Pfff books innit. Maybe a cat or two. But mostly books. Dictionaries won't collect themselves
Autistic fan of autistic people. LGBTQ+ ally because obviously. Routine goblin. She/her. Sweary, sorry. Lecturer (UK), researcher in language development, psycholinguistics, autism. ♾️🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
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Pfff books innit. Maybe a cat or two. But mostly books. Dictionaries won't collect themselves
Fucking hell... PUZZ
Weird that Microsoft copilot is so amazing and a paradigm shift etc etc that they're advertising it halfway through the dreadful true crime thing I'm watching on netflix
I am deeply sorry for your struggles and also let it be known that I will be inspecting your books for quite some time and also I've got a plant like that 👍👍👍
Reform Conference Diary 07:00 - Wake at Crowne Plaza hotel, Birmingham. Everybody is reeling following Nadine’s defection. I scroll the Reform Group Whatsapp chat but she hasn’t been added yet. Instead, Lee Anderson is accusing Zia Yusuf’s cat of being woke because it has ‘leftist fur patterns.’
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity. 1/n
Our regular reminder that the main cause of lovely autistic children is lovely autistic parents having a baby. And our reminder that e.g. autistic people have more pain conditions, so may be more likely to take paracetamol during pregnancy. Such pills are not the 'cause' of the autistic baby, USA.
Heavy sigh. It's obviously and categorically not conscious, and won't be, and confected worries about consciousness are just another round of hype. There's a paper coming out soonish (not mine) about this and I shall post it with much vim
My brain is a shiny, excellent, pointy arrow of focus, interestingness and much, much joy and I am very sorry for all of the people who might be at risk of having a similar one
Yes. We're lucky where I live to have Labour MPs who are human beings who care about other human beings. Doesn't seem to be the case elsewhere.
This is what hurts me so much about those who refuse to be vaccinated on personal choice: my safety depends upon collective vaccination. As an immunocompromised patient, I get far less from a vaccine than regular folk. Hence, I need all others to be immunized to stop the viral spread reaching me.
I've got loads spare if you want some
It's fucking great over there except that because my dad has 10 first cousins I now have an insane overproliferation of tiny cousins and I have no idea what they're all called or who they belong to and that's just awkward for an English-born semi-Irish person
Frank's shop is amazing. His wife Eileen knows I don't speak a speck of Irish, has known me since I was a baby but always talks to me in Irish. Which means I always have to have a 20 euro note when I want to buy anything just in case
He asked Frank down the shop in the village (dad lives up the hill) if he had any paper copies, and Frank actually effing found it, which means he must have looked through the last few days' editions, and now Dad is going to scan it and send it to me.
There was an article in the Irish Times about "AI" in academia that I'd like to read and potentially set as reading for my students, but it's behind a paywall. I asked my dad, who lives in Co Cork, if on the off chance he had access. Turns out no but [v Irish thing incoming]...
Although my other half has just found some weevil stencils and a website devoted to weevils so there is hope
I have so far been an uninformed admirer but I've just googled them and the UK hates weevils it seems 😢
🪲 Weevils! The UK boasts 600+ species, almost as many as birds! Join us on 13 Oct (7–8pm) for an entoLIVE with @markgurn.bsky.social to explore their ecology, habitats & quirky plant preferences. It is FREE!!! Don’t miss it! 🧪 🌎 🔗 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1491232379...
I inexplicably love them but know nothing about them. I am absolutely signing up to this event
I LOVE weevils. If you find a weevil in your house you are blessed. If one lands on you you can teleport. If you save a weevil from eg a hoover you are King of the Weevils and your weevil friends will help you with your boring admin task forever more. Weevils are the best.
He’s blocked me to avoid the mass block. Most people will assume they have already blocked him. But you probably haven’t.
Mitchell and Webb in half an hour and I'm a bit scared to watch it
Counterpoint: every plane should have one resident autistic comedian (preferably the pilot)
Charles/Professor Charles Cardigan/The Professor/Sir Cardigan/The Weirdo/Stick Insect/Tabitha/The Lizard/Lizard King/Peace Frog/Chaz//The Prof/Professor Chaz/Chazza/Charity Shop/Oxfam Books & Music.
Daphne, Daph, Long Daphne, Mrs Magoo, Miggins, the Maoist, Gary, Player Number Three, Fat Lad, Daphsticles
This might be important to some people
Lads - the freelancer applications so far are sooooooo strong! The more Patreon subscribers we have before applications close on the 14th, the more hilarious writers we can take home from the writing sanctuary. If you were thinking about signing up, now is a great time to do it!
