Ben Balas
@bjbalas.bsky.social
Vision Scientist, Dad, Would-be artist & dreadful chess player. Check out my new #visionscience textbook here: https://www.routledge.com/Practical-Vision-Science-Learning-Through-Experimentation/Balas/p/book/9781032691121 All opinions my own.
Pinned
Ben Balas
@bjbalas.bsky.social
· Nov 4
Practical Vision Science: Learning Through Experimentation
This workbook provides a collection of experiments and observations that use physical materials (rather than digital displays or resources) to reveal fundamental properties of the human visual system....
www.routledge.com
Hey there #visionscience and #psychscisky friends! I wanted to take a moment to (finally) do a proper promo 🧵 about my new textbook: Practical Vision Science, which is now available from Routledge books. <1/n> www.routledge.com/Practical-Vi...
Reposted by Ben Balas
Reposted by Ben Balas
After a rather long delay, I've finally got a new Science of #Chess post up on lichess! This time I'm looking at a very neat #neuroscience paper (co-authored by @hansopdebeeck.bsky.social) using chess as a model for studying expertise. Enjoy! #cogneuro #PsychSciSky
Networks for expertise in the chess players' brain
Chess can be an important way of investigating how learning and expertise are manifest in the nervous system
lichess.org
January 29, 2026 at 4:32 PM
After a rather long delay, I've finally got a new Science of #Chess post up on lichess! This time I'm looking at a very neat #neuroscience paper (co-authored by @hansopdebeeck.bsky.social) using chess as a model for studying expertise. Enjoy! #cogneuro #PsychSciSky
I stand with @melville-society.bsky.social on this one! Moby Dick is in my top 5 of all time and I will defend Ishmael's long discourse on cetology to anyone at anytime.
ExSQUEEZE me?!
January 28, 2026 at 1:55 PM
I stand with @melville-society.bsky.social on this one! Moby Dick is in my top 5 of all time and I will defend Ishmael's long discourse on cetology to anyone at anytime.
Oof - you guys, making videos people might actually want to watch is NOT easy. Spent most of today working on a ~10min video and now that I watch it, it is soooo freaking dull! Gotta work on talking without lecturing, among other things. #learningcurve #onward 👓🧠🎥
January 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Oof - you guys, making videos people might actually want to watch is NOT easy. Spent most of today working on a ~10min video and now that I watch it, it is soooo freaking dull! Gotta work on talking without lecturing, among other things. #learningcurve #onward 👓🧠🎥
Reposted by Ben Balas
January 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The #scicomm content creation journey continues! Here's a new short video showing off one of the benefits of living someplace horrendously cold: Sun dogs! #visionscience
Geometric Optics at -29F in FARGO, ND!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:57 PM
The #scicomm content creation journey continues! Here's a new short video showing off one of the benefits of living someplace horrendously cold: Sun dogs! #visionscience
Reposted by Ben Balas
The Psychonomic Society is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mid-Career Award, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to experimental and cognitive psychology and are currently in the middle of their careers. The deadline is March 31. Submit today: buff.ly/Pct3kUM
January 20, 2026 at 6:04 PM
The Psychonomic Society is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mid-Career Award, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to experimental and cognitive psychology and are currently in the middle of their careers. The deadline is March 31. Submit today: buff.ly/Pct3kUM
I am beyond excited about the Cow Tools discussion happening now. Will definitely tune in to hear @cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social talk about this!
big things happening
@cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social Hi there! I'm a producer with NPR's Weekend Edition. Would you like to talk to us about the news about cows using tools? (www.npr.org/2026/01/19/n...) Let me know! You can send me an email at dhensel at npr dot org.
Thanks!
Thanks!
January 23, 2026 at 6:01 PM
I am beyond excited about the Cow Tools discussion happening now. Will definitely tune in to hear @cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social talk about this!
Quick #behindthescenes confession about the last YT video I posted: I once had a student who combined reflection & refraction into the amazing word "reflaction" on a test and I ended up saying that like, 3 times before I got an acceptable take. I'm already debating a #visionscience outtakes channel.
