Nastaran Arfaei
@n-arfaei.bsky.social
Brain and behavior. PhD candidate at NYU. Here I post mostly at the intersection of science and science fiction. Images are made by myself unless otherwise specified.
BUGONIA just melted my brain. Beats lock in, twists pay off, dialogue cuts, music nails the moments, and the performances wrap it all together. Feels wonderful to come out of the theater and gush with no reservations! #Bugonia #FilmSky #NowWatching #writingcommunity #review
They are giving away 50 copies of my debut, The Poet Empress, on goodreads! I hope you'll enter 🥰 #booksky #ThePoetEmpress
Reading this wonderful paper on inverse planning, with their motivation rooted in literary theory. 💙📚🪐 The fiction writer is an inverse planner, choosing every action, word and event for the objective of inducing emotions in the reader. 🧠🤖🧪 #writingcommunity #books #readersky #literary #science
Acting as Inverse Inverse Planning
Great storytellers know how to take us on a journey. They direct characters to act—not necessarily in the most rational way—but rather in a way that leads to interesting situations, and ultimately creates an impactful experience for audience members looking on.
dl.acm.org
A literary NeuroScifi that dives into memory, consciousness and control. #DVpit #SF #LF #A #IMM #OWN
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · 10mo agoAn anti-technology cult. Missing memories. A corporate offer she can’t refuse. A neuroscientist tries to untangle her friend’s murder while leading a team that “quenches” emergent sentience in supercomputers. Severance X A Memory Called Empire X Ishiguro #DVpit #SF #LF #A #IMM #OWN 💙📚🪐
Is lobotomizing a machine that has gained consciousness just routine procedure or equal to murder? Severance X Exhalation X Ishiguro #DVpit #SF #LF #A #IMM #OWN 💙📚🪐
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · 10mo agoA neuroscientist gets recruited to lead a team responsible for finding and “killing” emerging consciousness in supercomputers. A technical challenge that quickly spirals into a deep ethical conflict. Severance X Annihilation X Ishiguro #DVpit #SF #LF #A #IMM #OWN 💙📚🪐
Natalie was dead. Her absence still lingered in the lab, in the intentional arrangement of objects on her bench, the unwashed pipettes, the unfinished notes. I remembered the Tuesday morning vividly; seared into my memory like the afterimage of a lightning against the night sky. #DVparty #SF 💙📚🪐
#DVpit - Diverse Voices Pitch@dvpit.bsky.social · 10mo agoDAY 3 of #DVParty, a community event to get excited about the work of Diverse Creators before our pitch event, #DVPit on Oct 8th, 2025! All diverse writer or artist invited to participate! Today's Prompt: Post your opening lines! #DVpit rules & info: dvpit.carrd.co #Writersky #booksky #artsky
Elvin Institute ID Badge Name: Vista Aetrilla Affiliation: Fellow Date of birth: 05/23/2206 City of Origin: Irem City of Residence: Avedis Area of research: Consciousness Protected under Intercity Alliance Talent Trade Treaty #DVparty #SF 💙📚🪐
#DVpit - Diverse Voices Pitch@dvpit.bsky.social · 10mo agoDAY 2 of #DVParty, a community event to celebrate work of Diverse Creators leading up to our pitch event, #DVPit on Oct. 8th, 2025! All diverse writer/artist can participate! Today's Prompt: Introduce your main character! #booksky #writersky #artistsky For more #DVPit info go to dvpit.carrd.co
An anti-tech cult. Missing memories. A corporate offer she can’t refuse. A neuroscientist tries to untangle her friend’s murder while leading a team that “quenches” emergent sentience in supercomputers. Severance X Martian X Ishiguro #preDV #A #SF #SP #POC #writingcommunity #sff 💙📚🪐✍️
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · 10mo agoVista, an immigrant neuroscientist, gets recruited to lead a team to find and “kill” consciousness if it emerges in supercomputers. A technical challenge that quickly spirals into a deep ethical conflict. Severance X Martian X Ishiguro #preDV #A #SF #SP #POC #OWN #writingcommunity #sff 💙📚🪐✍️
In a future of chaotic climate and isolated nation cities, a neuroscientist must decide whether to “quench” a nascent consciousness found in a supercomputer, or try save it and betray her powerful employers, and potentially the entire human race. Severance X Ishiguro #preDV #A #SF #SP #POC 💙📚🪐✍️
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · 10mo agoVista, an immigrant neuroscientist, gets recruited to lead a team to find and “kill” consciousness if it emerges in supercomputers. A technical challenge that quickly spirals into a deep ethical conflict. Severance X Martian X Ishiguro #preDV #A #SF #SP #POC #OWN #writingcommunity #sff 💙📚🪐✍️
Academic institutes have long been under way stricter regulations from independent ethical committees. We need the same for corporations.🧠🤖🧪 Neural data protection may sound like science fiction, but we are at the beginning of a neurotechnology era. We need better regulations. 💙📚🪐 #tech
States move to protect neural data as tech advances
Several states have passed or are considering laws that either amend or add to the state’s current consumer privacy laws.
newsnationnow.com
I'm thrilled that my lab at NYU is now supported by an NIH MIRA grant! I'm looking to hire 1-2 senior lab members (outstanding postdoc candidates or experienced staff scientists) with expertise in computational or statistical methods in human genetics or genomics. Please share!
