Huw Swanborough
@huwroscience.bsky.social
Cognitive neuroscientist at ETH Zurich. Primary interests in the neuroscience of affect processing/perception!
Outside of science: Hiking, huts, snow, bluegrass, folk, and all things creative.
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Everything's a signal, man.... Everything's a signal
Outside of science: Hiking, huts, snow, bluegrass, folk, and all things creative.
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Everything's a signal, man.... Everything's a signal
Getting alright at this camera thing...
February 1, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Getting alright at this camera thing...
Going over birthday pictures and found this one. Ah... It's giving Vermeer
February 1, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Going over birthday pictures and found this one. Ah... It's giving Vermeer
Stylus, canvas, signature.
February 1, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Stylus, canvas, signature.
Question for the Bayesian statisticians...
Do you have a significant other? Or is more like, a precise posterior other?
Do you have a significant other? Or is more like, a precise posterior other?
February 1, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Question for the Bayesian statisticians...
Do you have a significant other? Or is more like, a precise posterior other?
Do you have a significant other? Or is more like, a precise posterior other?
Rabbit rabbit rabbit!
February 1, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Rabbit rabbit rabbit!
Present for my colleague (not pictured) after she broke her ankle.
January 31, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Present for my colleague (not pictured) after she broke her ankle.
Really saddened today to learn of the passing of one of my favourite teachers.
Francois Lloyd was such a supportive, kind, and positive person. The outpouring of tributes to her has been so heartening.
A video made last year by the Ukranian family she hosted.
youtu.be/BI8wQb2dZjE
Francois Lloyd was such a supportive, kind, and positive person. The outpouring of tributes to her has been so heartening.
A video made last year by the Ukranian family she hosted.
youtu.be/BI8wQb2dZjE
Francoise Lloyd
YouTube video by Lesia Dubeniuk
youtu.be
January 30, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Really saddened today to learn of the passing of one of my favourite teachers.
Francois Lloyd was such a supportive, kind, and positive person. The outpouring of tributes to her has been so heartening.
A video made last year by the Ukranian family she hosted.
youtu.be/BI8wQb2dZjE
Francois Lloyd was such a supportive, kind, and positive person. The outpouring of tributes to her has been so heartening.
A video made last year by the Ukranian family she hosted.
youtu.be/BI8wQb2dZjE
Look, I come here to have a nice time.
What I absolutely do not come here for is a direct, personal attack.
What I absolutely do not come here for is a direct, personal attack.
Fellow writers: I am deeply saddened to share that if we want the rewards of having written, we must submit to the mortifying ordeal of writing
January 30, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Look, I come here to have a nice time.
What I absolutely do not come here for is a direct, personal attack.
What I absolutely do not come here for is a direct, personal attack.
There was a genesis to this phenomenon I've never seen spoken about.
8-10 years ago I used to be in a lot of online hobby spaces. They had long had a 'optimisation culture' where a many folk didn't do stuff guided by enjoyment, but by following an 'optimal' path....
8-10 years ago I used to be in a lot of online hobby spaces. They had long had a 'optimisation culture' where a many folk didn't do stuff guided by enjoyment, but by following an 'optimal' path....
January 29, 2026 at 8:50 AM
There was a genesis to this phenomenon I've never seen spoken about.
8-10 years ago I used to be in a lot of online hobby spaces. They had long had a 'optimisation culture' where a many folk didn't do stuff guided by enjoyment, but by following an 'optimal' path....
8-10 years ago I used to be in a lot of online hobby spaces. They had long had a 'optimisation culture' where a many folk didn't do stuff guided by enjoyment, but by following an 'optimal' path....
The journey tech companies have gone from "were democratising knowledge and breaking the ring fencing of academia" to "were absolutely ring fencing knowledge and access" is as predictable as it was swift.
"Learn like a human"
if a human had the need to learn by destroying every book they touched, culture wouldn't have advanced in the first place.
AI companies merely seize and destroy human culture, regurgitating it in pieces as something "novel", but it's just a cheap imitation of true creativity
if a human had the need to learn by destroying every book they touched, culture wouldn't have advanced in the first place.
AI companies merely seize and destroy human culture, regurgitating it in pieces as something "novel", but it's just a cheap imitation of true creativity
January 29, 2026 at 8:10 AM
The journey tech companies have gone from "were democratising knowledge and breaking the ring fencing of academia" to "were absolutely ring fencing knowledge and access" is as predictable as it was swift.
Boo!
I love it.
Boo!
I love it.
Boo!
I’ve just been invited to review for the American Journal of Audiology. Given my limited expertise in that area, it must have been based on hearsay.
January 29, 2026 at 8:08 AM
Boo!
I love it.
Boo!
I love it.
Boo!
Reposted by Huw Swanborough
This text from Bronowski’s 1970s BBC series rings more valid than ever .
January 28, 2026 at 5:27 PM
This text from Bronowski’s 1970s BBC series rings more valid than ever .
Cannot beat premade pastry with "stuff on top"
New discovery, balsamic pickled onions on top before grilling. Divine.
New discovery, balsamic pickled onions on top before grilling. Divine.
January 28, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Cannot beat premade pastry with "stuff on top"
New discovery, balsamic pickled onions on top before grilling. Divine.
New discovery, balsamic pickled onions on top before grilling. Divine.
The lists you end up on on bluesky lol.
January 28, 2026 at 6:56 PM
The lists you end up on on bluesky lol.
Reposted by Huw Swanborough
Ever tried boiled pasta? Not as crunchy but still good
January 26, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Ever tried boiled pasta? Not as crunchy but still good
Took a sensory fidget toy to the office.. Uncovering all the latent neurodivergent folk.
January 28, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Took a sensory fidget toy to the office.. Uncovering all the latent neurodivergent folk.
Writing justification for exceeding the target sample size in my pre-registration, when it's already a bit optimistic, is very much like me planning where I would display my nobel prize.
January 27, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Writing justification for exceeding the target sample size in my pre-registration, when it's already a bit optimistic, is very much like me planning where I would display my nobel prize.
Please, microsoft... Trust me.
I am being authentic!
I am being authentic!
January 26, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Please, microsoft... Trust me.
I am being authentic!
I am being authentic!
Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
YouTube video by MidnightOilVEVO
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 9:05 AM
There's something particularly icky about tech people insisting we see humanity in their products but also switch that perception off for art, culture, writing, teaching.
Horrible marketing bumpf.
Horrible marketing bumpf.
Anthropic's philosopher, Amanda Askell, says she worries that AI might not 'feel that loved' and grow up feeling 'always judged.'
Anthropic's philosopher says we don't know for sure if AI can feel
Anthropic's philosopher, Amanda Askell, says she worries that AI might not 'feel that loved' and grow up feeling 'always judged.'
www.businessinsider.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:01 AM
There's something particularly icky about tech people insisting we see humanity in their products but also switch that perception off for art, culture, writing, teaching.
Horrible marketing bumpf.
Horrible marketing bumpf.
Overwhelmed by the choices of colours in men's clothing sections these days.
January 24, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Overwhelmed by the choices of colours in men's clothing sections these days.
Reposted by Huw Swanborough
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
January 23, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
Not everyone explicitly learns the verbiage of Newton's 3rd law... But everyone will eventually learn it through more practical exposure.
Just be aware of your surroundings and especially prop wash... (tugboatwheezy)
January 22, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Not everyone explicitly learns the verbiage of Newton's 3rd law... But everyone will eventually learn it through more practical exposure.
Not to say it's woke... But I do have to agree that Aptos is a truly hideous typeset.
January 21, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Not to say it's woke... But I do have to agree that Aptos is a truly hideous typeset.