iainjgallagher.bsky.social
@iainjgallagher.bsky.social
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
'We have historically high welfare spending.' No we don't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
November 29, 2025 at 5:08 PM
'We have historically high welfare spending.' No we don't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
@rolandmcs.bsky.social
@chadbourn.bsky.social
An interesting analysis, the full report is eye opening.
@chadbourn.bsky.social
An interesting analysis, the full report is eye opening.
Is welfare spending ''out of control''?
It's estimated to be 10.8 per cent of GDP this financial year.
That's just 0.8 per cent of GDP higher than in 2007-08, and total welfare spending has actually fallen fallen by 1.2 per cent of GDP since 2012-13⤵️ buff.ly/s5mz97u
It's estimated to be 10.8 per cent of GDP this financial year.
That's just 0.8 per cent of GDP higher than in 2007-08, and total welfare spending has actually fallen fallen by 1.2 per cent of GDP since 2012-13⤵️ buff.ly/s5mz97u
November 28, 2025 at 5:33 PM
@rolandmcs.bsky.social
@chadbourn.bsky.social
An interesting analysis, the full report is eye opening.
@chadbourn.bsky.social
An interesting analysis, the full report is eye opening.
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
How can it cost >2000$ to publish in Scientific Reports (by @springernature.com ) and such a paper gets through?
Check out the pub peer comments, the Fig 1 might be just the beginning..
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
PubPeer: pubpeer.com/publications...
Check out the pub peer comments, the Fig 1 might be just the beginning..
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
PubPeer: pubpeer.com/publications...
November 27, 2025 at 9:53 AM
How can it cost >2000$ to publish in Scientific Reports (by @springernature.com ) and such a paper gets through?
Check out the pub peer comments, the Fig 1 might be just the beginning..
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
PubPeer: pubpeer.com/publications...
Check out the pub peer comments, the Fig 1 might be just the beginning..
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
PubPeer: pubpeer.com/publications...
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
Overall, the combination of tax rises and giveaways since last year’s Budget is progressive.
Incomes for households in the bottom half of the distribution have increased by 1.0 per cent and incomes for households in the top half fell by 0.7 per cent.
Incomes for households in the bottom half of the distribution have increased by 1.0 per cent and incomes for households in the top half fell by 0.7 per cent.
November 27, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Overall, the combination of tax rises and giveaways since last year’s Budget is progressive.
Incomes for households in the bottom half of the distribution have increased by 1.0 per cent and incomes for households in the top half fell by 0.7 per cent.
Incomes for households in the bottom half of the distribution have increased by 1.0 per cent and incomes for households in the top half fell by 0.7 per cent.
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
All those people who think they can dodge the effects of the climate crisis because they live in a nice developed country are about to get punched in the face. It’s coming in hard everywhere.
England facing drastic measures due to extreme drought next year
Government and water companies are devising emergency plans for worst water shortage in decades
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:04 PM
All those people who think they can dodge the effects of the climate crisis because they live in a nice developed country are about to get punched in the face. It’s coming in hard everywhere.
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
Now I'm also looking for a research software engineer to implement a pile of research results to R packages loo, posterior, bayesplot, projpred, priorsense, brms or/and Python packages ArviZ, Bambi and Kulprit. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact info at users.aalto.fi/~ave/)
I'm now also looking for a postdoc with strong Bayesian background and interest in developing Bayesian cross-validation theory, methods and software. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact information at users.aalto.fi/~ave/).
Others, please share
Others, please share
I'm looking for a doctoral student with Bayesian background to work on Bayesian workflow and cross-validation (see my publication list users.aalto.fi/~ave/publica... for my recent work) at Aalto University.
Apply through the ELLIS PhD program (dl October 31) ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...
Apply through the ELLIS PhD program (dl October 31) ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...
November 3, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Now I'm also looking for a research software engineer to implement a pile of research results to R packages loo, posterior, bayesplot, projpred, priorsense, brms or/and Python packages ArviZ, Bambi and Kulprit. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact info at users.aalto.fi/~ave/)
Nice!
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
October 1, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Nice!
"Silicon samples" 😐 - An insane idea on so many levels! Often with AI it's as if people say to themselves "Here's a thing... let's use AI for it" No consideration of anything else... fucking nuts!
A lot of psych is already conducted with online convenience samples & ppl are probably excited about silicon samples bc it would allow them to crank out more studies for even less 💸
How about we reconsider the idea that sciencey science involves collecting own data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
How about we reconsider the idea that sciencey science involves collecting own data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
AI-generated ‘participants’ can lead social science experiments astray, study finds
Data produced by “silicon samples” depends on researchers’ exact choice of models, prompts, and settings
www.science.org
October 1, 2025 at 11:04 AM
"Silicon samples" 😐 - An insane idea on so many levels! Often with AI it's as if people say to themselves "Here's a thing... let's use AI for it" No consideration of anything else... fucking nuts!
