Neurofrontiers @neurofrontiers@qoto.org

Scientific blogs, in particular, make a lot of sense, for two reasons (off the top of my head). First, for disseminating (and practicing disseminating) science in an easy-to-understand format to laypersons. Second, for micro-thoughts or observations that do not warrant a publication.

The questions, of course, are how much work they require and how much interest exists for them.

#academia #science

Why is it so hard for so many people to understand that part of the definition of a "public square" is that it be public property? You can't have a *public* square that is owned by a corporation.

We've turned this expression into a compound noun that has now taken on the opposite meaning from what it originally meant. And yet, the connotations of the original meaning remain to mystify us.

We need to actively reject this expression's use.

#socialmedia #mastodon #twitter #threads #publicsquare

Hello! A new intro for a new instance.

I lead a research group trying to figure out axonal transport and neurodegeneration. A big emphasis on the microtubules and their motors, but really the transport of anything that doesn't have a membrane around it. For this we use a lot of single molecule methods and live cell imaging. I also post about research culture.

#introduction #kinesin #dynein #microtubules #neurodegeneration #AxonalTransport #neurobiology #SingleMolecule #CellBiology

A lovely piece on the art of literary translation.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/07/books/literature-translation.html?unlocked_article_code=-X6TUV1ZhlSsSvw840B12ooAtuhnJXGw9aVWA_CHnieDglc_eDLRbUuebdnrU1Ib39U0-XHx0JAdSSsRcJzdDqEv4dGONbaf5ukD-lUg3YJCY3oyFH0Usa5gxeEaH0QTeW_keOL5BH194kTw7hhDzKmnjHTMQHaA03fQcep6EzchFvqPM8GkKPerHlO3O1ymxhLCyInQcSsALxyfNiI2rm9Jvwfmsk1Sxj3SIQMtfdtq_8Ov-aZ_DJfVNj7boi-pIsIwkgLlTsaQ6AgS4_zHoQZOdavWxm2uaW0GYOO5G0cg30Pu-EDxBiC5PBlHUq4GLFJ_zZZQPmBVegvpZSaadzBmCPU6OZzSQz8qSl0R&smid=url-share

I currently have only about a month left to find a job in the tech field before I'm forced to move back to my hometown with very few opportunities available and limited space/options to continue providing various services. Positions within the US and #Nashville area are heavily preferred.

I'm neurodivergent and have been writing #backend/server software for over 5 years and managing #Linux servers for 4 years on my own, mainly working on various personal projects that have achieved significant scale. I primarily work with #NodeJS, #CPP, and #Java, however I also know quite a bit of #Swift. I tend to be a fast learner, so I could probably figure out a new lang or some new tooling on request.

I'd be willing to provide further info on request. Thanks in advance.

#getfedihired #fedijobs

Thing I just wrote:
"No one ever cried over a canceled meeting."

That may be too general, but is certainly true for faculty/administrators facing hours of meetings per day. Unless it's a meeting with a student who we know is struggling, in which case we might get angsty.
What other caveats do I need to add?

#AcademicChatter #TooManyMeetings #WhatProfessorsDo

New #Art! Two new #neuroscience inspired
#Watercolors
@Curator #painting
https://www.etsy.com/shop/artologica/?etsrc=sdt&section_id=7361651

Okay, Mastodon. It's been a while since I've posted something science-y, so here ya go:
You should _definitely_ watch this clip of a possibly as-yet-undescribed species of cirrate octopus (family Cirroteuthidae) ballooning itself to epic proportions!
https://youtu.be/woTi--GCzwM?t=1249

Just a reminder of how dangerous trusting machine learning to reconstruct an image is.
(from https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-020-01048-5)

OK #neuro & #cognition discussion junkies: #NeuroBuzz and @neurobuzz are go!

1) Follow the #NeuroBuzz hashtag and @neurobuzz group (*Really* don't want to miss anything? Turn on group notifications by clicking the bell.)

2) See a neuro or cog discussion buzzing on Mastodon? Think it could interest a wider audience and benefit from more input? Reply to OP with #NeuroBuzz and/or @neurobuzz!