Very much this. COVID is still very much out there. I had it just a few weeks ago (thankfully mild as I also paid for one privately end of May)
Labour should be fighting this dangerous reversal of rights, not signing it off. I wrote to the Women and Equalities Minister last week urging her to reject guidance like this. bsky.app/profile/nadi...
I regret to inform those for whom this was a source of whimsy and fun that Warwick appears to have de-branded. Beyond is... beyonded
It does depend on the disability it think. I'm autistic so I used to get it on the NHS but magically I'm not vulnerable any more because of things and stuff
If I offered a zoom presentation on my concepts around self-identification (for like $25?) followed by an AMA (ask me anything) with questions in the chat...would folks be interested in that? 👀
“Farage claimed last year to have “bought a house” in his constituency but the property is actually owned in the name of his partner, meaning he legally avoided higher-rate stamp duty on the purchase of an additional home – given he already owns other properties” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Absolutely love this
I am so, so sorry this is happening. Solidarity forever and I hope you're managing to get some time away from it all xx
Dear autistics, Sunday 7 September 2025 at 3pm, the government will carry out a national test of the Emergency Alerts system. Most mobile phones/tablets in the UK will receive a test message, accompanied by a loud siren sound/vibration that will last for about 10 seconds. You can turn this off.
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Basically everything in the AI bit of the Ideas Lab report!
I do wish they’d let us choose whether to have it. Covid itself always lays me low - and we asthmatics know very well how our asthma is affected by respiratory viruses. I’d rather have an annual booster than run the gauntlet of Covid infection.
I can't get my booster this year on the NHS, when previously I could. I’m in a position of privilege in being able to pay for it privately but so many disabled people aren’t. Another additional “tax” on being disabled and vulnerable.
The ERHC's draft guidance, if enacted, would be by far the most draconian "bathroom bill" in the western world. By far. It's a human rights outrage. No more and no less.
Collated resources about Autistic Burnout: autisticrealms.com/resources/bu...
Ooooof
So much natural light! Yeah I would never leave. Sorry. I'm your doorstop now..
Last time I had covid was about 5 weeks after my then-NHS jab. It was horrible, which makes me wonder what it would have been like if I'd not had the booster. I've paid the last two times because autism doesn't count now apparently. Bullshit innit. Do rest up as much as you can both of you ♥️
Noooo I'm sorry. Autistics too. Absolutely stupid load of old shit. Hope you can rest a lot and that you and your missus recover quickly.
Yes I'm sure, and the work is so appreciated. Thank you! I've felt a bit more optimistic since the change in VC. But I feel like there's poor advice being given by High Ups, especially around "AI".
"legacy". my current research that has had the most (international) interest (99% credit to @alissaferry.bsky.social importantly) builds on stuff from the 70s and 80s
I am (not) looking forward to the 2035 Town Hall next week. All the sparkly optimism is really hard to reconcile with living in Lancaster and half of your friends working at the university.
My adoptive home ❤️
Hobbit inequality
It'll just mean a lot of people don't study, won't it. Especially mature students
My Etsy shop's now open for my 5 sets of greetings cards:spring,summer,autumn,nature/botanical collections & tiny posies.I post to the US now too I create each of my photos using recent neuroscientific research-looking at them shifts your brain away from fight or flight: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/silv...
Updated: A signposting resource to support Autistic people experiencing menopause/ perimenopause. autisticrealms.com/autistic-men...
🌟 New systematic review published today: Autism & the menopause 🌟 Published in @autisminadulthood.bsky.social - www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/... Full text: www.researchgate.net/publication/... Summary @theconversation.com - theconversation.com/why-menopaus...
Question for those defending Linehan, as "it was a social media post". Would you, genuinely, say the same thing if: A) he said to punch women, which btw this incitement would lead to or B) said it in person, rather than to more than 600 thousand people, some of whom he has to know would act on it.
Mike! CONGRATULATIONS!
I cansend parcels to the US again so at 8pm this eve my Etsy shop will open with my new seasonal collections of greetings cards. I create my photos using recent neuroscientific research- looking at themmoves your thoughts away from fight or flight:they're affordable art www.etsy.com/uk/shop/silv...
I’m providing diagnostic evaluations for folks 16+ in NH, MA, CT & NY who may be Autistic. My process involves a robust informed consent discussion so that people can decide what’s right for them w/o any commitment. I’m strict to DSM-V-TR because that’s my duty, & so not all my clients are diagnosed
Define "things"
How are they going to measure "doing things really well"?
TL;DR - educational neuroscience is fascinating & important, but there's still a big gap between the brain's physical structure and how cognition functions. Be wary of overly simplistic "the brain lights up during this cognitive process, so we should teach this way" recommendations and explanations.
