john sakon
@johnsakon.bsky.social
I’m a neuroscientist studying memory @ UCLA
🌌 *Were most of your stars out?* 🌌
🌌 *Were most of your stars out?* 🌌
Reposted by john sakon
1. Wasn’t at a protest
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
KARL: He was an ICU use who worked for the VA and there's no evidence he brandished the gun whatsoever
BESSENT: But he brought a gun
KARL: I mean, we do have a Second Amendment
BESSENT: I've been to a protest -- guess what? I didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard
BESSENT: But he brought a gun
KARL: I mean, we do have a Second Amendment
BESSENT: I've been to a protest -- guess what? I didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard
January 25, 2026 at 5:15 PM
1. Wasn’t at a protest
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
2. Was disarmed when they shot him while he was face down
3. New gun rights rule: the second amendment is when conservatives can carry guns everywhere, but if anyone else has a gun we can kill him on sight
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by john sakon
The Strib has identified him. Alex Pretti. Another 37-year-old executed for standing up for our immigrant neighbors. For shame.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
January 24, 2026 at 6:49 PM
The Strib has identified him. Alex Pretti. Another 37-year-old executed for standing up for our immigrant neighbors. For shame.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Reposted by john sakon
They shot an unarmed mother in the face in front of her wife then called her a “fucking bitch”.
They kidnapped a five year old and used them as bait.
They deported a two year old despite a judge’s orders.
They maced, pistol whipped, and disarmed a nurse legally carrying then shot him nine times.
They kidnapped a five year old and used them as bait.
They deported a two year old despite a judge’s orders.
They maced, pistol whipped, and disarmed a nurse legally carrying then shot him nine times.
January 24, 2026 at 7:42 PM
They shot an unarmed mother in the face in front of her wife then called her a “fucking bitch”.
They kidnapped a five year old and used them as bait.
They deported a two year old despite a judge’s orders.
They maced, pistol whipped, and disarmed a nurse legally carrying then shot him nine times.
They kidnapped a five year old and used them as bait.
They deported a two year old despite a judge’s orders.
They maced, pistol whipped, and disarmed a nurse legally carrying then shot him nine times.
Reposted by john sakon
Please, NIH reviewers, if you do ONE thing, do this drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/p...
Please, NIH reviewers, if you do ONE thing, do this
I’m finally getting around to completing a post-study section survey and I noticed a number of questions are related to the online / zoom review format. Questions such as “rate your att…
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Please, NIH reviewers, if you do ONE thing, do this drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/p...
Reposted by john sakon
The NIH's MYF policy in 2025 resulted in 4000 fewer grants and fellowships that touched every area of biology and medicine; continuing it in 2026 would be disastrous for science, technology and health in the United States 🧪
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 20, 2026 at 11:39 PM
The NIH's MYF policy in 2025 resulted in 4000 fewer grants and fellowships that touched every area of biology and medicine; continuing it in 2026 would be disastrous for science, technology and health in the United States 🧪
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by john sakon
This is, in my opinion, not only the correct moral/ethical/legal position but also the correct political framing. Everyone can see the agency is out of control; everyone can see that it is constantly violating human rights. "Scrap it and start over" is the moderate position.
Mamdani: "I am in support of abolishing ICE. What we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist. We're seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law, but instead what it's doing is terrorizing people."
January 20, 2026 at 5:30 PM
This is, in my opinion, not only the correct moral/ethical/legal position but also the correct political framing. Everyone can see the agency is out of control; everyone can see that it is constantly violating human rights. "Scrap it and start over" is the moderate position.
Reposted by john sakon
Reposted by john sakon
"Buried within the kind of crony capitalist network that has propelled Trump’s imperialism is something far stranger, and far darker, than simply seizing Greenland’s resources for financial gain."
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
The Oligarchs Pushing for Conquest in Greenland
Trump’s fixation on filching the island territory from Denmark may seem like the demented ravings of a mad king. But to a cohort of plutocrat weirdos, it makes perfect sense.
newrepublic.com
January 17, 2026 at 7:34 PM
"Buried within the kind of crony capitalist network that has propelled Trump’s imperialism is something far stranger, and far darker, than simply seizing Greenland’s resources for financial gain."
