Nick Michalak
@nmmichalak.bsky.social
politics, data science, Linux, psychology
Reposted by Nick Michalak
“but we’d all be petrified all the time if we took the president’s words seriously!” boy i don’t know
November 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
“but we’d all be petrified all the time if we took the president’s words seriously!” boy i don’t know
Reposted by Nick Michalak
How awful. This is outright health disinformation, lying to the American people. Not only is there massive evidence showing no link between vaccines & autism, there’s not even a plausible mechanism based on what we’ve learned about the genetics of autism, some environmental exposures in pregnancy
HEADS UP: CDC website now officially asserts that vaccines may cause autism.“Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.” Also says the “vaccines do not cause autism” header remains b/c of an agreement with Cassidy.
November 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
How awful. This is outright health disinformation, lying to the American people. Not only is there massive evidence showing no link between vaccines & autism, there’s not even a plausible mechanism based on what we’ve learned about the genetics of autism, some environmental exposures in pregnancy
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Will say it one more time: Student-run college papers really are leading the way right now.
#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties | News | The Harvard Crimson
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
www.thecrimson.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Will say it one more time: Student-run college papers really are leading the way right now.
Reposted by Nick Michalak
This is easily an order of magnitude larger than the number of firings in the entire years-long 'cancel culture' panic.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
November 19, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This is easily an order of magnitude larger than the number of firings in the entire years-long 'cancel culture' panic.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Nick Michalak
This—on my former university, department, and advisor—is harrowing but required reading for all social psychologists. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Oxford University Has Failed Women Over Harassment Concerns, Staff Say
The university has repeatedly been slow to act against male academics accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, a Bloomberg investigation found.
www.bloomberg.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This—on my former university, department, and advisor—is harrowing but required reading for all social psychologists. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Nick Michalak
If I were sick, I would simply choose to be healthy. Bing bang boom bsky.app/profile/atru...
Markwayne Mullin: "Reward people for being healthy. Think about this. Healthcare is the only industry that you're not rewarded for taking care of your responsibility. If you think about homeowners insurance, if you're within 500 feet of a fire hydrant, your insurance goes down."
November 19, 2025 at 6:16 PM
If I were sick, I would simply choose to be healthy. Bing bang boom bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by Nick Michalak
I spoke with the Boston Globe about the Summers situation
TLDR: other professors like myself can no longer trust Summers to perform a key duty of a university professor, which is to advise & mentor students
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/18/m...
TLDR: other professors like myself can no longer trust Summers to perform a key duty of a university professor, which is to advise & mentor students
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/18/m...
Long a coveted voice, Larry Summers withdraws from a half-dozen groups amid Epstein ties. Harvard’s not among them. - The Boston Globe
Former Harvard president Larry Summers is no longer affiliated with a series of centers and think tanks with which he’s long been involved, officials confirmed Tuesday.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I spoke with the Boston Globe about the Summers situation
TLDR: other professors like myself can no longer trust Summers to perform a key duty of a university professor, which is to advise & mentor students
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/18/m...
TLDR: other professors like myself can no longer trust Summers to perform a key duty of a university professor, which is to advise & mentor students
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/18/m...
Reposted by Nick Michalak
never thought I could see federal law enforcement so depraved that it would negatively polarize local cops to the left, but nothing is impossible for ole Donny Trump
An ICE employee was among 16 men arrested after trying to solicit a minor for sex in Bloomington, Minnesota, police say
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a press conference. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a press conference. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
November 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
never thought I could see federal law enforcement so depraved that it would negatively polarize local cops to the left, but nothing is impossible for ole Donny Trump
Reposted by Nick Michalak
I think the word you’re looking for is “kept”
Elon Musk’s foundation gave away a record $474 million in 2024, with the vast majority again going to entities he controls
Elon Musk Gave Away $474 Million in 2024, Mostly to Entities He Controls
Elon Musk’s foundation gave away a record $474 million in 2024, with the vast majority again going to entities he controls.
bloom.bg
November 19, 2025 at 2:14 AM
I think the word you’re looking for is “kept”
Reposted by Nick Michalak
I'm surprised I only came across it now, but this review on improving communication in data visualization is excellent.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
The Science of Visual Data Communication: What Works - Steven L. Franconeri, Lace M. Padilla, Priti Shah, Jeffrey M. Zacks, Jessica Hullman, 2021
Effectively designed data visualizations allow viewers to use their powerful visual systems to understand patterns in data across science, education, health, an...
journals.sagepub.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
I'm surprised I only came across it now, but this review on improving communication in data visualization is excellent.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Larry Summers was a sexist, stupid piece of shit who should have lost credibility and social status way before we could confirm he was also a sexual predator. Sexism and public stupidity alone don’t exclude people like him from social status and power, though.
November 19, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Larry Summers was a sexist, stupid piece of shit who should have lost credibility and social status way before we could confirm he was also a sexual predator. Sexism and public stupidity alone don’t exclude people like him from social status and power, though.
