death. Nevertheless, this is how it has apparently ended for him.

Nootropics 4: Racetams

Racetams

As I said last time, Racetams are the most outstanding members of the Nootropic family. Many believe the Racetam genius kick-started the entire Phyla of agents we call Nootropics. It is fitting that I begin with the Racetams.

The first thing that must be understood about the the Racetams is that they are not stimulants. They do not increase your heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, body temperature, or adrenaline levels. Ergo, they cannot be classified as stimulants. Racetams will not wake you up in the morning if you are having a bit of trouble summoning the energy to get out of bed.

How do they work? The mechanism of the racetams is not completely understood. We believe they work by modulating the most important neurtransmitters in the brain; particularly acetylcholine and glutamate. Some strongly interact with glutamatergic AMPA receptors on your neurons. Because AMAP receptors are in the same location as cholinergic receptors they increase the firing rate of cholinergic receptors. This increases memory capacity. Racetams also optimize communication across the corpus collosum, the neuro synapse that allows the right brain and left brain to communicate and cooperate.

When taken, the user feels enhanced mental clarity, focus, calmness, recall of facts and techniques, an easier time identifying patterns in data, or drawing distinctions between points of data. You simply feel an enhanced capacity to deal with mental work, analyze problems, and work out solutions. I would say it easier to combine analysis and creative work at the same time, due to a better functioning neuro synapse.

I should mention, in passing, that programmers usually get pretty excited when I tell them this. It would appear to be the perfect thing for us.

There are many members of the racetam family. Among them, four stand out for their Nootropic effect. In order of age and power (lowest power first, strongest power last) these four are:

1. Piracetam: The Granddaddy of them all.
2. Oxiracetam: The second generation water soluble improvement.
3. Aniracetam: The third generation fat soluble improvement
4. Pramiracetam: The fourth generation fat soluble improvement.

As you can surmise, the Racetam family has been getting more powerful with each new generation. The newest agent, Pramiracetam is the most powerful member of the family

All four of these agents are unique and distinct. All are similar in most ways. Broadly speaking, these four agents break down into two categories: water soluble and fat soluble. Piracetam and Oxiracetam are water soluble. Aniracetam and Pramiracetam are fat soluble.

Water soluble racetams have a shorter half-life, and a weaker effect. Fat soluble racetams have a longer half-life and a more powerful effect. It is not just a longer effect, it is a more powerful effect. We'll discuss ampakines in a moment. Water solubles are processed out of your system by your kidneys and excreted in your urine. Fat solubles are processes out of your system by your intestines, and excreted with your feces. The urine cycle is faster than the feces cycle. This is the key reason for the shorter and longer half-life.

Piracetam has a stated half-life of approximately 4 hours. This means you will need to take it twice during a standard 8 hour work day. Oxiracetam has a stated half-life of 3 hours. I found it to be shorter than that. You might need to take it three times per standard 8 hour work day. The half-life for Aniracetam is stated at 2.5 hours. That figure was computed in rat studies, not human studies. I say that figure is absolute rubbish. I have found that a single 800mg dose of Aniracetam can sustain the Nootropic effect all day long. Pramiracetam has the longest stated half-life of 4.5 to 6.5 hours. Based on personal use, I find this figure to be reasonable.

The power of each Racetam agent is usually measured in terms of dossage necessary to achieve the Nootropic effect. Piracetam, the granddaddy, is used as the benchmark, or the reference point.

Most authorities believe a dosage of 2.4 grams of Piracetam is necessary to trigger a substantial Nootropic effect. Folks often take 3x800mg tablets of Nootropil (Piracetam) and this will work. Piracetam is both the oldest and the weakest of the four agents. It is better than nothing, and its effect is measurable. However, it is the least desirable of the four. It is still favored by many. I regard it as an out-dated and outmoded technology.

Oxiracetam is rated at 2 to 4 times the power of Piracetam, meaning that a single gram should trigger the Nootropic effect. People often take just one 800mg capsule of Oxiracetam. This produces an excellent effect. Allowing Oxiracetam powder to dissolve under the tongue is much better still. It is water soluble, will dissolve in your saliva, and does not taste bad. When absorbed sublingually, the effect is felt almost immediately. There is powerful and pleasant calming and focusing effect that takes hold within a minute or two of sublingual administration. For my money the calming effect is a bit too strong, and the Nootropic effect is too short. Oxiracetam is still favored by many. I regard it as an out-dated and outmoded technology.

Aniracetam is rated at 4 to 8 times the power of Piracetam. This should indicate that you need no more than 300-600mg to trigger the Nootropic effect. For reasons unknown, Aniracetam is usually shipped in 800mg capsules. {It was also offered in a bulk powder form, but no more.} This dossage is more than sufficient to trigger the Nootropic effect. For more than a year, I considered Aniracetam to be the most desirable member of the Racetam family. It had the longest effect, and the most impressive effect of the three I had tried, thus far. Most other experianced users felt the same.

