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Alex Francis

@alexanderfrancis.bsky.social
576 followers 877 following 312 posts

Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, studying how the demands of hearing loss and noise exposure affect health and well-being across the lifespan. Open science, sci comm, R stats, data viz, epidemiology, dogs, nature, TTRPGs. Etc. he/him.

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Reposted by Alex Francis
Zandra, probably @zandra-wpg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Everyone agrees that dogs have intelligence and personality, right? But when a dog gets away and hurts someone, it’s their owner’s responsibility. They can be fined or charged, and in the worst cases the dog is put down. So why treat chatbots/agents differently? The owners should be accountable.
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Billie Jean Sweeney @billiejsweeney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Where giving ground to extremists will lead … “What centrists never mention is that we have a highly relevant case study, playing out in real time, of a major center-left party following their advice.” newrepublic.com/article/2155...
newrepublic.com
Centrists Won’t Tell You Where “Moderating” on Trans Rights Ends Up
The recent example of the U.K. Labour Party shows that “compromising” rarely stops at some acceptable midpoint.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"Show me your budget and I'll show you your values"
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Thinking of telling my students “Using an LLM to complete assignments in my class is like using an electric scooter to complete your marathon training runs. Like going to the gym and using a machine to lift weights for you. Yes, you complete the task set for you, but you gain nothing from it.”
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This looks ominous. LLM use may be setting us up for changes in cognitive function (“autonomous capacity”) that are easy to slip into and harder to recover from. arxiv.org/pdf/2609.03344
arxiv.org
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 04/09/2026
Update: the dialect map quiz thing going around is a cheap knockoff of the good one, which is here: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk (Published 2024)
What does the way you speak say about where you’re from? Answer all the questions below to see your personal dialect map.
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Academic Chatter @academic-chatter.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Researchers: help us build a map of the research toolbox. 🧰 What tools do you rely on for your research? Software, databases, websites, AI, equipment. Anything that forms part of your workflow (if you're comfortable sharing of course). Please reply and share widely!
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
How the eyes move, not where they land, predicts what we remember across the lifespan www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Reading a paper on Frisson ("chills" in response to music") from 1995 Samples include songs from Pink Floyd, Air Supply, Journey, Boston. Older papers often used classical music (
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Aftermath of the Granddog’s visit.
A greyish-tan carpet with the remains of 4 eviscerated stuffies and a chewed-on dog bed. There is a large paw of a brown dog in the foreground.
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Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans) @iwriteok.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I have, with my own eyes, watched my tax dollars in the form of missiles as they hit buildings inhabited by civilians. I'd much prefer subsidizing a grocery story I don't use.
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A cool study by a great team. Evolutionarily ancient (and now seemingly mostly irrelevant) ear muscles still reflect affective states. Bonnaire, et al. Unraveling Affective States From the Auriculomotor System doi: 10.1109/TAFFC.2026.3717435 ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/116...
ieeexplore.ieee.org
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Ariaa® @ariaa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Dasia Taylor,now 22, developed a surgical suture that changes color in response to pH changes associated with wound infections. #Invention #Innovation #MedicalBreakthroughs
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I love working with students, and I love getting emails from enthusiastic students looking for research opportunities, and I don’t even mind that much when they use an LLM to sculpt the “perfect” cold-contact email. But I really wish someone would teach the LLMs that 1 paragraph suffices.
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ashley (birthday month) 🕸️ @clearlyashley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
if you are bigoted against trans folks you will not stop there and I know it you are either already racist, sexist, or homophobic or you are on your way there and I will not join you for your journey
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UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
BNN Bloomberg acknowledged that no study of basic income has found a meaningful reduction in work. What it does do is let people take risks leading to better careers.
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Silverman on Security @silvermansecurity.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I want to make a quick, but important point that goes to the 🧵 I did last night & a quote post reply this morning. States, as in the US or it's constituent states or those states municipalities DO NOT have rights. They have power/powers. Rights are reserved for the people. 1/
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
The US should cover urgent care costs for patients seeking care for reportable public health concerns like cyclosporiasis, E. coli, measles, etc. “Going to the doctor” should be a logical first step in protecting public heath, not just a luxury afforded only to the rich.
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 07/07/2026
Cheer up, USA. One of your soccer teams has won 4 World Cups.
Megan Rapinoe
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Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in—and they’re not good www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good
Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
How it started / how it’s going
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
New book by my excellent colleague Bryan Pijanowski: Listening to Place “… “Listening to Place” delves into the sonic world to reveal how sound serves as an essential element in community planning. …” www.purdue.edu/newsroom/pur...
purdue.edu
Purdue Universityplus_iconplus_iconplus_iconplus_icon
Purdue University is a world-renowned, public research university that advances discoveries in science, technology, engineering and math.
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Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 11/06/2026
Illustration titled "Backyard Sounds" featuring a Cardinal, Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, and Red-bellied woodpecker. Various, very subjective interpretations of bird calls form an abstract timeline composed of simple color shapes and loops.
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Rae Radford @raeradford.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I ❤️ librarians. #BookSky
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
This is the best essay I’ve read so far on „why Gen-Z can‘t read.“ makes me think I should put my phone down. www.chronicle.com/article/my-s...
chronicle.com
Opinion | My Students Can’t Read
The generational collapse in literacy is measurable, persistent, and likely to get worse.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
"Apple, Google, and Meta are very excited to announce the release of new AI-driven products. We guarantee that they will respect your privacy. Unfortunately, these products are not available in Europe, as they have laws to protect your privacy."
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Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
DOG AT THE OLYMPICS FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Me: I can’t believe it’s already mid February. I have so much to get done this semester. Also me: how is it still February? And it’s only Monday? This semester is taking For. Ever.
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Stephen Hopkins @phil-lol-ogist.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
/tʃiɹz/ 🍻
Caption: You hear IPA and think of pretentious beer, I hear IPA and think of an alphabetic system of phonetic notation... We are both terrible at parties"
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 24/01/2026
I have watched the video of today’s murder several times and I am here to assure you that there were several agents restraining the victim when he was shot, and there is no way they were worried he was going to shoot one. Even if he had a gun, and I think that’s not true, he was not free to use it.
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Manda M @bettesays.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
If you don't mind, if I could leave this here - it's a wonderful resource and the admins just added a page where people can leave a note of encouragement or support after making a donation and reading the testimonials. We need those today. www.standwithminnesota.com
standwithminnesota.com
Stand With Minnesota Donation Directory
Stand With Minnesota is a hub for supporting, learning, and taking action to support Minnesotans impacted by ICE and federal enforcement.
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LAFAYETTE @lastudiolafayette.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
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Lauren @tinylongwing.bsky.social · 12/02/2024
From my 2019 Month of Love series, a male American Kestrel offers a dragonfly as a courtship gift to a female. This Valentine's Day, make sure to let your valentine know they're loved by giving them the biggest bug you can find. 🪶🎨🐡
A male American Kestrel, on the lower left, leans forward with a large dragonfly in his beak to give to the eager female who leans in from the upper right.
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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland. They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”
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Mike Wiser @drmikewiser.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
"Correlation is still not causation," I intone wearily, hoping some people eventually realize what that means... (Reasonable sample size, validated instrument, dosage dependent trend line: still not evidence of anything causative)
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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
In the last 70 years, federal jobs fell from 4.5% of all employment to below 2%. Civil servants aren't what's driving government debt, and firing them won't address it.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1N1kt
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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
I’m not trying to give @pbs.org ideas for raising money—but I am. I would buy women’s fit T-shirts of all my favorite childhood shows. Reading rainbow, 321 contact, square one, zoobiliee zoo. I feel like two generations will run to donate even more money for shirts with Levar Burton on them…
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Joshua B. Hoe @joshuabhoe.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Bail reform increases safety, pretrial incarceration DECREASES public safety Good op-ed in @nytimes.com from my friend David Gaspar (and Jeremy Cherson) @bailproject.org www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
Today, families are often asked to come up with thousands of dollars for bail with little notice. That’s in a country where over a third of adults would not be able to cover an unexpected expense over $400. Bail bond agents profit from this imbalance and lobby hard to protect it. This helps preserve a system where most of the people in local jails haven’t been convicted of a crime.

