Reads, runs, looks out for birds, teaches data analysis methods in Psychology at Lancaster University, researches individual differences in reading and language; he/him/his
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A little while ago, my parents' cat Bridget went missing. As the weeks dragged on, they became extremely worried. My dad devised a way to distract himself: he began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up in some of art and music's most iconic scenes.
I finally tried out {priorsense}📦 with #Stan #rstats and it's awesome! Fed it a simple model I use for teaching, and found some (minor) prior-data conflicts. The powerscale_plot_dens() function really helps in understanding how "bad" the conflict is.
Another early wake up call so that I could enjoy the glassy lake. This is my view paddling out of the marina.
Need to backup your Qualtrics? I needed this urgently given a revocation of my Qualtrics account with my former affiliation. Found William Ryan's R code, but it didn't work for me, so I made some tweaks, and it works now. Hope it's helpful to others: github.com/giladfeldman...
For ~3yrs years I haven't had access to most of my 📚. We bought a 🏡 with the assumption that I'd have a nice campus office like those I saw during my recruitment visits. That never happened. So, now I'm rediscovering, cataloguing, + boxing books *again* in prep for another move — back home.
The intricately-carved stone latticework of ‘The Tree of Life’ in the window of 16th-century Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Ahmedabad, India, named after the Ethiopian nobleman (& ex-slave) who commissioned it
Have to admit that @donmoyn.bsky.social's essential newsletter is the first place I read Demetre Daskalakis's resignation letter in full, which is how I finally saw that he calls out the Trump admin's anti-trans, anti-queer, anti-equity ideology open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
What happened before, during, and after a hurricane, flood, and lies and racist violence hit Katrina should be remembered accurately, even though it was narrated with wild, destructive inaccuracy at the time, by government officials and mainstream media. Wrote about it here, five years after:
Also check out this piece by @shannonmattern.bsky.social on maintenance: placesjournal.org/article/main...
I found this abstract I submitted (unsuccessfully) to a session on "cultural evolution in the digital age" for the first CES meeting in 2017. It's aged horribly well. Anyway, this is the kind of shit I'm increasingly trying to work on now.
some recent work! shelby.cool/array-of-arr...
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life? Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social) Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf... Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
This looks great! Really clearly written and nice plots: thanks for sharing
Gleitman L, Gleitman H, Shipley E (1972) The emergence of the child as grammarian. Cognition 1: 137–164. www.sas.upenn.edu/~gleitman/pa... p. 161
Random note: the term "metacognition" is typically attributed to John Flavell (1976). As I just found out, this is not true. It was likely first coined by Lila Gleitman et al (1972), as seen in this beautiful quote:
#ShareGoodNewsToo
We need to know what humans do before we argue that machines can do it just the same. There can’t be AI literacy without a literacy in being human: how we make meaning in work and life, distinguishing the artificial from the imaginary from the true. mail.cyberneticforests.com/human-litera...
Post a non-religious photo you think of as holy. Ok, so here's my non-family one. Or as close to it as I can find tonight b/c the one I'm actually thinking of is from back in ~2003. AND it faced forward, but the background/composition is nearly the same. via naturecanada.ca/news/archive...
societal collapse seems bad, right? but now a new group of historians are questioning that as they find, collapse may suck for the *elites* ... ... but the hoi polloi? After a collapse they get stronger, healthier item #3 in my "Linkfest" newsletter, free here: buttondown.com/clivethompso...
The SORTEE Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology doi.org/10.32942/X24...
20 years ago, the WHO published a pair of reports estimating the number of annual deaths attributable to climate change. I was fascinated to learn that there have been few attempts since to revisit this fundamental question about the impact of global warming on humanity -- until now. The story:
Sustainability by numbers update on the carbon footprint of ChatGPT and Gemini! I really appreciated that @hannahritchie.bsky.social is following the developments (and also distinguishes between individual-level impact vs. AI/data centers as a whole).
