iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 04/10/2026

My paternal grandparents were Norwegian immigrants 🤔

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 02/10/2026

bsky.app/profile/edha...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 01/10/2026

I wonder if institutions would object to the use of their domains? It could be construed as misleading and maybe abused in various ways.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

Come to think of it, some kind of signed log of institutional handle changes could serve as a verifiable employment history.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

The flexibility of the handle vs. the permanence of the did is a feature, I think. I started off as a grad at UCSB, so I would have been edhagen.ucsb.edu, then I was a postdoc at Humboldt University, so I would have been edhagen.hu-berlin.de, and now edhagen.wsu.edu.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

I could pester my IT dept to do it, and it might happen months or years from now. But if I could point them to a cheap service that would do it for them, it might happen sooner 🙂

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

Thanks! Yes, I'm quite familiar with atproto DID's vs. handles (note my handle is my domain), and did:plc vs did:web, and account portability (I have a cirrus pds for pds.edhagen.net). Right now, I can't have edhagen.wsu.edu because WSU doesn't provide the necessary DNS stuff.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

Charge universities and other research orgs a few thousand dollars / year to keep their, e.g., .wsu.edu atproto handles up-to-date with actual WSU employees. 100 institutions @ $5K/year is $500K/year.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

Spitballing: I work at WSU, so I would want my handle to be edhagen.wsu.edu, not edhagen.aster.id. There is a lot of churn in academia, and keeping atproto handles current would be labor intensive. Aster could make money offering verification services to research institutions.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

My initial gut reaction is a vague discomfort with researcher identities linked to one organization (aster.id)

aster.id

Eurosky Portal

Your Portal to the Atmosphere

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 30/09/2026

Also, we (UCSB) didn't investigate Chagnon, we investigated Tierney's book simply by checking the sources he cited to see if they said what he claimed they said, and they didn't. Usually, they said the opposite.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 28/09/2026

My visualization of that table: bsky.app/profile/edha...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 28/09/2026

Related: bsky.app/profile/edha...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 26/09/2026

More systematic: maybe, but his report is not a peer-reviewed pub. I see it as a useful, albeit somewhat informal, contribution to a conversation about anthropology that's been going on for a long time. Amend original report: yes

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 26/09/2026

A major advantage of Joe's anthro-specific report compared to the original report, is this statement that it's his personal take on things. He even includes a long discussion of his positionality! I agree w/ your larger point: academics must unite to resist the authoritarian turn in the US gov't.

Reviewing an entire discipline is essentially impossible for one person. Anthropology and
anthropologists are incredibly heterogeneous. Many biological anthropologists effectively operate
as evolutionary biologists, geneticists or paleoecologists, while many cultural anthropologists engage
in ways closer to those of literary scholars, historians, social critics or journalists. In the North
American context, the field includes anthropological linguists and archaeologists. Some
archaeologists rely on ancient DNA and isotopic analysis, while others apply hermeneutic or
interpretive approaches. As I’ll explain below, one of anthropology's great strengths, which drew
many of us to the field, is that it intentionally positioned itself at the nexus of the sciences and the
humanities.
The upshot is that I make no claim to have conducted a “full review” of any sort; no single
individual could. Instead, I’ve focused on identifying epistemological strains and trends within the
field that — in my judgment — jeopardize knowledge production.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 26/09/2026

If you haven't seen it, this preprint on honest signaling authored by Jacob Chisausky, Carl Bergstrom, Kevin Zollman, and Graeme Ruxton could be a good resource: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

ecoevorxiv.org

Honest Signalling Made Simple

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 25/09/2026

Yes. Environmental impacts on development and functioning are "experience". Acquiring a local language (e.g., Chinese vs. English) and other skills: experience Poor nutrition -> stunting: experience Infections and their consequences, e.g., polio: experience Injuries: experience

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 25/09/2026

Still, in my view the only profound differences between people are due to age: infants vs. adults. Otherwise, everyone is almost identical (and I'm open to swapping the order of sex vs. experience in this list): x.com/ed_hagen/sta...

