Nick Holmes
@thehandlab.bsky.social
handy neuroscientist | touch & movement | brain stimulation | neurobiography.info | pod @theerrorbar.bsky.social theerrorbar.com | @tmsmultilab.bsky.social https://tms-rat.org https://tms-smart.info | b. 335ppm C💚2 | pro birds | Associating with Professors
Pinned
On the Varieties of 'Double Dipping': Finding & Fixing Problematic Analyses in Neuroscience
YouTube video by nicholas holmes
youtu.be
This remains my best-ever talk, on "double dipping" in data analysis. Applies to every field of science and data processing, researchers are making the mistakes discussed here every day and in every way #stats #DoubleDipping #RegressionToTheMean
youtu.be/VN19B-3P6Cc?...
youtu.be/VN19B-3P6Cc?...
Reposted by Nick Holmes
“We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.”
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:50 AM
“We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.”
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Reposted by Nick Holmes
⚡️⚡️⚡️ #TMS #FRIDAY IS HERE ⚡️⚡️⚡️
Today we hear from Dr Giacomo Bertazzoli, talking about the NIBS-BIDS project to bring TMS (& other #NIBS) into the #BIDS family
14:00 GMT, via Zoom
Today we hear from Dr Giacomo Bertazzoli, talking about the NIBS-BIDS project to bring TMS (& other #NIBS) into the #BIDS family
14:00 GMT, via Zoom
⚡️⚡️⚡️TMS FRIDAY IS COMIMG⚡️⚡️⚡️
The 12th TMSMultiLab meeting will be lead by
Dr Giacomo Bertazzoli
(orcid.org/0000-0003-16...)
on
"The NIBS-BIDS proposal"
Friday 30th Jan, 14h GMT, Zoom
All acronyms will be explained, but its about:
#DataSharing #OpenScience #Standards #TMS #BrainStim
github.com/TMSMultiLab/...
Dr Giacomo Bertazzoli
(orcid.org/0000-0003-16...)
on
"The NIBS-BIDS proposal"
Friday 30th Jan, 14h GMT, Zoom
All acronyms will be explained, but its about:
#DataSharing #OpenScience #Standards #TMS #BrainStim
github.com/TMSMultiLab/...
January 30, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Well, is it?
So initial experiments with Open AI's vibe-coding science tool Prism are going about as well as expected.
January 27, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Well, is it?
Reposted by Nick Holmes
TIL: random effects meta-analysis in Excel, thanks to @lajeunesselab.bsky.social 's perfect YouTubeTorial
(Yes I can program & use stats software, but until I crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet, I don't really understand it. Now I know Kung Fu)
ps: it's as easy as ANOVA
youtu.be/i66Lf2a_Pa8?...
(Yes I can program & use stats software, but until I crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet, I don't really understand it. Now I know Kung Fu)
ps: it's as easy as ANOVA
youtu.be/i66Lf2a_Pa8?...
tutorial on how to do a meta-analysis in Excel | Spreadsheet Synthesis
YouTube video by LajeunesseLab
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 10:57 PM
TIL: random effects meta-analysis in Excel, thanks to @lajeunesselab.bsky.social 's perfect YouTubeTorial
(Yes I can program & use stats software, but until I crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet, I don't really understand it. Now I know Kung Fu)
ps: it's as easy as ANOVA
youtu.be/i66Lf2a_Pa8?...
(Yes I can program & use stats software, but until I crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet, I don't really understand it. Now I know Kung Fu)
ps: it's as easy as ANOVA
youtu.be/i66Lf2a_Pa8?...
Nigel's Paradox:
There are two Parties, A and B. Each comprises many people.
On Monday, someone from Party A leaves to join B.
Is Party B now the same Party? Why yes: a Party is more than one person!
If this happens every Monday, when is Party B a different Party?
And who is that one person?
🤔
There are two Parties, A and B. Each comprises many people.
On Monday, someone from Party A leaves to join B.
Is Party B now the same Party? Why yes: a Party is more than one person!
If this happens every Monday, when is Party B a different Party?
And who is that one person?
🤔
January 26, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Nigel's Paradox:
There are two Parties, A and B. Each comprises many people.
On Monday, someone from Party A leaves to join B.
Is Party B now the same Party? Why yes: a Party is more than one person!
If this happens every Monday, when is Party B a different Party?
And who is that one person?
🤔
There are two Parties, A and B. Each comprises many people.
On Monday, someone from Party A leaves to join B.
Is Party B now the same Party? Why yes: a Party is more than one person!
If this happens every Monday, when is Party B a different Party?
And who is that one person?