January 23, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Quick #behindthescenes confession about the last YT video I posted: I once had a student who combined reflection & refraction into the amazing word "reflaction" on a test and I ended up saying that like, 3 times before I got an acceptable take. I'm already debating a #visionscience outtakes channel.
Reposted by Ben Balas
Ben is starting a YouTube channel and if you like cool perceptual science explained clearly, you'll definitely want to subscribe.
This past weekend, I was excited to visit @museumofscience.bsky.social to start my work as a Science Communication fellow. Now that I'm back home, the #scicomm begins, starting with a new YouTube channel! Just published my 1st video & stay tuned for #visionscience content coming soon.
@SeeingScience waits out the Earth's rotation in Boston!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Ben is starting a YouTube channel and if you like cool perceptual science explained clearly, you'll definitely want to subscribe.
This past weekend, I was excited to visit @museumofscience.bsky.social to start my work as a Science Communication fellow. Now that I'm back home, the #scicomm begins, starting with a new YouTube channel! Just published my 1st video & stay tuned for #visionscience content coming soon.
@SeeingScience waits out the Earth's rotation in Boston!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:40 PM
This past weekend, I was excited to visit @museumofscience.bsky.social to start my work as a Science Communication fellow. Now that I'm back home, the #scicomm begins, starting with a new YouTube channel! Just published my 1st video & stay tuned for #visionscience content coming soon.
If you're a fan of #DavidLynch (and even if you aren't), go check out @blaisebalas.bsky.social's post to mark the first anniversary of his passing.
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
David Lynch Appreciation Post
If any of you know me in real life (which I know a lot of you do), you know that David Lynch is one of my favorite people ever. This past Friday marked a...
buttondown.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:31 PM
If you're a fan of #DavidLynch (and even if you aren't), go check out @blaisebalas.bsky.social's post to mark the first anniversary of his passing.
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
Very excited to part of this collaboration between the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum and NDSU! Thanks to Jessie Rock, @jennimomsen.bsky.social , and our PI, Kayla Adamek for working on this together!
FY26 ND EPSCoR STEM Outreach Activities awards announced
The ND EPSCoR State Office solicited proposals to fund STEM outreach activities. We are pleased to announce that the following eight proposals will be funded.
ndepscor.ndus.edu
January 20, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Very excited to part of this collaboration between the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum and NDSU! Thanks to Jessie Rock, @jennimomsen.bsky.social , and our PI, Kayla Adamek for working on this together!
Reposted by Ben Balas
New #HorrorMovies post from the incomparable @blaisebalas.bsky.social over at So Desensitized! Check it out for your latest dose of critical commentary on #horror from one of the Kids These Days.
Kids These Days Don’t Do Research in Antarctica Anymore has crash landed and is taking over your inboxes! Check it out here, happy reading, and stay spooky! ❄️📡🦮🔪🩸
buttondown.com/blaisebalas/...
#horrorwriter #horrorsky #horrorblog #johncarpenter #thething #eightieshorror #eightiesmovie #bodyhorror
buttondown.com/blaisebalas/...
#horrorwriter #horrorsky #horrorblog #johncarpenter #thething #eightieshorror #eightiesmovie #bodyhorror
January 18, 2026 at 12:10 AM
New #HorrorMovies post from the incomparable @blaisebalas.bsky.social over at So Desensitized! Check it out for your latest dose of critical commentary on #horror from one of the Kids These Days.
Reposted by Ben Balas
Psychophysics is a human-facing science with interventions arguably more robust than medicine.
1000 Hurts
Psychophysics is a human-facing science with interventions arguably more robust than medicine.
www.argmin.net
January 15, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Psychophysics is a human-facing science with interventions arguably more robust than medicine.
Reposted by Ben Balas
Are you thinking about doing neuroscience outreach but want to make it more exciting or hands on?
Check out RetINaBox! (A collab led by the Trenholm lab)
We tried to bring the experience of experimental neuroscience to a classroom setting:
www.eneuro.org/content/13/1...
