Tim Verstynen
@tdverstynen.bsky.social
Professor
Department Gadfly
Data Alchemist
Synthetic Psychologist
Zombie Apologist
“The enemy” - JD Vance
Opinions are my own. Not gonna let my employer take credit for them.
Department Gadfly
Data Alchemist
Synthetic Psychologist
Zombie Apologist
“The enemy” - JD Vance
Opinions are my own. Not gonna let my employer take credit for them.
Pinned
Tim Verstynen
@tdverstynen.bsky.social
· Jan 28
I grew up a white kid in a bilingual, majority Hispanic state, in a pueblo region continuously occupied by indigenous peoples for over a thousand years, and in a city whose name is derived from an old Arabic phrase.
This is what America looks like.
This is what America looks like.
You can tell what a movement truly believes by the symbols it approves vs. the symbols it forbids.
November 20, 2025 at 11:08 PM
You can tell what a movement truly believes by the symbols it approves vs. the symbols it forbids.
Do you know a student with disabilities that attends school? Their support to attend is almost certainly managed by the Dept of Education.
Millions of students with disabilities (like my 10 year old neighbor) will likely be left out to dry by this utterly depraved & heartless decision.
Millions of students with disabilities (like my 10 year old neighbor) will likely be left out to dry by this utterly depraved & heartless decision.
The continued dismantling of the Dept of Ed is extremely concerning to me, especially as a father of two kids in elementary school.
We should be doing everything we can to support our kids and provide them opportunities—not dismantling every structure that exists to do so.
We should be doing everything we can to support our kids and provide them opportunities—not dismantling every structure that exists to do so.
Trump Administration Announces Steps to Dismantle Education Department
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Do you know a student with disabilities that attends school? Their support to attend is almost certainly managed by the Dept of Education.
Millions of students with disabilities (like my 10 year old neighbor) will likely be left out to dry by this utterly depraved & heartless decision.
Millions of students with disabilities (like my 10 year old neighbor) will likely be left out to dry by this utterly depraved & heartless decision.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Very excited to hear about this! We find Bayesian multi-level modeling at the ROI level super helpful (e.g. www.cell.com/neuron/fullt... ), will be nice to not have to artificially carve the data into parcels a priori!
November 20, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Very excited to hear about this! We find Bayesian multi-level modeling at the ROI level super helpful (e.g. www.cell.com/neuron/fullt... ), will be nice to not have to artificially carve the data into parcels a priori!
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Hey. Y’all remember Charlie Kirk?! I know you probably don’t, but quick refresher there was like two weeks a little while ago where political violence and death threats against politicians were treated super serious. I’d assume there will be lots of reporting now harkening back to that. Any time…
Trump posts again about Democrats, saying their behavior is “punishable by DEATH!”
November 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Hey. Y’all remember Charlie Kirk?! I know you probably don’t, but quick refresher there was like two weeks a little while ago where political violence and death threats against politicians were treated super serious. I’d assume there will be lots of reporting now harkening back to that. Any time…
There’s a simple solution to this: wealth tax.
The fear of not having enough money is familiar. But there’s a quieter struggle at the top: feeling uncomfortable with having too much, says money psychotherapist Vicky Reynal ⬇️
Why my ultra-rich clients are ashamed of their wealth
www.thetimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:21 PM
There’s a simple solution to this: wealth tax.
Normally I don’t find polling analysis that exciting, but this is a very hypothesis driven approach to looking at trends in polling data (and identifying deeper dimensionality beyond the single dimension of party affiliation).
Good morning. I've got a banger new post out today that develops a new method for placing voters on the left-right ideological spectrum, and adds a new, "non-ideological"/affordability axis to usual way we chart & think about US voters (esp swing voters). www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
Not just left vs right: Most voters think about affordability and material wellbeing, not in ideological terms
Most voters want a party that emphasizes cost of living issues and makes the world a better place. Few Americans think in solidly ideologically terms. "Moderates" are mostly non-ideological.
www.gelliottmorris.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Normally I don’t find polling analysis that exciting, but this is a very hypothesis driven approach to looking at trends in polling data (and identifying deeper dimensionality beyond the single dimension of party affiliation).
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Use-Mention distinction strikes again
Apparently RFK Jr. promised Senator Bill Cassidy that he wouldn’t remove the statement
“Vaccines do not cause autism” from the CDC website.
So what RFK Jr. did instead is spit in his face by leaving the statement there and adding this:
“Vaccines do not cause autism” from the CDC website.
So what RFK Jr. did instead is spit in his face by leaving the statement there and adding this:
November 20, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Use-Mention distinction strikes again
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
This is completely disgusting. Today, the CDC updated their vaccine safety page. It now says:
“The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”.
“The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”.
November 20, 2025 at 2:53 AM
This is completely disgusting. Today, the CDC updated their vaccine safety page. It now says:
“The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”.
“The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
“The review found that Harvard in 2005 admitted Mr. Epstein as a visiting fellow in the psychology department and readmitted him the following year. And the review concluded “it is likely” that Mr. Epstein visited Harvard more than 40 times after his release from jail, between 2010 and 2018.”
BRO.
BRO.
Harvard Will Open a New Inquiry Into Faculty Ties to Epstein
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:45 PM
“The review found that Harvard in 2005 admitted Mr. Epstein as a visiting fellow in the psychology department and readmitted him the following year. And the review concluded “it is likely” that Mr. Epstein visited Harvard more than 40 times after his release from jail, between 2010 and 2018.”
BRO.
