Sean Mackinnon
@seanpmackinnon.bsky.social
Instructor at Dalhousie University. Personality, statistics, mixed methods
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
🇨🇦 Canadians, in case you missed it: there's a petition collecting signatures to ask that the federal government intervene to protect access to healthcare for trans people in provinces who have restricted it (eg Alberta's egregious use of the notwithstanding clause): www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
Petition e-7027 - Petitions
www.ourcommons.ca
January 4, 2026 at 3:11 PM
🇨🇦 Canadians, in case you missed it: there's a petition collecting signatures to ask that the federal government intervene to protect access to healthcare for trans people in provinces who have restricted it (eg Alberta's egregious use of the notwithstanding clause): www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
For any non-Canadian researchers out there, our government recently pumped a ton of cash to try and attract international researchers to Canada. So if you're looking for a change, timing could be good!
Our university is hiring 30 international ppl, but you'll see similar things all over Canada
Our university is hiring 30 international ppl, but you'll see similar things all over Canada
Dalhousie University is hiring. We’re recruiting up to 30 tenure and tenure-track faculty supported by Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative and a $1.7B federal investment. Curious about building your next chapter in Canada? Apply by Jan. 19: www.dal.ca/research-recruitment
December 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM
For any non-Canadian researchers out there, our government recently pumped a ton of cash to try and attract international researchers to Canada. So if you're looking for a change, timing could be good!
Our university is hiring 30 international ppl, but you'll see similar things all over Canada
Our university is hiring 30 international ppl, but you'll see similar things all over Canada
Even before this, I've been seeing more failed dissertation projects that have near 100% fraudulent participants b/c they advertised on social media.
Compensated online surveys open to the internet are virtually unviable now.
Data quality is the single biggest threat to psychological science now.
Compensated online surveys open to the internet are virtually unviable now.
Data quality is the single biggest threat to psychological science now.
We need better ways to tell computers and humans apart
Article: The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Article: The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
December 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Even before this, I've been seeing more failed dissertation projects that have near 100% fraudulent participants b/c they advertised on social media.
Compensated online surveys open to the internet are virtually unviable now.
Data quality is the single biggest threat to psychological science now.
Compensated online surveys open to the internet are virtually unviable now.
Data quality is the single biggest threat to psychological science now.
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
You want sources? Here you go. Read the filings yourself, you filthy animals:
Notice of 2024 Annual Meeting & Proxy Statement: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Form 10-K SEC Annual Report: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Don't fuck with me. I'll spend another three hours in Excel. I don't care.
Notice of 2024 Annual Meeting & Proxy Statement: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Form 10-K SEC Annual Report: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Don't fuck with me. I'll spend another three hours in Excel. I don't care.
May 23, 2025 at 5:42 PM
You want sources? Here you go. Read the filings yourself, you filthy animals:
Notice of 2024 Annual Meeting & Proxy Statement: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Form 10-K SEC Annual Report: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Don't fuck with me. I'll spend another three hours in Excel. I don't care.
Notice of 2024 Annual Meeting & Proxy Statement: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Form 10-K SEC Annual Report: s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/fi...
Don't fuck with me. I'll spend another three hours in Excel. I don't care.
Interesting teaching term this year, in the past week or so I've encountered:
a) A floating-point error making a number slightly different across different computers
b) An Rstudio update that briefly killed the glm() function
c) A #stats consult that was a perfect example of Simpson's paradox
a) A floating-point error making a number slightly different across different computers
b) An Rstudio update that briefly killed the glm() function
c) A #stats consult that was a perfect example of Simpson's paradox
October 23, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Interesting teaching term this year, in the past week or so I've encountered:
a) A floating-point error making a number slightly different across different computers
b) An Rstudio update that briefly killed the glm() function
c) A #stats consult that was a perfect example of Simpson's paradox
a) A floating-point error making a number slightly different across different computers
b) An Rstudio update that briefly killed the glm() function
c) A #stats consult that was a perfect example of Simpson's paradox
The modern world feels like every agency and department is cutting costs, and tries to reduce workload by downloading the work onto their users instead of employees (e.g., an AI chatbot).
In doing so, ALL work takes longer to do because users are less efficient than specialized employees.
In doing so, ALL work takes longer to do because users are less efficient than specialized employees.
October 16, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The modern world feels like every agency and department is cutting costs, and tries to reduce workload by downloading the work onto their users instead of employees (e.g., an AI chatbot).
In doing so, ALL work takes longer to do because users are less efficient than specialized employees.
In doing so, ALL work takes longer to do because users are less efficient than specialized employees.
