iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

If you are ever trying to have a light bar meal and your food is slow to arrive, think "I guess I could write that one quick thing" and take out your laptop. Your order will arrive instantly.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The correct response to this sign is to take the table and leave everything else.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A med student, a resident, and a pediatrician walk into a bar... ... no, a campaign fundraiser bc they're all running for state legislature. Wow. The next generation of medicine is inspiring.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Current events can make the world feel very bleak. And then you learn that someone is composing sonnets based on pop songs and you are reminded that there is beauty everywhere. popsonnet.tumblr.com

popsonnet.tumblr.com

Pop Sonnets

Old twists on new tunes, every Thursday.Book now available from Quirk Books and HarperCollins UK.

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Neuropsychopharmacology @npp-journal.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Glewwe et al. demonstrate that female mice outperform males in a touchscreen set-shifting task, suggesting that stable choice commitment in females paradoxically enhances cognitive flexibility

nature.com

Sex-biased computations underlying differential set shift performance in mice

Neuropsychopharmacology - Sex-biased computations underlying differential set shift performance in mice

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

So am I right that the "you get to add 1 page of preliminary data 1 month before" rule is still live? All the notices are from 2023, but it appears like there's been no recission.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Moment of brief academic joy: editing a grad student's paper, collaborator puts a random speculative idea in the Discussion comments, and as I'm reading and replying, I realize it's a great theoretical take that could be a new R01.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I am confident the answer to this is some combo of "No" or "Only CSR knows", but is there a way to find out what the actual distribution of numeric scores was for scored/discussed grants for a given IRG? Seems like that would help interpret what "Competitive Not Discussed" WOULD have scored.

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Steve Most @sbmost.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I’m a cognitive psychologist. Don’t tell me this isn’t a stroopwafel.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Very serious question that I cannot find the answer to by search: people are now using GenAI to effectively bot online studies. But do those bots emulate things like the Stroop effect, or do they lack cognitive interference? We're trying to validate some data.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A campaign making the rounds here in Minneapolis, to reduce the dollars flowing to Big Tech to pressure them to speak out against the invasion. www.resistandunsubscribe.com Almost nobody can get off all these platforms, but we can get off most of them and reduce others.

resistandunsubscribe.com

Resist and Unsubscribe

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Scenes from today's protests. This is what Minnesota looks like. This is who we are. We show up for our neighbors. Such amazing energy on a brutally cold day.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Tomorrow, there is a mass civic day of action in Minnesota, with a general strike and a march. The weather forecast is -30 with wind chill. We're marching anyway, because this is Minnesota. Cold doesn't stop us fishing, skiing, camping, or fighting for truth and decency.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

I had no idea that my youth spent hand-hacking HTML for pizza money and having l33t h@xxx0r w3b$it3zzz would turn out to be a Useful Skill for a Serious Scientist. Anyone know if the biosketch supports <blink> for good measure?

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Steve Horrocks🕺🏻 @stevehorrocks.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Facing a new year, I found this @dansinker.com post from February — about how the KKK in the 1920s felt unstoppable, about the people that fought against them anyway, and about how fascism always fails — to be a welcome read. dansinker.com/posts/2025-0...

dansinker.com

What Felt Impossible Became Possible | dansinker.com

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 21: Arkansas Black (sweetlandorchard.com/arkansasblack). Yeah, we skipped days, it was Honeycrisp, you know about that one. Another 5/10. Perfectly eatable, cool name, super dark skin, but nothing exciting here. We've been on a run of mid apples here and hoping for another Frostbite.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 18 (Dec 17 was crabapples): Esopus Spitzenberg (sweetlandorchard.com/esopusspitze...). +1 for the name. Not a bad apple. Crispy, juicy, minimal tartness, a little toastiness. Not a must have but did not regret. 7/10 because it's so fun to say.

