Wyrdweaver
@wordweaver.bsky.social
Practical Hypnotist.
I am a work of fiction in that I was made by fiction.
I am a work of fiction in that I was made by fiction.
One of the first things that I did with LLMs that really convinced me about their use case was to transcribe and translate Gassner's manuscript on exorcism from 18th-century German, whose translation did not exist. It's interesting to see newer LLMs being vetted by experts for the same use case
November 11, 2025 at 6:52 PM
One of the first things that I did with LLMs that really convinced me about their use case was to transcribe and translate Gassner's manuscript on exorcism from 18th-century German, whose translation did not exist. It's interesting to see newer LLMs being vetted by experts for the same use case
The best-case scenario for Mamdani is, I think, something like Sadiq Khan. South asian muslim mayor of a conservative Anglo country's cultural and financial capital whose disapproval ratings never rose past 50%. But, given how past mayors of NYC have done, he may have a much harder job than Khan.
November 7, 2025 at 6:51 AM
The best-case scenario for Mamdani is, I think, something like Sadiq Khan. South asian muslim mayor of a conservative Anglo country's cultural and financial capital whose disapproval ratings never rose past 50%. But, given how past mayors of NYC have done, he may have a much harder job than Khan.
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
In this week's Junkyard post, Jianghao Liu attempts to bridge empirical neuroscience and philosophical accounts of imagination and awareness by defending what he calls *the attention model* of aphantasia.
This week at the Junkyard: A post by Jianghao Liu junkyardofthemind.com/blog/2025/11...
Are we aware of neural activity in imagination? The attention model of conscious imagery and aphantasia — The Junkyard
A post by Jianghao Liu Please imagine a red Gala apple. Is it darker or lighter than a cherry? Most of us can easily conjure a mental image, a perceptual-like experience that feels almost as if we we...
junkyardofthemind.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:44 PM
In this week's Junkyard post, Jianghao Liu attempts to bridge empirical neuroscience and philosophical accounts of imagination and awareness by defending what he calls *the attention model* of aphantasia.
Highlights thread
The Hitchhiker’s guide to hallucination research www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Wonderfully titled and useful paper from Inés Abalo-Rodríguez and Ana Pinheiro
Wonderfully titled and useful paper from Inés Abalo-Rodríguez and Ana Pinheiro
The Hitchhiker’s guide to hallucination research
Hallucination research is a fast‑growing, inherently interdisciplinary field bridging psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, and philosophy. This artic…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Highlights thread
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
I'm heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dr. Mark Hallett.
A few thoughts in remembrance…
A few thoughts in remembrance…
November 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
I'm heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dr. Mark Hallett.
A few thoughts in remembrance…
A few thoughts in remembrance…
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
November 1, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Arxiv of our own
"Scholarly publishing, by contrast, too often feels designed to serve corporate profit margins..
what would it mean to design our infrastructures around the communities that use them, rather than around extractive logics?"
A large fanfiction platform shows the way!
what would it mean to design our infrastructures around the communities that use them, rather than around extractive logics?"
A large fanfiction platform shows the way!
November 1, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Arxiv of our own
I have to believe releasing this on Halloween was entirely intentional.
New preprint: "Belief-reinforcing unusual experiences may arise from phenomenological control". doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Reports a study testing predictions arising from the theory that phenomenological control evolved to promote experiences of a spirit world in order to support religious beliefs.
Reports a study testing predictions arising from the theory that phenomenological control evolved to promote experiences of a spirit world in order to support religious beliefs.
OSF
doi.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I have to believe releasing this on Halloween was entirely intentional.
Parts work in mainstream publishing. It has been frustrating to see the naive and uncritical adoption of these modalities despite people urging caution for decades now:
www.thecut.com/article/trut...
www.thecut.com/article/trut...
The Truth About IFS, the Therapy That Can Break You
Internal Family Systems is a widely popular trauma treatment. Some patients say it’s destroyed their lives.
www.thecut.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Parts work in mainstream publishing. It has been frustrating to see the naive and uncritical adoption of these modalities despite people urging caution for decades now:
www.thecut.com/article/trut...
www.thecut.com/article/trut...
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
Still beta-testing the app that helps people plan science, make it super clear, design their todos, and write a first version of the paper. Feeling overwhelmed by the countless aspects of doing science? Try this (for free): planyourscience.com
Scientific Paper Planner - AI-Powered Research Planning
Structure your scientific research with AI-powered guidance. From hypothesis to methodology, plan your research paper with intelligent mentoring.
planyourscience.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Still beta-testing the app that helps people plan science, make it super clear, design their todos, and write a first version of the paper. Feeling overwhelmed by the countless aspects of doing science? Try this (for free): planyourscience.com
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
Excited to see this article is out! A thoroughly researched article on imagery extremes. If you read carefully, a couple of my most recent thoughts about hyperphantasia are also featured :-)
This includes... 1/4
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
This includes... 1/4
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound
Research has linked the ability to visualize to a bewildering variety of human traits—how we experience trauma, hold grudges, and, above all, remember our lives.
www.newyorker.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Excited to see this article is out! A thoroughly researched article on imagery extremes. If you read carefully, a couple of my most recent thoughts about hyperphantasia are also featured :-)
This includes... 1/4
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
This includes... 1/4
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Every Popperian I have met, I could have a drink with, while I have never met a Hegelian I would want to invite over for dinner
October 28, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Every Popperian I have met, I could have a drink with, while I have never met a Hegelian I would want to invite over for dinner
Tig Notaro is doing a documentary about the late Andrea Gibson and I don't expect sob for the first five minutes at least, I didn't make it as far in this video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ux...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ux...
Tig Notaro Reads A Poem By Her Late Friend, Andrea Gibson
YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Tig Notaro is doing a documentary about the late Andrea Gibson and I don't expect sob for the first five minutes at least, I didn't make it as far in this video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ux...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ux...