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
Reposted by john sakon
Fraud is a serious crime that merits laying siege to an entire city and collectively punishing every immigrant from Somalia.
It's also a crime for which you can be pardoned and relieved of compensating your victims, so long as some of the money you stole finds its way to the president.
It's also a crime for which you can be pardoned and relieved of compensating your victims, so long as some of the money you stole finds its way to the president.
Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Fraud is a serious crime that merits laying siege to an entire city and collectively punishing every immigrant from Somalia.
It's also a crime for which you can be pardoned and relieved of compensating your victims, so long as some of the money you stole finds its way to the president.
It's also a crime for which you can be pardoned and relieved of compensating your victims, so long as some of the money you stole finds its way to the president.
Reposted by john sakon
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
January 16, 2026 at 12:17 AM
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
Reposted by john sakon
you ever notice it's all "what to talk about" and "how to talk about it" with these guys. never "what to do"
Schumer as a major American metro is being brutally occupied by Trump goons: "The affordability crisis will be our focus throughout 2026 because that's what the American people are demanding"
January 15, 2026 at 6:09 PM
you ever notice it's all "what to talk about" and "how to talk about it" with these guys. never "what to do"
Reposted by john sakon
Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
January 15, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Reposted by john sakon
🚨Border Patrol whistleblower outraged by ICE's conduct exposes over a dozen secret ICE programs in documents leaked to me:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/21-secret-...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/21-secret-...
21 Secret ICE Programs Revealed
Leaked documents detail the dizzying scope of ICE operations
www.kenklippenstein.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:40 PM
🚨Border Patrol whistleblower outraged by ICE's conduct exposes over a dozen secret ICE programs in documents leaked to me:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/21-secret-...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/21-secret-...
Reposted by john sakon
Bill Watterson is my favorite cartoonist. I adored the relationship btw Calvin and Hobbes as a child. But as I've gotten older, these strips feel even more tender and insightful. My respect for him grew when I learned of his stance against merchandising. Such principles are almost unheard of today.
![Excerpt from Wikipedia reads: "Fight against merchandising his characters
For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic through compromising the act of creation or reading.[21][22]
He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers, and T-shirts would devalue the characters and their personalities. Watterson said that Universal kept putting pressure on him and that he had signed his contract without fully perusing it because, as a new artist, he was happy just to find a syndicate willing to give him a chance (two other syndicates had previously turned him down). He added that the contract was so one-sided that, if Universal really wanted to, they could license his characters against his will, and could even fire him and continue Calvin and Hobbes with a new artist. Watterson's position eventually won out, and he was able to renegotiate his contract so that he would receive all rights to his work. Later he said that the licensing fight exhausted him and contributed to the need for a nine-month sabbatical in 1991.[23]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreihmgl3sxrmb5t6edpjnixyanj2rvcf43zdv46mbifhl7hdtmz5u6y@jpeg)
January 14, 2026 at 6:18 AM
Bill Watterson is my favorite cartoonist. I adored the relationship btw Calvin and Hobbes as a child. But as I've gotten older, these strips feel even more tender and insightful. My respect for him grew when I learned of his stance against merchandising. Such principles are almost unheard of today.
“A unifying account of replay as context-driven memory reactivation” doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Been waiting for this one for a while! Congrats @annaschapiro.bsky.social @neurozz.bsky.social
Been waiting for this one for a while! Congrats @annaschapiro.bsky.social @neurozz.bsky.social
A unifying account of replay as context-driven memory reactivation
A context-driven memory model simulates a wide range of characteristics of waking and sleeping hippocampal replay, providing a new account of how and why replay occurs.
doi.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:28 PM
“A unifying account of replay as context-driven memory reactivation” doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Been waiting for this one for a while! Congrats @annaschapiro.bsky.social @neurozz.bsky.social
Been waiting for this one for a while! Congrats @annaschapiro.bsky.social @neurozz.bsky.social
Reposted by john sakon
it's funny to see the wildly unpopular trump and his goons rip the wiring out of institution after institution without a care in the world and have NYT guys and congresspeople being like whoa dudes let's not get too crazy with the abolish ice talk
January 14, 2026 at 4:10 AM
it's funny to see the wildly unpopular trump and his goons rip the wiring out of institution after institution without a care in the world and have NYT guys and congresspeople being like whoa dudes let's not get too crazy with the abolish ice talk
Reposted by john sakon
How does the brain replay memories during sleep?