🚨1000 authoritarian actions. 7 months🚨 I've been tracking Trump's authoritarian actions. From dismantling democratic institutions to militarising immigration enforcement, Trump is reshaping America. In my new post I highlight key authoriarian attacks christinapagel.substack.com/p/grand-desi... 1/2
A devastating and thorough analysis of the damage done by Trump, RFKJ, Vought et al. Thanks to @anniewaldman.bsky.social @propublica.org for this work. Must read 👇 projects.propublica.org/federal-heal... #FireRFKJ
Now on CRAN, ggdiagram is a #ggplot2 extension that draws diagrams programmatically in #Rstats. Allows for precise control in how objects, labels, and equations are placed in relation to each other. wjschne.github.io/ggdiagram/ar...
🚀 gratia 0.11.0 is out! Now has a paper in JOSS — please cite 📄 doi.org/10.21105/jos... Experimental parallel processing ⚡ New assemble() for building plots 🎨 Better support for complex families + new diagnostics 🧪 Lots of bug fixes + polish ✨ 👉 gavinsimpson.github.io/gratia/ #Rstats
One of the ways I think through the challenge that's outlined in this thread is that faculty likely trust "themselves" to negotiate the product use of this technology for themselves. Our job now is to put students in that same place for themselves and what that looks like is highly context dependent
i'm also working on teaching myself calculus via textbooks right now and am always interested in further suggestions
{truffle} is an R package for teaching users to process data. Semi-realistic psychological datasets with predetermined effects (via `truffles_` functions) are then hidden in common data processing headaches (via `dirt_` functions) for students to clean and analyze. mmmdata.io/posts/2025/0...
I think maybe the not bee is a fly: Sericomyia Silentis, it’s the best match to the pictures in the Collins guide
Bees and not bees in the garden: bumble bees and (I think) a hover fly on Salvia and Angelica flowers #bees #flowers #cumbria
Looks like an excellent haul
easystats.github.io/see/referenc...
WashU is doing the opposite, knocking down the silos and setting up what I call the "buddy system." Humanities and STEM help eachother, so pair them together, the psychologists work with the engineers, the polisci folks with comp sci, marketing paired with public health, and more... 🧪
this is good. we can keep suggesting different principled intervals widths until there is no choice but to include them all
Our position paper is now out: "Learning Variability Network Exchange (LEVANTE): A Global Framework for Measuring Children's Learning Variability Through Collaborative Data Sharing". srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... (preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...) What is LEVANTE? 🧵
This looks really impressive!
California is so beautiful sometimes it makes me want to cry 💕 (All photos by me, taken in the last 3 weeks.)
I spoke with Kari Jordan and Erin Becker of The Carpentries about why they declined a $1.5M NSF grant intended to expand data science training. Their decision highlights the growing intersection of #science, #DEI, and federal policy. Read the full story on Forbes: www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...
Wow. Literally putting principles over money - courage almost no one has shown recently. Respect, @carpentries.carpentries.org
The "data" package Secretary Kennedy used to bolster his argument for discontinuing #BARDA funding for #mRNA research doesn't support his argument. @jakescottmd.bsky.social lays it out in a must read for @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2025/08/13/r...
I have a BA in music (classical voice) with a minor in philosophy, where I took logic, political philosophy, and legal philosophy. My PhD is in cognition and neuroscience w/an MA in stats, and now my work is applied stats. I am a better, more rounded scholar because of the humanities.
There's cuteness in numbers (sleepy resin bees 🖤)
Wow!
This resource list is so great! thanks @nrennie.bsky.social !! It is also open so if you want to add an #rstats blog or resource that you have found useful to Nicola's list you can create an issue or edit the resources.csv on github and submit a PR.
Reminder that all three books I've co-authored are freely available online for non-commercial use (and the fourth will be, too)
See also thread 🧵 and blogpost here bsky.app/profile/iris...
