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David Spurrett

@doctorspurt.bsky.social

1.8K followers 1.3K following 600 posts

Philosopher, working on evolution of mechanisms of action selection, and their variously situated subversion. https://davidspurrett.com/

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · Oct 20

Hello new followers. I'm a philosopher of cognitive science working on a book called 'Engines of Hostility'. Recent papers that inform the book are:
(1) "Hostile Scaffolding" (Timms & Spurrett)
(2) "Fashioning Affordances" (Spurrett & Brancazio)
(3) "On Hostile and Oppressive Affective Technology."

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Reposted by David Spurrett

David Cooper @davidbcooper.bsky.social · 22h

Rosie the Ribbiter

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Andrew Curry, Michelle Everson , and 4 more Anne Applebaum, Andrew Curry, Michelle Everson, Scott A. Imberman, Samantha Brennan, Prakash Kashwan, David Spurrett

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 23h

The deportation order derives from the crime of which he has now been exonerated.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him

Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.

www.miamiherald.com

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Reposted by David Spurrett

Kenan Malik @kenanmalik.bsky.social · 1d

“Hidden here is the assumption that ordinary people are unable to grasp anything challenging... It is a wretchedly patronising claim imposed upon working class people by middle-class gatekeepers who define what is ‘relevant’.” My ‪@theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

It’s not opera that’s elitist but the idea that art is to...

The myth that culture has not been for the masses is debunked in a new book

observer.co.uk

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

The idea is that the exercise does a few things. One is to incrementally (but inexorably, if you follow the rules) take things off the to do list. The other is to provide an unambiguous and unique answer to the question 'what should I fix next?'. Finally, it provides a simple progress metric.

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

I'm pleased to hear it, Chris!

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole, Robert C. Richards , and 3 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner, Mark Rice, David Spurrett

◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 1d

HUD laid off so many fair housing investigators on Friday that it shuttered the regional offices that oversee discrimination cases in 9 states: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

HUD Issues Layoff Notices, Targeting Fair Housing Staff With Deep Cuts

Fair housing staffers who investigate claims of housing discrimination at field offices nationwide were among the hundreds of HUD staffers who received layoff notices.

www.bloomberg.com

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

I've recently imposed it on myself for a book I've been revising and fiddling with in too many places at once. So I'm taking a big dose of my own medicine. It isn't always fun, but it does focus the mind. /fin

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

The idea is that pages don't have to be perfect, but good enough to let go of them. (If you finish 'early' you can go back and polish.)

This seems to help in some cases, especially with those stuck in a 'choose your own adventure' exposition with undecided choice points in many places.

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

4. You can add pages, in order, to the bottom of the pile.

5. But once a page is in the pile you can't take it back.

So start at the beginning, and see how many pages you have. Then try to move forward through the text, keeping ahead of the reader, and never back-tracking.

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

2. They will start with the title page, and move to the first page of chapter 1. They will read each page once, and only move forward.

3. The dissertation/thesis doesn't have to be complete when the reader starts.

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

Big projects like dissertations invite having many incomplete/pending bits in many places. That can make it hard to organise finishing them. When I'm advising students, I sometimes suggest the following:

1. Imagine someone is going to start reading a paper copy.

/1.

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Reposted by Henry Jones, David Spurrett

The Onion @theonion.com · 3d

Israel Agrees To Go Back To Killing Palestinians On Less Frequent Basis

CAIRO—As part of a historic ceasefire agreement with Hamas following two years of war, the Israeli government reportedly agreed Thursday to go back to killing Palestinians on a less frequent basis. “I...

theonion.com

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Sear, Erol Akçay , and 2 more Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Sear, Erol Akçay, Larry W. Hunter, David Spurrett

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 6d

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

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jeremymberg.github.io

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Reposted by Brigitte Nerlich, Virginia Braun, John R. Hutchinson , and 9 more Brigitte Nerlich, Virginia Braun, John R. Hutchinson, Juan Cole, Daniel W. Drezner, Christine Kooi, Will Lowe, Michael H. Whitworth, Fiona Moore, Joanna Tai, Simon Lester, David Spurrett

Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 6d

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

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Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, David Spurrett

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 8d

Palantir has pulled out of involvement with the UK Digital ID card, according to an interview with their UK CEO on Times Radio. They’re concerned about the reputational damage of being involved with an unpopular Starmer policy.