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
Robert'); DROP TABLE students
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand
I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.
I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.
October 13, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Robert'); DROP TABLE students
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
There is a passage in Raymond E. Feist’s Magician books where the apprentices are alone in a room, each one hammering a nail into a sheet of wool until it falls to the floor, only to pick up the nail and begin the process again.
I guess what I’m saying is, welcome to academia; hope you like it!
I guess what I’m saying is, welcome to academia; hope you like it!
June 28, 2024 at 8:34 AM
There is a passage in Raymond E. Feist’s Magician books where the apprentices are alone in a room, each one hammering a nail into a sheet of wool until it falls to the floor, only to pick up the nail and begin the process again.
I guess what I’m saying is, welcome to academia; hope you like it!
I guess what I’m saying is, welcome to academia; hope you like it!
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
When I'm consulting on medical #stats power analyses, MDs always seem to phrase effect sizes as a "percent decrease". For a t-test basically:
(PreTest - PostTest) / (PreTest)
I've never been able to make any use of this for power analyses. Does it have some sort of hidden use I'm not seeing?
(PreTest - PostTest) / (PreTest)
I've never been able to make any use of this for power analyses. Does it have some sort of hidden use I'm not seeing?
October 1, 2025 at 1:16 PM
When I'm consulting on medical #stats power analyses, MDs always seem to phrase effect sizes as a "percent decrease". For a t-test basically:
(PreTest - PostTest) / (PreTest)
I've never been able to make any use of this for power analyses. Does it have some sort of hidden use I'm not seeing?
(PreTest - PostTest) / (PreTest)
I've never been able to make any use of this for power analyses. Does it have some sort of hidden use I'm not seeing?
I was using notepad in Windows 11 and somehow clicked a button to format the text with bold, italics, etc.
It's notepad, I'm using it explicitly so it won't autoformat anything.
What kind of terrible world do we live in that I need to gesture to this @dasharez0ne.bsky.social T-shirt constantly.
It's notepad, I'm using it explicitly so it won't autoformat anything.
What kind of terrible world do we live in that I need to gesture to this @dasharez0ne.bsky.social T-shirt constantly.
September 29, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I was using notepad in Windows 11 and somehow clicked a button to format the text with bold, italics, etc.
It's notepad, I'm using it explicitly so it won't autoformat anything.
What kind of terrible world do we live in that I need to gesture to this @dasharez0ne.bsky.social T-shirt constantly.
It's notepad, I'm using it explicitly so it won't autoformat anything.
What kind of terrible world do we live in that I need to gesture to this @dasharez0ne.bsky.social T-shirt constantly.
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
"How I, a non-developer, read the tutorial you, a developer, wrote for me, a beginner" by Annie Mueller 😅 😂 😭
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
How I, a non-developer, read the tutorial you, a developer, wrote for me, a beginner - annie's blog
“Hello! I am a developer. Here is my relevant experience: I code in Hoobijag and sometimes jabbernocks and of course ABCDE++++ (but never ABCDE+/^+ are you kidding? ha!) and I like working with ...
anniemueller.com
September 23, 2025 at 7:57 AM
"How I, a non-developer, read the tutorial you, a developer, wrote for me, a beginner" by Annie Mueller 😅 😂 😭
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
Every time somebody asks me to run a long statistical re-analysis, and coefficients don't change more than 0.01, they should have to pay me a $100 penalty.
This brought to you by leaving multiple imputation to run and analyze for AGES and finding absolutely no changes form listwise deletion.
This brought to you by leaving multiple imputation to run and analyze for AGES and finding absolutely no changes form listwise deletion.
September 22, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Every time somebody asks me to run a long statistical re-analysis, and coefficients don't change more than 0.01, they should have to pay me a $100 penalty.
This brought to you by leaving multiple imputation to run and analyze for AGES and finding absolutely no changes form listwise deletion.
This brought to you by leaving multiple imputation to run and analyze for AGES and finding absolutely no changes form listwise deletion.
Found in the wild reading a paper:
"we elected to use a Bayesian estimator for our analyses, which do not require distributional assumptions associated with nonnormality of indirect effects as well as skewed distributions of predictors and outcomes"
I'm no Bayes expert, but seems suspect to me
"we elected to use a Bayesian estimator for our analyses, which do not require distributional assumptions associated with nonnormality of indirect effects as well as skewed distributions of predictors and outcomes"
I'm no Bayes expert, but seems suspect to me
September 21, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Found in the wild reading a paper:
"we elected to use a Bayesian estimator for our analyses, which do not require distributional assumptions associated with nonnormality of indirect effects as well as skewed distributions of predictors and outcomes"
I'm no Bayes expert, but seems suspect to me
"we elected to use a Bayesian estimator for our analyses, which do not require distributional assumptions associated with nonnormality of indirect effects as well as skewed distributions of predictors and outcomes"
I'm no Bayes expert, but seems suspect to me
After years of teaching, there are two kinds of extension requests:
a) I had a headache, so I didn't do the assignment
b) I was hit from a car and intensive care, but I might need a 1 hour extension to do it on my laptop in the hospital bed.
