marijuana

Shock: Research says pot makes you lazy (but not psychotic)

You are not going to bereefer this.

In fact, you might need to steady yourself by whatever means you normally choose to create a little peaceful comfort.

You see, a group of scientists have got together, studied the brains of pot smokers and decided that regular marijuanists have brains that enjoy deficiencies.

These, specifically, involve a stunted ability to synthesize dopamine, a little neurotransmitter which, when fed correctly, makes you want to start a company called Facebook, climb Kilimanjaro, or run the 100 meters in 8.2 seconds.

Yes, a blunt can blunt your need to succeed.

I am grateful to PopSci … Read more

Ex-Microsoft exec to create the Starbucks of marijuana?

When a product becomes a brand, it brings with it emotional values that seep into your pores and make you feel good all over.

This is something Jamen Shively hopes to do for a product that has something of a start -- in that it already seeps into your pores and makes you feel good all over.

Or so I am told.

Shively, once upon a time, was a corporate strategy manager for Microsoft. Now the 45-year-old wants to create the nation's first brand of marijuana.

His idea, as he explained to the Seattle Times, is to buy his … Read more

Russian Wikipedia's 'smoking pot' page goes bong-less

Russian "Cheech and Chong" fans, rejoice! The Russian language Wikipedia page for "smoking Cannabis" is no longer under the gun from government censors, but to get totally free and clear of the law, it did have to hand over all of its paraphernalia.

Last week, Russian communications watchdog Roscomnadzor confirmed to RT that the page had been added to an Internet blacklist of sites with banned content launched by the Russian government last year.

The pot page is apparently just one of a handful on Wikipedia deemed to be in violation of Russian law (other includes an online library hosting "The Anarchist Cookbook" and its recipe for marijuana soup), but it appears that it may have been the last spliff straw for the government. Possession of marijuana is illegal in Russia, and penalties can often include harsh prison sentences.… Read more

The 404 1,220: Where it's always greener on the other side (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Lucasfilm forces Flyers goalie to change the "Star Wars" graphic on his mask.

- NIN's "Head Like a Hole" mashed with "Call Me Maybe" is terrible and perfect.

- Teddy Faley made a mashup album using Mobb Deep lyrics over 8-bit Mario samples.

- Never lose at pool again (by cheating).

- Silicon Valley is full of stoners.… Read more

The 404 1,218: Where we order off the secret menu (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The mystery behind Chipotle's secret 1,500-calorie monstrosity.

- The ultimate In-N-Out secret menu survival guide.

- I used to smoke pot every time I played a video game. Here's why I stopped..

- SUNY adds a hip-hop anthem to its marketing set list.

- 404 listener Kulastar made this infographic comparing Bill Murray to Jim Carrey.… Read more

The 404 1,160: Where we turn over a new leaf (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Beyonce reacts to President Obama's re-election.

- Marijuana now legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington.

- I'm joining the rest of the world and getting cable TV; which Time Warner package is the best deal, and are there any pro tips out there to get more for my dollar?

- Measure B in California requires L.A. porn stars to wear condoms.

- Don't forget to enter our Halloween Samsung Galaxy S3 Giveaway contest!

Bathroom break video: Horse crashes Huffington Post's election night coverage.

Episode 1,160 … Read more

How tech protects the world's busiest border crossing

SAN YSIDRO, Calif.--They were hidden in the gas tank -- 17 tightly-wrapped packages of marijuana weighing in at 38.44 pounds.

The car was nondescript, a green 1999 Mazda 626. The driver was a male 50-year-old Mexican national, a resident of Tijuana who had presumably been hoping to make it into California without being stopped.

Instead, the man got caught with the massive haul of pot, snared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers here at the world's busiest border crossing using several tools in their arsenal -- some high-tech, some very low-tech -- to find … Read more

How the Border Patrol uses tech to combat smugglers

TUCSON, Ariz.--It's summer in the Southwest, and there may not be a hotter border anywhere in the United States. For one thing, the mercury is easily over a hundred every day. And then there's the steady flow of organized smugglers trying to sneak themselves and their substantial cargo -- of migrants and/or drugs -- across Mexico's long desert frontier with Arizona.

There are nine U.S. Border Patrol sectors stretching across America's southwestern frontier. And back in 2000, the agency was snagging more than 2,000 people a day for crossing illegally into its … Read more

Always On Future Tech: Smoking goes high-tech (and smokeless!)

Future tech takes all kinds of forms, and some of those forms are the kind that let you smoke without the guilt or the cancer!

I recently visited Thermo Essence Technologies, which is a Silicon Valley company that makes high-tech "vaporizers" for inhaling nicotine, medical marijuana, or other herbs. They're kind of like electronic cigarettes, but much more premium in terms of construction (and cost). They come in multiple varieties, and they both look cool and keep you from getting cancer, no matter what you're smoking.

The vaporizers use a (rechargeable) battery-powered kiln to conduct super-heated … Read more

Steve Jobs revealed blackmail fears, drug use in DOD document

Steve Jobs was forced to divulge several details about his life when he was seeking Top Secret security clearance in 1988.

The details were made public today in a questionnaire that Jobs had to fill out at the time for the Department of Defense, which was recently obtained by Wired through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Responding to a question on how he might be susceptible to blackmail, Jobs revealed that he had an illegitimate daughter and was concerned that he could be blackmailed if someone were to kidnap her. But a person at the DOD apparently wasn't … Read more