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Dr Kelly Birtwell

@kellybirtwell.bsky.social
404 followers 347 following 346 posts

Research Fellow, University of Manchester | Chartered Psychologist | Counsellor | Mindfulness Teacher | ND | Interests in Primary Care, health inequalities, mindfulness, neurodiversity | Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research | Views my own

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Reposted by Dr Kelly Birtwell
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 9h
For World Octopus Day🐙, let's learn a weird fact about the three hearts of our eight-legged friend. The SYSTEMIC HEART of an octopus STOPS BEATING while they swim / jet. Seems like a design flaw, doesn't it? Let's talk about it.
static.klipy.com
National Geographic: Swimming Octopuses101
Alt: National Geographic: Swimming Octopuses101: it's a red-tinted octopus on a short loop moving slightly to the viewer's right as it turns to face the camera.
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Antonio E. Porreca 🐳 @aeporreca.org · 07/10/2026
The Association for Human Mathematics (AHM) statement on OpenAI’s October 6 release of mathematical documents just dropped! www.ahmath.org/statements
AHM Statement on OpenAI’s October 6 Release of Mathematical Documents

Yesterday, on October 6th, 2026, OpenAI – which is currently defending lawsuits against accusations of illegal plagiarism, copyright infringement, and trademark dilution – released a repository of manuscripts purporting to contain solutions to a number of high-profile problems in mathematics.

Mathematicians did not ask for this work to be done. The Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, from whom OpenAI has claimed to derive its legitimacy, opened their initial advisory statement by saying that frontier AI corporations should not test advanced mathematical problems on internal models. In ignoring the central premise of the Advisory Group’s position, OpenAI has indicated total disregard for the norms of scientific research — norms that guarantee that mathematics remains trustworthy, ethically researched, and in the public interest.

Mathematicians have a particular vision of progress that is informed by history and field-specific considerations. We reject OpenAI's assertion that this release advances our subject, and we urge mathematicians and the public to view the value of this publication model with due skepticism. 

Releasing over 700 files at once is not a demonstration of scholarship, but a demonstration of power. We urge mathematicians to discontinue their work with OpenAI and to return to a vision of science that centers human understanding.

Association for Human Mathematics
Communications Working Group
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tiddy roosevelt @duck.rodeo · 07/10/2026
Keep in mind that a small cat can't even get into this box, to say it was a surprise when I opened the camera app to find a goddamn fox in there is an understatement
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tiddy roosevelt @duck.rodeo · 07/10/2026
I've since put together a small shelter so the food bowl stops filling with water. The badger hasn't turned up yet but it's given us a better look at the foxes. This is Mulder. We first knew he was around because he managed to break into the hedgehog feeding station as a small kit. Multiple times.
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Pete Fraser @petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
…to face up to; to build in functional layers of social and legal accountability that mean that people don’t act in ways in which - and the above passage is vital here - they *know to be wrong*. Telling people rape is wrong isn’t enough, cause people know rape is wrong already.
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Pete Fraser @petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This is incredibly important. I feel deeply that curbing sexual violence will come from raising social expectations of men, not from ‘educating’ them. I fear this is an unpopular view, because people are afraid to face up to the scale of the issue.
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Kara Jorgensen @authorkaraj.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This a very timely reminder that in 2019 during Trump Administration 1.0, I presented a paper at Ithaca College about why queer historical romance is so important. I have the whole paper/presentation on my website if you'd like some more reasons as to why queer romance is so important now and always
karajorgensen.com
On Accuracy in Historical Romance
Back in April, I presented a paper at Ithaca College’s feminist pop culture conference From Pippi to Ripley on the issues surrounding the perceived “inaccuracies” in historical ro…
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assigned cromulent at birth @cleanwindows.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The fundamental skill of the scientist is to understand the instrument and the phenomenon well enough to distinguish signal from noise. "ai" obscures both the instrument and the phenomenon
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 06/10/2026
I have a listing on the NAS site now, as a science tutor working with Autistic teenagers. I'm still trying to figure out how much of this work I can do without using up all my energy, but right now it feels like I could probably take on one or two more people... www.autism.org.uk/autism-servi...
autism.org.uk
Fergus Murray, Tutor
Science tutoring and mentoring for neurodivergent teenagers
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 22/09/2026
A lovely article about @gr0ve.bsky.social's 'Being Me' programme for Autistic kids and teenagers, designed to help them understand and accept themselves. I'm so glad to be part of this organisation. businessmondays.co.uk/hampshire-au...
businessmondays.co.uk
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Sarah K @dr-know.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
You didn’t “ask the AI”. You did a search on an engine that is designed to put more effort into the conversational front end than into the search results.
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Elizabeth Anne, PhD @lacksauthority.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
never the wrong time for this classic
Screenshot of a tweet by @RobbtKraft reading “scientist: "does everyone here know what Watson and Crick discovered?" 
me from back of room: "Rosalind Franklin's notes"”
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Brandon Diehl @iambrandondiehl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
From one neurodivergent person to another, you don't have to do everything yourself just because you can. It's okay to ask for help sometimes.
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Chronic Illness Humor @chronicillness.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I haven't tried it, but I'll just leave this here
post featuring an illustration above a tweet by gabriela vieira (@gabi_vieira).