Pramiracetam is rated at 8 to 30 times the power of Piracetam. This should indicate that you need no more than 300mg to trigger the effect. You might be able to get by with as little as 80mg. Pramiracetam is commonly sold in 300mg and 400mg tablets and capsules. Pramiracetam is the newest agent of the four. It has been available on the market for less than 1 year. It has been readily available for less than 4 months. I have only been using it now for approximately 2 months. I am still evaluating this substance.

I am not prepared to issue a final verdict on Pramiracetam, however I will give you a few pointers. As stated, Pramiracetam is extremely powerful. Due to the recession, we are going through a slow cycle here at my company. I have not been challenged to do anything substantial at work in some 6 months. Ergo, I have not tested this agent under combat conditions.

However, when given minor challenges {like setting up a full Java web application server and JTrac for the first time} I have been shocked by how easily I have risen to meet the challenge, and how quickly it all came together. The focus and brain power has been there when I have needed it. On the downside, Pramiracetam produces a nervous anxiety which is quite the opposite of the Oxiracetam effect. Whereas Oxiracetam has a pleasant calming effect, Pramiracetam did create a form of nervous anxiety during the first week or two. This seems to have been tapering off lately.

If you are prone to anxiety, you will prefer Oxiracetam or Aniracetam. If you are not naturally anxious, you will probably like Pramiracetam. I am borderline. Often enough, I am calm. Occasionally, I have anxiety. Pramiracetam can tip me over into an worried and nervous state, if I don't have something good and challenging to focus on.

There is another dimension to the Racetam family that must be addressed. That is the ampakine effect. The minority report states that all Racetams are ampakines. The majority report states that the fat-soluble Racetams are ampakines, and the water soluble Racetams are not ampakines. This much is certain: Aniracetam and Pramiracetam are ampakines. Piracetam and Oxiracetam are very doubtful.

So just what is an ampakine anyhow? According to Wikipedia, Ampakines are a new class of compound known to enhance attention span, alertness, while facilitating new learning and memory. Amapakine agents strongly interact with glutamatergic AMPA receptors on your neurons. Ampakines are being used against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Schizophrenia, and ADHD. They are also being researched by DARPA, where it is believed they could enhance the combat readiness of soldigers.

At this moment in time, July 2009, Pramiracetam is the king of the Ampakine hill. A newer agent called CX717, invented in 1996, is currently in phase II of FDA clinical trials. It should eventually dethrone Pramiracetam, and become the new king. Funding for CX717 research & FDA trials has been provided by DARPA, a fact I find very interesting.

I think the defense department has high hopes for a CX717 powered military machine. This would be a military where commanders and troops make better decisions in combat, under duress, because their brains are functioning better and faster than those of the enemy. This is the power amplifier of intelligence, initiative and strategy. Peace advocates can hope they will do fewer stupid things, and get it over with faster, due to better brains.

In conclusion

The Racetam family is known for its super-low toxicity level. Even large over-doses are tolerated well by the body. The most negative consequence of Racetam overdose is gastro-intestinal upset, gas, and diarriah. In other words, you get an upset tummy, and possibly the runs. This is nothing in comparison with the ghastly consequences of over dosing on numerous other drugs.

For this reason, the FDA has chosen not to regulate access to members of the Racetam family. No perscription is necessary to purchase any Racetam family member in the United States. It is perfectly legal to buy through the internet here in the U.S. Buy from an English or Canadian pharmacies if you like. They can ship it straight to you via plain old USPS with no issues.

I did experiance a bit of gas-pressure and a bit of constipation when I first began using Piracetam, but that went away after a few short weeks. Even large dossages don't upset my tummy anymore.

So where can you buy these things? Well, I am not paid to make endorsements, so I won't make any endorsements. But if you were to do a google shopping search or an ebay search for these names, you will find what you are looking for. I purchase through ebay.

Nootropics 3: Categories of valid Nootropics

The following is a brief coverage of the small number of important categories within the broad fields of Nootropics. There are many more besides these. The legitimacy and veracity of many of the other agents in other categories is question. Outright fraud is indicated in several of other categories. For the purposes of this piece, I am only willing to discuss Racetams, stimulants and a few nutraceticals. I treat all other agents with suspicion rather than trust.

Racetams

Racetams are the most outstanding members of the Nootropic family. Many believe the Racetam genius kick-started the entire Phyla of agents we call Nootropics. It is fitting that I begin with the Racetams.

The first thing that must be understood about the the Racetams is that they are not stimulants. They do not increase your heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, body temperature, or adrenaline levels. Ergo, they cannot be classified as stimulants. Racetams will not wake you up in the morning if you are having a bit of trouble summoning the energy to get out of bed.

