Michael Hoffman
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michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Michael Hoffman
@michaelhoffman.bsky.social
16K followers 1.7K following 5.4K posts
Chair, Computational BIology and Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network.

Associate Professor, Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto.

Disclosures: https://github.com/michaelmhoffman/disclosure/
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michaelhoffman.bsky.social
I just noticed that @clarivate.com has a strong statement against using Journal Impact Factor to evaluate individual articles and researchers. clarivate.com/academia-gov...
The JIF– a journal-level metric– is not a measure of a specific paper or any kind of proxy or substitute metric that confers standing on an individual or institution that may have published papers in a given journal. The Journal Impact Factor should not be used irresponsibly to evaluate individual articles and researchers during research assessment.
January 12, 2026 at 9:17 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Would love to see switching from ANSI/ASME Y14.1 to ISO 216 paper sizes first.
January 12, 2026 at 7:36 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Heraldic badge of Dame Sally Davies www.trin.cam.ac.uk/download/ann...
Pelican Further explanation
January 8, 2026 at 6:08 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Of course, a 2026 LLM can count the number of Rs in "strawberry". But that's not because of improvements in general intelligence since 2024; it's because they've added stuff like this task to their training set.

bsky.app/profile/dara...
January 7, 2026 at 4:03 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
I use the term "amnesia" because it is just like the Gell-Mann amnesia effect, with LLMs taking the place of the newspaper. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Ma...
Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect works as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them. In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story—and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read with renewed interest as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about far-off Palestine than it was about the story you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know. That is the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect. I'd point out it does not operate in other arenas of life. In ordinary life, if somebody consistently exaggerates or lies to you, you soon discount everything they say. In court, there is the legal doctrine of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus, which means untruthful in one part, untruthful in all. But when it comes to the media, we believe against evidence that it is probably worth our time to read other parts of the paper. When, in fact, it almost certainly isn't. The only possible explanation for our behavior is amnesia. — Michael Crichton, "Why Speculate?" (2002)[2]
January 7, 2026 at 3:47 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Fascinating little break in the density there in Niagara. Only part of that is due to Stanley Park.
January 6, 2026 at 8:18 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Hmm not exactly how I would have summarized this document
December 27, 2025 at 12:51 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
OK you win Acrobat, let's see your summary of `pdf_ticket(1).pdf`
Adult Member ROM | Adultes Membre ROM
December 27, 2025 at 12:50 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Letter from Big Lou!
December 27, 2025 at 1:03 AM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Apparently we included self-addressed stamped postcards with NSF GRFP application materials in 2002. I have little recollection of this, but it is my handwriting.
December 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Best Chanukah present: my spouse got me a subscription to @graphicmatt.com's City Hall Watcher. Excited to read some of those non-free issues I've missed!
Meg Olson gifted you a subscription! City Hall Watcher Meg Olson gifted you a year of paid subscription to City Hall Watcher! They wrote: Happy Chanukah! Click here to start reading Welcome to City Hall Watcher Thanks for subscribing to Matt Elliott’s City Hall Watcher newsletter! It sure is nice to be in your inbox. You will start receiving weekly newsletters every Monday around 5 p.m. You can also log in to the website to read the full archives and other posts as they are published. Like this newsletter? Please share it. It’s an independent publication in the perilous world of journalism focused on municipal government. None of this is easy. But it is fun. Share City Hall Watcher — Matt Elliott @GraphicMatt / graphicmatt@gmail.com / CityHallWatcher.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:39 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
www.sages.org/publications...
December 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Bazaar understands the relationship between outdated angular plane requirements and the housing crisis.
Mountain Zoom in
December 23, 2025 at 1:55 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
I give you the Toronto Snowy Negroni. Inspired by the color of the snow on Toronto's streets
December 20, 2025 at 11:00 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
This plot of change in neighbourhood population 1971–2016 from www.erikdrysdale.com/DA_kramer/ is also really, really something.
December 20, 2025 at 1:30 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
December 20, 2025 at 1:05 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Divisional Court finds the decisions of the province and the Health Sciences Appeal and Review Board unreasonable. Sent back to the Board to decide on the amount Ma should receive for these services. www.canlii.org/en/on/onscdc...
December 17, 2025 at 5:44 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Look, they're making Dundas better for transit, *except* between Ossington and University on the _north side of the road only_. Because that's the edge of Saxe's ward.

Taking ward fiefdomry to a new level. @graphicmatt.com @shawnmicallef.bsky.social secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
December 16, 2025 at 8:06 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
The Toronto Star printed my letter about Doug Ford's Conservatives, who seem to love giving themselves time off. They shortened it a bit, with permission. Original in picture. www.thestar.com/opinion/lett...
Your Letter Suggested Title Workers in all industries return to office; Doug Ford's PCs in the legislature return to home Letter I can't believe that Doug Ford's PCs are giving themselves a 14-week break, right on the heels of their last 19-week break ("Ontario legislature to take 14-week winter break, following 19-week summer break," Toronto Star, 11 December 2025). During the short seven weeks they've been back, they've passed rules eliminating debate and public hearings, saving themselves the effort of listening to opposition and the public. Even when not on break, the legislature only meets four days a week. Nice work if you can get it. Ford famously scolded a protestor of his anti-tenant Bill 60, telling him to "find a job." But the people who need admonishment are the members of Ford's PC caucus. They should be told: "do your job." City Toronto
December 16, 2025 at 10:33 AM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
You're good!!! whamageddon.com
The Rules! The 1st Rule The objective is to go as long as possible without hearing WHAM's Christmas classic; "Last Christmas". The 2nd Rule The game starts on December 1st, and finishes at the end of December 24th. Use your local timezone, if you'd like. (Yes, we're European heathens) The 3rd Rule Only the original version applies. Enjoy the ?#!$&%! out of remixes and covers. The 4th Rule You're out as soon as you recognise the song. Bonus Rule Post on social media with the #whamageddon hashtag when you get hit. PvP? While we can't stop you from deliberately sending your friends to Whamhalla, the intention is that this is a survival game. Not a Battle Royale. So ... don't be a dick, mkay?
December 15, 2025 at 5:15 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
WhatsApp channels so I can stay updated on my "favorite topics". Hmmmm what do they suggest as potential favorite topics?

No
No
Lmao no
December 14, 2025 at 1:18 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Some growing pains. Missing 14 tracks from my Spotify library.

OUTRAGED that Tidal does not have the sea shanty version of Nickelback's "Rockstar"
December 13, 2025 at 7:37 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
I should be able to exclude folks who put who knows how many people's metadata in the message.
December 13, 2025 at 7:28 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Maybe the RCMP will finally finish their corruption investigation soon

No rush guys
December 13, 2025 at 1:57 PM
michaelhoffman.bsky.social
Got to admit this was funny, Spotify. Anyway, get in touch if you ever decide to stop ICE advertisements.
December 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM