Michael J. Kane
@michaeljkane.bsky.social
Posts: personal capacity. PSY/open science, working memory, attn, mindwandering (also edu; skepticism). Living well with #Tourette. (Also am/was ProfessorPowerPop on Xitter.) Art: Miles Johnston; Haring
NY Giants benefit yet again from “wide right”
January 15, 2026 at 3:10 PM
NY Giants benefit yet again from “wide right”
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Jayden Daniels announced he'll play in Tom Brady's Saudi-backed flag football game. Congrats to the Commanders for sportswashing!
NFL teams can deny players from competing in Tom Brady's Saudi Arabia flag football tournament.
NFL informs teams they can deny players from competing in Saudi Arabia flag football event
The NFL sends teams a memo informing them that they can bar any player from competing in the upcoming Saudi Arabia flag football event next March.
dlvr.it
January 14, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Jayden Daniels announced he'll play in Tom Brady's Saudi-backed flag football game. Congrats to the Commanders for sportswashing!
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies
"The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ally David Geier."
"The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ally David Geier."
FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies
The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine ally David Geier.
arstechnica.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:20 PM
FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies
"The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ally David Geier."
"The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ally David Geier."
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Want to get the data out of a PDF figure? As in, the actual data – not a rough trace-along-the-lines version?
I made an app you might like: adamkucharski.github.io/pdf2plot/
It all started a few years ago... 🧵
I made an app you might like: adamkucharski.github.io/pdf2plot/
It all started a few years ago... 🧵
January 13, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Want to get the data out of a PDF figure? As in, the actual data – not a rough trace-along-the-lines version?
I made an app you might like: adamkucharski.github.io/pdf2plot/
It all started a few years ago... 🧵
I made an app you might like: adamkucharski.github.io/pdf2plot/
It all started a few years ago... 🧵
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
I arrive 20 min b4 class to play music from my personal collection; class begins when I stop music & talk about it. Each semester has a theme/constraint. This semester I'm playing "Albums Released In 2025." Always brutal narrowing it down w/diversity in genres/artists; some greats don't make it.
![A vertically oriented document titled “SEMESTER LIST, albums released in 2025:” appears at the top in large, bold text. Below the heading is a single-column, chronological list of album dates for each album, formatted as month/day, followed by the artist name and the album title, with album titles italicized. The list reads: “01/13 Mon Laferte: FEMME FATALE; 01/15 Tropical Fuck Storm: Fairyland Codex; 01/20 The Beths: Straight Line Was A Lie; 01/22 Mei Semones: Animaru; 01/27 Bon Iver: SABLE, fABLE; 01/29 Brown Horse: All The Right Weaknesses; 02/03 Tunde Adebimpe: Thee Black Boltz; 02/05 Lung: The Swankeeper; 02/10 Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong; 02/12 Candelabro: Deseo, Carne y Voluntad; 02/17 Sierra Hull: A Tip Toe High Wire; 02/19 Messa: The Spin; 02/24 Rosalía: LUX; 02/26 Geese: Getting Killed; 03/03 SPELLLING: Portrait Of My Heart; 03/05 Brian Dunne: Clams Casino; 03/10 [spring break]; 03/12 [spring break]; 03/17 Brògeal: Tuesday Paper Club; 03/19 Saya Gray: SAYA; 03/24 Snocaps: Snocaps; 03/26 Folk Bitch Trio: Now Would Be A Good Time; 03/31 Annahstasia: Tether; 04/02 Die Spitz: Something To Consume; 04/07 Great Grandpa: Patience, Moonbeam; 04/09 Juana Molina: DOGA; 04/14 klark sound: This Is Music; 04/16 Panda Bear: Sinister Grift; 04/21 Wednesday: Bleeds; 04/23 Valerie June: Owls, Omens, And Oracles; and 04/28 The Tubs: Cotton Crown.” The page is plain, with black serif text on a white background and no images or decorative elements.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cdhkx4inzevprk7qijoevckm/bafkreiehfgken4s44fbdup2blqogtncccxs67eevbf547zo4zw5uuwri2i@jpeg)
January 12, 2026 at 2:58 PM
I arrive 20 min b4 class to play music from my personal collection; class begins when I stop music & talk about it. Each semester has a theme/constraint. This semester I'm playing "Albums Released In 2025." Always brutal narrowing it down w/diversity in genres/artists; some greats don't make it.
