Russ Poldrack
@russpoldrack.org
Professor at Stanford. Psychology/Neuroscience/Data Science. Books include: The New Mind Readers, Handbook of fMRI Data Analysis, Hard to Break, and Statistical Thinking.
https://poldrack.github.io/
https://poldrack.github.io/
"The meta-skill is learning to continuously spot the next evolution and position yourself at the edge of what’s newly possible." That sounds really tiring. newsletter.jantegze.com/p/your-job-i...
Your Job Isn't Disappearing. It's Shrinking Around You in Real Time
AI isn't taking your job. It's making your expertise worthless while you watch. The three things everyone tries that fail, and the one strategy that actually works.
newsletter.jantegze.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:13 AM
"The meta-skill is learning to continuously spot the next evolution and position yourself at the edge of what’s newly possible." That sounds really tiring. newsletter.jantegze.com/p/your-job-i...
For those of you who are interested, I just pushed a draft of the final chapter of Better Code, Better Science: bettercodebetterscience.github.io/book/ - now I just have to go back and rewrite the AI coding chapter which is already outdated just five months after writing it!
Better Code, Better Science - Better Code, Better Science
bettercodebetterscience.github.io
February 13, 2026 at 1:04 AM
For those of you who are interested, I just pushed a draft of the final chapter of Better Code, Better Science: bettercodebetterscience.github.io/book/ - now I just have to go back and rewrite the AI coding chapter which is already outdated just five months after writing it!
This is a nicely balanced discussion with @pauldix.bsky.social about the realities of agentic coding tools in practice and the challenges of verification.
🥳 New Changelog interview! changelog.fm/676
Changelog Interviews #676
Paul Dix joins us to discuss the InfluxDB co-founder's journey adapting to an agentic world. Paul sent his AI coding agents on various real-world side quests and shares all his findings: what's going to prod, what's not, and why he's (at least for a bit) back to coding by hand.
changelog.fm
February 12, 2026 at 4:50 PM
This is a nicely balanced discussion with @pauldix.bsky.social about the realities of agentic coding tools in practice and the challenges of verification.
This piece really nails how I have been feeling in the last couple of weeks. fortune.com/2026/02/11/s...
Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided | Fortune
It’s not like a light switch... more like the moment you realize the water has been rising around you and is now at your chest.
fortune.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:51 AM
This piece really nails how I have been feeling in the last couple of weeks. fortune.com/2026/02/11/s...
Handling sensitive data russpoldrack.substack.com/p/handling-s... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Handling sensitive data
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 9
russpoldrack.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Handling sensitive data russpoldrack.substack.com/p/handling-s... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
BREAKING: SF not a shithole after all www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
Super Bowl Visitors Find San Francisco Better Than Its Apocalyptic Image
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:17 PM
BREAKING: SF not a shithole after all www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
Thank you, Nicole!
I'm just getting started on mobilizing scientists nationwide. I'm going to need all the support I can get. Can you help spread the word? Let's talk about how to do that... secure.actblue.com/donate/scien...
I'm just getting started on mobilizing scientists nationwide. I'm going to need all the support I can get. Can you help spread the word? Let's talk about how to do that... secure.actblue.com/donate/scien...
Donate to Sam Wang
Show your support with a contribution.
secure.actblue.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Thank you, Nicole!
I'm just getting started on mobilizing scientists nationwide. I'm going to need all the support I can get. Can you help spread the word? Let's talk about how to do that... secure.actblue.com/donate/scien...
I'm just getting started on mobilizing scientists nationwide. I'm going to need all the support I can get. Can you help spread the word? Let's talk about how to do that... secure.actblue.com/donate/scien...
The 21st century version of William Gibson’s “meat puppet” has arrived: rentahuman.ai
RentAHuman.ai - AI Agents Hire Humans for Physical Tasks
The marketplace where AI agents rent humans. MCP integration, REST API, flexible payments. Book humans for real-world tasks your AI can't do.
rentahuman.ai
February 5, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The 21st century version of William Gibson’s “meat puppet” has arrived: rentahuman.ai
Metadata, data documentation, and provenance
russpoldrack.substack.com/p/metadata-d... the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series.
russpoldrack.substack.com/p/metadata-d... the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series.
Metadata, data documentation, and provenance
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 8
russpoldrack.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Metadata, data documentation, and provenance
russpoldrack.substack.com/p/metadata-d... the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series.
russpoldrack.substack.com/p/metadata-d... the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series.
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
A new study from Anthropic finds that gains in coding efficiency when relying on AI assistance did did not meet statistical significance; AI use noticeably degraded programmers’ understanding of what they were doing. Incredible.
The latest from Anthropic: using Anthropic's products makes you worse at your job
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:47 PM
A new study from Anthropic finds that gains in coding efficiency when relying on AI assistance did did not meet statistical significance; AI use noticeably degraded programmers’ understanding of what they were doing. Incredible.
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
WashU PNP postdoc app just went live! They have 1 opening this year. I absolutely LOVED my time at WashU and I loved living in St. Louis. It's an amazing place to study and live.
