Comment by peter_d_sherman | Hacker News Reader

Comment by peter_d_sherman | Hacker News Reader

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peter_d_sherman

On the one hand, like the article says, quitting caffeine can have its benefits...

But on the other, I would (comedically! <g>) argue that

Caffeine is the most beautiful substance known to Man!!!

I mean, think about all of the benefits!:

The Police can't pull you over for drinking too much caffeine, the FBI can't arrest you for trafficking caffeine (you know, moving caffeine across state lines; that old Commerce Clause thing of the Constitution!), there's no "caffeine crisis" in the U.S. (like the opioid crisis), etc., etc.

On the flip side, I suppose it could be argued that the U.S., while energy-independent(!) -- is not exactly "caffeine-independent"; that is, we still rely on foreign nations for a huge portion of our coffee supply... you know, that whole Juan Valdez (not that he isn't a great guy or anything like that!) thing! <g>

Also, Eric Clapton hasn't written any really great songs about caffeine! <g>

Disclaimer: I do not work for Starbucks, or any other coffee company, or anything like that! <g>

(Also, I can just picture a "coffee famine" in the U.S. -- people knocking at the doors of Starbucks, offering to pay $20 a cup for coffee or more; but there's no coffee to sell! It wouldn't be pretty!

...But thank God that's not the case! <g>)

For my understanding, what does the <g> in your comment mean?

I believe it is <grin>. It isn't common now, but I used to see it on BBSes.

Dang, you're right. That's a throwback to like 1990.

Seconded, it’s not https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/SVG/Element/g is it?

I believe he's alluding to the situation with other drugs.

Also... you know, if it weren't for caffeine (mostly delivered via coffee!):

at least half of the work that America does on a daily basis -- wouldn't get done!

Which makes coffee/caffiene -- a vital National Security asset; a vital National Security interest! <g>

You know, vital for the defense of America!!! <g>

Like, if we're ever in a war -- if the enemy takes out our coffee supplies (and/or coffee supply lines!), then they've taken out at least half of the work that all of us do on a daily basis!

Like, if an enemy deprived the Pentagon of its coffee during a war or other time of national crisis -- then the Pentagon would only be working at half efficiency! <g>

And we can't have no half-efficient Pentagon! <g>

That's why the military -- should be used to protect all coffee assets, foreign and domestic! <g>

I mean, National Security is at stake! <g>

Disclaimer: All of the above was said for comedy purposes, and comedy purposes only! I hope you laughed, but if you didn't, then know that I meant absolutely no offense to anyone who works in the above establishments! And, we appreciate your service!

> there's no "caffeine crisis"

On a less humorous side node, I remember having read there are scientific concerns about large-scale pollution caused by mankind high usage of caffeine: ground-water contamination, bioaccumulation in water organisms, detrimental effects on aquatic or terrestrial organisms like insects, or molluscs

eg from the abstract of https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125343 :

> (...) definitive evidences have been provided that environmentally relevant caffeine concentrations exert adverse impacts on aquatic species and terrestrial insects, which included lethality, decreasing general stress, inducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, affecting energy reserves and metabolic activity, neurotoxic effects, affecting reproduction and development, etc.

You’re in jest, but historically the sale, possession and use of coffee has been illegal in many countries.

Don't give them ideas :D

haha.. yeah can't argue with that.

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