How do they work? The mechanism of the racetams is not completely understood. We believe they work by modulating the most important neurotransmitters in the brain; particularly acetylcholine and glutamate. Some strongly interact with glutamatergic AMPA receptors on your neurons. Because AMAP receptors are in the same location as cholinergic receptors they increase the firing rate of cholinergic receptors. This increases memory capacity. Racetams also optimize electrical communication across the corpus collosum; the neuro synapse that allows the right brain and left brain to communicate and cooperate.

When taken, the user feels enhanced mental clarity, focus, calmness, recall of facts and techniques, an easier time identifying patterns in data, or drawing distinctions between points of data. You simply feel an enhanced capacity to deal with mental work, analyze problems, and work out solutions. I would say it easier to combine analysis and creative work at the same time, due to a better functioning neuro synapse.

There are many members of the racetam family. Among them, four stand out for their Nootropic effect. In order of age and power (lowest power first, strongest power last) these four are:

1. Piracetam: The Granddaddy of them all.
2. Oxiracetam: The second generation water soluble improvement.
3. Aniracetam: The third generation fat soluble improvement
4. Pramiracetam: The fourth generation fat soluble improvement.

As you can surmise, the Racetam family has been getting more powerful with each new generation. The newest agent, Pramiracetam is the most powerful member of the family

All four of these agents are unique and distinct. All are similar in most ways. Broadly speaking, these four agents break down into two categories: water soluble and fat soluble. Piracetam and Oxiracetam are water soluble. Aniracetam and Pramiracetam are fat soluble.

Stimulants

Stimulants are agents that are said to enhance mental and/or physical function. They raise your metabolic rate, accelerate the Krebs cycle, raise energy levels, blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, increase stress hormones such as Norepinephrine and Cortisol. They are called Uppers or 'Pick me ups' by many.

Stimulants include such agents as Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines, MDNA, Cocaine, NRIs, NDRIs, and Dafinils. Some also attempt to place Ampakines in this class. I categorically reject that statement. Several of these agents are FDA Schedule-1 illegal drugs. MDNA and Cocaine are in this category. Several are absolutely legal and availible everywhere, such as caffeine and Nicotine. Some are prescribed for children with ADHD, such as NRIs and NDRI. Some are prescribed for individuals suffering from Narcolepsy, Sleep Apnea, and chronic fatigue syndrome. These are Dafinils.

While some would argue that all of these categories could be considered Nootropics in certain ways, I categorically reject that statement. I believe only two categories are of interest under the heading of Nootropics:

1. NDRI agents

2. Dafinil agents.

No member of either of these two families can be purchased in the United States (legally) without a Doctor's prescription. Just about any member of these two families can be purchased at your local drug store with a prescription. Most will be covered by your HMO or PPO.

NDRIs include the classic and ever popular Ritalin, Focalin, Concerta, and Wellbutrin. They all work by surpress the re-uptake and destruction of two key neurotransmitters: Norepinephrine an Dopamine. When the body re-uptakes and destroys Norepinephrine and Dopamine at a reduced rate, these two neurotransmitters tend to accumulate, and rise to higher levels. The result is a much higher overall energy levels, awakeness, alertness.

There are now two Dafinils: Modafinil and Armodafinil. Modafinil was first of these agents. It was originally designed and developed as an anti-narcolepsy drug. It is also approved for treatment of grogginess associated with sleep apnea. The purpose is to maintain wakefulness and alertness. It does so without most of the negative side-effects of a classic amphetamine. The Dafinils have been deployed again ADHD, depression, Cocaine addition, Parkinson's Disease, Schizophrenia, and even jet lag. The difference between these two prescription drugs is that one is the Right enantiomer formula and the other is the Left enantiomer formula. Modafinil is the lefty and Armodafinil is the righty. In most cases, the righty formula is better tolerated, with greater potency, and fewer side effects. Many HMOs and PPOs will no longer pay for Modafinil. Most will cover Armodafinil.

The importance of these substances is that they both elevate energy levels, which necessary for work. They are both Dopaminergics. A Dopaminergic agent is any substance that impacts the neurotransmitter dopamine, or components of the nervous system that use dopamine. Dopamine is associated with attention, alertness and certain forms of antioxiant activity.

Nutraceuticals

1. 5-HTP a precursor to Serotonin. Helps to elevate Serotonin levels and may have a neurogenesis effect.
2. Theanine: GABAergic activity. Increases brain serotonin and dopamine levels.
3. Vinpocetine: A semisynthetic alkaloid reported to enhance blood flow in the brain.
4. Ginko Biloba: Strictly speaking this a genus and species of a tree native to Zhejiang China. Has been popular for more than a decade. Shows some promise as an Alzheimer's treatment.

Many others

There are many other substances on the market. If you have a look at the Wikipedia article on Nootropics, you will find a large number of categories and subcategories. I regret to say that the article is poorly written. It is a case of poisoning, where each vendor of something had to get his substance listed in its category. Various vendors make various claims for the categories I omitted. I am not willing to discuse more than these. Next time we will discuse the Racetam family in some depth.