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 alakona
I threw my slippers at the beast
 
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 14,795
Loc: ville.
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 Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!)  [Re: World Spirit]
#4208470 - 05/22/05 10:41 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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i want an interviewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
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making you want to be a better person since 2008.
TrippinTeddy said:
sometimes when I'm raping a bitch, I like to tickle her ribs and under neath her arms, and I say "loosen up bitch, lets have fun now because if I have to kill your squirming ass, only one of us will be having fun, and you can't have a party all by yourself can you?" Then its usually all laughs and good times from there.
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 Workman
Psilocybe Microscopist
Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,566
Loc: Washington, USA
Last seen: 4 years, 4 months
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: alakona]
#6719771 - 03/28/07 11:11 AM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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Whoa, I totally forgot about this. Give me a day or so. How embarrassing.
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Research funded by the patrons of
The Spore Works
Exotic Spore Supply
Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification  
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Liz
Owl Lady
Registered: 11/16/04
Posts: 6,962
Loc: Massachusetts
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: Workman]
#6719776 - 03/28/07 11:13 AM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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I think since it's been 711 days, 1 more isn't going to hurt anyone 
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Remember, remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
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OneMoreRobot3021
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 61,018
Loc: the sky
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: Liz]
#6719784 - 03/28/07 11:15 AM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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Acid doesn't give you truths; it builds machines that push the envelope of perception. Whatever revelations came to me then have dissolved like skywriting. All I really know is that those few years saddled me with a faith in the redemptive potential of the imagination which, however flat, stale and unprofitable the world seems to me now, I cannot for the life of me shake.
-Erik Davis
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WhiskeyClone
Not here
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 16,503
Loc: Longitudinal Center of Ca...
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Hey where the F has Enter been?
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Welcome evermore to gods and men is the self-helping man. For him all doors are flung wide: him all tongues greet, all honors crown, all eyes follow with desire. Our love goes out to him and embraces him, because he did not need it.
~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
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Workman
Psilocybe Microscopist
Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,566
Loc: Washington, USA
Last seen: 4 years, 4 months
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: Workman]
#6720321 - 03/28/07 01:33 PM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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Workman dressed in a button down shirt, jeans, and muddy boots walks in the somewhat dark yet sunlit crown of this enormous statue. Enter is waiting. The sunglasses are on.
Workman: Hello?
Enter: The name's Mike. Nice to finally meet you in person.
Workman: The pleasure is mine. I must apologize for being so late. How long has it been now? Two years since you set up this interview?
Enter: So, tell me first off how you're doing and how everything's holding up on your end these days.
Workman: Things are going pretty well for me these days. Business is good and research is progressing at a slow but satisfactory rate. I always seem to be on the verge of something exciting.
Enter: So let's do the background thing. In whatever way's comfortable for you, tell me a bit about yourself. Let's get to know the real you.
Workman: Ok, well I really like to keep a low profile, but I can tell you a few general things. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and have picked edible mushrooms since I was fairly young. I have always been interested in foraging, so picking and identifying mushrooms came naturally in the mushroom rich PNW climate. I have a degree in biology. I am married with kids. Something that seems to astound most people is that I have never eaten a hallucinogenic mushroom that I have grown.
Enter: How did you originally get started with mushrooms? Who was the first person to introduce you to this fine field of mycology?
Workman: A college friend showed me how to pick liberty caps (Psilocybe semilanceata) and after that I read every bit of information I could find about Psilocybin mushrooms (pre-internet). Students were paying around $10 a gram for the liberty cap mushrooms. And a kit at a local headshop that claimed you could grow cubensis mushrooms which was close enough. I was going to get rich! I bought the kit, an original Homestead Kit with agar and petri dishes for $75. But since I didn't have experience I didn't get very far. I was able to do the agar and grain part easily, but the actual mushroom fruiting pretty much escaped me. Everything I read at the time said I needed compost and when I tried using store bought compost, it failed. One time even filling my room with flies. I manage to grow only one lousy cubensis mushroom before I graduated. So much for my get rich quick scheme. It was probably for the best as I probably would have been busted if I was able to grow significant amounts. I wouldn't even consider selling a mushroom today.