Hmm - I've seen some ludicrous professors appointed
ATU President Dr Orla Flynn has called for urgent Government action to establish professorships within the sector
www.rte.ie/news/educati...
www.rte.ie/news/educati...
'Ludicrous' professors can't be appointed - ATU President
The inability of Technological Universities to appoint professors is causing significant regional imbalance that needs to be urgently addressed, according to the President of Atlantic Technological Un...
www.rte.ie
September 26, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Hmm - I've seen some ludicrous professors appointed
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
Proposal for how to fix family wise error rates.
For every uncorrected p value you must add an extra letter to the claim.
“Eating chocolate maaaaaaaaay be associated with lower rates of stroke”
For every uncorrected p value you must add an extra letter to the claim.
“Eating chocolate maaaaaaaaay be associated with lower rates of stroke”
September 16, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Proposal for how to fix family wise error rates.
For every uncorrected p value you must add an extra letter to the claim.
“Eating chocolate maaaaaaaaay be associated with lower rates of stroke”
For every uncorrected p value you must add an extra letter to the claim.
“Eating chocolate maaaaaaaaay be associated with lower rates of stroke”
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
The myth of scientific objectivity hides the truth that every experiment is influenced by cultural values, assumptions and beliefs – and that actually hurts the search for truth
Analysis:
buff.ly/KcLU0bE
🧪 🩺
Analysis:
buff.ly/KcLU0bE
🧪 🩺
Scientific objectivity is a myth – cultural values and beliefs always influence science and the people who do it
Cultural ideas are inextricably entwined with the people who do science, the questions they ask, the assumptions they hold and the conclusions they land on.
buff.ly
September 6, 2025 at 11:48 AM
The myth of scientific objectivity hides the truth that every experiment is influenced by cultural values, assumptions and beliefs – and that actually hurts the search for truth
Analysis:
buff.ly/KcLU0bE
🧪 🩺
Analysis:
buff.ly/KcLU0bE
🧪 🩺
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
'The present crisis in UK Higher Education is primarily a crisis of funding, but it is also a crisis of conviction and of hostility towards intellectualism and any other forms of expertise.'
#UKHE
#HigherEd
#UKHE
#HigherEd
I've written a short post on the specific way academics experience alienation at work. I also argue we must champion the inherent worth of what we do as well as its profitability.
blog.matthewbarnard.phd/a-world-with...
#ucu #academia
blog.matthewbarnard.phd/a-world-with...
#ucu #academia
A world without experts: alienation in academia
Thoughts on the level of alienation in academic work, and how as much as we cannot exit the economy, we must recognise the inherent value of academia.
blog.matthewbarnard.phd
August 25, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
Just for perspective, a few weeks ago roughly 100,000 turned up for the London Trans+ Pride march. By contrast fewer than 3,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY, have turned up to anti-asylum "protests". Yet we are meant to take the latter as "the voice of the people" and the former as "the minority".
August 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Just for perspective, a few weeks ago roughly 100,000 turned up for the London Trans+ Pride march. By contrast fewer than 3,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY, have turned up to anti-asylum "protests". Yet we are meant to take the latter as "the voice of the people" and the former as "the minority".
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
"The need for a constant human-in-the-loop will quickly reduce any productivity benefits of the LLM."
Although, the productivity cost will probably be worse than having just anybody handhold the LLM. You'll be wasting the time of relevant experts.
kucharski.substack.com/p/small-hall...
Although, the productivity cost will probably be worse than having just anybody handhold the LLM. You'll be wasting the time of relevant experts.
kucharski.substack.com/p/small-hall...
Small hallucinations, big problems
Why a 1% hallucination risk is terrible if you’re using LLMs to look for unusual events
kucharski.substack.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
"The need for a constant human-in-the-loop will quickly reduce any productivity benefits of the LLM."
Although, the productivity cost will probably be worse than having just anybody handhold the LLM. You'll be wasting the time of relevant experts.
kucharski.substack.com/p/small-hall...
Although, the productivity cost will probably be worse than having just anybody handhold the LLM. You'll be wasting the time of relevant experts.
kucharski.substack.com/p/small-hall...
Slightly diminish a band
Talking Noses
Talking Noses
Slightly diminish a band
CHVPELS
CHVPELS
Slightly diminish a band
Led Blimp
Led Blimp
August 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Slightly diminish a band
Talking Noses
Talking Noses
This is sad. I knew Bill Scott (my wife and his wife were good friends). He was a great guy with a wonderfully irreverent sense of humour and a fantastic ability to bullshit.
www.scotsman.com/news/people/...
www.scotsman.com/news/people/...