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
The brain is the stupidest object in the universe.
Every misunderstanding and bad idea in history came from a brain.
Before brains, no one was wrong about anything.
Every misunderstanding and bad idea in history came from a brain.
Before brains, no one was wrong about anything.
October 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The brain is the stupidest object in the universe.
Every misunderstanding and bad idea in history came from a brain.
Before brains, no one was wrong about anything.
Every misunderstanding and bad idea in history came from a brain.
Before brains, no one was wrong about anything.
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
This article is well worth reading.
The siren call of wanting to "just get it" is also more intoxicating when you're stressed, tired, overburdened--i.e. when symbolic/effortful thinking might best help avoid heuristic mistakes. So populists will of course strive to make those conditions manifest.
The siren call of wanting to "just get it" is also more intoxicating when you're stressed, tired, overburdened--i.e. when symbolic/effortful thinking might best help avoid heuristic mistakes. So populists will of course strive to make those conditions manifest.
If populism is (as this argues) a rebellion against System 2 thinking—which requires symbols and remains frustratingly hard for most of us—it seems we’re stuck with it forever.
If only we could make some kind of, idk, cognitive prosthesis for symbolic reasoning? Yeah, never mind. Sounds hard. +
If only we could make some kind of, idk, cognitive prosthesis for symbolic reasoning? Yeah, never mind. Sounds hard. +
Populism fast and slow
It is natural that a person who is both concerned by the rise of right-wing populism and possessed of a bookish disposition might turn to the academic political science literature in search of a bette...
josephheath.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 4:33 PM
This article is well worth reading.
The siren call of wanting to "just get it" is also more intoxicating when you're stressed, tired, overburdened--i.e. when symbolic/effortful thinking might best help avoid heuristic mistakes. So populists will of course strive to make those conditions manifest.
The siren call of wanting to "just get it" is also more intoxicating when you're stressed, tired, overburdened--i.e. when symbolic/effortful thinking might best help avoid heuristic mistakes. So populists will of course strive to make those conditions manifest.
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
@umich.edu faculty call for an honorary degree for Trump
“We have proven that we have no hard moral principles and no hill on which we will die.”
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
“We have proven that we have no hard moral principles and no hill on which we will die.”
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
Why Trump would be perfect for an honorary U-M doctoral degree
Awarding Trump an honorary doctoral degree would be an opportunity to recognize the long way the University has walked in less than two years. U-M juniors may still remember times when the campus code...
www.michigandaily.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
@umich.edu faculty call for an honorary degree for Trump
“We have proven that we have no hard moral principles and no hill on which we will die.”
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
“We have proven that we have no hard moral principles and no hill on which we will die.”
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
good stuff
My commentary on @anilseth.bsky.social's BBS article: philpapers.org/rec/MICBOF. We should bet on functionalism.
Matthias Michel, Bet on functionalism - PhilPapers
I argue that there is currently no alternative to functionalism. Functionalism explains the differences between types of mental states. No biological theory does. Functionalist theories account for th...
philpapers.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:24 PM
good stuff
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
Do you have a memory so vivid you can relive it?
@campsydept.bsky.social and @durham.ac.uk are exploring how vivid human memories work across our lives – and how ideas about them have evolved over time.
Your experiences could help us understand memory better.
Take our survey: bit.ly/3J1FQ8y
@campsydept.bsky.social and @durham.ac.uk are exploring how vivid human memories work across our lives – and how ideas about them have evolved over time.
Your experiences could help us understand memory better.
Take our survey: bit.ly/3J1FQ8y
October 24, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Do you have a memory so vivid you can relive it?
@campsydept.bsky.social and @durham.ac.uk are exploring how vivid human memories work across our lives – and how ideas about them have evolved over time.
Your experiences could help us understand memory better.
Take our survey: bit.ly/3J1FQ8y
@campsydept.bsky.social and @durham.ac.uk are exploring how vivid human memories work across our lives – and how ideas about them have evolved over time.
Your experiences could help us understand memory better.
Take our survey: bit.ly/3J1FQ8y
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
I have encountered "ecstatic seizures" in the wild at least twice, all made sense of it in terms of hypnosis/meditation, another case was orgasmic but all cases seemed more functional in the way they reported having control over the experiences eventually
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgasmi...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgasmi...
October 21, 2025 at 5:53 PM
I have encountered "ecstatic seizures" in the wild at least twice, all made sense of it in terms of hypnosis/meditation, another case was orgasmic but all cases seemed more functional in the way they reported having control over the experiences eventually
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgasmi...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgasmi...
People on X will really be like "you believe in brunch? that pales in effectiveness to my strategy, posting about you going to brunch on X" and then post about me going to brunch on X.
Brunch was good by the way.
Brunch was good by the way.
October 20, 2025 at 9:32 PM
People on X will really be like "you believe in brunch? that pales in effectiveness to my strategy, posting about you going to brunch on X" and then post about me going to brunch on X.
Brunch was good by the way.
Brunch was good by the way.
Reading the fathers of information theory and neural networks talking about a pre-scientology Hubbard and his use of hypnosis is wild
October 19, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Reading the fathers of information theory and neural networks talking about a pre-scientology Hubbard and his use of hypnosis is wild
Reposted by Wyrdweaver
I have long complained about the absence of ‘interoception’ from Microsoft Word’s internal dictionary, but today I would also -shockingly- like to highlight the absence of ‘orgasm’. New paper (with many unrecognized words) coming soon.
October 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I have long complained about the absence of ‘interoception’ from Microsoft Word’s internal dictionary, but today I would also -shockingly- like to highlight the absence of ‘orgasm’. New paper (with many unrecognized words) coming soon.