Top text above the image reads: "This is a picture that shows it's easier to swallow capsule medicine with water if you tilt your head down."

The illustration shows side profile diagrams of a blonde person swallowing a pill with water:

On the left, with the head tilted downward, the capsule floats to the back of the mouth/throat above the water line, positioned naturally to be swallowed.

On the right, with the head tilted back, the capsule floats up toward the front of the mouth, making it harder to swallow.

Below the image, the tweet text reads: "When I say this to the patients, they get shocked so I'll leave it here for those who don't know yet".
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Jo VanEvery @jovanevery.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I suspect that what I wrote about sewing yesterday also works as a metaphor for writing. So often when writers get stuck it is because you are impatient and trying to skip steps or avoid revision. jovanevery.co.uk/perfectionis...
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frank n furter @mxfrankduffy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
C****tmas / yule cards are here! I have a *lot* of folding to do. I ordered 20 x sets of 10, a few have already gone. 100% recycled cards & come with recycled berry red envelopes #witchsky #cymraeg shop.frankduffy.co.uk/product/gold...
 Cards showing a golden stag on a green background, accompanied by red envelopes. message inside reads "Cyfarchion y tymor / Season's Greetings"
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Dr. Alyssa (they/them) @yesthattoo.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A1: To me Autistic pride is a direct counter to the shame that gets taught (both intentionally and not) when the ways we're disabled and the ways we're odd get treated as wrong. Autistic pride: I *like* being who I am, even when it's hard. #AutChat
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Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I'll be at Topping's of Bath tomorrow night at 7.00 to launch SLEEPERS IN THE SNOW. Who's coming? www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/bath/...
toppingbooks.co.uk
Joanne Harris for Sleepers in the Snow at Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath
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Victoria Redfern @victoriaredfern.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Kemi Badenoch saying people earning a million pounds a year shouldn't be punished for working hard, and in all my years on this earth I don't think I've ever been so naïve as to think people getting that much money are working hard.
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Special Needs Jungle @spcialndsjungle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
ADHD UK has threatened legal action against an NHS organisation over its decision to impose a minimum two-year wait for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism assessments. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Charity threatens legal action over two-year NHS wait for ADHD and autism assessments
Exclusive: ADHD UK may seek judicial review of West Yorkshire NHS integrated care board’s ‘unlawful’ policy
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Victoria Duncan @victoriaduncan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
How I feel every time I try to get important information at work
It's a screenshot of an Insta post from digitalboss_duo. The post reads, "Hi Stacy, You replied to a request with a question about scope. Scope is a private matter between the deadline and God. Please proceed without knowing. Your boss, Bernard"

The post is captioned, "BS emails from my boss cont"
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Naughty Nox @ladyasterianox.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I feel like I'm going to be posting this a lot more than usual.
A graphic titled “Rape Culture” that has a triangle with words and a background gradient of darker red at the top peak, orange in the center, and yellow at the bottom. On the side of the pyramid is an arrow and 3 works, explaining the the gradient. Normalization leads to Degradation which leads to Assault. The text under the pyramid explains the relationship: “Tolerance of the behaviors at the bottom supports or excuses those higher up. To change outcomes, we must change the culture. If you see something, say something! Start the conversation today.” The words inside the pyramid, starting with the top and most severe: Rape, Drugging, Molestation, Stealthing (Covert Condom Removal), Contraceptive Sabotage, Victim Blaming & Shaming, Coercion/Manipulation, Threats, Revenge Porn, Safe Word Violations, Groping, Non-Consensual Photo or Video, Flashing & Exposing, Unsolicited Nude Pics, Catcalling, Unwanted Non-Sexual Touch, Stalking, Sexist Attitudes, Rape Jokes, Locker Room Banter.