🤔
There is no point to science communication without the audience being confident that the communicator *understands* the science.
chatbots will never bridge that confidence gap 🧪
chatbots will never bridge that confidence gap 🧪
LinkedIn probably wasn’t the best channel to post this, but I stand by it
January 26, 2026 at 6:40 AM
There is no point to science communication without the audience being confident that the communicator *understands* the science.
chatbots will never bridge that confidence gap 🧪
chatbots will never bridge that confidence gap 🧪
If you need some distraction, this 7-part video series on large language models is fabulous #LLM #AI
@perfors.net takes you through them all, with as much balance as possible, & with occasional "rants" as necessary!
If you want or need to understand them, start here 👇
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
@perfors.net takes you through them all, with as much balance as possible, & with occasional "rants" as necessary!
If you want or need to understand them, start here 👇
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
All about AI - YouTube
The series is intended for normal people who want to learn more about AI – students, teachers, parents, people with office jobs, CEOs, retail workers, firefi...
youtube.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:33 PM
If you need some distraction, this 7-part video series on large language models is fabulous #LLM #AI
@perfors.net takes you through them all, with as much balance as possible, & with occasional "rants" as necessary!
If you want or need to understand them, start here 👇
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
@perfors.net takes you through them all, with as much balance as possible, & with occasional "rants" as necessary!
If you want or need to understand them, start here 👇
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Reposted by Nick Holmes
Board of Peace - Season 1
January 24, 2026 at 7:45 AM
Board of Peace - Season 1
A week ago i turned off 'autocomplete' on my phone - it was *replacing* the good English words i had spelt correctly with 'more likely' words
Immediately, I could barely write a word correctly: errors in every word!
But after a week, i've relearnt to tap precisely & errors are fewer!
Anyone else?
Immediately, I could barely write a word correctly: errors in every word!
But after a week, i've relearnt to tap precisely & errors are fewer!
Anyone else?
January 23, 2026 at 6:42 AM
A week ago i turned off 'autocomplete' on my phone - it was *replacing* the good English words i had spelt correctly with 'more likely' words
Immediately, I could barely write a word correctly: errors in every word!
But after a week, i've relearnt to tap precisely & errors are fewer!
Anyone else?
Immediately, I could barely write a word correctly: errors in every word!
But after a week, i've relearnt to tap precisely & errors are fewer!
Anyone else?
Measles is deadly but preventable, and it's coming back to take kids away.
The total number of measles cases has surged to over 600 in South Carolina.
Last April, our reporting found that national rates for four major vaccines fell significantly in recent years. In fact, measles vaccination rates were below herd immunity in most states in 2023: https://propub.li/4a61hjh
Last April, our reporting found that national rates for four major vaccines fell significantly in recent years. In fact, measles vaccination rates were below herd immunity in most states in 2023: https://propub.li/4a61hjh
January 22, 2026 at 6:01 AM
Measles is deadly but preventable, and it's coming back to take kids away.
Just watched Part 1.
Brilliant. Strong recommend 👇
Brilliant. Strong recommend 👇
I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Part 1: How do LLMs work?
YouTube video by Andrew Perfors
www.youtube.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:33 AM
Just watched Part 1.
Brilliant. Strong recommend 👇
Brilliant. Strong recommend 👇
Reposted by Nick Holmes
Today Dallas County declared Tommy Lee Walker innocent of a 1953 murder for which he was wrongfully executed 70 years ago. Arrested at 19, executed within 3 years. A life stolen. Justice much delayed. Awed by the Walker family's persistence. So proud of this @innocenceproject team.
BREAKING: 70 years after his wrongful execution, Tommy Lee Walker is declared innocent.
“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
Tommy Lee Walker Declared Innocent 70 Years After His Execution
Dallas County Commissioners Court posthumously proclaimed Mr. Walker’s innocence in the 1954 racially-fueled capital murder case.
innocenceproject.org
January 21, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Today Dallas County declared Tommy Lee Walker innocent of a 1953 murder for which he was wrongfully executed 70 years ago. Arrested at 19, executed within 3 years. A life stolen. Justice much delayed. Awed by the Walker family's persistence. So proud of this @innocenceproject team.
💚
Huge.
The first (of many to come) Green gains from Reform.
The first (of many to come) Green gains from Reform.
January 21, 2026 at 7:19 PM
💚
Tipping point being reached?
Yesterday it was Satya Nadella, today it’s Jensen Huang; what with the world burning around me I can take some pleasure in the fact the AI bros are both mad and sad
Jensen Huang of Nvidia, $NVDA, has said relentless negativity around AI is hurting society and has done a lot of damage, per Techspot.
