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	Phil's Blogservations Tuesday, February 17, 2004 Posted by philgomes 7:03 PM Eating, Sleeping... Mere Luxuries... Eating, Sleeping... Mere Luxuries... A long time ago, back in my pre-permalink days, I blogged an article about an awareness drug called "Provigil" that, rather than supply stimulants, reduced the chemicals in the brain that tell your body it's time to sleep. I wondered (feared?) that the PR industry and other professions might get a hold of this drug and make its consumption an unwritten, compulsory condition of employment. This research began with the U.S. government and, after all, lots of government research eventually finds its way into civilian hands — like the Internet. Noah Shachtman, host of the excellent Defense Tech blog, has an article that extends this theme: According to the government, why should people have to eat either? From the article: Soldiers' moms will no doubt be horrified. But the Pentagon is looking into ways for GIs to fight for up to five days — without eating a single meal. During a mission, soldiers in the field typically don't have the time, or the inclination, to chow down. That lack of food can affect their battlefield performance. So Darpa, the U.S. military's far-out research arm, wants scientists to figure out if soldiers can operate at top levels — without lunch breaks. "The question is: 'Are there temporary biochemical approaches we can use to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of soldiers when they're already worked to exhaustion?'" said a Darpa life sciences consultant, who asked not to be named. Frightening... I'm not sure I'd want to be named either! Again, it's not at all inconceivable that these sleep- and food-substitutes could percolate down to the private sector within several years. Is eight hours of sleep preventing you from achieving maximum productivity? Take Provigil! Is eating at your desk providing an undue distraction? Well, then, there's going to be something for that too! It's not as way-out as one might think. People take prescription psychoactive drugs to essentially create a "designer personality" for themselves as much as to remedy severe maladies. (Do you remember the marketing behind the Paxil ads?) Creating a "designer physiology" can't be too far behind. | HOME | OBSESSIONS | FAQ | HEROES | CAREER | BLOG | CONTACT Note that the views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of Phil's employer, its business partners, its clients, or anyone or anything that doesn't come from Phil's demented imagination. Hell, to be perfectly honest, even Phil disagrees with what he thinks sometimes. This site has virtually no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Clicking on a link doesn't automatically send a 1/2-cent donation to UNICEF. You can't buy, sell, auction, swap, find a date, win friends, influence people, cross the chasm, or decode the human genome using this site. You won't get free email. You won't win a free video game console. This site will not end world hunger, foster peace in the Middle East, help you smell better, teach you how to swing dance, or move the global economy from petroleum to hydrogen fuels. You'll learn a lot about this site's master, though, which amounts to a haphazard collection of strange and useless facts that pretty much won't help you at all.	ABOUT THIS BLOG This is the blog of Phil Gomes, SVP with Edelman Digital and senior advisor to the Society for New Communications Research. This blog not only discusses PR and media matters, but Phil's everyday observations about a variety of topics. Phil currently resides in Chicago, IL. EMAIL phil[at] philgomes.com View my page on PROpenMic SYNDICATE Feedburner ARCHIVE YAHOO! IM SKYPE WISH LIST PITCH POLICY MY PHOTOS www.flickr.com Photostream RSS Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz COMMENT AND TRACKBACK POLICY Comments and trackbacks are unmoderated, though I will delete the patently offensive ones. Any comments and trackbacks are the opinions of the individual writer of those comments and trackbacks, and not those of Phil Gomes, his employer, its clients, or its business partners. If you have a bone to pick, bug the people who wrote the comment or trackback.