If you're a scientist or researcher sharing your work online, here are some resources to help you manage the risks of being public. socialmedialab.ca/km-compass/ Pro Tip: Share them with your communications office and encourage them to form a rapid response team, with a plan of action in place.

don't know who needs to hear it but if you fumble something because you're imperfect that's (a) true of everyone and (b) extra lately from external stress. things that go well can't happen without making the same best judgment calls you can as you go, sawdust and wood shavings come with making stuff

Life is chaos. Learning to ride the chaos and enjoy the good moments it gives you is the only way to survive

Reminder: You can’t find solutions with people who want the problems

I’m recruiting a PhD student in Social Psychology @ TCU for this application cycle! My lab examines how beliefs and attitudes form, generalize, & shape behavior. We apply this general interest to the study of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and health behavior.

My new piece on the shift in "user centered design" with #AI in @fastcompany.com Hint: we are no longer the target audience. www.fastcompany.com/91397818/lar...

artists aren’t the fucking bourgeois or “elite”. every artist i know can barely make rent. every artist i know is one severe enough hospital bill away from being homeless. we’re not all banksy or andy warhol. sick of this idea being passed around as we deal with companies exploiting us constantly.

Thus, people assume that men in suits must always be part of the conservative establishment. But this was not always so. The suit was once a working man's garment. When Keir Hardie, founder of the British Labour Party, arrived for his first day in Parliament, he wore a suit.

Le Guin undefeated at "the fuck you say to me" as subtext

If the thing you built doesn't change user behavior, then *they're not using your thing* are they?? It doesn't matter how usable it is. If no one is using it, you failed. Don't make the product management mistake of looking for product market fit after you've already built a product.

A good essay would put this next to evangelical Christianity which suggests freedom is making yourself a “slave to god” - outsourcing all decisions to your pastor

Weekly reminder that if you're looking for a #horror themed #discord server, we've got ~600 members, host three weekly activities, and our doors are open 🙂 We're also a #podcast that delves into the #psychological side of your favorite horror creators! discord.gg/vkbmUdyaXk

If you need cheering up, I can strongly recommend adding some cool scientists to your feed.

Scientists of Bluesky, introduce yourselves by replying to this post and I’ll share it and help you get some followers! I’m David, I’m based in DC and study shark ecology and conservation policy. I’m the author of “Why Sharks Matter.” 🧪🦑🌎🐠🦈

My name is Graham Platner and I’m running for US Senate to defeat Susan Collins and topple the oligarchy that’s destroying our country. I’m a veteran, oysterman, and working class Mainer who’s seen this state become unlivable for working people. And that makes me deeply angry.

The quote makes me think of how a lot of software people say they want process (agile, scrum, spotify model, whatever) when what they mean is that they want a mechanistic process that they don't ever have to think about.

Large Language models (LLMs) do not simulate human psychology. That's the title of our new paper, available as preprint today (1/12): arxiv.org/abs/2508.06950

I'm so excited that Hidden Door is out in the world today! We're thrilled to launch our roleplay meets fanfic platform, where we are making the tech, game, and biz in sync to let us all share more of the worlds we love, while rewarding the brilliant writers we admire. Check it out at hiddendoor.co

I'll tap the sign. The sign is long, and a decade old, but still sadly relevant. www.muledesign.com/blog/on-surv...

For a Student Who Used AI to Write a Paper

I spent seven years writing a book on this and she just… said it in three succinct paragraphs to politico.

"suffers from bias" "There is literally nothing stopping anyone" This is like encountering medieval physics. BIAS CREATES EFFECTS THAT STOP PEOPLE FROM LEARNING. FOR EXAMPLE BEING THREATENED DIRECTLY IMPAIRS WORKING MEMORY

I see grocery/takeout shaming discourse going around again, so this is your periodic historian reminder that cooking from scratch daily while working has never been sustainable, and for millennia everyone either relied on takeout & restaurants or ate in huge households w/ big dorm-like group dining.

Most of the internet used to be like this. This is actually the default, it took companies enclosing the internet and adding weird, soul-killing incentives to make people behave the way they do now. In a way, there is truly nothing special about Wikipedia except that it survived longer.

I don't know who needs to know this, but Pro Publica has an online thing that will format a letter to your US health insurance company to demand the records behind a claim denial. (which the insurance is then legally required to provide in most cases) projects.propublica.org/claimfile/

Jewish orgs Keshet and the Hebrew Free Loan Association are giving out interest-free loans to LGBTQ+ folks who need to re-locate but can’t afford it. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE JEWISH. “The idea that people were having to pick up and flee their homes was something that resonated Jewishly.”