PNP McDonnell Postdoctoral Fellowship , Washington University in St. Louis
- PhilJobs:JFP
PNP McDonnell Postdoctoral Fellowship , Washington University in St. Louis
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
January 27, 2026 at 12:09 AM
WashU PNP postdoc app just went live! They have 1 opening this year. I absolutely LOVED my time at WashU and I loved living in St. Louis. It's an amazing place to study and live.
Data Organization Schemes russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-organ... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Data organization schemes
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 7
russpoldrack.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Data Organization Schemes russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-organ... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
This is a really fun story - thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social for telling it so well!
When a brain researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.
By @lyrebard.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/brain-imagin...
By @lyrebard.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/brain-imagin...
A brief history of precision self-scanning
When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.
www.thetransmitter.org
January 21, 2026 at 8:46 PM
This is a really fun story - thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social for telling it so well!
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
I met @russpoldrack.org after this effort and before I knew this particular story. I was blown away when I first read about it. Some scientific efforts “expand the domain of the understandable”. This was one of them. So great to see it profiled by @thetransmitter.bsky.social!
When a brain researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.
By @lyrebard.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/brain-imagin...
By @lyrebard.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/brain-imagin...
A brief history of precision self-scanning
When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.
www.thetransmitter.org
January 21, 2026 at 5:27 PM
I met @russpoldrack.org after this effort and before I knew this particular story. I was blown away when I first read about it. Some scientific efforts “expand the domain of the understandable”. This was one of them. So great to see it profiled by @thetransmitter.bsky.social!
Network/graph data and other specialized data types russpoldrack.substack.com/p/networkgra... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Network/graph data and other specialized data types
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 6
russpoldrack.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Network/graph data and other specialized data types russpoldrack.substack.com/p/networkgra... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
"For the past few months, I’ve been running an experiment that felt both thrilling and vaguely unsettling: could I automate myself? And what would that mean for the future of academic research like mine?" freesystems.substack.com/p/the-100x-r...
The 100x Research Institution
For the past few months, I’ve been running an experiment that felt both thrilling and vaguely unsettling: could I automate myself?
freesystems.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:08 PM
"For the past few months, I’ve been running an experiment that felt both thrilling and vaguely unsettling: could I automate myself? And what would that mean for the future of academic research like mine?" freesystems.substack.com/p/the-100x-r...
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
@russpoldrack.org convincing you to prefer zarr over HDF5 in about 10 lines of code. Thanks Russ!
Data formats and file types: Multidimensional array data russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-forma... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Data formats and file types: Multidimensional array data
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 5
russpoldrack.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 8:23 PM
@russpoldrack.org convincing you to prefer zarr over HDF5 in about 10 lines of code. Thanks Russ!
Data formats and file types: Multidimensional array data russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-forma... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Data formats and file types: Multidimensional array data
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 5
russpoldrack.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Data formats and file types: Multidimensional array data russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-forma... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
This was really fun to write with @patrickbissett.bsky.social - Always great when you can give back to the folks who helped you get where you are.
American Journal of Psychology 138.2 is a ✨ special issue ✨ honoring the life and 50-year career of Gordon D. Logan. Featuring work by @mattcrumplab.bsky.social, @polynsean.bsky.social, @patrickbissett.bsky.social, @russpoldrack.org, and more. scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/ajp/issu...
January 9, 2026 at 7:55 PM
This was really fun to write with @patrickbissett.bsky.social - Always great when you can give back to the folks who helped you get where you are.
Wow, I've never seen anything like this from an LLM before (Claude Opus 4.1):
January 6, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Wow, I've never seen anything like this from an LLM before (Claude Opus 4.1):
Join me on a deep dive into tabular data formats and file types: russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-forma... the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Data formats and file types: Tabular data
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 4
russpoldrack.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Join me on a deep dive into tabular data formats and file types: russpoldrack.substack.com/p/data-forma... the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Reposted by Russ Poldrack
Ever wondered how white matter tracts actually map onto the cortical hierarchy and cognition—beyond the usual “projection vs association” labels?
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Anatomical White Matter Tracts Span the Cortical Hierarchy to Support Cognitive Diversity
Long-range white matter (WM) tracts support cognition by enabling communication between distant cortical regions, which are organized along a hierarchy defined by the sensorimotor-to-association (S-A)...
doi.org
January 5, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Ever wondered how white matter tracts actually map onto the cortical hierarchy and cognition—beyond the usual “projection vs association” labels?
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Managing original data and data access russpoldrack.substack.com/p/managing-o... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series (and the last for 2025 - happy new year everyone!)
Managing original data and data access
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 3
russpoldrack.substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Managing original data and data access russpoldrack.substack.com/p/managing-o... - the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series (and the last for 2025 - happy new year everyone!)
File systems, object stores, and databases - oh my! russpoldrack.substack.com/p/storing-re... The latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
Storing research data
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 7, Part 2
russpoldrack.substack.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:02 PM
File systems, object stores, and databases - oh my! russpoldrack.substack.com/p/storing-re... The latest in my Better Code, Better Science series
"Never commit code you can’t explain." substack.com/home/post/p-... - great piece by @addyosmani.bsky.social
My LLM coding workflow going into 2026
Best practices for staying in control while coding with AI
substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:36 PM
"Never commit code you can’t explain." substack.com/home/post/p-... - great piece by @addyosmani.bsky.social