Thomas F. Varley
@thosvarley.bsky.social
Dual PhD: Complex Systems & Computational Neuroscience - Postdoc at UVM in the Vermont Complex Systems Institute.
Information theory, synergy, and emergence.
Connoisseur of collapse phenomena
Information theory, synergy, and emergence.
Connoisseur of collapse phenomena
Pinned
Thomas F. Varley
@thosvarley.bsky.social
· Nov 20
Apropos of nothing - here's my dog. I think she might be an alien.
I think we've underestimated the damage that social media has done to the human race. The most powerful men in the world have had their brains cooked by digital slot machines and are now going to drag us all to Hell with them.
They’ve got Twitter up on the big screens in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago makeshift “situation room.”
Photos from Trump’s Truth Social account.
Photos from Trump’s Truth Social account.
January 3, 2026 at 7:38 PM
I think we've underestimated the damage that social media has done to the human race. The most powerful men in the world have had their brains cooked by digital slot machines and are now going to drag us all to Hell with them.
On top of everything else, suddenly building a huge infrastructure for extracting and burning fossil fuels is about the worst possible decision we could be making from a climate perspective.
January 3, 2026 at 7:25 PM
On top of everything else, suddenly building a huge infrastructure for extracting and burning fossil fuels is about the worst possible decision we could be making from a climate perspective.
I think LLMs are simply so engaging that people automatically will anthropomorphize them. People attribute minds and agency to far less animate things all the time.
The things might simply be something too alien to human cognition for us to interface with rationally.
The things might simply be something too alien to human cognition for us to interface with rationally.
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
January 2, 2026 at 11:31 PM
I think LLMs are simply so engaging that people automatically will anthropomorphize them. People attribute minds and agency to far less animate things all the time.
The things might simply be something too alien to human cognition for us to interface with rationally.
The things might simply be something too alien to human cognition for us to interface with rationally.
In the original trilogy, the Emperor's design was brilliant. After 3 films, you think you have a sense of what The Force is/can do, saw Luke's training montage...and then he immediately gets wrecked with something you never saw coming.
It made The Force feel deep, powerful, and mysterious.
It made The Force feel deep, powerful, and mysterious.
Starting an adult with Andor is crazy. Imagine hearing about the Emperor in meetings and then three or four movies later you find out he looks a thousand years old and shoots lightning out of his little T Rex arms.
Showing my partner Star Wars for the first time and we’re starting with Andor. It’s amazing how every other TV show in this universe is like “look at these little guys” and Tony Gilroy said “There is COINTELPRO in Space.”
January 2, 2026 at 12:04 AM
In the original trilogy, the Emperor's design was brilliant. After 3 films, you think you have a sense of what The Force is/can do, saw Luke's training montage...and then he immediately gets wrecked with something you never saw coming.
It made The Force feel deep, powerful, and mysterious.
It made The Force feel deep, powerful, and mysterious.
Reposted by Thomas F. Varley
01 Jan 2026
January 1, 2026 at 8:36 PM
01 Jan 2026
It's always fun when work you've been part of makes it out of the ivory tower and into the popular press!
Coverage of our paper on brainstem deformation in ME/CFS and Long COVID w/ @renegaderesearch.bsky.social.
www.iflscience.com/what-causes-...
Coverage of our paper on brainstem deformation in ME/CFS and Long COVID w/ @renegaderesearch.bsky.social.
www.iflscience.com/what-causes-...
What Causes All The Symptoms Of Long COVID And ME/CFS? The Brainstem Could Be The Key
A new theory has been put forward, suggesting that damage to this vital part of the brain could explain why these conditions affect so many bodily systems.
www.iflscience.com
January 1, 2026 at 2:11 PM
It's always fun when work you've been part of makes it out of the ivory tower and into the popular press!
Coverage of our paper on brainstem deformation in ME/CFS and Long COVID w/ @renegaderesearch.bsky.social.
www.iflscience.com/what-causes-...
Coverage of our paper on brainstem deformation in ME/CFS and Long COVID w/ @renegaderesearch.bsky.social.
www.iflscience.com/what-causes-...
I think this actually is true for discourse across the political aisle - there's a definite strain of Left-wing populism that similarly boils down to "I have to think about personal financial trade-offs sometimes and therefore I am the proletariat."
Many Trump supporters are people who don’t believe they are rich simply because they have to go to work every day
This might seem funny until you realize how many professionals - including engineers, doctors, etc - supported Trump.
December 27, 2025 at 9:49 PM
I think this actually is true for discourse across the political aisle - there's a definite strain of Left-wing populism that similarly boils down to "I have to think about personal financial trade-offs sometimes and therefore I am the proletariat."
I get the sense that conservatives are losing their grip on the Culture War trophy they seized in 2024...but mostly because of their own incompetence and aggressively overplaying their hand; NOT because the Left has done anything in particular to make themselves more appealing or desirable.