sweetlandorchard.com

Esopus Spitzenburg — Sweetland Orchard

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

No apple, it was a weird one. Instead, my lab Christmas gift: a Pichu with implanted electrodes. The head cap leaves something to be desired.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 15: Golden Russet (sweetlandorchard.com/goldenrusset). Good things come in small packages! Mostly sweet, a little acid (not like a Pink Lady though), quite juicy, and with a spicy note we haven't seen since Frostbite. They make a cider out of this and I'm sad bc it's sold out. 8/10.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 14: Caville Blanc D'Hiver, an apple so old it was at Versailles (sweetlandorchard.com/calvilleblanc). Delightfully weird: tart, lemony, a little juicy. Served on a cheeseboard and consumed by a pack of teenagers. Solid 7/10, would not seek it but would have again.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 12: Hubbardston Nonesuch (sweetlandorchard.com/hubbardstonn...). 5/10 on the basis of the name alone. It does have a slightly nutty flavor and is an interesting apple. Still does not beat Frostbite which leads the first half of the calendar. Might make a good cider.

sweetlandorchard.com

Hubbardston Nonesuch — Sweetland Orchard

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 11: Keepsake (sweetlandorchard.com/keepsake). One of the parents of Honeycrisp and a descendant of Frostbite, which we loved. Not bad, 6/10, but not as good as either parent or child. Crisp, good texture, juicy, not nearly as sweet as advertised.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 10: Winesap (adamapples.blogspot.com/2009/11/wine...). A 3/10 with profound "meh". Again just too soft for eating out of hand, plus thick skin that makes the experience worse. Lacking in flavor. Maybe good for cider, not good for me. Kids didn't finish their slices.

adamapples.blogspot.com

Winesap **

Hundreds of apples, plus notes and comment on the harvest and more.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 9: Fireside. Another UMN alum, from the days of FDR. Bred from McIntosh and is a lot like it: inoffensive, sweet, but too soft for me. 6/10.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 8: Zabergau Reinesse (sweetlandorchard.com/zabergau). 4/10. Another soft flesh apple, not particularly juicy, flavor mild to bland. Easy to grow but not fun to eat. Darn immigrant apples interfering with Gold Standard Fruit.

sweetlandorchard.com

Zabergau Reinette — Sweetland Orchard

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 6: Haralson (sweetlandorchard.com/haralson), one of the OG UMN outputs. We loved its child Honeygold, Haralson itself is 5/10. Flesh is mid btwn crunch and soft, flavor mid btwn sweet and tang, and overall the apple is mid. Proof our apple game is improving over time!

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 5: Connell Red. 7-8/10. I was really worried about this one, I despise Red Delicious. This is so juicy it should be on a Matt's Bar menu (IYKYK). Not as crisp as Frostbite, but still good. There's a vanilla note over the sweetness. I wouldn't seek this out but would buy it on sale.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

A thought I need to formalize as a comment. 2 kinds of grants die at study section: concept is bad/low-impact and concept is potentially good but approach is bad (in eyes of reviewer) 2 kinds succeed: concept is good and PI bowed to reviewer concerns, or PI is super famous MUST FUND. (1/N)

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 4: Honeygold (sweetlandorchard.com/honeygold). Another 8/10. Sweet, crisp (Frostbite was better), very slightly spicy. WAY better than its parent Golden Delicious and another fine example of Minnesota apple engineering. The kids loved it.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Applevent, Day 3: Northern Spy (sweetlandorchard.com/northernspy). Solid 5/10. Firm, not as crisp as Frostbite, decently juicy, nothing special on flavor, just middle-of-the-road sweet fresh apple. A good "if you use one apple for eating and cooking" kind of apple.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 2 (late): Frostbite (mnhardy.umn.edu/frostbite). Invented by my University! 8-9/10. Interesting creamy, spicy, sort of tropical flavor. Good crunch, slightly thick skin. Kinda small and was sad it was gone! Would get this one again.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Applevent, Dec 1: Bonnie Best 3/10, maybe 4/10. Neither sweet, nor crunchy, nor refreshingly tart, nor unique flavor. On a par with every conference box lunch Red Delicious I've had. You can eat it, but you shouldn't, just cook/bake with it. Hopefully just a slow start.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

All right, @shrewshrew.bsky.social , I see your jam and raise you the Minnesota apple advent calendar from @sweetlandorchard.bsky.social . Let the advent commence!