🚨Our paper `Reclaiming AI as a theoretical tool for cognitive science' is now forthcoming in the journal Computational Brain & Behaviour. (Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...) Below a thread summary 🧵1/n #metatheory #AGI #AIhype #cogsci #theoreticalpsych #criticalAIliteracy
🚨🎉 New paper "Ten quick tips to get you started with Bayesian statistics", hope you'll like it 😇🤗 ✍🏽 w/ Andy Royle, Marc Kéry and Chloé Nater 🔗 dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour... @plos.org @cnrsecologie.bsky.social @cnrsoccitanieest.bsky.social @umontpellier.bsky.social
Starting a new research project in the near future? There are several foundational data management practices that you can implement now that will set your project up for success! cghlewis.com/blog/project...
#BehaviouralScience is not always about nudging. The authors @susanmichie.bsky.social @robertjwest.bsky.social argue "tackling the challenges facing humanity requires a collective, capacity-building approach" that boosts competences, opportunities, & motivations for individuals to act together.
🚀Very excited to finally see our paper on nonsignificance misinterpretations published! 📈 Together, @smurphee.bsky.social, Aurelio Fernández, Linda Reimann and I investigated the prevalence of "p > .05 = absence of an effect" interpretations. (1/4) doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
This turtle on a skateboard has brought me great joy @gentlem.bsky.social @dynavox.bsky.social
my friends are the smartest, nicest, kindest people on this planet who dedicated their lives to helping people they don’t know. and someone tried to murder them in their offices where they sat because of anti-vaccine lies and hatred.
Butterflies: a Painted Lady and a Small White (I think) on the Verbena in the garden, a Peacock on the path, a Gatekeeper in the long grass near Mearness farm #cumbria #butterflies
🪬🧿 Edinburgh taken by Alfred G. Buckham. c1920 #edinburgh #scotland #castle #vintage
What we are witnessing is the most rapid take-up of a significant energy technology in history. adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
Workers tend to herbs grown beneath solar panels in a photovoltaic plantation in Lihua, Lianyungang, Jiangsu. An aerial view shows residential buildings with roof-mounted photovoltaic-solar panels in Yinchuan, Great photos of China's record smashing solar boom www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Original draft of syllabus is here - www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-politi... - still in need of a summary piece on the role of capital in shaping the AI economy
Incredibly instructive reporting on what appears well on its way to becoming the biggest, most concentrated, most energy- and resource-intensive, and most speculative wave of capital investment ever. ig.ft.com/ai-data-cent...
There’s plenty of eye popping numbers in this thread but this in the FT article really strikes: “When the base case is for 1,900 per cent revenue growth by 2028, isn’t it worth considering the risk of a shortfall?”
This article by Daniele Procida is great!
The crux of their argument is that if they're found liable, then the consequences of their own actions that no one forced them to take could ruin them and the rest of their industry that undertakes similar practices. To which I say motherfucker did you never hear about Napster
Likening PhD holders to a (non-functional) algorithm is a form of dehumanisation & anti-intellectualism that is a bellwether for contemporary fascism. Essentially it's a typical — if not the archetypal — first step towards fascism: to dehumanise, deskill, defund, and, ultimately, fire the academics.
I say this & I hate everybody who has a PhD mostly, primarily, & importantly: myself, BUT — lemme tell you! — killing us off is taking the cake. Let us live. We do pointless & useful stuff for a reason, knowledge production is valuable inherently. Without us: fascism. Give us a chance. 🥰
A lot of small birds take a bit of time splashing in shallow water when they bath. Not swallows. This barn swallow flew directly into the marsh at Mach 5, completely submerged for a second, and then exploded out in a shower of water drops to continue on its way! #Birds #photography #wildlife 🪶
Looks really interesting, thanks for sharing! @richarddmorey.bsky.social
Uninformed, cynical and supine: The utter futility of our press gaggles. My latest via @columjournreview.bsky.social www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
I'm going to finish this manuscript by the end of the week, I told myself
I recently switched to Quarto CVs using the fantastic templates by @schochastics.net 👌 github.com/schochastics...
