Everyone agrees that dogs have intelligence and personality, right? But when a dog gets away and hurts someone, it’s their owner’s responsibility. They can be fined or charged, and in the worst cases the dog is put down. So why treat chatbots/agents differently? The owners should be accountable.

Where giving ground to extremists will lead … “What centrists never mention is that we have a highly relevant case study, playing out in real time, of a major center-left party following their advice.” newrepublic.com/article/2155...

Centrists Won’t Tell You Where “Moderating” on Trans Rights Ends Up

The recent example of the U.K. Labour Party shows that “compromising” rarely stops at some acceptable midpoint.

newrepublic.com

"Show me your budget and I'll show you your values"

James Goodwin@jamesgoodwin.bsky.social · 4w ago

We continue to lavish resources on college athletics while decimating entire humanities programs

Thinking of telling my students “Using an LLM to complete assignments in my class is like using an electric scooter to complete your marathon training runs. Like going to the gym and using a machine to lift weights for you. Yes, you complete the task set for you, but you gain nothing from it.”

This looks ominous. LLM use may be setting us up for changes in cognitive function (“autonomous capacity”) that are easy to slip into and harder to recover from. arxiv.org/pdf/2609.03344

Update: the dialect map quiz thing going around is a cheap knockoff of the good one, which is here: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk (Published 2024)

What does the way you speak say about where you’re from? Answer all the questions below to see your personal dialect map.

nytimes.com

Researchers: help us build a map of the research toolbox. 🧰 What tools do you rely on for your research? Software, databases, websites, AI, equipment. Anything that forms part of your workflow (if you're comfortable sharing of course). Please reply and share widely!

How the eyes move, not where they land, predicts what we remember across the lifespan https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.14.744828v1

Reading a paper on Frisson ("chills" in response to music") from 1995 Samples include songs from Pink Floyd, Air Supply, Journey, Boston. Older papers often used classical music (

Aftermath of the Granddog’s visit.

I have, with my own eyes, watched my tax dollars in the form of missiles as they hit buildings inhabited by civilians. I'd much prefer subsidizing a grocery story I don't use.

USA TODAY Opinion@usatodayopinion.usatoday.com · 2mo ago

Opinion: Mamdani's idea may sound appealing, but it's NYC taxpayers who will take the hit, subsidizing discounts they may never even use.

A cool study by a great team. Evolutionarily ancient (and now seemingly mostly irrelevant) ear muscles still reflect affective states. Bonnaire, et al. Unraveling Affective States From the Auriculomotor System doi: 10.1109/TAFFC.2026.3717435 ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/116...

Dasia Taylor,now 22, developed a surgical suture that changes color in response to pH changes associated with wound infections. #Invention #Innovation #MedicalBreakthroughs

I love working with students, and I love getting emails from enthusiastic students looking for research opportunities, and I don’t even mind that much when they use an LLM to sculpt the “perfect” cold-contact email. But I really wish someone would teach the LLMs that 1 paragraph suffices.

if you are bigoted against trans folks you will not stop there and I know it you are either already racist, sexist, or homophobic or you are on your way there and I will not join you for your journey

BNN Bloomberg acknowledged that no study of basic income has found a meaningful reduction in work. What it does do is let people take risks leading to better careers.

I want to make a quick, but important point that goes to the 🧵 I did last night & a quote post reply this morning. States, as in the US or it's constituent states or those states municipalities DO NOT have rights. They have power/powers. Rights are reserved for the people. 1/

The US should cover urgent care costs for patients seeking care for reportable public health concerns like cyclosporiasis, E. coli, measles, etc. “Going to the doctor” should be a logical first step in protecting public heath, not just a luxury afforded only to the rich.

Cheer up, USA. One of your soccer teams has won 4 World Cups.

Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in—and they’re not good www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good

Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.

nature.com

How it started / how it’s going

Lauri Donahue@lauridonahue.bsky.social · 3mo ago

futurism.com/future-socie... lol

New book by my excellent colleague Bryan Pijanowski: Listening to Place “… “Listening to Place” delves into the sonic world to reveal how sound serves as an essential element in community planning. …” www.purdue.edu/newsroom/pur...

I ❤️ librarians. #BookSky

This is the best essay I’ve read so far on „why Gen-Z can‘t read.“ makes me think I should put my phone down. www.chronicle.com/article/my-s...

Opinion | My Students Can’t Read

The generational collapse in literacy is measurable, persistent, and likely to get worse.

chronicle.com

"Apple, Google, and Meta are very excited to announce the release of new AI-driven products. We guarantee that they will respect your privacy. Unfortunately, these products are not available in Europe, as they have laws to protect your privacy."

DOG AT THE OLYMPICS FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS

Me: I can’t believe it’s already mid February. I have so much to get done this semester. Also me: how is it still February? And it’s only Monday? This semester is taking For. Ever.