😂

Really nice clear explanations of why boredom is still a problem in our times and why a one-time "do nothing for 8 hours" isn't going to fix it from @jamesdanckert.bsky.social here: nautil.us/why-the-do-n... (Thanks for the shout out, as always!)

A big opportunity for researchers thinking about what’s next. Dalhousie University is recruiting up to 30 tenure and tenure-track faculty supported by the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative. Strong support, big ambition. Apply by Jan 23: buff.ly/tfhDaUS

Personally, I think a country having a history of harming people doesn't mean they should not try to be humane and kind in the present. Growth and learning is also part of being human. www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...

This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.

You are ABSOLUTELY NOT going to regret listening to this bird:

This article suggests the possibility of training AI on pre-existing proposals and their review reports, scores and related decisions. I.e. training them on a system which is known to preferentially award larger amounts of money to white men. What could possibly go wrong?

New research reports that cats meow more frequently when greeting male owners. It’s hypothesized that men “require more explicit vocalizations to notice and respond to the needs of their cats.” In other words, the researchers are suggesting that many cats have concluded that men don’t always listen

Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science. Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science. Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science. Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

I just love science people.

While I wouldn't go as far as calling this tool use, it's certainly a clever way of acquiring food (check out the video in the article) 🐺 #wolf

Yes please, Outlook, could you cancel some meetings for me?

The Canadian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research is launching a US-style attack on EDI in Tri-Council funding. As part of this attack, they are demanding disclosure of confidential demographic info + reviewer comments of all Canadian researchers who have applied b/w 2000-2025.

Birds but they get spookier each time. 🎃👻 Enter if you dare...🚪

This particular part of the article is my current life. (And yes I teach about cat behaviour.)

How your email finds me. Photo from my collection, no date/info.

Really hope no dairy calves ever get loose in this airport.

📣 Are you interested in applied animal ethology and perceptual abilities of animals? Do you want to help us disentangle how animal emotions are modulated by their sensory environment? Then, you might be the postdoc we are looking for🌠 More info: www.slu.se/en/about-slu... #appliedethology #postcoc

Opportunity in animal welfare with a great supervisor:

Everybody makes money out of academic authors except the authors...News. Wiley is the latest academic publisher to reach a multi-million deal to allow access to its content to AI developers, with no opt out, let alone payment, for the authors who created that content.

📢Applications are now open for the UFAW Animal Welfare Student Scholarships! Are you a student with an idea to improve #animalwelfare? UFAW scholarships offer the chance to bring your research to life and gain hands-on experience. 🔗 Apply here: ufaw.org.uk/awss#animalwelfare?📅 Closing date: 28 February 2026

The naturalist Jane Goodall died today at 91. Hope, she argued, is not merely “passive wishful thinking” but a “crucial survival trait.” Revisit a conversation with Goodall, from 2021: nyer.cm/F55JtsS

Research is the key to unlocking Canada’s future and it needs proper funding. The federal government must uphold its Budget 2024 commitment to Canadian researchers. Read the Coalition for Canadian Research’s open letter: www.caut.ca/news/coaliti...

Sitting alone in my office during my first office hours of the term, as usual. 🥲

The feeling of every cat owner.

First day back at work, and I have a new paper out! authors.elsevier.com/a/1lnmV2gKRh... A review of what we know and the many things we don't know about environmental enrichment for ruminants, with @drmariarorvang.bsky.social and two other lovely colleagues who are not on BlueSky. 🐐🐑🐄

I would like to thank all the @dalhousie.bsky.social students (& their families), with special acknowledgment to the leaders in the #DalStudentUnion, for supporting us at @dalfaculty.bsky.social to #KeepDalStrong. It meant a great deal - we will work to ensure the semester is successful for you!

Elsewhere in universities' core purposes in danger of being compromised by leaders and politicians who don't seem to understand them...

Leo had a good #caturday

An example of how this fight is not just about wages and not just about professors.

Thank you for this, @halifaxexaminer.ca - "A lockout is not a strike". The terms used in much of the media and the university's official communications are misleading. www.halifaxexaminer.ca/morning-file...

Do these tactics sound familiar?⬇️ How to run a university in Canada? Outsource it to this management consulting firm @dalfaculty.bsky.social #keepdalstrong 💪 nationalpost.com/feature/how-...

DFA President explains the past 24 hours and urges the @dalhousieu.bsky.social board to negotiate rather than dictate. Talk to us at the table ti #keepdalstrong @ansut.bsky.social @cupe3912.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social

Another day, another head-scratching decision from @dalhousieu.bsky.social … Rather than returning to the table with @dalfaculty.bsky.social, they release another public statement to create more chaos 😳 #keepdalstrong

The @dalhousieu.bsky.social Board of Governors' "offer" for interest arbitration won't resolve this. It's just creating further delays. Bargaining on the issues important to our members is required. Stop with the stunts, let's get back to the table and talk. It's the only way to #KeepDalStrong

🤯 Admittedly I can't access the full text thanks to lockout but I did find this related post: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...

Patti Doyle-Bedwell is on DFA’s Bargaining Team. She urges the @dalhousieu.bsky.social Board to come back to the table- we are now on day 7 of complete silence from the Board. Time to talk, don’t you think? #keepdalstrong @ansut.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social

Nearing 1 week of being locked out by the powers that be at Dalhousie. Confused and frustrated to have heard absolutely nothing from the administration, while hearing stories of the negative effects this is having on my colleagues and students, but determination levels are high on the picket lines!

Faculty are concerned about the impact this lockout @dalhousieu.bsky.social is having on students and the fall term. Admin, let’s get back to bargaining and #keepdalstrong @ansut.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social

As a pandemic nurse and PhD student at Dalhousie, the lockout means something more By Cameron Albright

Apparently my auto-reply has now been shut off, along with my access to email. Sorry to anyone who tries to get in touch.

Students have set up an open letter, which students can sign, in support of @dalfaculty.bsky.social! THANK YOU! forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon...

So it begins. I'll be spending the coming days on the picket line instead of preparing my teaching, at the insistence of Dalhousie. Let's hope they choose to come back to the table soon so we can all get back to work. #KeepDalStrong

For those learning about the Dalhousie lockout from media coverage like this: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... It's important to know that that average salary is for "full professors" - a rank many never reach and those who do typically far into their careers.

Nova Scotia approves glyphosate spraying on 3,577 acres of drought-stricken, fire-prone forest By @joanbaxter.bsky.social

What gif pops up when you type your name? OK, this is #4 but it's the best one.

Georgia Mason vs. a cow-calf talk? #isae2025problems ##isae2025