Announcing a new blog series on LLMs from @veerle.hypebright.nl! Part 1: "What LLMs Actually Do (and What They Don't)" breaks down complex concepts like transformers, hallucinations, and RAG in simple terms. Check it out here: shiny.posit.co/blog/posts/s... #RStats #LLM #PythonProgramming
I hoped a fully-featured #rstats ggplot-based heatmap package would show up one day. {ggalign} might be it. It's basically {patchwork} on steroids 🧪 yunuuuu.github.io/ggalign/
We see you, Susie Derkins
I often wonder whether the prospective grad students who contact me understand what they are signing up for. I hope this does the trick.
An energy revolution is underway in this century, though it’s unfolded in ways slow enough and technical enough for most people not to notice (and I assume it’s nowhere near finished). It is astonishing – a powerful solution to the climate crisis... [Wrote it a while ago; came out yesterday.]
THIS IS BECAUSE OUR 100% CLEAN ELECTRICITY STANDARD CREATED THE MARKET THAT DROVE DOWN SOLAR PRICES IT IS STANDARDS JUST REGULAR ASS LAWS REQUIRING THINGS THAT IS THE ONE WEIRD TRICK
When she was just 26 Florence Merriam wrote the first guide to birding with binoculars in 1889. And she slipped in this incredible feminist gem:
@shaneir.bsky.social I have only just noticed that Margaret Boden died a few days ago at age 88. In the mid-70s, her AI books were required reading for those of us working on various UK computing research projects. Ten years ago she gave this presentation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPRA...
If researchers find Cohen’s d = 8, no they didn’t. (probably.) Thoughts on the distribution of Cohen's d values in psychology and why we should think about their plausibility when reading articles.
Exactly my first thought seeing d = 8: "No effect size shall exceed the preference for chocolate over poop"
Going in the calendar
I watched this (youtu.be/TMoz3gSXBcY?...) on the abuse of LLMs & 'vibe physics' by @acollierastro.bsky.social - well worth a watch! - and I was struck by how the back 15 minutes (the 'thought train') also summed up neatly what it has been like to be a public-facing historian, even before LLMs.1/
There’s an intersection with research on reading where there’s a suggestion that more accurate understanding of the information in text requires ‘active’ processing but text written to be easy to read can induces a feeling of understanding that reduces active questioning approaches to text
To return to the topic of the video then, I wonder if what @acollierastro.bsky.social is reacting to is the experience of having physics, for the first time in a long time, (fake) pulled by LLMs into that plain-language-breeds-contempt space that the humanities have been in for a long time.13/
But without an esoteric language in which a field must operate, the plain language works to conceal that and encourages the bystander to hold the field in contempt - @acollierastro.bsky.social hits this when she talks about how little value these folks had for art, until a machine could do it. 10/
When’s the cheese festival?
.@chuckdpe.bsky.social and @flavorflav.bsky.social meet 👑 Mavis Staples at Newport Folk Festival 🙌
These look like great recommendations! Thanks
I blogged about fashion defector.com/innovation-s...
I keep trying to learn anything besides a granny knot. This might help
I'm a huge fan of simple, clear, single-purpose websites. today I discovered a new one, which explains straightforwardly (with videos and step-by-step pictures) how to tie a whole bunch of basic knots www.animatedknots.com/anchor-hitch...
Today we’ve launched a major new Strategic Review – backed by a £150 million spending commitment over 5 years – to back rigorous research & social innovation that tackles the UK’s biggest social challenges. www.nuffieldfoundation.org/about/strate...
A social sciences and humanities reading list on AI in education 🧵
Learning statistics with R A tutorial for psychology students and other beginners by Danielle Navarro #RStats https://bigbookofr.com/chapters/psychology.html#learning-statistics-with-r-a-tutorial-for-psychology-students-and-other-beginners
Ross Ihaka, co-creator of #Rstats, reflects on growing up Maori 🌿 in rural New Zealand 🇳🇿 and how he discovered his passion for data youtu.be/LY3FOLZ_Zpk?...
AI overviews are destroying search, destroying websites, and are easy to game. Really bleak stuff here: www.404media.co/googles-ai-i...