Dr Nick
@nmwilkinson.bsky.social
Hey, everybody!
Not that kind of doctor.
Embodied cognition, AI and robotics, eating behaviour, flavour & the senses
Mostly cathartic ranting
Personal account
Not that kind of doctor.
Embodied cognition, AI and robotics, eating behaviour, flavour & the senses
Mostly cathartic ranting
Personal account
Pinned
Dr Nick
@nmwilkinson.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Ok fine.
Hey everybody, I'm Dr Nick!
I kibbitz #neuroscience and #ai and #embodiment conversations, insert jokes and takes and challenges and share papers.
But mostly, sorry it's cathartic rants about the state of things. I mean, wtaf?
Hey everybody, I'm Dr Nick!
I kibbitz #neuroscience and #ai and #embodiment conversations, insert jokes and takes and challenges and share papers.
But mostly, sorry it's cathartic rants about the state of things. I mean, wtaf?
I think one reason why Armin got the pile on here is that his phrasing gives the impression, prob accurately, that he condescendingly views critics of 'AI' as moving through some irrational coping strategy from denial to anger to acceptance, rather than having legitimate, grounded critiques.
November 27, 2025 at 9:31 AM
I think one reason why Armin got the pile on here is that his phrasing gives the impression, prob accurately, that he condescendingly views critics of 'AI' as moving through some irrational coping strategy from denial to anger to acceptance, rather than having legitimate, grounded critiques.
Catching my most blocks in ages for this. Well, as long as your nation is kidnapping other inhabitants of America and deporting them to Angola or whatever for the supposed crime of being not-American, you're just gonna have to suck it up, sorry.
November 27, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Catching my most blocks in ages for this. Well, as long as your nation is kidnapping other inhabitants of America and deporting them to Angola or whatever for the supposed crime of being not-American, you're just gonna have to suck it up, sorry.
Yes the very point is to annoy and thereby provocatively question the USian notion of what American means. Given what's happening to inhabitants of the Americas who USians call "Latinos" and not-Americans in the USA right now, I think this is valid and just fine. Don't like it? Yeah that's the point
If your argument involves referring to Americans as “USians” it doesn’t matter how cogent the rest of your point may be tbh
November 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Yes the very point is to annoy and thereby provocatively question the USian notion of what American means. Given what's happening to inhabitants of the Americas who USians call "Latinos" and not-Americans in the USA right now, I think this is valid and just fine. Don't like it? Yeah that's the point
Reposted by Dr Nick
Cover Reveal!
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
November 26, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Cover Reveal!
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
Reposted by Dr Nick
If you make a system that can self-replicate and is capable of mutation in a way that can respond to selective influences, that doesn't mean it's alive. Who agrees with that?
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
If you make a system that can self-replicate and is capable of mutation in a way that can respond to selective influences, that doesn't mean it's alive. Who agrees with that?
Impartiality or simply rank cowardice?
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Note that the BBC openly admits in an email to me that the removal of this claim about Trump's world-historical corruption was done "on legal advice."
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 26, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Impartiality or simply rank cowardice?
Reposted by Dr Nick
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Note that the BBC openly admits in an email to me that the removal of this claim about Trump's world-historical corruption was done "on legal advice."
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Ha. Fair's fair, that's pretty good
"We are freezing known Russian assets" says Rachel Reeves
"But let me be clear, I don't actually mean the member for Clacton"
"But let me be clear, I don't actually mean the member for Clacton"
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Ha. Fair's fair, that's pretty good
We're just being relentlessly bullshat, and we should loudly reject it
Minor point. But this is the OBR saying that the briefing about income tax being dropped because of improved forecasts is bollocks.
November 26, 2025 at 1:40 PM
We're just being relentlessly bullshat, and we should loudly reject it
Reposted by Dr Nick
This is a great piece. It’s the most basic of questions.
Why Did So Many People in Epstein’s Circle Look the Other Way?
First of all, in order to ask questions about the young women he preyed on, they’d need to see them as people.
www.thenation.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:19 AM
This is a great piece. It’s the most basic of questions.
Reposted by Dr Nick
My Stop the Presses newsletter is free. Why not give it a try? If you conclude that I’m as crazy as Trump, unsubscribe with a single click. If you keep reading every week, you’ll get fact-based criticism of a news industry that often falls down on the job.
Stop the Presses | Mark Jacob | Substack
A weekly newsletter about how right-wing extremism has exploited the weaknesses in American journalism, and what we can do about it. Click to read Stop the Presses, by Mark Jacob, a Substack publicati...
www.stopthepresses.news
November 25, 2025 at 11:40 PM
My Stop the Presses newsletter is free. Why not give it a try? If you conclude that I’m as crazy as Trump, unsubscribe with a single click. If you keep reading every week, you’ll get fact-based criticism of a news industry that often falls down on the job.
So much this. This is how we in the RoW can beat Trumpofascism - work his stupidity. Not by being scared of upsetting him and half going along with his plans, which will obvs be both malevolent and stupid.
The threats against Mark Kelly are the Trump administration in miniature: wildly authoritarian ambitions limited by their own terrible strategic and tactical choices www.vox.com/politics/470...
Why is Trump accusing a former astronaut of treason?
How MAGA’s war on Mark Kelly is a sign of a deeper weakness.
www.vox.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:38 PM
So much this. This is how we in the RoW can beat Trumpofascism - work his stupidity. Not by being scared of upsetting him and half going along with his plans, which will obvs be both malevolent and stupid.
Reposted by Dr Nick
Whose side is he on? Whose side are we on? Spoiler alert: We already knew the answers. This just confirms them.
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg
November 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Whose side is he on? Whose side are we on? Spoiler alert: We already knew the answers. This just confirms them.
