Donna Dierker
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donnadierker.bsky.social
Donna Dierker
@donnadierker.bsky.social
Brain mapping comedy junkie
St. Louis, MO
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wqQsWGUAAAAJ&hl=en
'The study also found that users often felt safer disclosing personal information to their AI partner. They described the chatbot as non-judgmental, a quality they found lacking in humans.'

New study finds users are marrying and having virtual children with chatbots
www.psypost.org/new-study-fi...
New study finds users are marrying and having virtual children with AI chatbots
A new study explores the profound emotional attachments users develop with companion chatbots, examining how these digital bonds mirror, and sometimes diverge from, traditional human romance.
www.psypost.org
November 12, 2025 at 10:19 PM
The sooner inmates (convicted or not) get mental health treatment, the safer everyone will be, and the less money taxpayers will ultimately pay.

Messenger: Social media harassment case shows the mental health crisis in Missouri jails www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...
Messenger: Social media harassment case shows the mental health crisis in Missouri jails
There are 490 defendants in Missouri who are stuck in local jails, with their cases in limbo. They are waiting for mental health treatment.
www.stltoday.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:12 PM
We got to see this as part of the St. Louis Film Festival.
Both Wanda Sykes and director Tamika Miller were there for Q&A!
Wanda was great in this dramatic role, and I thought both the direction and editing were excellent.
Broader release early 2026.

Underdard (2025)
www.imdb.com/title/tt6105...
Undercard (2025) | Drama
Undercard: Directed by Tamika Miller. With Edward Lee Thompson, Wanda Sykes, William Stanford Davis, Xavier Mills. A boxing trainer re-connects with the son she abandoned.
www.imdb.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Promising clinical trials in Alzheimer's prevention
youtu.be/lSOkLuYDjCc?...
Promising clinical trials in Alzheimer's prevention
YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
'When a reporter tried to contact him in 2010, he rejected an interview, saying, "You are disturbing me. I am picking mushrooms."'

Believe it or not, many people are not motivated by fame or money.

www.livescience.com/physics-math...
Science history: Russian mathematician quietly publishes paper — and solves one of the most famous unsolved conjectures in mathematics — Nov. 11, 2002
Mathematician Grigori Perelman solved the Poincaré conjecture, and then rejected the $1 million prize that came with it.
www.livescience.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:31 AM
'Should a film version of "Spamalot" ever come to pass, their earnings could explode like the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.'

Hmmm. Eric Idle has been kinda quiet recently...

www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
Monty Python And The Holy Grail Was Funded By Rock Stars Looking For A Tax Write Off
Studios were unwilling to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so the film's creatives turned to some major rock acts hoping for a tax write-off instead.
www.yahoo.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:23 AM
What a lovely song.

youtu.be/1JM4EJBvKsY?...
Durand Jones & The Indications - Everything (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Durand Jones & The Indications
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 10:18 AM
@henlips.bsky.social , I hope Greg Warren didn't see this video. That was clearly not Jif peanut butter.

youtu.be/BHRwX3JeeUU?...
Henry's Kitchen 50 - Keto Fat Bombs
YouTube video by Henry Phillips
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 9:32 AM
'"It’s not exactly a virus, either, but rather “a psychic glue capable of binding us all together.” How does it all work? “We don’t know, exactly,” he says with a smile. “It just does.”'

variety.com/2025/tv/news...
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn on What ‘Pluribus’ Is Really About, Why Hollywood ‘Needs More Heroes’ and How Silicon Valley Has ‘F—ed Up the World’
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn unpack the first two episodes of 'Pluribus' and slam AI: 'Silicon Valley' has 'f---ed up the world.'
variety.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:08 AM
This program seeks to expand understanding of Parkinson’s disease within the Black and African American community and contribute to a more holistic, global understanding of the disease.

www.michaeljfox.org/grant/black-...
Black and African American Connections to Parkinson's Disease (BLAAC PD)
www.michaeljfox.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Hormones must start soon after menopause onset to get cardiovascular benefits. Some risks are greater with hormone therapy, some without.