3) Share links to neurobuzzing masto posts on other platforms.

@neuroscience
@cognition
@cogsci

I've seen many of the reasons why #Elsevier is called #Evilsevier by virtually everybody.

But this really takes the cake:

https://www.designresearchsociety.org/articles/the-future-of-design-studies-journal

If you ever needed a single, 5min explanation of one of the many reasons why we need to replace academic journals,, this is the one.

Here are the other reasons:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5526634

I’m in the EU so can’t confirm this about Threads is true. But it’s very funny! https://jogblog.substack.com/p/facebooks-threads-is-so-depressing

💁🏻‍♀️ It's my turn to make my #introduction: I’m Mélina Cordeau, PhD student in #neuroscience at Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone in #Marseille. 
🙉 My PhD project is centered on the #voice #perception in #human and #macaque. I use #MRI : anatomical, functional and diffusion data, to understand the structure-function relationship involved in voice processing in primates brain.
🧠 I am interested in the #anatomy of the #brain, and more generally in its #evolution in different #species.
🥂 I also have a strong taste for #communication and science #vulgarization. I enjoy #social events and I like to organize #events for scientists. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗻!

New instance, new #introduction! I'm a PhD student at UMich studying how we make sense of sound. I use patch-clamp #electrophysiology in #brain slices and awake mouse brains, where I investigate everything from receptors on individual #neurons to population level encoding of complex #sounds. I want to make science more diverse, accessible, and impactful for everyone. 👂​🔈​🧠​🔬​

One problem with leaving the birdsite is that I had built up a reasonable list of illustrators to follow there, and I really haven't here. But I bet they're around. If you're a #fantasy or #sciencefiction or #comedy #illustrator, especially if you're interested in commissions from an author, give this post a like so I can check out your work. Or recommend me someone in the comments. Or boost this so more people see it. Or just tell me what good hashtags I should be following.
#illustration #sff

“Five ways AI could improve the world: ‘We can cure all diseases, stabilise our climate, halt poverty’ “

Embarrassing dreck from the Guardian in this AI hype piece.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/06/ai-artificial-intelligence-world-diseases-climate-scenarios-experts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Here, Ray Kurzweil not only ignores the biology of aging but gets his basic facts wrong. He’s talking about increases in life expectancy AT BIRTH, so you don’t get months back every year.

The Zuck suck is in full swing. In the few short hours since I started using #Threads, #DuckDuckGo has already blocked over 200 data tracking attempts. These include things like "headphone status" and "screen density."

#DataPrivacy #Meta #ThreadsApp

All 47 editors of #Taylor&Francis' _Critical Public Health_ just resigned to protest the journal's high #APC and launch a new, more affordable #OpenAccess journal.
https://cphn.net/breaking-news/

T&F required an APC of £2700, "an unsustainable cost for…funders and…libraries in high income countries and an impossible cost for many in less advantaged countries."

See the #OpenAccessDirectory list of similar journal Declarations of Independence.
https://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/Journal_declarations_of_independence

🧵

Finally I found a paper that hypotheses the concept of the underlying problem of #science with financing of #academia, #PublicationMetrics and the H-Index: We are all lost in the #ProxyGaming rather than finding the truth by good scientific praxis! This poses a risk for big topics like #climatechange, #cancerresearch or #neuroscience

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/abs/dead-rats-dopamine-performance-metrics-and-peacock-tails-proxy-failure-is-an-inherent-risk-in-goaloriented-systems/89408A43F6D14BFD368FE5225A573032

Recently, I was asked about the apparent ‘schism’ between those making a lot of noise about fears inspired by fantasies of all-powerful ‘AIs’ going rogue and destroying humanity, and those seeking to illuminate and address actual harms being done in the name of ‘AI’ now and the risks that we see following from increased use of this kind of automation.

I objected strongly to the framing and tried to explain how it was ahistorical. Here is my response in blog form:

https://medium.com/@emilymenonbender/talking-about-a-schism-is-ahistorical-3c454a77220f