People ask a lot of social questions they don't want social answers to. Like why doesn't a software methodology change the balance of power? Well let's see, did it have a structural understanding of power and a plan for that?? No?? Ok

Imagine being so limited in your process as to not know that research is a creative act.

i don't mean to come off as rude but we cannot sustain ourselves on outrage and anger forever. i think it's even more important now to post about other things too. even if it gets less engagement. you never know who will find it cool and interesting.

If your work or education involves science communication, this class may be of interest to you. My full presentation and slides with IEEE Women in Engineering are available at no cost on my website: maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/narr...

A tool that makes it easier to pump out shit code and experiences that trample all over WCAG guidelines, and publish directly to the Web, means that fewer designers will be taking the time to do it properly. The path of least resistance now lies through making a website that sucks.

This is incredible. This computer science professor makes his students play a game that simulates the risks and repercussions of getting Long COVID, and then he's like, hey anybody want a mask? And: "approximately 95 to 100% of students who’ve played the game now wear masks in his classroom."

The Association of Internet Researchers (@aoir.bsky.social) has released a crucial new guide on risky research—essential for anyone studying digital harms, disinfo, extremism, gender, race and sexuality, etc ... A must read as it's full of practical and actionable advice. aoir.org/wp-content/u...

Tech conferences, this is an awesome thing you could do!

This is one of the worst violations of research ethics I've ever seen. Manipulating people in online communities using deception, without consent, is not "low risk" and, as evidenced by the discourse in this Reddit post, resulted in harm. Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧵

ATTENTION: NSF GRANT RECIPIENTS We received a heads up from a trusted source that you should proactively download/print/screen shot any documentation on research.gov pertaining to your NSF awards, both those that are current and any that have closed in the last 5-6 years. 1/n

Hey friends-- do you know anyone who has a space for a FREE awesome PhD student interested in minority stress among gender/sexual minorities? Please share broadly-- Hunter earned an NSF GRFP and will lose the opportunity to use it if we can't place him with lab.

We are recruiting for a new research study on experiences in infrastructure (intentionally left broad, so you can self-identity as doing it!) eng work - for those who join us, their generous sharing of their experiences will become part of the open scientific record in tech on this important topic

This is the Anna Karenina principle at work: every dysfunctional company is dysfunctional *in its own way.* The average Powerpoint ronin has no insight whatsoever into the nuances of your particular swamp. Someone in your org has 100% tried to adopt Agile. What was the breakdown?

Hi! Are you a US researcher who spent time thinking about humans? Then your work is in danger of censorship and loss. I'm here to walk you through basic self-archiving. Maybe you think I am being hyperbolic. You only worked on bacteria! Not your problem. Do me a favor and join me anyway.

The Approaching Storm ✨prints✨

I swear to fucking god some of y'all need to learn the social psychological importance of narrative construction and the sociopolitical dynamics and mechanics of myth

How did Southern white elites react after Reconstruction? They cut taxes and weakened bureaucratic capacity. Sadly, very relevant research from @pavisuri.bsky.social and @notstevenwhite.bsky.social.

Very exciting to see hype studies gaining some traction already! Thanks for the mention @eryk.bsky.social !

A couple decades into my career, it has never once failed me that a person describing others in a community or team as “non-technical” is a reliable indicator that they fundamentally do not understand how technology is created. There’s no such thing as a “non-technical” person.

Affect in fandom is out! 🥳 We LOVED working with authors on this volume on fandom, transmedia and games. This collection tackles creativity & content made by fans - their history AND their future (e.g. sustainable design). Download for free! 💜 #fanstudies library.oapen.org/handle/20.50...

I am teaching a writing workshop for PhD students this Spring quarter. The syllabus is here if you think it might be useful for creating your own writing workshop: www.michaelwkraus.com/teaching


You might know us from the guides we have put together, like the de-risking guide and the UX guide. Governments all around the world have used them to make services more accessible and add more value to the public — all while saving millions of dollars. You can still find them here: 18f.org/guides/

Something lovely for the weekend! Marvellous Minoan cups known as Kamares Ware. They look so modern, yet they were made by Bronze Age potters about 3,800 years ago! Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete. 📷 by me #Archaeology