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ACNP @acnporg.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Congratulations to Sophia Vinogradov, M.D. on being awarded the 2025 Julius Axelrod Mentorship Award! #ACNP2026 Please click here ➡️ tinyurl.com/3b7jdtcy to watch the acceptance video by Sophia Vinogradov, M.D.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

The first rule of Stroop club is that you do not read the words

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Happy Mole Day for all who celebrate

A picture of a mole with masses of moles of water, iron, ixygen, salt, gold, and helium.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

The common take on this is "autism diagnosed late is a different disorder bc it has shared genes with depression, PTSD, etc". OR, maybe, if you have autism that doesn't look like the textbook, you get masking-related trauma/anxiety and get misidagnosed! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis - Nature

A study of several longitudinal birth cohorts and cross-sectional cohorts finds only moderate overlap in genetic variants between autism that is diagnosed earlier and that diagnosed later, so they may represent aetiologically different conditions.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Very weird thing happening here, wondering if anywhere else. Award gets canceled for being on a Bad Topic (vaccines). Reinstated due to lawsuit. Now NIH proposing not to find Y2+, asking us to agree to "bilateral termination". Smells wrong... anyone else seen this?

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

New paper out! A review of prefrontal mechanisms involved in deep brain stimulation, bringing together our work of the past few years and a foreshadow of where we're going next. Plus some cool rodent stuff! www.jneurosci.org/content/45/3...

jneurosci.org

Prefrontal Network Mechanisms of Psychiatric Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging treatment for otherwise treatment-refractory psychiatric disorders. It can produce remarkable clinical results in expert hands, but has not fared as well in...

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Tina Smith @smith.senate.gov · 28/08/2025

I dare you to go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don’t kill kids, antidepressants do. Just shut up. Stop peddling bullshit. You should be fired.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

In between the science funding nonsense note this proposal to end student loan forgiveness for anyone whose *organization* is deemed to have done unlawful things. Like, oh, ANY UNIVERSITY WITH A DEI PROGRAM? I can't find the public comment link so hoping someone can. apnews.com/article/stud...

apnews.com

Some workers would be excluded from student loan forgiveness program for 'illegal' activity

The Trump administration has proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that could exclude teachers, social workers and nurses if their employers engage in activities deemed illeg...

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

"The freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream. That is all Plaintiffs seek. Instead, they are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood. The Court disagrees. " Mic drop. www.nationaltpsalliance.org/wp-content/u...

nationaltpsalliance.org

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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I’m hearing a lot of despair and “what’s the point”-ing. Here’s the point: ONE less person kidnapped by ICE. ONE more child vaccinated. ONE grant reinstated. ONE more PEPFAR treatment. ONE more meal to a hungry kid. ONE more person covered by Medicaid. One life is ALWAYS worth resistance.

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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 12/07/2025

People with clinical depression have limited options if meds don't work for them. One technology that has long been on the horizon is #deepbrainstimulation. Elie Dolgin did a deep dive on the most cutting-edge versions of these brain implants🧵 spectrum.ieee.org/deep-brain-s...

spectrum.ieee.org

Next-Gen Brain Implants Offer New Hope for Depression

AI improves deep brain stimulation to offer new hope for personalized depression treatment.

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

New paper! (Something went right!) It turns out that if you want to auto-optimize neuromodulation for a low-SNR situation (pain, psych, anything subjective), standard Bayesian optimization breaks. Evan Dastin van Rijn shows how to fix it! iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

iopscience.iop.org

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

To ensure we keep this website safe, please can you confirm you are a human by ticking the box below.

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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Very grateful to have had the chance to attend the Science Fair of Cancelled Grants today. As a program officer overseeing health equity research, I’ve heard far too many stories of lost science, lost careers, and lost jobs.

Dr. Naomi Casselli stands in front of her poster describing her cancelled grant on family language planning.

Dr. Reichert standing behind his poster on his cancelled On-Ramp training program.

Drs. Casselli and Norton in front of Dr. Caselli’s poster.

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Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · 25/06/2025

So important! Please contact your Republican senators, especially Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA). 🙏 amplify!

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Alik Widge @alikwidge.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

The Democrat (former) Speaker of the Minnesota house was murdered today. In her own home. With her husband. By a white man (allegedly) in body armor. But tell me again why "criminal illegal aliens" are the threat to our democracy? www.startribune.com/melissa-hort...

startribune.com

Melissa Hortman, top Democrat in Minnesota House, shot and killed in home

Gov. Tim Walz confirmed Saturday morning that Hortman and her husband Mark had both been killed in what he called targeted political violence.

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