To zeroth order approximation, all humans are identical
To first order, they differ by age (e.g., infants vs adults)
To second order, they differ by sex
To third order, they differ by experience
To fourth order, they differ genetically

The fourth can't be understood prior to 0-3

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 25/09/2026

I haven't read Steve's book, so no opinion at this point. But coincidentally, I just posted this. SRY is a transcription factor, so it's likely regulating many other genes in DA neurons: bsky.app/profile/edha...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 25/09/2026

TIL that SRY, the sex-determining Y chromosome gene, is expressed in midbrain dopamine neurons, which are involved in voluntary movement, motivation, learning, & other functions. SRY expression might help explain the male bias in DA-mediated diseases, eg, Parkinson's 🧪 www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

Sex-specific neuroprotection by inhibition of the Y-chromosome gene, SRY, in experimental Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results from the loss of midbrain dopamine neurons. While the cause of PD is unknown, male sex is one of the strongest risk factors. Traditionally, sex differences in PD have been attributed to the neuroprotective actions of estrogen in females. Here we show that the Y-chromosome gene, SRY, is up-regulated in animal and cell culture models of PD, and that suppressing SRY expression in male rats diminishes neurodegeneration and motor deficits in preclinical PD models. Taken together, our findings suggest that SRY up-regulation might be a potential pathogenic mechanism of male PD, and that SRY inhibition may be a novel male-specific strategy to slow or halt the progression of PD.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 25/09/2026

@stevestuwill.bsky.social is also here on bsky: bsky.app/profile/stev...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 23/09/2026

Have you considered running local models, which avoid some of the security risks mentioned in your policy? Not that there is a strong reason to do it, but perhaps useful to keep up with what's possible locally.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 23/09/2026

If you need to transfer large files from your laptop/desktop to someone else, I've had good luck with this open source app. It's peer-to-peer (no server involved), end-to-end encrypted, and uses the well-regarded iroh library under the hood: github.com/tonyantony30...

github.com

GitHub - tonyantony300/dashbeam: Share files nearby and beyond.

Share files nearby and beyond. . Contribute to tonyantony300/dashbeam development by creating an account on GitHub.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 22/09/2026

That's my understanding, too. Then, yes, he speculates with a collaborator that the quantum/new physics stuff happens in microtubules.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 21/09/2026

I'm not convinced the discrete vs. continuous distinction is fundamental. I'm influenced by Penrose' argument that the physics standard model is computational. So either the physical human mind can be simulated by computations (not necessarily LLMs), OR we need new physics

Précis of The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning computers, minds, and the laws of physics
Roger Penrose
The emperor's new mind (hereafter Emperor) is an attempt to put forward a scientific alternative to the viewpoint of “strong AI,” according to which mental activity is merely the acting out of some algorithmic procedure. John Searle and other thinkers have likewise argued that mere calculation does not, of itself, evoke conscious mental attributes, such as understanding or intentionality, but they are still prepared to accept the action the brain, like that of any other physical object, could in principle be simulated by a computer. In Emperor I go further than this and suggest that the outward manifestations ofconscious mental activity cannot even be properly simulated by calculation. To support this view, I use various arguments to show that the results of mathematical insight, in particular, do not seem to be obtained algorithmically. The main thrust ofthis work, however, is to present an overview ofthe present state of physical understanding and to show that an important gap exists at the point where, quantum and classical physics meet, as well as to speculate on how the conscious brain might be taking advantage ofwhatever new physics is needed to fill this gap to achieve its nonalgorithmic effects.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 21/09/2026

I wasn't aware of the Huntington-Klein book. Thanks! In my masters-level course, I have them create dags based on *their* research question, and then simulate data using this R package: robindenz1.github.io/simDAG/

robindenz1.github.io

Simulate Data from a (Time-Dependent) Causal DAG

Simulate complex data from a given directed acyclic graph and information about each individual node. Root nodes are simply sampled from the specified distribution. Child Nodes are simulated according...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 21/09/2026

atproto (the tech foundation of bluesky) could provide the tech foundation of a new and better fully open publication system that keeps track of all those reputation and trust signals that you mention: leaflet.pub/p/did:plc:wa...

leaflet.pub

Academic papers should become Bluesky accounts (yes, really)

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 21/09/2026

Saw it a few years back.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 20/09/2026

Jesus, too, was an apocalyptic prophet 🙂 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histori...

