Nathan Whitmore
@nathanww.bsky.social
I design tech for cognitive enhancement at the MIT Media Lab. he/him. Was @brain_juices on twitter.
Come say hi if you're going to #sfn25 and want to chat about cognitive enhancement, sleep, or memory! I'm around starting this evening and will be postering on Tuesday morning !
November 15, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Come say hi if you're going to #sfn25 and want to chat about cognitive enhancement, sleep, or memory! I'm around starting this evening and will be postering on Tuesday morning !
One odd implication of the AI doom argument is that (super)intelligence is a sort of fungible power that can shape most things to your will.
Eg do you believe that had Kamala been sufficiently smart, she would have won the election? Could she win the election in Russia? In China?
Eg do you believe that had Kamala been sufficiently smart, she would have won the election? Could she win the election in Russia? In China?
November 10, 2025 at 5:24 PM
One odd implication of the AI doom argument is that (super)intelligence is a sort of fungible power that can shape most things to your will.
Eg do you believe that had Kamala been sufficiently smart, she would have won the election? Could she win the election in Russia? In China?
Eg do you believe that had Kamala been sufficiently smart, she would have won the election? Could she win the election in Russia? In China?
Reposted by Nathan Whitmore
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
The cool thing about prediction markets is that they are basically a way to monetize special interests.
November 9, 2025 at 10:04 PM
The cool thing about prediction markets is that they are basically a way to monetize special interests.
Tonight at 6 eastern time: Come talk about the craziest solutions to cool the planet (and whether we should do them)
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
November 7, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Tonight at 6 eastern time: Come talk about the craziest solutions to cool the planet (and whether we should do them)
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Tonight: It's almost Halloween, so it's time for the creepiest animals! 6:30 eastern time at www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
October 24, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Tonight: It's almost Halloween, so it's time for the creepiest animals! 6:30 eastern time at www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Communism in the US is a lot like quicksand in that we all grew up thinking it was gonna be a much bigger issue than it is.
When the Trump admin uses "antifa" as a boogeyman at least that's a reference from the current century but Mike Johnson is trying to get Americans scared of the Communist Party like it's 1950 lol
October 22, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Communism in the US is a lot like quicksand in that we all grew up thinking it was gonna be a much bigger issue than it is.
This Consumer Reports lead story shows a lot about what we get wrong in talking about chemicals in food.
The main claim is that protein powders often contain "unsafe" levels of lead. Which is bizarre because there's no safe level of lead other than 0 lead.
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
The main claim is that protein powders often contain "unsafe" levels of lead. Which is bizarre because there's no safe level of lead other than 0 lead.
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports
CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.
www.consumerreports.org
October 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
This Consumer Reports lead story shows a lot about what we get wrong in talking about chemicals in food.
The main claim is that protein powders often contain "unsafe" levels of lead. Which is bizarre because there's no safe level of lead other than 0 lead.
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
The main claim is that protein powders often contain "unsafe" levels of lead. Which is bizarre because there's no safe level of lead other than 0 lead.
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
Everyone loves evidence-based practices until the evidence says to eat a clove of raw garlic.
(By everyone I mean me)
(By everyone I mean me)
October 15, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Everyone loves evidence-based practices until the evidence says to eat a clove of raw garlic.
(By everyone I mean me)
(By everyone I mean me)
Highly recommend tracking your mood and activities because if you have a terrible day you can be like oh well at least I collected some data to improve my life
October 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Highly recommend tracking your mood and activities because if you have a terrible day you can be like oh well at least I collected some data to improve my life
It's darkly ironic how many people will tell you that AI damages critical thinking skills solely on the basis of "it seems like it"
October 8, 2025 at 7:41 PM
It's darkly ironic how many people will tell you that AI damages critical thinking skills solely on the basis of "it seems like it"
Is BPA really bad for you? Did getting rid of lead make us better people? Tonight we're talking about poisons, toxins, and how we study them! 7 PM eastern time at www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
October 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Is BPA really bad for you? Did getting rid of lead make us better people? Tonight we're talking about poisons, toxins, and how we study them! 7 PM eastern time at www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Reposted by Nathan Whitmore
We need a bigger national spotlight on this building raid, fam. Agents dropped from helicopters onto the roof. Citizens and non-citizens alike were dragged from their homes in the night. People who weren't kidnapped during the raid had their belongings seized after the fact. This is madness.
"Jones, 27, is among the residents left at 7500 S. South Shore Drive who are trying to piece together what remains after an early morning, high-powered federal immigration raid led to the arrests of dozens of their neighbors at their South Shore apartment building."
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 people in the raid.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:23 PM
We need a bigger national spotlight on this building raid, fam. Agents dropped from helicopters onto the roof. Citizens and non-citizens alike were dragged from their homes in the night. People who weren't kidnapped during the raid had their belongings seized after the fact. This is madness.
What is the ideal amount of Teflon in your food? If you said zero Teflon, you're *wrong*--according to the winner of this year's Ig-Nobel Prize in Chemistry!