Hi fellow conference goers!! Let’s connect here on Bluesky! 💙📚 #NEWENGLANDWW #writingcommunity
#Literature only! ✈️ Well played United…. Well played…. Now can someone explain what “counts” as literature these days? 💙📚✍️ #writersky #writingcommunity #readerSky #books #reading #sff #travel #mood #photography
There was a time people couldn’t get enough blue light! (And had way cooler sense of fashion)
Dr Lindsey Fitzharris@drlindseyfitz.bsky.social · last yr.Tinted, double-hinged spectacles, c.1790. Many opticians believed green or blue glass was easier on the eyes and would reduce glare; while clear glass was too soft and would distort images. This example is from the Wellcome Collection in London.
A brief musical note: I’m very excited to share that my brilliant wife, a pianist and composer, has just released her debut album featuring works by Iranian women composers, including one of her own. Here is the link in case you’d like to take a listen: www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv67...
Nahoft – Navona Records
Drawing its name from a melodic motif found in Iranian music, NAHOFT is the culmination of pianist Ava Nazar’s collaboration with the Iranian Female Composers Association, showcasing six woman compose...
navonarecords.com
✏️Book recommendation hack: 1. Find a #LiteraryAgent representing books you like 2. Go to their wishlist and see what other books they have praised 3. Make a list out of those and get reading 📝 Sure way to find highly selected books to your taste 💙📚✍️ #writingcommunity #reading #books #readersky
Would you get an EEG tattoo if it meant you could type with your mind?🧠🤖 Temporary EEG tattoo printed on the scalp sounds sci-fi right? Better quality EEG with less prep time, can mean, scalable, noninvasive Brain Computer Interfaces. But…would you get one?💙📚🪐🧪 #writingcommunity #neuroscifi #STS
These Temporary Electronic Tattoos Can Measure Your Brain Activity
Non-invasive brain imaging is usually handled with electrodes, sticky gels, and wires: it's an ugly, uncomfortable, and time-consuming setup.
sciencealert.com
#Bluepit was a blast! Thanks everyone! 💙 As I promised by the end of it, I’m starting a series of posts on the space between the brain, tech and ethics. Here is the first:
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · last yr.Who owns a machine after it merges with one’s mind? A woman got an implant for epilepsy in clinical trial, then was forced to have it explanted when the company recalled it. But after 6 years, wasn’t the implant part of her self? Not scifi. Really happened.🧠🤖📚 #FutureTech #BCI #SciFiNow #Booksky
Who owns a machine after it merges with one’s mind? A woman got an implant for epilepsy in clinical trial, then was forced to have it explanted when the company recalled it. But after 6 years, wasn’t the implant part of her self? Not scifi. Really happened.🧠🤖📚 #FutureTech #BCI #SciFiNow #Booksky
#Bluepit made me realize some people here might like content about Neuro-ethics, Neuro-technology and the choices we have to make about them. So I’ve decided to post more about these, linking to the scientific sources. So let’s stay in touch if that’s up your alley! #BluePitHype 🧪👨🎤💙📚
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · last yr.A neuroscientist is recruited to lead a team to find and “quench” consciousness if it emerges in supercomputers. A technical challenge that quickly spirals into a deep ethical conflict. Severance X Martian X Ishiguro #Bluepit 📖 #Q #A #SF #SP #POC #writercommunity #writersky #writers #AmQuerying
Is lobotomizing a machine that has gained consciousness just a routine procedure or equal to murder? #Bluepit📖 #Q #A #SF #SP #POC #writercommunity #writersky #writers #AmQuerying #BluePitHype 🧪👨🎤💙📚
Nastaran Arfaei@n-arfaei.bsky.social · last yr.A neuroscientist is recruited to lead a team to find and “quench” consciousness if it emerges in supercomputers. A technical challenge that quickly spirals into a deep ethical conflict. Severance X Martian X Ishiguro #Bluepit 📖 #Q #A #SF #SP #POC #writercommunity #writersky #writers #AmQuerying
A neuroscientist is recruited to lead a team to find and “quench” consciousness if it emerges in supercomputers. A technical challenge that quickly spirals into a deep ethical conflict. Severance X Martian X Ishiguro #Bluepit 📖 #Q #A #SF #SP #POC #writercommunity #writersky #writers #AmQuerying
#BluePitHype second day! Here is an image from a scene in ch7 “Shadows of the harvest poles stretched long in the low afternoon sun. Far, far before her eyes were fields, poles spread on a hexagonal grid, absorbing light and wind and temperature differences.” #WriteSky #WriterCommunity
#BluePit - A Storytelling Hype & Pitch Event@bluepit.bsky.social · last yr.It’s Day 2 of #BluePitHype! Today is Art Share day! Share your character art, concept art, sketches, and/or mood boards! 4 days left until #BluePit on July 9th! (No AI images) #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #Writers #AmQuerying #GameDev #Comics #TTRPG