Apocalyptic prophet
See also: Apocalypticism and Jewish eschatology

The apocalyptic prophet view primarily emphasizes Jesus preparing his fellow Jews for the End Times. The first proponent of this hypothesis was Albert Schweitzer in his 1906 book The Quest of the Historical Jesus.[233]

The works of E. P. Sanders and Maurice Casey place Jesus within the context of Jewish eschatological tradition.[234][235]: 169–204 [236]: 199–235 Ehrman, Adams, and Ferda align with Schweitzer's views on Jesus’ apocalyptic expectation.

Jewish eschatology is the area of Jewish theology concerned with events that will happen in the end of days and related concepts. This includes the ingathering of the exiled diaspora, the coming of the Jewish Messiah, the afterlife, and the resurrection of the dead.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 19/09/2026

A macOS shortcut to count lines, words & chars in any selected text (falls back to clipboard) #AcademicSky Keyboard: ctrl-opt-cmd w Review the shell cmd before using this or any shortcut Shell: wc | awk '{printf "Lines: %s\nWords: %s\nCharacters: %s\n", $1, $2, $3}' www.icloud.com/shortcuts/69...

icloud.com

wordcount

Shared with iCloud

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 19/09/2026

I asked google to fact check the international gifts (one minor error) and if there were additional international gifts (many):

Fact-Checking the International GiftsThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was built as a "living memorial" to the 35th president and features numerous gifts from foreign nations:Italian Marble: ✅ TRUE. Italy gifted over 3,700 tons of white Carrara marble for the exterior and interior walls of the structure.French Matisse Tapestries: ✅ TRUE. In 1971, France formally presented two tapestries designed by Henri Matisse along with two sculptures by Henry Laurens.Swedish Starburst Chandelier: ⚠️ PARTIALLY INCORRECT. The tweet mixes up two separate European gifts. The famous, massive 12,000-crystal starburst chandelier hanging in the center of the Opera House was actually a gift from Austria (crafted by J. & L. Lobmeyr). Sweden's official gift consisted of 18 Orrefors crystal chandeliers, which illuminate the Grand Foyer, along with lights for the grand vestibule and walkways.Japanese Stage Curtains: ✅ TRUE. Japan gifted the grand red-and-gold silk stage curtain for the Opera House. Because of its immense size, weavers in the Nishijin district of Kyoto had to construct a custom, oversized Jacquard loom with 3,600 individual needles to create it.

Yes, dozens of countries gifted millions of dollars worth of artwork, furnishings, and architectural features to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to honor the late president's legacy. The total value of these international donations was estimated at over $3 million when the facility opened.The additional foreign contributions are grouped below by category:Lighting & CrystalsAustria: The signature, 12,000-crystal starburst chandelier hanging in the center of the Opera House.Norway: Eleven distinct crystal chandeliers hanging in the Concert Hall.Ireland: A Waterford crystal chandelier paired with matching wall sconces in the south lounge of the Opera House.Artworks & SculpturesGermany: A massive, two-panel allegorical bronze sculpture by artist Jürgen Weber, located on the center's plaza entrance.Great Britain: A prominent abstract bronze sculpture created by celebrated artist Dame Barbara Hepworth.Israel: Specialized artwork and custom interior furnishings explicitly designed for the Concert Hall lounge.Textiles & Interior FurnishingsCanada: The main fabric stage curtain utilized in the Eisenhower Theater.Belgium: Large, elaborate glass mirrors installed throughout the Grand Foyer and the box-tier lobby of the Opera House.Denmark: Mid-century modern furnishings and artwork designated for the north lounge of the Opera House.Pakistan: Handcrafted carpets and textiles crafted for the Eisenhower Theater lounge.Finland: Elegant sets of designer chinaware used exclusively in the building's Gallery and Promenade restaurants.Other participating nations like India, Thailand, and Turkey also contributed materials including raw brass, premium silks, and fine porcelain to complete the living memorial.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 16/09/2026

🧪 #BioAnth anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/media/docume...