www.11thPrincipleConsent.org
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Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Old norse nerds! This is premiering at 6pm tonight uk time! (there will be subtitles tho not sure if in modern icelandic or what) youtu.be/8Sm5itntHV0?...
youtu.be
HAMRAMMR - Icelandic Historical Short Film | Full Film
YouTube video by Northern Storm Pictures
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Kevin (Des) @jambodes.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Was honestly struggling, then this came along. 😍 bsky.app/profile/hamm...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Universities cannot expect researchers to take risks if they are repeatedly at risk of redundancy while losing professional services support, grappling with the gratuitous vagaries of home and international student number swings and both teaching and assessing in an age of unregulated AI.
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Phil Ward @frootle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is a really important point.
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Medusa’s Wink @medusaswink.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is true. The entire animated film got deleted. The only reason Toy Story 2 happened is an employee named Galyn Susman, who was on maternity leave. She had set up a system that copied the production’s database so she could work on it from home.
screenrant.com
How Pixar Accidentally Deleted (& Recovered) Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2's was almost lost.
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Claire E. Aubin @ceaubin.com · 01/10/2026
Imagining people who do evil things to be devoid of empathy is a way of comforting oneself, because we all know that we feel empathy and therefore are not the kind of person who could do *that.* It’s much scarier to know that a conglomeration of circumstances can turn basically anybody bad.
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Dr. Amy, PsyD 🎃 @dramypsyd.rmh-therapy.com · 01/10/2026
Also Andy says that all his success in business and with women has come from “my ability to slowly and painfully wear someone down” so he definitely sees consent as something that can be open to push back on. He’s not attacking someone who’s unconscious but he’s only passing a very low bar.
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Dr. Amy, PsyD 🎃 @dramypsyd.rmh-therapy.com · 01/10/2026
In Season 9, Robert California talks about Andy being a standard, generic white dude (not the exact quote but you get my meaning) so I think Andy makes a great representation of the “nice guy” BS. Would he participate? Probably not, but he’s not going to protect us either.
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Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 01/10/2026
Wow, someone wrote a paper specifically about me journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... (h/t @kellybirtwell.bsky.social for sending it to me)
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Neurodiverse Connection @ndconnection.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
ndconnection.co.uk/blog/4q4-und...
ndconnection.co.uk
4Q4: Autism and sexual violence: Understanding victim-blaming towards Autistic victim-survivors — Neurodiverse Connection
In this edition of 4Q4 (Four Questions For), we speak with Zoe Collier , a PhD student at Durham University researching victim-blaming towards autistic people following sexual violence. Her research…
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Neurodiverse Connection @ndconnection.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We’re sharing a new piece in our "4 Questions For" blog series with Zoe Collier, whose PhD research explores victim-blaming experienced by Autistic survivors of sexual violence. Full blog article below 👇️
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Citizen Brooks 🆘 🇺🇸 @citizenbrooks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"It's not all men..." IG/TikTok - @its_auralaura
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Nick Walker @dr-nicky.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Reminder that the audio version of my book Neuroqueer Heresies is available super cheap till October 13th! #neurodiversity #neurodivergence #neurodivergent #neuroqueer #autism #autistic #psychology #consciousness #mind #queer #somatics #books #booksky #audiobooks www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
audiobooks.com
60% OFF Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities
The work of queer autistic scholar Nick Walker has played a key role in the evolving discourse on human neurodiversity. Neuroqueer Heresies collects a decade's worth of Dr. Walker's most ...
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Hildur Knútsdóttir @hildur.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
THE WOOLLEN SWEATER MEGATHREAD
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Ann Memmott @annmemmott.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
About 30,000 autistic ppl in the UK have Type 2 Diabetes, aren't on insulin, & use wearable monitors (CGMs). These save lives for those who don't spot low-sugar events / can't cope with endless painful finger prick tests each day etc. The NHS has removed funding. Now, have to pay ~ £1500/yr. /
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Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 29/09/2026