January 21, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Tipping point being reached?
Saw my first AI-generated #Review today, of a paper in Scientific Reports.
It was like a highschool teacher giving constructive feedback on an essay, with statements from a rubric.
If i see this as editor, your 'review' will be ignored.
If i see it as 1st/last author, I'll write to the editor.
🤷♂️
It was like a highschool teacher giving constructive feedback on an essay, with statements from a rubric.
If i see this as editor, your 'review' will be ignored.
If i see it as 1st/last author, I'll write to the editor.
🤷♂️
January 21, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Saw my first AI-generated #Review today, of a paper in Scientific Reports.
It was like a highschool teacher giving constructive feedback on an essay, with statements from a rubric.
If i see this as editor, your 'review' will be ignored.
If i see it as 1st/last author, I'll write to the editor.
🤷♂️
It was like a highschool teacher giving constructive feedback on an essay, with statements from a rubric.
If i see this as editor, your 'review' will be ignored.
If i see it as 1st/last author, I'll write to the editor.
🤷♂️
Breaking: Man says outrageous thing to distract from the outrageous thing he said last time we reported the outrageous thing he said. More on this story as each outrageous thing is said.
January 20, 2026 at 8:19 AM
Breaking: Man says outrageous thing to distract from the outrageous thing he said last time we reported the outrageous thing he said. More on this story as each outrageous thing is said.
I didn't get grant funding in 2016 so i didn't apply for nine years and i think they've learnt their lesson now.
January 19, 2026 at 2:14 PM
I didn't get grant funding in 2016 so i didn't apply for nine years and i think they've learnt their lesson now.
The point of literature reviews - and reading and learning in general - is the process as well as the product. And the product is not just the words on the page, but also your 🧠.
Academia is not the production of academic papers, but of understanding.
Academia is not the production of academic papers, but of understanding.
And that is: asking a student to do a literature review isn’t really about the output, the final product. It’s about learning the process - assessing the quality of the evidence as you read it, learning how your question may evolve as you engage with the literature, learning how to spot SALIENCE 1/2
January 19, 2026 at 9:24 AM
The point of literature reviews - and reading and learning in general - is the process as well as the product. And the product is not just the words on the page, but also your 🧠.
Academia is not the production of academic papers, but of understanding.
Academia is not the production of academic papers, but of understanding.
Reposted by Nick Holmes
"it's inevitable"
"You just have to accept it"
"If you don't use it you'll be left behind"
"You're just a luddite, this is the future"
"You just have to accept it"
"If you don't use it you'll be left behind"
"You're just a luddite, this is the future"
The division has lost over $77 billion since its inception in 2020.
Meta Lays Off Thousands of VR Workers as Zuckerberg's Vision Fails
The company has laid off some 1,500 virtual reality developers as part of a broader shift toward AI wearable devices.
trib.al
January 18, 2026 at 5:35 PM
"it's inevitable"
"You just have to accept it"
"If you don't use it you'll be left behind"
"You're just a luddite, this is the future"
"You just have to accept it"
"If you don't use it you'll be left behind"
"You're just a luddite, this is the future"
Reposted by Nick Holmes
Science journals retract 500 papers a month. This is why it matters
Science journals retract 500 papers a month. This is why it matters
A small team of volunteers is tracking thousands of falsified studies, including cases of bribery, fraud and plagiarism
www.thetimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Science journals retract 500 papers a month. This is why it matters
Reposted by Nick Holmes
Everyone please red this and then vigorously attack @timpmorris.bsky.social 😜
tpmorris.substack.com/p/how-to-rea...
tpmorris.substack.com/p/how-to-rea...
How to read ‘evidence pyramids’
To get past the pointless bit of the arguments
tpmorris.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:41 PM
Everyone please red this and then vigorously attack @timpmorris.bsky.social 😜
tpmorris.substack.com/p/how-to-rea...
tpmorris.substack.com/p/how-to-rea...
The media need to stop reporting what he *says* (on his Early Learning Centre social media playsite), and focus on what the country - and more imortantly the rest of the world - actually *does*.
Don't feed the troll.
Don't feed the troll.
January 17, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The media need to stop reporting what he *says* (on his Early Learning Centre social media playsite), and focus on what the country - and more imortantly the rest of the world - actually *does*.
Don't feed the troll.
Don't feed the troll.
Reposted by Nick Holmes
The South Carolina measles outbreak is growing at an astounding speed
More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states
More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states
'Staring over the edge': South Carolina measles outbreak doubles in a week
More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states.
www.nbcnews.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:33 PM
The South Carolina measles outbreak is growing at an astounding speed
More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states
More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states