Sad day.
Probably not my favorite Bob song, but sneaky good.
Probably not my favorite Bob song, but sneaky good.
January 11, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Sad day.
Probably not my favorite Bob song, but sneaky good.
Probably not my favorite Bob song, but sneaky good.
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Looking for someone who studies vaccine hesitancy for a story in Nature. Short turnaround, so need someone today or Monday. If that's you, drop me a line!
January 9, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Looking for someone who studies vaccine hesitancy for a story in Nature. Short turnaround, so need someone today or Monday. If that's you, drop me a line!
Are all feeds completely down for anyone else, aside from Following and Discover?
January 8, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Are all feeds completely down for anyone else, aside from Following and Discover?
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
If you teach critical thinking in higher ed and want to go to Fresno, consider submitting a proposal for LiliCon 2026.
I attended last summer and it’s a superb conference for people who actually teach skepticism to uni students.
www.lilienfeldalliance.org/lilicon
I attended last summer and it’s a superb conference for people who actually teach skepticism to uni students.
www.lilienfeldalliance.org/lilicon
LiliCon | Discover, Learn, Engage – Register Today — Lilienfeld Alliance
Join LiliCon 2026 at the California State University, Fresno for expert talks on teaching critical thinking in disciplines including psychology, climate science, and agriculture. Register now for ins...
www.lilienfeldalliance.org
January 8, 2026 at 6:24 PM
If you teach critical thinking in higher ed and want to go to Fresno, consider submitting a proposal for LiliCon 2026.
I attended last summer and it’s a superb conference for people who actually teach skepticism to uni students.
www.lilienfeldalliance.org/lilicon
I attended last summer and it’s a superb conference for people who actually teach skepticism to uni students.
www.lilienfeldalliance.org/lilicon
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Martin Peterson's creative response to being banned from teaching Plato (shared with his permission).
January 8, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Martin Peterson's creative response to being banned from teaching Plato (shared with his permission).
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Just to clarify: once again, this study has only an observational design and reverse causality or third variables are perfectly possible. We simply don't know if social media "harmed" any participant
Does social media harm everyone?
No. But it harms *most* adolescents.
However, not all platforms are harmful.
An analysis of 44,211 diaries from 479 adolescents over 100 days finds that 60% of adolescents experienced small, negative effects of social media
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
No. But it harms *most* adolescents.
However, not all platforms are harmful.
An analysis of 44,211 diaries from 479 adolescents over 100 days finds that 60% of adolescents experienced small, negative effects of social media
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 6, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Just to clarify: once again, this study has only an observational design and reverse causality or third variables are perfectly possible. We simply don't know if social media "harmed" any participant
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
From an email to one of our faculty members....
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
January 6, 2026 at 8:15 PM
From an email to one of our faculty members....
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
Re-upping, as we're still accepting applications. Please consider!
UNCG will be hiring a tenure-track assistant professor in child clinical psychology! We are late in the cycle, so please help us circulate to any interested parties:
spartantalent.uncg.edu/postings/33557
spartantalent.uncg.edu/postings/33557
Clinical Psychology Assistant Professor
The Department of Psychology at UNC-Greensboro invites applications for a tenure-track position in Clinical Psychology (Assistant Professor level), to begin August 1, 2026. The Department of Psycholog...
spartantalent.uncg.edu
January 6, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Re-upping, as we're still accepting applications. Please consider!
A brutal and fitting take-down of the hometown football team I've loved (and hated) for 45 years...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...
Giants’ decision to bring back Joe Schoen makes it clear: They have no standards anymore
A once proud franchise has been driven into the ground by its own ownership group over the past decade.
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:39 PM
A brutal and fitting take-down of the hometown football team I've loved (and hated) for 45 years...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Microsoft is so fucking stupid.