Excited to share our new preprint, the outcome of an extensive effort led by Johannes Niediek, showing that reactivation of human concept neurons reflects memory content rather than event sequence.
Excited to share our new preprint, the outcome of an extensive effort led by Johannes Niediek, showing that reactivation of human concept neurons reflects memory content rather than event sequence.
Episodic memory consolidation by reactivation of human concept neurons during sleep reflects contents, not sequence of events https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.10.698827v1
January 13, 2026 at 9:13 AM
How does the brain replay memories during sleep?
Excited to share our new preprint, the outcome of an extensive effort led by Johannes Niediek, showing that reactivation of human concept neurons reflects memory content rather than event sequence.
Excited to share our new preprint, the outcome of an extensive effort led by Johannes Niediek, showing that reactivation of human concept neurons reflects memory content rather than event sequence.
Reposted by john sakon
one of the biggest things i learned from 2020 is that times of great upheaval present brief moments where anything appears possible. as soon as those moment appear, opportunist centrists will immediately begin to dilute the movement’s demands to pablum. this is that moment
January 13, 2026 at 5:40 AM
one of the biggest things i learned from 2020 is that times of great upheaval present brief moments where anything appears possible. as soon as those moment appear, opportunist centrists will immediately begin to dilute the movement’s demands to pablum. this is that moment
Reposted by john sakon
I have to work at the New York Times. It's where I work.
January 12, 2026 at 5:06 PM
I have to work at the New York Times. It's where I work.
Reposted by john sakon
some people can have good intentions, be decent humans and solid representatives in normal times, and still simply not be built for moments like these. and those people should be nowhere near power right now sorry
January 7, 2026 at 8:04 PM
some people can have good intentions, be decent humans and solid representatives in normal times, and still simply not be built for moments like these. and those people should be nowhere near power right now sorry
Reposted by john sakon
Reposted by john sakon
Hope to update soon on Fossil Ridge Trail by Beverly Glen (closed since '90s) but I did hike another Fossil Ridge Trail near Topanga at Stunt & Saddle Peak Rds. Mostly bivalve imprints on rocks & shells, millions of years old from when the SM Mtns were under the ocean. Very cool!
January 6, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Hope to update soon on Fossil Ridge Trail by Beverly Glen (closed since '90s) but I did hike another Fossil Ridge Trail near Topanga at Stunt & Saddle Peak Rds. Mostly bivalve imprints on rocks & shells, millions of years old from when the SM Mtns were under the ocean. Very cool!
Reposted by john sakon
It rules to live in a shabby gangster state where you can get side action on the state abducting a foreign leader
The Polymarket bettor, the identity of whom is unknown, bet $30,000 on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro less than a day before he was abducted by U.S. forces.
Bill Seeks Insider Trading Crackdown After Bettor Made $400,000 On Maduro Capture
The Polymarket bettor, the identity of whom is unknown, bet $30,000 on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro less than a day before he was abducted by U.S. forces.
www.forbes.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:48 AM
It rules to live in a shabby gangster state where you can get side action on the state abducting a foreign leader
Reposted by john sakon
Mamdani's administration plans to use existing authority to go after companies illegally hiding fees. Right now, Ticketmaster is breaking NY state law by hiding fee breakdowns behind additional toggles and clicks. (same with Seatgeek, Stubhub etc.) Fees are supposed to be clear & conspicuous!
January 6, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Mamdani's administration plans to use existing authority to go after companies illegally hiding fees. Right now, Ticketmaster is breaking NY state law by hiding fee breakdowns behind additional toggles and clicks. (same with Seatgeek, Stubhub etc.) Fees are supposed to be clear & conspicuous!