Reposted by Dr Nick
If you are on BBC live, you know what to do
(I don't even think this statement would be controversial among experts. He's openly monetizing the office and making literally billions of dollars!)
(I don't even think this statement would be controversial among experts. He's openly monetizing the office and making literally billions of dollars!)
NEWS --> BBC confirms to me that they did edit a line out of historian @rutgerbregman.com's speech. It called Trump "the most openly corrupt president in US history."
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump’s Fury at BBC Gets Unnerving Results with Pro-MAGA Edit Stunner
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
If you are on BBC live, you know what to do
(I don't even think this statement would be controversial among experts. He's openly monetizing the office and making literally billions of dollars!)
(I don't even think this statement would be controversial among experts. He's openly monetizing the office and making literally billions of dollars!)
The true depth of Trump's evil exposed by my timeline
November 25, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The true depth of Trump's evil exposed by my timeline
Exactly this. Looking at you, Europe-UK. Each cowardly action strengthens the Trumpofascist threat, each brave (and smart) action weakens it. And we cannot afford to lose this one. We must be prepared and willing to take worthwhile hits so we can use strikes, or we will lose.
The movement to destroy liberal democracy is international, and so must be its defense
NEWS --> BBC confirms to me that they did edit a line out of historian @rutgerbregman.com's speech. It called Trump "the most openly corrupt president in US history."
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 25, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Exactly this. Looking at you, Europe-UK. Each cowardly action strengthens the Trumpofascist threat, each brave (and smart) action weakens it. And we cannot afford to lose this one. We must be prepared and willing to take worthwhile hits so we can use strikes, or we will lose.
Reposted by Dr Nick
The movement to destroy liberal democracy is international, and so must be its defense
NEWS --> BBC confirms to me that they did edit a line out of historian @rutgerbregman.com's speech. It called Trump "the most openly corrupt president in US history."
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump’s Fury at BBC Gets Unnerving Results with Pro-MAGA Edit Stunner
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The movement to destroy liberal democracy is international, and so must be its defense
Reposted by Dr Nick
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
le fuck
France, Odoxa poll:
Presidential run-off election
Bardella (RN-PfE): 53%
Philippe (HOR-RE): 47%
Bardella (RN-PfE): 58%
Glucksmann (PS/PP-S&D): 42%
Bardella (RN-PfE): 74%
Mélenchon (LFI-LEFT): 26%
Bardella (RN-PfE): 56%
Attal (RE-RE): 44%
Fieldwork: 19-20 November 2025
Sample size: 803-689
Presidential run-off election
Bardella (RN-PfE): 53%
Philippe (HOR-RE): 47%
Bardella (RN-PfE): 58%
Glucksmann (PS/PP-S&D): 42%
Bardella (RN-PfE): 74%
Mélenchon (LFI-LEFT): 26%
Bardella (RN-PfE): 56%
Attal (RE-RE): 44%
Fieldwork: 19-20 November 2025
Sample size: 803-689
November 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
le fuck
Reposted by Dr Nick
This is exactly what the recent Trump-BBC 'scandal' was designed to achieve. The BBC is now self-censoring criticisms of Trump in the name of "impartiality"
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 10:26 AM
This is exactly what the recent Trump-BBC 'scandal' was designed to achieve. The BBC is now self-censoring criticisms of Trump in the name of "impartiality"
"my dad was a racist toolmaker"
How long before Starmer starts telling everyone he was even more racist in school in his continuing efforts to out-fascist Reform and Farage?
Still can't quite believe that "I only said 'gas the Jews' in a non-hurtful way" was the strategy Nigel Farage opted to go for
November 25, 2025 at 10:23 AM
"my dad was a racist toolmaker"
Europe is acting like a plumply prosperous market town unable to believe the ravening nomadic horde and the neighbouring evil empire would *really* eat it all up
"Europe’s problem is not that it lacks options. It is that it refuses to use them". Jade McGlynn skewers both the Dmitriev/Witkoff plan for Ukraine's destruction, & Europe's refusal to act decisively enough to prevent disaster. open.substack.com/pub/smalldee...
Circus
Amidst the absolute chaos of a Witkoff-stamped Russian psyop-as-peace plan, discussion is filled with anger at Washington and at Moscow.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Europe is acting like a plumply prosperous market town unable to believe the ravening nomadic horde and the neighbouring evil empire would *really* eat it all up
This. And the point is not so much to peel off his existing fans and voters, but to put off potential new ones. Sanitizing and mainstreaming his toxic shit makes it to easy for him to be a protest vote or a "ah well fukkit everyone else is shite so let's give him a go" vote
All the supposedly progressive people saying 'Nigel Farage's racism doesn't matter. His fans love it'.
It matters whether the leader of the party leading all the opinion polls is an outright racist. It matters if he called black people 'wogs' and said 'gas them' to Jews. Not everything is a game
It matters whether the leader of the party leading all the opinion polls is an outright racist. It matters if he called black people 'wogs' and said 'gas them' to Jews. Not everything is a game
November 25, 2025 at 8:35 AM
This. And the point is not so much to peel off his existing fans and voters, but to put off potential new ones. Sanitizing and mainstreaming his toxic shit makes it to easy for him to be a protest vote or a "ah well fukkit everyone else is shite so let's give him a go" vote
"science nerd" or "neo-nazi terrorist"? you decide.
oops, no. wankers in the shite-press decide
oops, no. wankers in the shite-press decide
I am so angry at the all-too-believable levels of racism in the justice system, media, and politics right now.
November 25, 2025 at 7:27 AM
"science nerd" or "neo-nazi terrorist"? you decide.
oops, no. wankers in the shite-press decide
oops, no. wankers in the shite-press decide