#neuroscience 🧪
Check out RetINaBox! (A collab led by the Trenholm lab)
We tried to bring the experience of experimental neuroscience to a classroom setting:
www.eneuro.org/content/13/1...
#neuroscience 🧪
RetINaBox: A Hands-On Learning Tool for Experimental Neuroscience
An exciting aspect of neuroscience is developing and testing hypotheses via experimentation. However, due to logistical and financial hurdles, the experiment and discovery component of neuroscience is...
www.eneuro.org
January 13, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Are you thinking about doing neuroscience outreach but want to make it more exciting or hands on?
Check out RetINaBox! (A collab led by the Trenholm lab)
We tried to bring the experience of experimental neuroscience to a classroom setting:
www.eneuro.org/content/13/1...
#neuroscience 🧪
Check out RetINaBox! (A collab led by the Trenholm lab)
We tried to bring the experience of experimental neuroscience to a classroom setting:
www.eneuro.org/content/13/1...
#neuroscience 🧪
This is seriously just in time for some stuff we're working on that had left us feeling very stuck. #visionscience
I am happy to share that our preprint “𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮: 𝗔 𝗧𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵” is now out.
Huge thanks to @bayslab.org, Julie de Falco, Zahara, @cjungerius.bsky.social, @ivntmc.bsky.social, Adam, and Xiaolu for the lovely collaboration.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Huge thanks to @bayslab.org, Julie de Falco, Zahara, @cjungerius.bsky.social, @ivntmc.bsky.social, Adam, and Xiaolu for the lovely collaboration.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
OSF
doi.org
January 12, 2026 at 7:14 PM
This is seriously just in time for some stuff we're working on that had left us feeling very stuck. #visionscience
Today makes it 21 years married to @erconwell.bsky.social! We even remembered that it was our anniversary today, which improves our track record to 3 years in a row. ❤️
January 8, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Today makes it 21 years married to @erconwell.bsky.social! We even remembered that it was our anniversary today, which improves our track record to 3 years in a row. ❤️
This is a great article!
submitted
January 8, 2026 at 4:21 PM
This is a great article!
Putting some finishing touches on this afternoon's #visionscience talk at NITOP 2026: Red/Cyan glasses are ready, pushpins are at hand, and we should be good to go for 3pm! Excited to talk about analog demos and centering observation to teach S&P. <1/3>
January 5, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Putting some finishing touches on this afternoon's #visionscience talk at NITOP 2026: Red/Cyan glasses are ready, pushpins are at hand, and we should be good to go for 3pm! Excited to talk about analog demos and centering observation to teach S&P. <1/3>
If you're a fan of STRANGER THINGS, @blaisebalas.bsky.social's post is an excellent bit of #popculture and horror analysis. Go like, share, and subscribe! #horrorsky #strangerthings #horrormovies
Happy New Year’s Eve to everyone, and happy Stranger Things finale to all who celebrate! Coming on here to do a quick plug for my #strangerthings post from before s5 aired to celebrate this wonderful show. Check it out!
#strangerthings5 #horrorsky #horrorwriting
buttondown.com/blaisebalas/...
#strangerthings5 #horrorsky #horrorwriting
buttondown.com/blaisebalas/...
Totally Tubular Thinger Strangs Spectacular!
Hi all, and welcome back to So Desensitized! I took a little break, as you may have noticed, to get myself back together after the Spooktacular took a bit...
buttondown.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:12 AM
If you're a fan of STRANGER THINGS, @blaisebalas.bsky.social's post is an excellent bit of #popculture and horror analysis. Go like, share, and subscribe! #horrorsky #strangerthings #horrormovies
Happy New Year! We're off to the Nth annual Ben Balas Memorial Crokinole tournament, but 2026 is just a few hours away here in the Frozen North. The sun decided to put on one more show for us in 2025, so thought I'd share this look at the ND sky with you all. #happynewyear
January 1, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Happy New Year! We're off to the Nth annual Ben Balas Memorial Crokinole tournament, but 2026 is just a few hours away here in the Frozen North. The sun decided to put on one more show for us in 2025, so thought I'd share this look at the ND sky with you all. #happynewyear