Tara Parker-Pope's book The Hormone Decision explains the Women's Health Initiative's started hormones too late, which led to the black boxes.

wapo.st/47QoHqq
FDA to lift warnings on menopause hormone therapy, potentially boosting access
The FDA is asking drug manufacturers to remove black box warnings on hormone replacement therapy for menopause, which could make it easier for women to access the treatment.
wapo.st
November 12, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Yes, very cool. TV's Frank officiating the wedding in this trippy take on Wizard of Oz.
Wait, what? Me in a music video? No way! WAY! Not only that, but a really cool, brilliantly directed & designed one of a great song by @latecambrian.bsky.social, an awesome band. So proud to even be just a tiny part of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xImE...
Late Cambrian - Into The Lilac Tree (Official Video)
YouTube video by Late Cambrian
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Welcome back, Dr. Anastasio!

Bummed that Aris Sotiras is not staying.

New center to develop AI-based imaging tools to improve diagnosis, care
source.washu.edu/2025/11/new-...
New center to develop AI-based imaging tools to improve diagnosis, care
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology is establishing the Center for Computational and AI-enabled Imaging Sciences, in partnership with WashU’s McKe...
source.washu.edu
November 10, 2025 at 11:21 AM
'The world, at its best, no longer runs on the equation “my finished product for yours.” It runs on 21st-century networks of collaboration built on trust, not bullying.'

Explore this gift article from The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Opinion | We’re In a New Everything-Is-Connected Epoch. But What to Call It?
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:10 AM
In addition to this study, the Gates Foundation also funds Alzheimer's research and vaccine access throughout the world.

medicine.washu.edu/news/time-ma...
TIME Magazine names therapeutic microbiome-directed food a Best Invention of 2025 | WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine co-developed food to nurture healthy gut microbes in malnourished children
medicine.washu.edu
November 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM
[The ocean] was sort of like a piece of music: each of the waves was moving around by itself, but they were also moving together.”
― Brian Wilson, I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir

www.wired.com/story/the-hi...
The Hidden Math of Ocean Waves
The math behind even the simplest ocean waves is notoriously uncooperative. A team of Italian mathematicians has made major advances toward understanding it.
www.wired.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM
I love the whole movie, but that scene with Delbert Grady in the bathroom is one of my favorites.

"That's strange, sir. I don't have any recollection of that at all"

thechive.com/entertainmen...
45 Years Later and Stanley Kubrick’s Masterpiece Shines On
See the full gallery on thechive.com
thechive.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
If the goal of AI is to resemble humans, both are full of shit much of the time.

If the goal is to be a useful tool, then that's a very different goal.
Developer reputation and integrity is more important than ever.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_...
Turing test - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:29 AM
I love Biyu's reply to the "muddying the waters" question, as well as the provocative one at the very end.

Discussion with Biyu He -Consciousness Live! S8 E4
www.youtube.com/live/qeimhzf...
Discussion with Biyu He -Consciousness Live! S8 E4
YouTube video by onemorebrown
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:06 AM
These cross-species cell atlases give us a common language of cell types for linking biomedical models to humans,” he says. “And that’s very valuable.”

First-ever atlas of brain development shows how stem cells turn into neurons www.nature.com/articles/d41...
First-ever atlas of brain development shows how stem cells turn into neurons
A collection of studies that chart how mammalian brain cells grow and differentiate is a ‘very valuable’ tool for neuroscientists.
www.nature.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Funny Bone Westport has a huge portrait of Nikki Glaser now right outside the doors to the showroom. I saw her do an open mic night there ~15 years ago, while she was in town for the holidays (along with other pros like Tommy Johnagin, Greg Warren).

youtu.be/P08QJ5CK3jY?...
Nikki Glaser Stand-Up Monologue - SNL
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
youtu.be
November 9, 2025 at 11:32 AM
“If there’s one thing we know, it is that our show will be a lot longer than theirs. So, we just got to do this for now.” --Trey Parker

I hope you're right, Trey -- for many reasons!
I'm loving the Peter Thiel and Kristi Noem stuff.
Hope Dora gets freed soon.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...
‘South Park’ Takes On Trump and Wins Bigly
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Cautionary tale for would-be out-of-control mothers of the bride: Catered tantrum gets unwelcome national attention.

wapo.st/43l5n3v
Column | Carolyn Hax: For bride, accepting mom’s money for wedding was ‘devil’s bargain’
Bride’s mom bargained for a “casual” party for her own friends after the wedding, then blew it up into a catered affair.
wapo.st
November 8, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Deed before creed.
The more creed, the less overlap.
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.

The environmental group gave up its singular focus on climate change for a broader agenda. The ensuing internal strife left it weakened.

This is a common and unfortunate pattern.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:56 PM