THE FINE PRINT
Terms & Conditions
A field guide, not a doctor.
By using this site, you agree to the terms below. Most of them are short, and all of them are written in plain English. If something here doesn’t make sense, ask.
Last updated 13 November 2026.
The condensed version
- Educational content, not medical advice.
- Read critically and make your own calls.
- The evidence changes, and so does the manual.
- Share with credit and a link back.
1. What this site is
The Human Operating Manual is an educational resource that consolidates published research and literature about how the human body and mind work. It is a living document. Sections are written, revised and occasionally retired as the evidence changes.
The manual is written and maintained by Jay Downes in Aotearoa New Zealand. “I”, “me” and “my” on this page refer to me. “You” means anyone reading or using the site.
2. It isn’t medical advice
Nothing on this site is medical, psychological, nutritional or other professional advice, and none of it replaces a qualified practitioner who can assess you in person. The manual can explain how a system tends to work. It can’t examine yours.
Talk to a doctor or another registered health professional before you change a medication, start a new treatment, or act on anything here if you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are under 18. Don’t ignore professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you read here.
If you need help now: in an emergency, call 111 in New Zealand or your local emergency number. In New Zealand you can free call or text 1737 any time to talk to a trained counsellor. Outside New Zealand, findahelpline.com lists free support services by country.
3. Your judgement comes first
The point of the manual is to help you understand your own system well enough to make better decisions about it. Read it critically, check the sources, and weigh what you find against your own body and circumstances. The decisions you make with this information, and their outcomes, are yours.
4. Accuracy and updates
I try to represent the evidence fairly and to say plainly where it is mixed, weak or contested. Even so, research moves, summaries simplify and mistakes happen. The content is provided as it stands, with no guarantee that it is complete, current or free of errors.
If you spot something wrong, out of date or badly explained, please tell me. Corrections are part of how this works.
5. Field Notes and other people’s work
Field Notes are personal summaries of books, podcasts and other resources, written to explore ideas. They reflect my reading of the material, which may not match the author’s intent, and they are no substitute for the original. Read the source yourself where you can.
Links to other websites are there for convenience. I don’t control those sites and I’m not responsible for their content, accuracy or privacy practices.
6. Sharing and reusing the content
Unless a page says otherwise, the original writing, diagrams and design on this site belong to Jay Downes. You’re welcome to quote short passages and share links for personal, educational or other non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit The Human Operating Manual and link back to the page you used.
Please ask first if you’d like to republish whole sections, use the content commercially, or use it to train or build a product. Quotes and material from other authors remain the property of their owners.
7. Using the site
Please don’t use the site for anything unlawful, try to break or overload it, or scrape it in a way that slows it down for everyone else. I may restrict access for anyone who does.
8. Your information
If you use the contact form, your name, email address and message are sent to me so I can reply. They aren’t sold, shared for marketing, or added to a mailing list.
The site uses Google Analytics to understand which pages are read. Analytics cookies are only set if you accept them in the cookie banner. Under New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020, you can ask to see or correct any personal information I hold about you.
9. Liability
To the extent the law allows, I’m not liable for any loss, injury or damage arising from your use of this site or your reliance on anything in it. Nothing in these terms limits any rights you have under New Zealand law that can’t be excluded.
10. Changes to these terms
These terms will change as the site does, in the same way as the rest of the manual. The date at the top of this page shows when they were last updated. If you keep using the site after a change, you’re accepting the updated version.
11. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand, and any dispute about them falls under the jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.
12. Questions
If anything here is unclear, get in touch.