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Nice article by @dingdingpeng.the100.ci and @boryslaw.bsky.social: 'violations of measurement invariance imply that there are potentially interesting differences in the measurement process between the groups, which could warrant explanations in their own right.' www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Rethinking measurement invariance causally
Measurement invariance is often touted as a necessary statistical prerequisite for group comparisons. Typically, when there is evidence against measur…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Nice article by @dingdingpeng.the100.ci and @boryslaw.bsky.social: 'violations of measurement invariance imply that there are potentially interesting differences in the measurement process between the groups, which could warrant explanations in their own right.' www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Nick Michalak
It’s a variation of psychological researchers pretending they know literally nothing about the world to pretend that their findings are surprising (and possibly provide support for their pet theory).
November 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
It’s a variation of psychological researchers pretending they know literally nothing about the world to pretend that their findings are surprising (and possibly provide support for their pet theory).
Reposted by Nick Michalak
I see that *a lot* in psychological studies. The authors challenge something that is obviously a straw man to somehow render their study more interesting. Bad form imho.
It's become an academic trope to "challenge the narrative that...". But how do we know the narrative being challenged is really a thing? I go down this road in my latest Substack post. unromanticprof.substack.com/p/on-sith-bu...
November 17, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I see that *a lot* in psychological studies. The authors challenge something that is obviously a straw man to somehow render their study more interesting. Bad form imho.
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
August 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Reposted by Nick Michalak
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Reposted by Nick Michalak
this is theranos-level fraud, but everyone with the power to do anything about it is on the take, apparently
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks AI could help find cures for most cancers, prevent Alzheimer’s, and even double the human lifespan. cbsn.ws/4oRZ8Nm
November 17, 2025 at 1:22 AM
this is theranos-level fraud, but everyone with the power to do anything about it is on the take, apparently
Reposted by Nick Michalak
"Summers has continued to teach at Harvard since, interrupted by brief stints in Washington, and currently holds Harvard’s highest faculty distinction as a University Professor. This semester, he is teaching two large undergraduate courses and one graduate class."
November 17, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"Summers has continued to teach at Harvard since, interrupted by brief stints in Washington, and currently holds Harvard’s highest faculty distinction as a University Professor. This semester, he is teaching two large undergraduate courses and one graduate class."
Reposted by Nick Michalak
"When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein."
The Harvard Crimson has ID'ed and published the name of a well-known economist who was the subject of emails between Larry Summers and Epstein.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ | News | The Harvard Crimson
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jef...
www.thecrimson.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein."
Reposted by Nick Michalak
A senior academic using mentoring as leverage to obtain sex is a contemptible abuser of power.
Summers conferred with Epstein frequently about how to extract sexual favors from a Harvard econ grad (AB '04, PhD '09)
The grad is from China
Epstein and Summers referred to her by the codename "Peril"
Racism and sexual exploitation in one efficient package
bit.ly/3LHpin8
The grad is from China
Epstein and Summers referred to her by the codename "Peril"
Racism and sexual exploitation in one efficient package
bit.ly/3LHpin8
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ | News | The Harvard Crimson
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jef...
bit.ly
November 17, 2025 at 8:07 AM
A senior academic using mentoring as leverage to obtain sex is a contemptible abuser of power.
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Reposted by Nick Michalak
Just out: new New Jersey state sea-level rise assessment
Under current global emissions trends, New Jersey is likely to experience 1.5-2.5 ft of sea-level rise between 2005 and 2070, 2.2-3.8 ft by 2100 (or 2.2-4.5 ft, considering potential ice-sheet collapse).
Under current global emissions trends, New Jersey is likely to experience 1.5-2.5 ft of sea-level rise between 2005 and 2070, 2.2-3.8 ft by 2100 (or 2.2-4.5 ft, considering potential ice-sheet collapse).
NJ Sea Level Rise Reports – New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center
njclimateresourcecenter.rutgers.edu
November 11, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Just out: new New Jersey state sea-level rise assessment
Under current global emissions trends, New Jersey is likely to experience 1.5-2.5 ft of sea-level rise between 2005 and 2070, 2.2-3.8 ft by 2100 (or 2.2-4.5 ft, considering potential ice-sheet collapse).
Under current global emissions trends, New Jersey is likely to experience 1.5-2.5 ft of sea-level rise between 2005 and 2070, 2.2-3.8 ft by 2100 (or 2.2-4.5 ft, considering potential ice-sheet collapse).
Reposted by Nick Michalak
“Climate-related disasters forcibly displaced 250 million people globally over the past decade, the equivalent of 70,000 displacements every day, according to a report by the UN refugee agency.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds
Floods, storms and droughts have uprooted people across the globe as rising temperatures intensify conflict and hunger
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“Climate-related disasters forcibly displaced 250 million people globally over the past decade, the equivalent of 70,000 displacements every day, according to a report by the UN refugee agency.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...