Enter: Let's talk about priorities. I'm guessing you're a pretty passionate but somewhat mellow indiviual, although I may stand corrected. You co-run a very excellent organization (sporeworks.com) and I assume you have other business & personal pursuits as well. In the end, how does the mycological side fit in with everything else priority-wise?
Workman: Very mellow. Mycology pays the bills, but I enjoy gardening, plant breeding and I dabble in aquaculture. There are so many projects that I want to do that I often find myself getting diverted away from my mycology experiments. There is never enough time to do everything. I have a thick binder of projects I want to attempt some day. I am fortunate that my mycology work is funded by the Sporeworks.com since some of the equipment is quite expensive.
Enter: You've had the blessed opportunity of growing some very unusual/exotic species in the past. (Btw - your camera photos are absolutely amazing and I don't care what anyone else says). Tell me about the different species you've grown and kinda take us to school for a few minutes. Please - take your time, kind sir! Make History.
Workman: There are so many that it would be difficult to list them all in detail. I'll just touch on some of my most exciting recent and current work. I rarely grow cubensis these days, but I am now doing a bit of breeding with cubensis. You may be aware of last years cross between PF Albino and Penis Envy strains that ultimately resulted in a White Penis mushroom. I have come to the conclusion that all of the PF strains (PF Classic, Albino and Redspore) are infected with a virus that causes mutations and degeneration of cultures. I suspect this is what lead to the ultimate failure of the White Penis mushroom, but hope is not lost. I am now experimenting with a modified Agaricus protocol for the thermal inactivation of virus particles in cubensis. If it works it should revive the White Penis and reinvigorate the other PF strains. Each trial takes months for results so it will be some time before I will know if this technique will work at all. A confounding issue is I can't directly view the virus particles and must infer their existence from the appearance of the mushrooms. Without an electron microscope, I will never be able to prove that the virus existed and if it was eliminated. But if the mushrooms look and grow better I can be satisfied with that.
Other projects include the cultivation of psilocybian species that are not in the Psilocybe genus. I have had success with Weraroa and Gymnopilus and I am working with Conocybe and Pluteus. I also have a few possibly undescribed species that are potentially psilocybin such as a Panaeolopsis, Hypholoma and a secotioid Conocybe-like mushroom. Not to mention the large number of new Psilocybes accumulating in my cold storage.
Experimentally, it would be very useful to be able to directly measure the amounts of psilocybin and psilocin in mushrooms to determine potency. I have penciled out a protocol that should work but I don't have the time to test the method yet. With potency information a whole new binder of experimental possibilities unfolds such as breeding for potency and the proof that some strains truly are more potent than others.
Enter: What was your first mushroom experience like in detail?
Workman: In the mid 80's I was first exposed to liberty caps in college. I was shown a field where the owner charged $5 a head to pick on his land. There were tons of liberty caps and we picked until our backs felt like they were breaking. After getting back, we set about drying the massive amounts of mushrooms. I was told the proper dosage was about 30 mushrooms. This was about to be my first mushroom trip and I didn't want to be around anyone for my test drive. I hid in my room and counted out 30 mushrooms. They tasted horrible and I still gag when I smell them. After about 20 minutes I could feel the giddy come on of the mushrooms. It felt great and I wanted to experience this feeling even more. This is where things went a bit awry. I went to my stash and grabbed a large wad of the dried mushrooms and crammed then into my mouth. Big mistake. More is definately not better with shrooms. I agonized for hours as I felt my mind fracture into several pieces, each with its own primary emotion fighting for dominance. I felt happy, then sad, then angry, then hopeless back to elated, on and on flashing between states. I felt I understood what it must be like to be truly crazy. When I looked in the mirror I was barely able to recognize myself. It wasn't fun at all. Anyway, that was enough for me. After I recovered, I couldn't even look at the rest of the mushrooms. I gave them all away as quickly as I could and I wouldn't trip again for a long, long time.