I’ve made mistakes in my life, but this morning some colleagues got a newsletter from their malpractice insurance and someone had the brilliant idea of titling the email “Violation of Ethics Code - Notification of Licensing Board” 🤣🤣🤣
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRERRRRRGGGGGFGGGGHHHHHH
Things will continue getting worse until the UK gets its act together and sends Half Man Half Biscuit to represent us at Eurovision.
Just for a second, take a step back, and remember that these are the actions of a 56 year old man towards a 17 year old girl.
We're recruiting the last few people with Parkinson’s to our study. We're looking for people not experiencing difficulties with impulsive behaviour. www.parkinsons.org.uk/research/und...
He's getting together a group of academics to talk about this. If you email him he'll add you 👍
Surely this is massively underestimating young people. They take their degrees seriously. They want lectures, reading and thinking. At least that's what my student feedback suggests.
Where's the shortlist for most redundancies?
The response to this piece has been incredible. Huge thanks to all the translators and localizers who shared their stories. I'm now planning the next two editions: First, if you're a healthcare worker—a nurse, therapist, tech, admin, doctor—and AI has impacted your job, I'd love to hear from you.
"These are totally unacceptable tweets... I think it was proportionate to arrest him." Zack Polanski, Green Party Leader, on the arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan at Heathrow airport on Monday. #Newsnight
Yeah, I'm not convinced the UCAS system is really fit for purpose
Clearly I checked your bio *after* I replied 😂🤦♀️
No correlation. One LLM doing better on a benchmark than another may still mean it gets more things wrong outside the benchmark. There's no way to calculate the real world accuracy of an LLM, it would be exhaustive testing with no ground truth to check against for nearly all inputs.
Yep the benchmarks bear very little relation to any kind of actual real-world use. Bit like in psychology where lab experiments only tell us so much and what happens in the messy, noisy world is a totally different thing
*a good exercise
Apart from anything else it's a good experience in thinking and structuring. If students can't write their own personal statements they're going to struggle
NO you are excellent, and hopefully that approach stays with him
That'll have been noted and appreciated at the time. Good for her! Academics genuinely love to hear students' actual voices. And a bit of guidance is fine - that's what they get at university after all. But yes, completely agree. Especially as I teach on a Speech and Language Therapy degree!
I assume most of them are written by parents but even that's better. We're thinking of going back to interviewing applicants. Huge amount of extra work but probably saves time in the long run and it's much fairer on students. On our programme if you're not a good fit it can lead to dropping out.
Arrrrghhh I have work to do tomorrow 😂
Episode 8 of Neurocracy going out today It's a fun one
The child of someone I know was told to do their UCAS statement using chatGPT. As someone who reads UCAS statements and makes admissions decisions, for me this will be bad for the applicant. I wouldn't reject outright but it's difficult to know whether to accept with nothing real to read.
You see what we do is we open up to the general public, despite having like a dozen friends who could do this job beautifully in our immediate circles already. We then endure weeks of abuse, emotional blackmail & bizarre threats - all with the goal of stealing irrelevant material.
We should be rolling out the red carpet for international students, instead Labour is attacking them. UCU’s @dyfrigjones.bsky.social on BBC 5Live.
I give it a week before Graham Linehan claims he's autistic
🤣
Oh lordy, my sympathies. You’ll get copilot soon too I imagine, you lucky duck
I am in a meeting with a man who doesn't know what Sharepoint is and I want to live in his world with all my heart
This Home Office communication is a terrible kick in the teeth to students who literally prop up large parts of the HE sector - effectively cross subsidising home undergrad students. This seems not to be understood by Gvt or the wider public.
This is completely unacceptable intimidation. Every visa holder is already nervous about their visa, every university. is already draconian about visa compliance. This is just harming students to score headline points with the far right. Stop playing games with our students.
And if you didn't know, "trans-identified male" is the transphobes' preferred dog-whistle for trans woman. Linehan is repeating the current mantra, that simply being trans in public amounts to violence and abuse. I'm not making this up; it reflects the thinking of the people at e.g. Sex Matters.
Precisely this. Other considerations aside, international students are a huge export earner for the UK economy, so this is just self-sabotage and will make the country poorer - with the effects felt worst in places that are already suffering. The madness of xenophobia.
Trans people have been around your whole life. You’ve been sharing bathrooms with them your whole life. They’ve been in your communities your whole life. They’ve even been playing sport your whole life. And you didn’t care *at all* till a few years ago when every right wing org decided you should
This is where my understanding runs out (don't know if they're trained on a particular dataset) but if the input is biased so is the output. And as an autistic person with knowledge of the autism literature I wouldn't touch an LLM-based tool with a barge pole
I know a fair bit about these things but she and Iris are much more expert than me