BRO.
Fellow higher ed folks!
If you could scrap the current university system (i.e.- how universities work and are financed) how would you make a new system to cultivate and disseminate knowledge for the public good?
Give me your wildest dreams & ideas.
If you could scrap the current university system (i.e.- how universities work and are financed) how would you make a new system to cultivate and disseminate knowledge for the public good?
Give me your wildest dreams & ideas.
November 19, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Fellow higher ed folks!
If you could scrap the current university system (i.e.- how universities work and are financed) how would you make a new system to cultivate and disseminate knowledge for the public good?
Give me your wildest dreams & ideas.
If you could scrap the current university system (i.e.- how universities work and are financed) how would you make a new system to cultivate and disseminate knowledge for the public good?
Give me your wildest dreams & ideas.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
In my Foundations of HCI class, we’re in the midst of our social computing section, thinking about how to address online toxicities. Had the students play Masnick’s “Trust & Safety Tycoon” game in class yesterday. Their reactions: moderation is HARD... www.techdirt.com/2023/10/17/t...
November 19, 2025 at 6:53 PM
In my Foundations of HCI class, we’re in the midst of our social computing section, thinking about how to address online toxicities. Had the students play Masnick’s “Trust & Safety Tycoon” game in class yesterday. Their reactions: moderation is HARD... www.techdirt.com/2023/10/17/t...
Sossena is asking some critically important questions and doing amazing things to try and answer them. If you’re not following her lab’s work already then you should start.
A new study led by Wood Neuro Group uses advanced brain imaging and a digital visualization tool to illuminate how sickle cell disease pain is processed in the brain.
#neuroscience #CMU #cmuneuro #sicklecell #SickleCellAwareness #BrainHealth #painmanagement
www.cmu.edu/ni/news-even...
#neuroscience #CMU #cmuneuro #sicklecell #SickleCellAwareness #BrainHealth #painmanagement
www.cmu.edu/ni/news-even...
Bringing sickle cell disease pain into focus
A new study led by Wood Neuro Group uses advanced brain imaging and a digital visualization tool to illuminate how sickle cell disease pain is processed in the brain.
www.cmu.edu
November 19, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Sossena is asking some critically important questions and doing amazing things to try and answer them. If you’re not following her lab’s work already then you should start.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
This is easily an order of magnitude larger than the number of firings in the entire years-long 'cancel culture' panic.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
November 19, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This is easily an order of magnitude larger than the number of firings in the entire years-long 'cancel culture' panic.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Because “city planning” in Pittsburgh apparently means approving all major construction permits without reading them, our 15 minute drive into work is now 30+ minutes and we only have 1 route (normally we have 6) out of our part of the neighborhood.
Who knows, tomorrow it might also be blocked.
Who knows, tomorrow it might also be blocked.
November 19, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Because “city planning” in Pittsburgh apparently means approving all major construction permits without reading them, our 15 minute drive into work is now 30+ minutes and we only have 1 route (normally we have 6) out of our part of the neighborhood.
Who knows, tomorrow it might also be blocked.
Who knows, tomorrow it might also be blocked.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Try “Concept”. It’s such a mess…
Tbf, "epistemology" means so many different things that it cannot always be used interchangeably with "epistemology"
My biggest pet peeve is academics who use 'method,' 'methodology,' and 'epistemology' interchangeably. They mean different things!!
November 19, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Try “Concept”. It’s such a mess…
This seems bad for so many fields.
Enshittification spreads like a disease.
Enshittification spreads like a disease.
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 AM
This seems bad for so many fields.
Enshittification spreads like a disease.
Enshittification spreads like a disease.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
just learned we won an award for our blog post about Tom Holland and stormwater management.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
What Tom Holland’s historic lip-sync showcase taught us about stormwater management
Grab your umbrella and your tights.
neorsd.medium.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:22 AM
just learned we won an award for our blog post about Tom Holland and stormwater management.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Prediction: The administration will probably vigorously edit, censor, or outright destroy politically damaging material against Republicans/Trump and this will become a much bigger scandal than whatever is actually in the files the files themselves.
November 19, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Prediction: The administration will probably vigorously edit, censor, or outright destroy politically damaging material against Republicans/Trump and this will become a much bigger scandal than whatever is actually in the files the files themselves.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
I mean it's not this simple but a handful of policy elites really did drastically reengineer our urban fabric in ways that were popular in the immediate term and created massive social dysfunction beyond that.
Because a lot of leftists/progressives have pseudo conspiratorial models of reality where they think the only reason Americans live in suburbs is bc GM tore up the streetcar lines in LA etc.
November 18, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I mean it's not this simple but a handful of policy elites really did drastically reengineer our urban fabric in ways that were popular in the immediate term and created massive social dysfunction beyond that.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Hey authors! Check to see if Anthropic stole your book to train their slop generator on. You’re entitled to $1500 per stolen Work.
Look up your work, and if you’re in the database, file a claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/
Look up your work, and if you’re in the database, file a claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/
Submit a Claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Hey authors! Check to see if Anthropic stole your book to train their slop generator on. You’re entitled to $1500 per stolen Work.
Look up your work, and if you’re in the database, file a claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/
Look up your work, and if you’re in the database, file a claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/
Reverse p-hacking
November 18, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reverse p-hacking
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Per CNN, Elizabeth Warren is calling on Harvard to cut ties with Larry Summers after Jeffrey Epstein's emails released last week by House Dems featured Summers making sexist comments + asking for Epstein’s romantic advice.
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.