Rob Davies
@robayedavies.bsky.social
Reads, runs, looks out for birds, teaches data analysis methods in Psychology at Lancaster University, researches individual differences in reading and language; he/him/his
Reposted by Rob Davies
King Charles argued on Friday that, thanks to early diagnosis, his treatment will be reduced in the New Year.
He urged people to take up cancer screening saying: “Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/a...
1/10
He urged people to take up cancer screening saying: “Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/a...
1/10
King Charles 'deeply touched' by reaction to cancer TV message, says Buckingham Palace
In a TV broadcast on Friday night, the King said an early diagnosis was key to the "good news" that his treatment is being scaled back.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
King Charles argued on Friday that, thanks to early diagnosis, his treatment will be reduced in the New Year.
He urged people to take up cancer screening saying: “Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/a...
1/10
He urged people to take up cancer screening saying: “Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/a...
1/10
Reposted by Rob Davies
I wrote this, a long analysis of a single line of Shakespeare and what it’s doing. How good writing is an ethical practice. And my continuing attempts to work out what it is that I’m spotting when I look at a piece of text and go “oh that was written by AI.”
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
a single line of Shakespeare contains an ethical universe
on what we get from individual word choice, what good writing is, plus: what I put in my ChatGPT settings to make it helpful
open.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:49 AM
I wrote this, a long analysis of a single line of Shakespeare and what it’s doing. How good writing is an ethical practice. And my continuing attempts to work out what it is that I’m spotting when I look at a piece of text and go “oh that was written by AI.”
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
Reposted by Rob Davies
On the ethics of writing:
"Not writing which has ethics imposed on it from outside. The ethical changes that happen inside you in a lifetime of working with characters, plots, stories, language. Working with them sincerely, trying to represent the world."
"Not writing which has ethics imposed on it from outside. The ethical changes that happen inside you in a lifetime of working with characters, plots, stories, language. Working with them sincerely, trying to represent the world."
I wrote this, a long analysis of a single line of Shakespeare and what it’s doing. How good writing is an ethical practice. And my continuing attempts to work out what it is that I’m spotting when I look at a piece of text and go “oh that was written by AI.”
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
a single line of Shakespeare contains an ethical universe
on what we get from individual word choice, what good writing is, plus: what I put in my ChatGPT settings to make it helpful
open.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
On the ethics of writing:
"Not writing which has ethics imposed on it from outside. The ethical changes that happen inside you in a lifetime of working with characters, plots, stories, language. Working with them sincerely, trying to represent the world."
"Not writing which has ethics imposed on it from outside. The ethical changes that happen inside you in a lifetime of working with characters, plots, stories, language. Working with them sincerely, trying to represent the world."
Reposted by Rob Davies
I tried to find a photo of Christopher Plummer riding a bike, and instead I found this photo of a guy named Chris who's a plumber, which is even better.
December 14, 2025 at 10:31 AM
I tried to find a photo of Christopher Plummer riding a bike, and instead I found this photo of a guy named Chris who's a plumber, which is even better.
Reposted by Rob Davies
It’s good to see papers start to address LLMs as structural plagiarism — provenance, more hidden than the original words or training data. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
LLM use in scholarly writing poses a provenance problem
Nature Machine Intelligence - LLM use in scholarly writing poses a provenance problem
www.nature.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:13 AM
It’s good to see papers start to address LLMs as structural plagiarism — provenance, more hidden than the original words or training data. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Rob Davies
I've loved all of Rinzler's "Making of" books that I've read but this one was probably my favorite.
December 13, 2025 at 6:59 PM
I've loved all of Rinzler's "Making of" books that I've read but this one was probably my favorite.
Reposted by Rob Davies
It's what happens over and over again when it does. Wrote a book about that:
December 13, 2025 at 7:29 PM
It's what happens over and over again when it does. Wrote a book about that:
Reposted by Rob Davies
This piece, to be specific.
The Paris climate treaty changed the world. Here’s how | Rebecca Solnit
There’s much more to do, but we should be encouraged by the progress we have made
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:05 PM
This piece, to be specific.
Reposted by Rob Davies
This is the distillation of the most important lesson I’ve learned about communicating to groups of people, whether it’s about a cause you care about, a product you’ve created, or just a subject you’re passionate about. They have to be able to talk about you without you: anildash.com/2025/12/05/t...
They have to be able to talk about us without us - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
anildash.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:31 PM
This is the distillation of the most important lesson I’ve learned about communicating to groups of people, whether it’s about a cause you care about, a product you’ve created, or just a subject you’re passionate about. They have to be able to talk about you without you: anildash.com/2025/12/05/t...
Reposted by Rob Davies
As part of our TPM series on the realities of mass deportation in New York, I spent a lot of time over these past few months in ICE court.
Here is what I saw.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/new-...
Here is what I saw.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/new-...
The Undocumented Underground Is Fighting Back Inside New York’s Notorious Immigration Court
One day last month, a Peruvian mother and her daughter went into...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
As part of our TPM series on the realities of mass deportation in New York, I spent a lot of time over these past few months in ICE court.
Here is what I saw.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/new-...
Here is what I saw.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/new-...
Reposted by Rob Davies
I’ve summed up and contextualized all of these critical AI pieces & more in one place — “From AGI to Workslop: What I Read About AI in 2025.” mail.cyberneticforests.com/what-i-read-...
December 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I’ve summed up and contextualized all of these critical AI pieces & more in one place — “From AGI to Workslop: What I Read About AI in 2025.” mail.cyberneticforests.com/what-i-read-...