Enter: How should humanity allow mushrooms to further bless us? Where should we let them lead us? What of the destination of humanity at large?
Workman: Geez, I dunno. I never think of mushrooms in these terms. I am just into the science. Most legitimate scientists shy away from Psilocybin mushrooms so there is very little published work available. This makes the field wide open for research and even a casual experimenter can make real contributions. It is perfect for me since I don't have to rely on being published to survive and just about everything I do is brand new.
Enter: Let's talk about outdoor beds specifically. Say I have a few gentle buddies with houses and duplexes and they each have a little fenced in garden area. How can they determine what species to grow and the most effective way to keep it a perennial (more or less eternal) mushroom patch?
Workman: The first thing to do is find out what species naturally grow in your area and try to get specimens found locally. These should be the best adapted mushrooms for your area. If thats not possible then the next best thing is to purchase or trade for those species even if they grew somewhere else. If no mushrooms grow in your area, then the environment is probably wrong and will need to be altered. Dry climates will need to install misters or soaker hoses to raise humidity, etc. If you have a rainy season, look at the temperatures during that time. Warm temperatures are best for subtropical species (cubensis, weilii, copelandia) and cooler temperatures are better for temperate species (azurescens, semilanceata, etc.). For a perennial bed, the woodlovers are best. Dung loving mushrooms like cubensis and copelandia are more ephemeral and require periodically replenishing the bed with fresh spawn. The most popular bed for those in temperate climates with a cool rainy period is Psilocybe azurescens. It is large, potent and fairly adaptable. I'd recommend Psilocybe weilii for subtropical areas.
Enter: For you personally, what is the most beautiful place to find one's self walking in?
Workman: The deep old growth forest or a rocky beach filled with life.
Enter: Love is....
Workman: The willingness to sacrifice everything for those you care the most for.
Enter: Hope is...
Workman: The knowledge that after any tragedy or setback, things will get better as time passes
Enter: Who do you love?
Workman: I love my family, especially my lovely wife and kids.
Enter: Why love 'em?
Workman: I just can't help myself.
Enter: God is...
Workman: Indifferent
Enter: Enter is...
Workman: Gracious and patient beyond reason.
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Research funded by the patrons of
The Spore Works
Exotic Spore Supply
Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification
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shriek
*********
Registered: 12/13/03
Posts: 3,274
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: Workman]
#6720356 - 03/28/07 01:47 PM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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better late than never
nice interview tho
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DirtMcgirt
in a pinch
Registered: 10/20/04
Posts: 2,213
Loc: city of angels
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: shriek]
#6720382 - 03/28/07 01:54 PM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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wow, I remember these old interview threads, somebody should pick them back up
Yeah, good responses Workman. I think everybody goes through that "I'll grow a ton of mushrooms and make bank!" phase when they first try growing
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"And we, inhabitants of the great coral of the Cosmos, believe the atom (which still we cannot see) to be full matter, whereas, it too, like everything else, is but an embroidery of voids in the Void, and we give the name of being, dense and even eternal, to that dance of inconsistencies, that infinite extension that is identified with absolute Nothingness and that spins from its own non-being the illusion of everything."
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vinsue
Grand Old Fart
Registered: 02/17/04
Posts: 17,953
Loc: The Garden State(NJ) 
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 Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: Workman]
#6720503 - 03/28/07 02:30 PM (16 years, 6 days ago) |
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"All mushrooms are edible; but some only once." Croatian proverb. BTW ...
Have You Rated Ythans Mom Yet ?? ...  ... HERE'S HOW ... (be nice) .  ... 
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World Spirit
PNW
Registered: 07/27/01
Posts: 9,817
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Re: An Exclusive Interview w/Workman (!) [Re: Workman]
#6969395 - 05/26/07 12:35 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Hey guys. Haven't been around. Really really busy. Good interview, Workman. Keep up the work.
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