Research suggests that even 72 hours in jail can increase the chance of future rearrest. Jail disrupts the very things that keep people stable. A few days behind bars can mean losing a job or a driver’s license, falling behind on rent or being expelled from school. This instability creates extraordinary challenges for people when they are released, increasing their chances of being swept back into the system for things like low-level charges. Worse still, jail makes it difficult to mount a defense because it cuts people off from legal support. Every minute, people are pulled into this system.
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Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
YOU DON'T SAY
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
This is ... not a good sign.
Screen shot of part of a regular, weekly announcement of funding opportunities from NIH. Under the heading "Funding Opportunities" there is a single, bulleted line saying "None". I've highlighted this single word which seems ominously direct.
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Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
MIT’s NANDA initiative found that 95% of generative AI deployments fail after interviewing 150 execs, surveying 350 workers, and analyzing 300 projects. The real “productivity gains” seem to come from layoffs and squeezing more work from fewer people not AI.
fortune.com
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing
There’s a stark difference in success rates between companies that purchase AI tools from vendors and those that build them internally.
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Elaine Francis @ejfranci2.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
My PhD student Yue Li is looking for L1 speakers of Chinese and Spanish for her online English experiment! Please see below for details!
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Stephen Robinson @playtyperguy.com · 12/08/2025
Kim Davis going from "my religious beliefs demand that I don't facilitate a same-sex marriages" to "my religious beliefs demand that there are NO same-sex marriages anywhere" *should* make Democrats realize there is no "sincere" compromise with bigots on trans issues.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
DC statehood is now an imperative. No more dicking around. Next Dem majority, get it done immediately.
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
I’m often frustrated by technical terms with no intrinsic meaning (e.g., Type I vs Type II error) but now that increasing public awareness of the “Big 5” personality traits means more interpretations of “high extraversion” as “is an extrovert” etc., I kinda wish they were just called Traits 1-5.
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
A good thread on the spaciousness of arguments against transwomen competing against ciswomen in sport.
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Alex Francis @alexanderfrancis.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Luke O‘Neil is one of my favorite writers - as much poet as storyteller, and somehow rich in bleakness. He gets more humanity into characters in a single page than many authors do in an entire novel. I loved his collection „A Creature Wanting Form“ and I’m looking forward to this one.
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