The Functions of Postpartum Depression
Edward H. Hagen
Evolutionary approaches to parental care suggest that parents will not automatically invest in all offspring, and they should reduce or eliminate investment in their children if the costs outweigh the benefits. Lack of paternal or social support will increase the costs born by mothers, whereas infant health problems will reduce the evolutionary benefits to be gained. Numerous studies support the correlation between postpartum depression (PPD) and lack of social support or indicators of possible infant health and development problems. PPD may be an adaptation that informs mothers that they are suffering or have suffered a fitness cost, which motivates them to reduce or eliminate investment in offspring under certain circumstances, and that may help them negotiate greater levels of investment from others. PPD also appears to be a good model for depression in general. © 1999

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 16/09/2026

The caption of that figure hints at his not-yet-published theory of evolution by natural selection:

The most curious fact is the perfect gradation in the size of the beaks in the different species of Geospiza….Seeing this gradation and diversity of structure in one small, intimately related group of birds, one might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago, one species had been taken and modified for different ends.” Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle, 1845

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 15/09/2026

Related: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 14/09/2026

I suppose an important distinction is: * It is known that distinct categories exist (e.g., persons, objects, species, cell types). Then: which features/algos best classify? * It is not known if distinct categories exist (e.g., personality types). Then: how to determine if they actually do exist.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 14/09/2026

I guess I don't know what you mean by "cluster analysis"? Phylogenetic analyses can use hierarchical cluster analysis, for example. There are so many different algorithms for: features -> classes

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 14/09/2026

All the ways that classification is used? Object and face recognition, phylogenetics ...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 14/09/2026

"Violence was endemic in Neolithic Europe, sometimes reaching levels of intergroup hostilities that ended in the utter destruction of entire communities" 🧪 #BioAnth www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

pnas.org

Conflict, violence, and warfare among early farmers in Northwestern Europe | PNAS

Bioarchaeological evidence of interpersonal violence and early warfare presents important insights into conflict in past societies. This evidence i...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 13/09/2026

bsky.app/profile/edha...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 11/09/2026

bsky.app/profile/edha...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 11/09/2026

Well, it was free for one thing 🙂 Maybe @officialberger.bsky.social can comment on the value-added beyond Claude.

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 11/09/2026

I submitted a paper of mine to this service, and the AI review was fantastic. It checked every single result and found two errors: 1. A formula in the ms (incorrect) didn't match the formula in the code (correct). 2. One result in the ms wasn't based on anything in the code rigor.me

rigor.me

Rigor

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 10/09/2026

Recent TREE paper making the case that ethanol has been a component of animal diets since the Cretaceous based on evidence that yeast have been producing ethanol since the rise of angiosperms, and the evolution of ethanol metabolic pathways in animals: www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

cell.com

The evolutionary ecology of ethanol

The consumption of ethanol has frequently been seen as largely restricted to humans. Here, we take a broad eco-evolutionary approach to understanding ethanol’s potential impact on the natural world. T...

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Ed Hagen @edhagen.net · 10/09/2026

The title of this cool new paper is accurate (dental evidence c. 25-16k BP). However, routine consumption of ethanol is likely ancient: 1) Wild chimpanzees consume perhaps the equivalent of 1.4 drinks/day from naturally fermenting fruit; 2) ADH genes are widespread🧪🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Betel nut sucking is the earliest recorded evidence for the habitual use of a neuroactive plant drug

The modern custom of chewing betel nuts is practiced by around 1 in 10 people worldwide, yet the earliest beginnings of this widespread drug use habit are unknown. We report rare skeletal remains of t...

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