December 22, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I get the sense that conservatives are losing their grip on the Culture War trophy they seized in 2024...but mostly because of their own incompetence and aggressively overplaying their hand; NOT because the Left has done anything in particular to make themselves more appealing or desirable.
"Everyone who makes different choices than me is a Bad Person, because my feelings make me the arbiter of morality and righteousness."
~ A grim portrait of progressive psychology.
(This isn't a defense of Twitter ftr, more a condemnation of these dweebs).
~ A grim portrait of progressive psychology.
(This isn't a defense of Twitter ftr, more a condemnation of these dweebs).
the broad inability to leave a social media platform owned by a white supremacist and prolific manipulator of public perception really is one of the most discouraging data points right now
December 21, 2025 at 10:44 PM
"Everyone who makes different choices than me is a Bad Person, because my feelings make me the arbiter of morality and righteousness."
~ A grim portrait of progressive psychology.
(This isn't a defense of Twitter ftr, more a condemnation of these dweebs).
~ A grim portrait of progressive psychology.
(This isn't a defense of Twitter ftr, more a condemnation of these dweebs).
Reposted by Thomas F. Varley
Classical billiards can compute.
With Isaac Ramos, we show that 2D billiard systems are Turing complete, implying the existence of undecidable trajectories in physically natural models from hard-sphere gases to celestial mechanics.
Determinism ≠ predictability. 🎱🧠 @upc.edu @ricardsole.bsky.social
With Isaac Ramos, we show that 2D billiard systems are Turing complete, implying the existence of undecidable trajectories in physically natural models from hard-sphere gases to celestial mechanics.
Determinism ≠ predictability. 🎱🧠 @upc.edu @ricardsole.bsky.social
December 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Classical billiards can compute.
With Isaac Ramos, we show that 2D billiard systems are Turing complete, implying the existence of undecidable trajectories in physically natural models from hard-sphere gases to celestial mechanics.
Determinism ≠ predictability. 🎱🧠 @upc.edu @ricardsole.bsky.social
With Isaac Ramos, we show that 2D billiard systems are Turing complete, implying the existence of undecidable trajectories in physically natural models from hard-sphere gases to celestial mechanics.
Determinism ≠ predictability. 🎱🧠 @upc.edu @ricardsole.bsky.social
Reposted by Thomas F. Varley
Abstract submission deadline for NetSci 2026 has been extended! The new deadline to submit work to is January 9, 2026 (anywhere on earth)
⏰ 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟵!
NetSci 2026 abstract submissions close Dec 19 — just around the corner.
If you’re doing exciting work in network science (theory, computation, or applications), this is your chance to share it with a global community.
📅 Submit by Dec 19
🔗 www.netsci2026.com/call-for-abs...
NetSci 2026 abstract submissions close Dec 19 — just around the corner.
If you’re doing exciting work in network science (theory, computation, or applications), this is your chance to share it with a global community.
📅 Submit by Dec 19
🔗 www.netsci2026.com/call-for-abs...
December 19, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Abstract submission deadline for NetSci 2026 has been extended! The new deadline to submit work to is January 9, 2026 (anywhere on earth)
Definitely should not have binge-read an entire book of Laird Barron short stories. Absolutely not in a festive, holiday mood after that.
December 21, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Definitely should not have binge-read an entire book of Laird Barron short stories. Absolutely not in a festive, holiday mood after that.
Nobody with a brain thought that remote learning would have no negative consequences. We all knew it would. The question was: would the negative consequences of remote learning be worse than the consequences of keeping schools open.
It baffles me that people apparently don't understand this.
It baffles me that people apparently don't understand this.
I am waiting for someone to write the social history of the pandemic. Remember when people demonized Emily Oster and Leana Wen for suggesting kids should be in school? Finally, we have rigorous evidence they were right (as parents of teens already knew)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/h...
Youth Mental Health Improved When Schools Reopened, Study Finds
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Nobody with a brain thought that remote learning would have no negative consequences. We all knew it would. The question was: would the negative consequences of remote learning be worse than the consequences of keeping schools open.
It baffles me that people apparently don't understand this.
It baffles me that people apparently don't understand this.
I'm surprised at how few face masks I'm seeing at the Complex Networks and their Applications Conference. Epidemic spreading has been *the* hot topic for the last five years. I thought more people would feel antsy about spending hours in an auditorium during flu season, yet...
December 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
I'm surprised at how few face masks I'm seeing at the Complex Networks and their Applications Conference. Epidemic spreading has been *the* hot topic for the last five years. I thought more people would feel antsy about spending hours in an auditorium during flu season, yet...