> In fact, the polling on this is so strong[:] a lot of people hate AI, and that Gen Z in particular seems to hate AI more and more as they encounter it. [O]ver half of Americans think AI will do more harm than good, while more than 80 percent of people [are] concerned about the technology.
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jenna newman phd @jennanewman.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
“The Guardian spoke to 8 data-annotation & content-moderation companies in India. Only 2 said they provided psychological support to workers; the rest argued that the work was not demanding enough to require mental healthcare.”🧪🛟
“Researchers say this emotional numbing - followed by delayed psychological fallout - is a defining feature of content moderation work. "There may be moderators who escape psychological harm, but I've yet to see evidence of that," says Milagros Miceli, a sociologist leading the Data Workers' Inquiry, a project investigating the roles of workers in AL.
"In terms of risk," she says, "content moderation belongs in the category of dangerous work, comparable to any lethal industry."
Studies indicate content moderation triggers lasting cognitive and emotional strain, often resulting in behavioural changes such as heightened vigilance. Workers report intrusive thoughts, anxiety and sleep disturbances.
A study of content moderators published last December, which included workers in India, identified traumatic stress as the most pronounced psychological risk. The study found that even where workplace interventions and support mechanisms existed, significant levels of secondary trauma persisted.”
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Emily L. Hauser (she/her) ❌👑 @emilylhauser.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I managed to mostly not know any of this until today. This detail is new to me. The horror coursing through my body feels like poison. My God, men. Decide RIGHT FUCKING NOW what you'll do if a woman is sexually harassed or assaulted in your vicinity. Ask another man to do the same. TALK ABOUT IT.
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Dr Nick @nmwilkinson.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
He made it up, i guess cos his theory was so good and true that the data must be wrong. Subsequently, dozens of studies used this 'config vs inverse' (inverse = upside-down blobs) in newborn, autism, comparative, computational contexts exactly because they supposedly index this newborn preference
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Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
This is quite cool. My university is the first organisation in the world to force Microsoft to allow us to turn off copilot summaries in Word 365, after a backlash against it from staff (including, very vocally, me). That cannot have been easy for our heroic IT people so hats very much off to them!
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Charlotte Garden @charlottegarden.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
There's no way to make "being bombarded with horrifying images" an okay job -- but this work will inevitably be bad in other ways too. Low pay, unmanageable pace, no agency, etc.
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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Once again, I gotta say: you cannot treat anything you’re feeding into an AI as anonymous. There are enormous ethics implications for, e.g. referees who are clearly uploading others’ unpublished papers without consent, let alone health care professionals or law enforcement
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Sonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’ve been writing and speaking on this topic for years, and I’m glad that news media are finally drawing attention to it. www.salon.com/2026/07/28/t...
It may be tempting to see value in projects such as the Schmidt Foundation — that’s Eric Schmidt of Google — funding a fellowship in AI at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Musk Foundation’s support of the Scroll Prize to use AI in reconstructing ancient texts in the burnt scrolls of Herculaneum. But these projects are simply two among countless others that have been seeding AI into museums and historical research for well over a decade. Even more egregious is the case of AI companies buying  and destroying rare books en masse in the process of scanning them for data. In the context of the dire austerity we are witnessing, the juggernaut of tech money seems impossible to resist.
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Dr Kelly Birtwell @kellybirtwell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Still a couple of days left to register ⬇️ Free session, specifically for ND folks. Feel free to share @autisticrealms.bsky.social @autismsupsoc.bsky.social @aslynnromano.com @blackautistics.bsky.social @robinince.bsky.social @medusaswink.bsky.social
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The literacy crisis is not just referring to people's ability to literally read and write. It's also people's inability to read for context. I've been a public educator for over 20 years and I have never, ever seen it this bad.
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Ada Lovelace Day @adalovelaceday.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Ada Lovelace Day is coming up again on 13 Oct and, as you know, these days it is almost entirely unfunded. I've been invited to speak at or attend a few events, all of which I've said yes to because the mission won't further itself. I'm also still writing my report...
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