God love some students, they push themselves too hard!
a) I had a headache, so I didn't do the assignment
b) I was hit from a car and intensive care, but I might need a 1 hour extension to do it on my laptop in the hospital bed.
God love some students, they push themselves too hard!
September 19, 2025 at 12:59 PM
After years of teaching, there are two kinds of extension requests:
a) I had a headache, so I didn't do the assignment
b) I was hit from a car and intensive care, but I might need a 1 hour extension to do it on my laptop in the hospital bed.
God love some students, they push themselves too hard!
a) I had a headache, so I didn't do the assignment
b) I was hit from a car and intensive care, but I might need a 1 hour extension to do it on my laptop in the hospital bed.
God love some students, they push themselves too hard!
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
I'm sorry, worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable permission to my voice and likeness? For what now? In any manner for any purpose???
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
September 17, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm sorry, worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable permission to my voice and likeness? For what now? In any manner for any purpose???
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
We just officially ratified new the collective agreement at Dalhousie with 95.7% in favour.
The lockout has officially ended, and back to work tomorrow after 5 weeks locked out!!!
Glad to get a good deal and finally get back to work.
#keepdalstrong
The lockout has officially ended, and back to work tomorrow after 5 weeks locked out!!!
Glad to get a good deal and finally get back to work.
#keepdalstrong
September 17, 2025 at 3:26 PM
We just officially ratified new the collective agreement at Dalhousie with 95.7% in favour.
The lockout has officially ended, and back to work tomorrow after 5 weeks locked out!!!
Glad to get a good deal and finally get back to work.
#keepdalstrong
The lockout has officially ended, and back to work tomorrow after 5 weeks locked out!!!
Glad to get a good deal and finally get back to work.
#keepdalstrong
Week 3 of being on strike, and the board keeps sabotaging negotiations by trying to bargain in public.
Still, hoping that a conciliator in the room on Monday will finally let us make peogress!
#keepdalstrong
Still, hoping that a conciliator in the room on Monday will finally let us make peogress!
#keepdalstrong
September 6, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Week 3 of being on strike, and the board keeps sabotaging negotiations by trying to bargain in public.
Still, hoping that a conciliator in the room on Monday will finally let us make peogress!
#keepdalstrong
Still, hoping that a conciliator in the room on Monday will finally let us make peogress!
#keepdalstrong
The Dalhousie Board is like:
Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Hockey Rink: $36,000,000
Utility $150
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my university is dying
#KeepDalStrong
Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Hockey Rink: $36,000,000
Utility $150
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my university is dying
#KeepDalStrong
September 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The Dalhousie Board is like:
Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Hockey Rink: $36,000,000
Utility $150
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my university is dying
#KeepDalStrong
Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Hockey Rink: $36,000,000
Utility $150
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my university is dying
#KeepDalStrong
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
August 28, 2025 at 2:42 PM
One week of being locked out by Dalhousie with not a single word from the board since. With the teaching term supposed to start next week, its getting a bit stressful.
Good thing we have Luna the therapy dog to keep us company, with a cute DFA branded bandanna!!
#KeepDalStrong
Good thing we have Luna the therapy dog to keep us company, with a cute DFA branded bandanna!!
#KeepDalStrong
August 27, 2025 at 5:24 PM
One week of being locked out by Dalhousie with not a single word from the board since. With the teaching term supposed to start next week, its getting a bit stressful.
Good thing we have Luna the therapy dog to keep us company, with a cute DFA branded bandanna!!
#KeepDalStrong
Good thing we have Luna the therapy dog to keep us company, with a cute DFA branded bandanna!!
#KeepDalStrong
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
Chris Algar, Assoc Prof, Oceanography @dalhousieu.bsky.social Lessons in solidarity from the picket lines. This isn’t just a fight to #KeepDalStrong; it’s a fight against employer greed. @ansut.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social
August 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Chris Algar, Assoc Prof, Oceanography @dalhousieu.bsky.social Lessons in solidarity from the picket lines. This isn’t just a fight to #KeepDalStrong; it’s a fight against employer greed. @ansut.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social