Reposted by Thomas F. Varley
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Thomas F. Varley
We just got published! 🥳
"Brainstem dysfunction as a potential etiology of #MECFS and #LongCovid: A mechanical basis” by Jeff Wood, @thosvarley.bsky.social @hiimjakekthx.bsky.social @artasemita.bsky.social @tessfalor.bsky.social @kaufmanmd.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/6 🧵
"Brainstem dysfunction as a potential etiology of #MECFS and #LongCovid: A mechanical basis” by Jeff Wood, @thosvarley.bsky.social @hiimjakekthx.bsky.social @artasemita.bsky.social @tessfalor.bsky.social @kaufmanmd.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/6 🧵
Brainstem dysfunction as a potential etiology of ME/CFS and long COVID: A mechanical basis
The underlying mechanism of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) remains poorly understood. Given the dramatic increase in case…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:40 PM
We just got published! 🥳
"Brainstem dysfunction as a potential etiology of #MECFS and #LongCovid: A mechanical basis” by Jeff Wood, @thosvarley.bsky.social @hiimjakekthx.bsky.social @artasemita.bsky.social @tessfalor.bsky.social @kaufmanmd.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/6 🧵
"Brainstem dysfunction as a potential etiology of #MECFS and #LongCovid: A mechanical basis” by Jeff Wood, @thosvarley.bsky.social @hiimjakekthx.bsky.social @artasemita.bsky.social @tessfalor.bsky.social @kaufmanmd.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
1/6 🧵
Ngl this is kind of an interesting idea - get an LLM to hallucinate plausible papers/studies you might have done as a source of inspiration?
Few things are more off-putting than emails from applicants who enthusiastically reference *hallucinated* publications of mine.
That said, I have so many ideas for what to work on next. The latest one, "Meta-learning Through Shared Structure," is one I am seriously considering right now.
That said, I have so many ideas for what to work on next. The latest one, "Meta-learning Through Shared Structure," is one I am seriously considering right now.
November 29, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Ngl this is kind of an interesting idea - get an LLM to hallucinate plausible papers/studies you might have done as a source of inspiration?
I ntroduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
Radical Face (2x)
Thievery Corporation (2x)
Bonobo
Emancipator
Shpongle
Radical Face (2x)
Thievery Corporation (2x)
Bonobo
Emancipator
Shpongle
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
Townes Van Zandt
Keith Jarrett
Simon and Garfunkel
Koko Taylor
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Townes Van Zandt
Keith Jarrett
Simon and Garfunkel
Koko Taylor
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello
NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello
November 29, 2025 at 3:07 AM
I ntroduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
Radical Face (2x)
Thievery Corporation (2x)
Bonobo
Emancipator
Shpongle
Radical Face (2x)
Thievery Corporation (2x)
Bonobo
Emancipator
Shpongle
🚨New paper! 🚨
"The topology of synergy: Linking topological and information-theoretic approaches to higher-order interactions in complex systems"
1/N
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
"The topology of synergy: Linking topological and information-theoretic approaches to higher-order interactions in complex systems"
1/N
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
The topology of synergy: Linking topological and information-theoretic approaches to higher-order interactions in complex systems
Author summary The problem of understanding when a set of interacting components of a complex systems produce behavior that is “greater than the sum of their parts" is foundational in many areas of mo...
journals.plos.org
November 20, 2025 at 8:46 PM
🚨New paper! 🚨
"The topology of synergy: Linking topological and information-theoretic approaches to higher-order interactions in complex systems"
1/N
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
"The topology of synergy: Linking topological and information-theoretic approaches to higher-order interactions in complex systems"
1/N
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
Reposted by Thomas F. Varley
Null models for comparing information decomposition across complex systems journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
Null models for comparing information decomposition across complex systems
Author summary How do complex systems process information? Perhaps more interestingly, when can we say two systems process information in the same way? Information-theoretic methods have been shown to...
journals.plos.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Null models for comparing information decomposition across complex systems journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
God help me, I think I'm becoming microtubule-pilled.
October 31, 2025 at 2:51 PM
God help me, I think I'm becoming microtubule-pilled.
The Government isn't coming back, is it? Even if this or that gets re-funded, I feel like we've moved into a qualitatively new chapter of American history.
October 31, 2025 at 2:27 PM
The Government isn't coming back, is it? Even if this or that gets re-funded, I feel like we've moved into a qualitatively new chapter of American history.
I'm not even particularly religious, but the whole idea of "automating pastoral work" seems genuinely evil.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:52 PM
I'm not even particularly religious, but the whole idea of "automating pastoral work" seems genuinely evil.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Are there any fictional mantras that go anywhere near as hard as "Fire walk with me"?
October 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Are there any fictional mantras that go anywhere near as hard as "Fire walk with me"?
This is hugely significant since it seems like a killing blow to the fundamental premise of liberalism: that the population is rational and deliberative enough to be trusted to work out a just structure for society.
It’s getting increasingly harder to convince anti-vaxxers bc it is no longer about science & evidence. It is about identify & belonging.
It’s not just accepting a vaccine, it’s about leaving behind their sense of self & community. It’s about security. This is why throwing data will never work.
It’s not just accepting a vaccine, it’s about leaving behind their sense of self & community. It’s about security. This is why throwing data will never work.
October 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
This is hugely significant since it seems like a killing blow to the fundamental premise of liberalism: that the population is rational and deliberative enough to be trusted to work out a just structure for society.