Matthijs Dorst
@mattneuro.bsky.social
Neuroscientist in Oslo. Former Editor. Mucking about with Voltage Imaging and patching. Aiming for a mix of fun, science, and funny science. Trying to be kind. He/him. https://dorst-lab.org/
Also: if you're developing a website, it is really easy—and free—to add login via ORCID!
November 10, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Also: if you're developing a website, it is really easy—and free—to add login via ORCID!
The machine and procedure that saved my life were invented just a few short years before I was born.
Modern medicine is a goddamn miracle.
Modern medicine is a goddamn miracle.
November 9, 2025 at 9:59 PM
The machine and procedure that saved my life were invented just a few short years before I was born.
Modern medicine is a goddamn miracle.
Modern medicine is a goddamn miracle.
I was just talking about this with a local the other day, how strange it is to be this far into November with no snow or frost in Oslo. But no snow either that much further North is wild.
At least you got a beautiful view for lunch!
At least you got a beautiful view for lunch!
November 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
I was just talking about this with a local the other day, how strange it is to be this far into November with no snow or frost in Oslo. But no snow either that much further North is wild.
At least you got a beautiful view for lunch!
At least you got a beautiful view for lunch!
Back in my day, computers screamed at you when you wanted to connect to the internet, and we really should have heeded their warning.
November 9, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Back in my day, computers screamed at you when you wanted to connect to the internet, and we really should have heeded their warning.
That reminds me, I need to replace the filters in my air purifiers. Thank you!
November 9, 2025 at 11:08 AM
That reminds me, I need to replace the filters in my air purifiers. Thank you!
In case this helps: under Tools -> Developer -> Style Editor, you can define your own citation style in Zotero.
It is not the easiest thing to do, but in theory, there is no reference system it cannot implement. If the journal is close to an existing style, making minor tweaks is pretty doable.
It is not the easiest thing to do, but in theory, there is no reference system it cannot implement. If the journal is close to an existing style, making minor tweaks is pretty doable.
November 8, 2025 at 2:07 PM
In case this helps: under Tools -> Developer -> Style Editor, you can define your own citation style in Zotero.
It is not the easiest thing to do, but in theory, there is no reference system it cannot implement. If the journal is close to an existing style, making minor tweaks is pretty doable.
It is not the easiest thing to do, but in theory, there is no reference system it cannot implement. If the journal is close to an existing style, making minor tweaks is pretty doable.
Shine on, you magnificent sky-pumpkin!
November 8, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Shine on, you magnificent sky-pumpkin!
What is that strange weird yellowish orb, just floating around in the sky?!
November 8, 2025 at 1:48 PM
What is that strange weird yellowish orb, just floating around in the sky?!
In my humble opinion, this depends on whether you are want to know if a paper is relevant and impactful, versus whether its conclusions are sufficiently supported by the presented evidence. Good peer review does both, but I agree that for most papers, no one person can fully assess the latter.
November 7, 2025 at 12:14 PM
In my humble opinion, this depends on whether you are want to know if a paper is relevant and impactful, versus whether its conclusions are sufficiently supported by the presented evidence. Good peer review does both, but I agree that for most papers, no one person can fully assess the latter.
While I certainly agree that nobody can better judge how important a paper is to our work than ourselves, reality is that we do not have the time.
Not when sorting through the onslaught of literature to keep up to date with, nor when evaluating a hundred candidates for a grant or faculty position.
Not when sorting through the onslaught of literature to keep up to date with, nor when evaluating a hundred candidates for a grant or faculty position.
November 7, 2025 at 10:37 AM
While I certainly agree that nobody can better judge how important a paper is to our work than ourselves, reality is that we do not have the time.
Not when sorting through the onslaught of literature to keep up to date with, nor when evaluating a hundred candidates for a grant or faculty position.
Not when sorting through the onslaught of literature to keep up to date with, nor when evaluating a hundred candidates for a grant or faculty position.
As an aside: journals do a lot more than just send manuscripts for review. A good editor will spend far more time on quality control and contextualisation, than on inviting a few peer reviewers. It's one of those overlooked and underappreciated parts of the job that keep the slop at bay.