Join us at 9 eastern time to chat about the year's weirdest science at the Ig-Nobels!
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Join us at 9 eastern time to chat about the year's weirdest science at the Ig-Nobels!
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
September 25, 2025 at 11:56 PM
What is the ideal amount of Teflon in your food? If you said zero Teflon, you're *wrong*--according to the winner of this year's Ig-Nobel Prize in Chemistry!
Join us at 9 eastern time to chat about the year's weirdest science at the Ig-Nobels!
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Join us at 9 eastern time to chat about the year's weirdest science at the Ig-Nobels!
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Finally read the ai-2027.com scenario and my main impression is that this is real heavy on geopolitics for a team that knows nothing about geopolitics.
Like if your thesis is that the fate of the world will be decided by a US-China arms race, shouldn't you involve some people who...study that?
Like if your thesis is that the fate of the world will be decided by a US-China arms race, shouldn't you involve some people who...study that?
AI 2027
A research-backed AI scenario forecast.
ai-2027.com
September 20, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Finally read the ai-2027.com scenario and my main impression is that this is real heavy on geopolitics for a team that knows nothing about geopolitics.
Like if your thesis is that the fate of the world will be decided by a US-China arms race, shouldn't you involve some people who...study that?
Like if your thesis is that the fate of the world will be decided by a US-China arms race, shouldn't you involve some people who...study that?
Our next stream is tonight at 6:45 Eastern time! Come chat about the fake (and real) science that's been viral on social media recently! www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
September 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Our next stream is tonight at 6:45 Eastern time! Come chat about the fake (and real) science that's been viral on social media recently! www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Tonight at 6:30: Monsanto, sketchy pesticide science, and how safe is our food? Come chat at 6:30 www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
September 12, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Tonight at 6:30: Monsanto, sketchy pesticide science, and how safe is our food? Come chat at 6:30 www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
Reposted by Nathan Whitmore
Chicago is doing what works without Trump’s invasion of our city.
We reject occupation. We welcome investments in public education, youth employment, and affordable housing.
We reject occupation. We welcome investments in public education, youth employment, and affordable housing.
September 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Chicago is doing what works without Trump’s invasion of our city.
We reject occupation. We welcome investments in public education, youth employment, and affordable housing.
We reject occupation. We welcome investments in public education, youth employment, and affordable housing.
Reposted by Nathan Whitmore
Opposition to RFKJr is ramping up.
Joint statement from Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and 21 other organizations 👇
Joint statement from Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and 21 other organizations 👇
September 3, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Opposition to RFKJr is ramping up.
Joint statement from Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and 21 other organizations 👇
Joint statement from Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and 21 other organizations 👇
Reposted by Nathan Whitmore
Everyone in public health, healthcare and biomedical research has been screaming this for months. It’s time for RFK Jr to go. Everyone, please, please get on the phone to your members of Congress. Call them every day. This man is that dangerous.
there is no question in my mind that rfk jr is the most dangerous person in this administration and that his eugenicist ideology threatens the lives of millions of people www.advocate.com/politics/dem...
RFK Jr.’s damage to the CDC is ‘past the point of no return,’ Dr. Demetre Daskalakis warns
“The CDC you knew is over,” the infectious diseases doctor told The Advocate. “Unless someone takes radical action, there is nothing there that can be salvaged.”
www.advocate.com
August 29, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Everyone in public health, healthcare and biomedical research has been screaming this for months. It’s time for RFK Jr to go. Everyone, please, please get on the phone to your members of Congress. Call them every day. This man is that dangerous.
Tonight: Should we tell everyone to get vaccinated? We're talking about the science of science communication! 6:30 Eastern time!
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
August 29, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Tonight: Should we tell everyone to get vaccinated? We're talking about the science of science communication! 6:30 Eastern time!
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
If this was a political drama we would be laughing at how terroble the writing was
August 29, 2025 at 3:46 PM
If this was a political drama we would be laughing at how terroble the writing was
Spotify now automatically generates chapters for news podcasts, but the hilarious part is that it uses the same algorithm and tone for horror podcasts.
August 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Spotify now automatically generates chapters for news podcasts, but the hilarious part is that it uses the same algorithm and tone for horror podcasts.
Streaming now!
Recently a lot of media has been talking about how AI is bad for your brain. Is this true, and what can the science of learning and brain exercise tell us about it? Chatting tonight at 6:30 eastern time! www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
August 15, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Streaming now!
Recently a lot of media has been talking about how AI is bad for your brain. Is this true, and what can the science of learning and brain exercise tell us about it? Chatting tonight at 6:30 eastern time! www.twitch.tv/philososcien...
philososcienceing - Twitch
Join us for philosophizing about science (philososciencing) for a bit!
www.twitch.tv
August 15, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Recently a lot of media has been talking about how AI is bad for your brain. Is this true, and what can the science of learning and brain exercise tell us about it? Chatting tonight at 6:30 eastern time! www.twitch.tv/philososcien...