Microsoft renamed Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot App
I'm not joking
Microsoft renamed Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot App
I'm not joking
January 5, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Microsoft is so fucking stupid.
Microsoft renamed Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot App
I'm not joking
Microsoft renamed Microsoft Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot App
I'm not joking
My students struggled w/in-class exams last semester (much more than pre-pandemic students did). Trying optional re-takes this semester, where very similar exam given the following class mtg (Thur->Tue). Outcome = whichever higher: Add 10% of retake score to take 1, OR use 80% of retake score. 1/2:
December 31, 2025 at 9:15 PM
My students struggled w/in-class exams last semester (much more than pre-pandemic students did). Trying optional re-takes this semester, where very similar exam given the following class mtg (Thur->Tue). Outcome = whichever higher: Add 10% of retake score to take 1, OR use 80% of retake score. 1/2:
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Can confirm, Reddit is a good source of research fuel -- "attention span" is the rabbit hole of the year for me
December 30, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Can confirm, Reddit is a good source of research fuel -- "attention span" is the rabbit hole of the year for me
Did you know that the Internet Archive has a huge collection of FM radio broadcasts of live show recordings? Freely & legitimately stream or download some of the fantastic performances here (I've picked up some Garcia-Saunders, Smashing Pumpkins, Randy Newman, & more) : archive.org/details/fmra...
Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Texts, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine
archive.org
December 30, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Did you know that the Internet Archive has a huge collection of FM radio broadcasts of live show recordings? Freely & legitimately stream or download some of the fantastic performances here (I've picked up some Garcia-Saunders, Smashing Pumpkins, Randy Newman, & more) : archive.org/details/fmra...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Meanwhile, my state of NC is making it mandatory for faculty to submit their syllabi to a central collection site for public access. And a scouring of FIRE's website shows absolutely no mention of this existential threat to academic freedom whatsoever.
December 26, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Meanwhile, my state of NC is making it mandatory for faculty to submit their syllabi to a central collection site for public access. And a scouring of FIRE's website shows absolutely no mention of this existential threat to academic freedom whatsoever.
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
How experience shapes extraordinary beliefs
Review by Eli Stark-Elster (@eselster.bsky.social) & Manvir Singh (@manvir.bsky.social)
tinyurl.com/y9dbwaa5
Review by Eli Stark-Elster (@eselster.bsky.social) & Manvir Singh (@manvir.bsky.social)
tinyurl.com/y9dbwaa5
December 18, 2025 at 4:33 PM
How experience shapes extraordinary beliefs
Review by Eli Stark-Elster (@eselster.bsky.social) & Manvir Singh (@manvir.bsky.social)
tinyurl.com/y9dbwaa5
Review by Eli Stark-Elster (@eselster.bsky.social) & Manvir Singh (@manvir.bsky.social)
tinyurl.com/y9dbwaa5
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
@xphilosopher.bsky.social and I tried to study what beliefs do (or at least, what people think they do).
Across hundreds of participant generated beliefs and first/third party ratings, we found they express identity and/or represent facts, in the pattern described in this post.
1/
Across hundreds of participant generated beliefs and first/third party ratings, we found they express identity and/or represent facts, in the pattern described in this post.
1/
Maybe there are two distinct kinds of belief: they either represent facts (It's rainy) or express identity (My son is the best). We find instead that many beliefs simultaneously represent facts and express identity (but few beliefs do neither).
December 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM
@xphilosopher.bsky.social and I tried to study what beliefs do (or at least, what people think they do).
Across hundreds of participant generated beliefs and first/third party ratings, we found they express identity and/or represent facts, in the pattern described in this post.
1/
Across hundreds of participant generated beliefs and first/third party ratings, we found they express identity and/or represent facts, in the pattern described in this post.
1/
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Bullshit Newborn Not Even Christ https://theonion.com/bullshit-newborn-not-even-christ/
December 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Bullshit Newborn Not Even Christ https://theonion.com/bullshit-newborn-not-even-christ/