November 7, 2025 at 10:27 AM
As an aside: journals do a lot more than just send manuscripts for review. A good editor will spend far more time on quality control and contextualisation, than on inviting a few peer reviewers. It's one of those overlooked and underappreciated parts of the job that keep the slop at bay.
Could we replace JIF with something else? Well, eLife is trying. I personally have a project in the work that also addresses this problem. But whatever the solution is, I do not believe that LLMs are it. I do not trust them to evaluate papers for me, nor to replace peer review.
November 7, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Could we replace JIF with something else? Well, eLife is trying. I personally have a project in the work that also addresses this problem. But whatever the solution is, I do not believe that LLMs are it. I do not trust them to evaluate papers for me, nor to replace peer review.
The real question, the one many of us are avoiding, is whether we need some metric to rank publications. Be that JIF, citation count, or something akin to eLife's impact assessment.
And from my recent foray onto the academic job market, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Journals provide this.
And from my recent foray onto the academic job market, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Journals provide this.
November 7, 2025 at 10:24 AM
The real question, the one many of us are avoiding, is whether we need some metric to rank publications. Be that JIF, citation count, or something akin to eLife's impact assessment.
And from my recent foray onto the academic job market, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Journals provide this.
And from my recent foray onto the academic job market, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Journals provide this.
We had such a great naming scheme where Ganglions were always in the periphery, until that darn Basal showed up.
November 7, 2025 at 10:12 AM
We had such a great naming scheme where Ganglions were always in the periphery, until that darn Basal showed up.
Ooh, that's a good tip, thank you!
November 6, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Ooh, that's a good tip, thank you!
The trouble with that position is that it assumes a rational and logical mind.
Ergo, I am absolutely convinced Musk will put some spare compute on Starlink satellites eventually, almost entirely because people said it was a stupid idea.
Ergo, I am absolutely convinced Musk will put some spare compute on Starlink satellites eventually, almost entirely because people said it was a stupid idea.
November 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The trouble with that position is that it assumes a rational and logical mind.
Ergo, I am absolutely convinced Musk will put some spare compute on Starlink satellites eventually, almost entirely because people said it was a stupid idea.
Ergo, I am absolutely convinced Musk will put some spare compute on Starlink satellites eventually, almost entirely because people said it was a stupid idea.
Come on Scott, you can't do this to us. You have to at least grumble a little bit about reviewer #2, or what are we even doing here?
... congratulations!
... congratulations!
November 5, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Come on Scott, you can't do this to us. You have to at least grumble a little bit about reviewer #2, or what are we even doing here?
... congratulations!
... congratulations!
And that's the first real print done! Whipped up a little box in AutoCAD to hold an Arduino and various associated accoutrements; printed in just over an hour, and seems fairly dimensionally accurate.
Of course, the real test will come when I try more difficult filaments than PLA.
Of course, the real test will come when I try more difficult filaments than PLA.
November 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
And that's the first real print done! Whipped up a little box in AutoCAD to hold an Arduino and various associated accoutrements; printed in just over an hour, and seems fairly dimensionally accurate.
Of course, the real test will come when I try more difficult filaments than PLA.
Of course, the real test will come when I try more difficult filaments than PLA.
I was never really poor, but I still remember the moment I started earning enough money to not have to walk three laps around the grocery store looking for the absolutely cheapest options. The amount of stress that just... falls away. I can't even begin to describe what a difference it makes.
November 5, 2025 at 6:19 PM
I was never really poor, but I still remember the moment I started earning enough money to not have to walk three laps around the grocery store looking for the absolutely cheapest options. The amount of stress that just... falls away. I can't even begin to describe what a difference it makes.
Right? And CAT5e is super-easy to get in any length you need!
November 5, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Right? And CAT5e is super-easy to get in any length you need!
So far, I only printed one thing with it (a build-in program for a scraper), but my initial impressions are positive. The surface finish is miles ahead of the old Prusa Mk3 I used before, and it handled the filament running out perfectly.
Will have to see how it handles more difficult filaments.
Will have to see how it handles more difficult filaments.
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 PM
So far, I only printed one thing with it (a build-in program for a scraper), but my initial impressions are positive. The surface finish is miles ahead of the old Prusa Mk3 I used before, and it handled the filament running out perfectly.
Will have to see how it handles more difficult filaments.
Will have to see how it handles more difficult filaments.