Obituaries: Bill Scott, medical visionary who transformed the role of pharmacists in patient care
Bill Scott OBE, FRPharmS, pharmacist. Born 1949. Died 2025, aged 76
www.scotsman.com
August 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
This is sad. I knew Bill Scott (my wife and his wife were good friends). He was a great guy with a wonderfully irreverent sense of humour and a fantastic ability to bullshit.
www.scotsman.com/news/people/...
www.scotsman.com/news/people/...
Wisdom for the ages...
And if you surround humans with cheap delicious food and remind them about it constantly, they will struggle to avoid weight gain - & nobody will ever "fix" this environment, sorry. So people should, to the degree the are able, watch what they eat and get regular exercise to prevent additional gain.
August 3, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Wisdom for the ages...
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
This week on Wonkhe: Using the governance challenges at Dundee as a starting point, Jim Dickinson explores how student board members across universities are navigating similar issues, revealing the gap between oversight theory and boardroom reality
From where student governors sit, Dundee isn't the only institution with governance challenges
Using the governance challenges at Dundee as a starting point, Jim Dickinson explores how student board members across universities are navigating similar issues, revealing the gap between oversight theory...
buff.ly
July 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM
This week on Wonkhe: Using the governance challenges at Dundee as a starting point, Jim Dickinson explores how student board members across universities are navigating similar issues, revealing the gap between oversight theory and boardroom reality
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
Among yesterday's arrestees is Deborah Hinton, an 81-year old retired magistrate with an OBE.
That's Yvette Cooper's idea of a terrorist.
Language has been turned on its head.
The law has been turned on its head.
Murdering children is righteous.
Trying to stop it is terrorism.
That's Yvette Cooper's idea of a terrorist.
Language has been turned on its head.
The law has been turned on its head.
Murdering children is righteous.
Trying to stop it is terrorism.
July 20, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Among yesterday's arrestees is Deborah Hinton, an 81-year old retired magistrate with an OBE.
That's Yvette Cooper's idea of a terrorist.
Language has been turned on its head.
The law has been turned on its head.
Murdering children is righteous.
Trying to stop it is terrorism.
That's Yvette Cooper's idea of a terrorist.
Language has been turned on its head.
The law has been turned on its head.
Murdering children is righteous.
Trying to stop it is terrorism.
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
'a new study by Polish researchers has raised questions about whether academics in smaller universities will struggle to compete for impact-related funds given the relatively low level of support compared with the more comprehensive impact infrastructure available in larger universities.' 1/3
Research impact’s ‘uneven playing field’ hits small universities
Disparities in impact-related support for UK academics may widen funding inequalities from Research Excellence Framework, scholars fear
www.timeshighereducation.com
July 1, 2025 at 4:51 AM
'a new study by Polish researchers has raised questions about whether academics in smaller universities will struggle to compete for impact-related funds given the relatively low level of support compared with the more comprehensive impact infrastructure available in larger universities.' 1/3
Reposted by iainjgallagher.bsky.social
“What the Apple paper shows, most fundamentally, regardless of how you define AGI, is that these LLMs that have generated so much hype are no substitute for good, well-specified conventional algorithms.”
When billion-dollar AIs break down over puzzles a child can do, it's time to rethink the hype | Gary Marcus
The tech world is reeling from a paper that shows the powers of a new generation of AI have been wildly oversold, says cognitive scientist Gary Marcus
www.theguardian.com
June 10, 2025 at 10:31 AM
“What the Apple paper shows, most fundamentally, regardless of how you define AGI, is that these LLMs that have generated so much hype are no substitute for good, well-specified conventional algorithms.”
Hey @dsquintana.bsky.social not my work but I think you have an interest on oxytocin?
Oxytocin release modulates acute neuroinflammation and improves brain development after pediatric traumatic brain injury https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.02.652172v1
June 5, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Hey @dsquintana.bsky.social not my work but I think you have an interest on oxytocin?
Hi Sciencesky, we have an open position for a research fellow on an MRC-funded project – “Glial Homeostasis, Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration”. Details here: jobs.napier.ac.uk/mthrprod_web... 🧪
Powered by MHR
jobs.napier.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Hi Sciencesky, we have an open position for a research fellow on an MRC-funded project – “Glial Homeostasis, Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration”. Details here: jobs.napier.ac.uk/mthrprod_web... 🧪
Biggest ever Amazon order confirmed! 😮
May 24, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Biggest ever Amazon order confirmed! 😮