Reposted by Rob Davies
Another day, and another reference to these bangers. Contemporary causal inference has fundamentally changed the way I think about control variables and mediation analyses. These can show you why:
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
doi.org/10.1111/spc3...
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
doi.org/10.1111/spc3...
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org
December 12, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Another day, and another reference to these bangers. Contemporary causal inference has fundamentally changed the way I think about control variables and mediation analyses. These can show you why:
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
doi.org/10.1111/spc3...
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
doi.org/10.1111/spc3...
doi.org/10.1177/2515...
Reposted by Rob Davies
Former studio and home of ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Netzler for sale for the first time in 80 years. Absolute dream home.
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
December 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Former studio and home of ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Netzler for sale for the first time in 80 years. Absolute dream home.
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Reposted by Rob Davies
🧪🏺🦣 Strong case for *oldest fire-starting* 🔥 capacity, before 400 Ka, suggested by multi-stranded analysis: geochem, magnetic, sedimentary evidence of anthropogenic burning, + heated lithics + remains of iron pyrite.
Behaviourally heading towards #Neanderthals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Behaviourally heading towards #Neanderthals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
🧪🏺🦣 Strong case for *oldest fire-starting* 🔥 capacity, before 400 Ka, suggested by multi-stranded analysis: geochem, magnetic, sedimentary evidence of anthropogenic burning, + heated lithics + remains of iron pyrite.
Behaviourally heading towards #Neanderthals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Behaviourally heading towards #Neanderthals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Rob Davies
Seven-parameter drift-diffusion pdfs and cdfs now in Stan
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/11/s...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/11/s...
Seven-parameter drift-diffusion pdfs and cdfs now in Stan | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
December 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Seven-parameter drift-diffusion pdfs and cdfs now in Stan
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/11/s...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/11/s...
Reposted by Rob Davies
In early 2024, I got to speak to Deans from up & down the West Coast of the US & Canada about "AI". I told them that the only value of ChatGPT for university administrators is as a contrast-dye test to show where resources are lacking.
December 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
In early 2024, I got to speak to Deans from up & down the West Coast of the US & Canada about "AI". I told them that the only value of ChatGPT for university administrators is as a contrast-dye test to show where resources are lacking.
Reposted by Rob Davies
Big new blogpost!
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
December 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Big new blogpost!
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
Reposted by Rob Davies
Finally got around to switching my in-browser #rstats R Primers website to use the newer better-supported #QuartoPub Live extension, which will now let me eventually add nicer inline feedback someday
- Free primers site: r-primers.andrewheiss.com
- Extension: r-wasm.github.io/quarto-live/
- Free primers site: r-primers.andrewheiss.com
- Extension: r-wasm.github.io/quarto-live/
November 28, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Finally got around to switching my in-browser #rstats R Primers website to use the newer better-supported #QuartoPub Live extension, which will now let me eventually add nicer inline feedback someday
- Free primers site: r-primers.andrewheiss.com
- Extension: r-wasm.github.io/quarto-live/
- Free primers site: r-primers.andrewheiss.com
- Extension: r-wasm.github.io/quarto-live/
Reposted by Rob Davies
This is incredible thank you @sesmith.lol here are some shrimp.
November 29, 2025 at 4:14 AM
This is incredible thank you @sesmith.lol here are some shrimp.
Reposted by Rob Davies
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
Reposted by Rob Davies
Most XKCD strips: fuck yeah science!
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
Just having a little cry reading the latest xkcd how about you xkcd.com/3172
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Most XKCD strips: fuck yeah science!
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
Reposted by Rob Davies
Just having a little cry reading the latest xkcd how about you xkcd.com/3172
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Just having a little cry reading the latest xkcd how about you xkcd.com/3172
Reposted by Rob Davies
🎉 The magic is real: Quarto Wizard 1.0.0 is LIVE!
Wave goodbye to complexity, pure enchantment awaits:
🪄 Magical extension browsing (250+ spells available)
✨ One-click wizardry
🔮 VS Code & Positron enchantment
quarto.org/docs/blog/po...
#DataScience #Quarto #QuartoPub #VSCode #PositronIDE
Wave goodbye to complexity, pure enchantment awaits:
🪄 Magical extension browsing (250+ spells available)
✨ One-click wizardry
🔮 VS Code & Positron enchantment
quarto.org/docs/blog/po...
#DataScience #Quarto #QuartoPub #VSCode #PositronIDE
Quarto Wizard 1.0.0: Democratising Quarto Extension Management – Quarto
Introducing a game-changing extension for VS Code and Positron that transforms Quarto extensions management with an intuitive GUI for extensions and templates.
quarto.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:41 PM
🎉 The magic is real: Quarto Wizard 1.0.0 is LIVE!
Wave goodbye to complexity, pure enchantment awaits:
🪄 Magical extension browsing (250+ spells available)
✨ One-click wizardry
🔮 VS Code & Positron enchantment
quarto.org/docs/blog/po...
#DataScience #Quarto #QuartoPub #VSCode #PositronIDE
Wave goodbye to complexity, pure enchantment awaits:
🪄 Magical extension browsing (250+ spells available)
✨ One-click wizardry
🔮 VS Code & Positron enchantment
quarto.org/docs/blog/po...
#DataScience #Quarto #QuartoPub #VSCode #PositronIDE
Reposted by Rob Davies
If you’re still hunting for color tools, I’m working on a more user-friendly version of meodai.github.io/poline/ keeping you huedrated
November 23, 2025 at 12:42 AM
If you’re still hunting for color tools, I’m working on a more user-friendly version of meodai.github.io/poline/ keeping you huedrated