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 9d

Reposting because I'm quite pleased with "Slopzilla" (for OpenAI).

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

Worth noting that they are in a 'strategic partnership' with Slopzilla: www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-of...

Guardian Media Group announces strategic partnership with OpenAI

Guardian Media Group today announced a strategic partnership with Open AI, a leader in artificial intelligence and deployment, that will bring the Guardian’s high quality journalism to ChatGPT’s globa...

www.theguardian.com

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 9d

I think Kevin's worry (or part of it) is that designers without addiction related intention might amplify/create addiction while trying to 'improve design'. I think that probably does happen sometimes. And design can generate non-addiction bad stuff (like junk and 'ultraprocessed' food).

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 9d

Also worth noting (social media feeds come up a lot among the replies) that (a) it is sometimes the same designers (gambling machine designers are UI designers for hire, and executives move between companies, or companies operate in both markets) and (b) the very same inventions/patents get adopted.

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Reposted by Mirya R. Holman, Michael Jones‐Correa, David Murakami Wood , and 2 more Mirya R. Holman, Michael Jones‐Correa, David Murakami Wood, Lisa Diedrich, David Spurrett

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 9d

A lot of tech bros who were upset about pronouns want to confer them on their computers now that they’re dating

Cate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 10d

Can we stop calling an artificial representation of a person by a human-coded name? "She" does not exist. "She" is a reflection of someone's ingenue dreams, but "she" is pixels and code.

Bloomberg Opinion @opinion.bloomberg.com · 10d

Tilly Norwood raises the question of who will be the first to win an Oscar for best AI in a leading role

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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 10d

Please join me in congratulating Woman on her appointment

Sky News @news.sky.com · 10d

Woman named as new Archbishop of Canterbury in historic first

Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, a former nurse, has been named as the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the first time a woman has been appointed to the role in the Church of England's history.

news.sky.com

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Sky News @news.sky.com · 10d

Woman named as new Archbishop of Canterbury in historic first

Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, a former nurse, has been named as the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the first time a woman has been appointed to the role in the Church of England's history.

news.sky.com

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

I think casinos and gambling machine designers know very well that addicts are their most profitable users. (Like oil companies are aware of the consequences of their business model.) Not saying all addiction amplifiers are knowing, mind you.

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

Some 'design' is dumb luck. Flue-curing of bright leaf tobacco made lung inhalation possible. Possibly the biggest single factor in the addictiveness of cigarettes. But they were "trying" to reduce fire loss in curing. If "designed to" is about intention, not all addiction amplifiers are intended.

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

I think there sometimes is, because some designers know that their product is addictive, and are trying to enhance that. The documents revealed in the course of litigation against cigarette companies showed that, as does Schüll's work on gambling ("Addicted by Design").

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David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

I don't think that we should allow that anything can be addictive. (Clean air? Safe drinking water? Cabbage? Public libraries? Toothbrushes? Pedestrian crossings?)

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

For more direct answers, I'd suggest @don-rosseconomist.bsky.social "Addiction is socially engineered exploitation of natural biological vulnerability" (2020) or the Glackin, Roberts, Krueger "Out of our heads: Addiction and psychiatric externalism" (2021) both in Behavioral Brain Research.

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

Re 'scientific', it's sometimes tricky because at least two centres of gravity are in play, one being empirical coherence (in neuroscience, psychiatry, etc.) and another being more overtly normative (guiding public health, policy formation).

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

A clear contrast case is lowering price and/or improving functionality of beneficial infrastructure, like public transport, where resulting increased use (due to more & better routes, improved accessibility, lower prices) has no harms/downside, or withdrawal, or conflict over use.

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 10d

Not synonyms, I think, even if a difference of degree. Addictive consumption is associated with strong motivation despite harms, difficulty stopping even when motivated to, withdrawal symptoms on stopping, etc. Many design changes can lead to increased use without going there.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Jane E. Fountain, Jonathan Hopkin , and 2 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Jane E. Fountain, Jonathan Hopkin, Anders Sundnes Løvlie, David Spurrett

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 10d

Matthew 15:29-31: And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them after verifying their citizenship status.

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