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laserhedvig

@laserhedvig.bsky.social
379 followers 180 following 263 posts

small ball in tall grass researcher at DLCE @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social podcaster @becauselanguage.com website: sites.google.com/site/hedvigskirgar… #rstats tumblr: hedvigsr.tumblr.com proud admin of fb group "Maps of Oceania"

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Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Can’t eat a sandwich until you subscribe to sandwiches. Can’t eat today’s sandwich until it has applied daily sandwich updates. Sandwich now has adverts even though you paid for ad-free sandwich. Can pay again to have less sandwich adverts. Now you can eat the sandwich, but it’s smaller.
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
you know what they say, if you meet 3 assholes before lunch maybe you should reassess if you're an asshole? well, if your academic collaborations keep falling apart maybe you need to up-skill... (this is about as hot as my takes get)
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Michael Erard @michaelerard.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I spent over 20 years building a body of journalism and non-fiction work about #language. The best part of Sept. was talking with Daniel Midgley and @laserhedvig.bsky.social about my collection of some of that work. My second time on the pod! becauselanguage.com/147-the-lang...
becauselanguage.com
147: The Language Beat (with Michael Erard) – Because Language
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Survey of German academics finds restrictions on academic freedom are rare and not associated with academic position, discipline or gender, but expectations of restrictions are higher among precarious academics. Hope this paper gets attention, as it does not confirm media stereotypes of academia
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Because Language (becauselangpod) @becauselanguage.com · 22/09/2026
Wondering why it's called pickleball? It's because it uses equipment from other sports. In rowing (which the inventor was into), a "pickle boat" crew is made up of a bunch of players from different teams. Here, @merriam-webster.com explains. www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/why...
merriam-webster.com
Why Is the Sport Called ‘Pickleball’?
The origin story is clearer than most sports
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Interdisciplinary research is great and necessary, and also has consistently lower funding success www.nature.com/articles/nat... #academiclabourmarket #academia #research
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olasoderholm.bsky.social @olasoderholm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Det går inte att titta på ljud. Det är en bug och en feature i plattformsverkligheten. www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/a/M7p...
aftonbladet.se
Videoterrorn gör att poddarna blir sämre
Videoterrorn gör att poddarna blir sämre
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
oh no, the bots have found zenodo 😥
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Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics @mpi-nl.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Paula Rubio-Fernández has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant for the project COMMON_GROUND. The grant will allow Paula to test and develop a new theory of how people build and manage the shared understanding that makes communication possible. www.mpi.nl/news/paula-r...
mpi.nl
Paula Rubio-Fernández receives ERC Advanced Grant for research on common ground in multimodal communication | Max Planck Institute
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
give a fellow researcher a professional compliment today! most academics deal with much negativity, which can really wreck havoc internally & externally. at the same time, we also encounter work that we really like but we don't always let the authors know. why not do so?
static.klipy.com
Please Be Nice To Me Mentally
ALT: Please Be Nice To Me Mentally
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Jeffrey Perkel (he/him) @jperkel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The policy change was “necessitated because of financial realities”, says @briannosek.bsky.social: it costs US$4-5 million annually to manage the OSF. New @nature.com, @cos.io to stop hosting data & code, plus private data, from 16 Nov. By @dalmeet.bsky.social 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Popular open-science platform to stop hosting data and code amid funding concerns
Changes to the Open Science Framework’s policies will come into effect in November, forcing researchers to reconsider their workflows.
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
@patrickesavage.bsky.social what do you think of Brian David Gilbert's "new" music? www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCEe...
youtube.com
I fixed Fallout's music by creating a totally new genre | Unraveled
YouTube video by Polygon
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Map projections are in the news again with the UN voting to promote the Equal Area map from 2018 by Šavrič, Patterson (@MtnMapper) & Jenny. Here is a cool video by van Wijk from 2008 showcasing the problems with turning a 3D globe into a 2D plane. #maps #cartography www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMKa...
youtube.com
Unfolding the Earth: Myriahedral Projections
YouTube video by tubes
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R Consortium @rconsortium.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The R Consortium is now accepting submissions for the second 2026 technical grant cycle. We fund projects that strengthen R’s technical and social infrastructure! Applications close Oct 1, 2026 Submit your proposal: r-consortium.org/posts/r-cons... #rstats #opensource #grants
graphic with text that says "Technical Grants"
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Kilu von Prince @kilinguistics.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Language Science Press is supplying the world with free and open, high-quality linguistic research. This is only possible because a wide range of libraries world-wide subscribe to this open-source publisher. Does your library support LSP? Ask your librarian how you can help.
langsci-press.org
Funding | Language Science Press
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Johan Lind @johanlind.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Tipsa alla! Fri entré med lånekort från bibliotek längs busslinje 540 www.nrm.se/besok-museet...
nrm.se
Fri entré med lånekort | Naturhistoriska riksmuseet
Naturhistoriska riksmuseet
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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Go to bed; tired is stupid.
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Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
New episode!! 🎙️🎉 A conversation with @damianblasi.bsky.social about linguistic diversity and what it can tell us. Linguistic diversity is a precious part of our species' heritage. It also offers a wellspring of clues about history, culture, and the human mind. Listen: disi.org/the-natural-...
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
lol, new word for "young" just dropped: "new gen"
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Damián Blasi @damianblasi.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
How many languages have existed over the Holocene—and what does that reveal about the design space of languages and cultures? Now out in @science.org www.science.org/eprint/QDZNY....
science.org
The rise and fall of language diversity through the Holocene
Characterizing the factors that have shaped linguistic diversity is fundamental for understanding human history, culture, and cognition. In this study, we combined statistical and social computational...
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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Here is another example of *automated cryptogyny*: LLM removed my co-authors, *three of whom were women*. Instead, LLM states I published the paper with a *man* with whom I co-authored *other* papers. 🧵
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Ghost in the Machine @ghostdoc2026.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
AI is a marketing term. What is being sold? GHOST IN THE MACHINE is coming to @pbs.org and YouTube September 14th at 10pm ET / 7pm PT!
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A New Language Game has Entered The Villa: Glottle! glottle.app Try to guess the target language and along the way you get clues from its position in a language family tree and its geographical position. #languages #linguistics
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Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
posted in the lefty folk group chat
Karl Marks, the communist manifesto, Dolly Parton, 9-5
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 25/08/2026
This is truly heartbreaking. Dolly Parton was an extraordinary person and an irreplaceable champion of the working class. We are a better country because of her.
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I want to register for email alerts for scientific journals, just the table of contents for new issues. I registered for alerts with @johnbenjamins.bsky.social and @degruyterbrill.bsky.social, but they're not exactly what I'm looking for. Is there by chance any third-party service that does this?
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
@jonthegeek.com what's your best advice for non Greenwich cantering of worldmaps with #ggplot2? for example, Pacific centred and van der grinten projection? I have a hacky way, but I suspect you have an elegant one! github.com/HedvigS/pers...
github.com
personal-cookbook/R/Worldmap_plotting.R at main · HedvigS/personal-cookbook
Contribute to HedvigS/personal-cookbook development by creating an account on GitHub.
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Lameen Souag @lameensouag.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Apparently, Germaine Tillion wrote a note in Chaoui describing the person who had betrayed her Resistance cell to the Nazis and disguised it as part of her field notes. www.inumiden.com/germaine-til...
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Next week in Berlin (31st August, 2nd September), MPI-directors Russell Gray and Steven Levinson will be giving public talks. More details in flyers below.
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Michael Erard @michaelerard.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
A reminder that THE LANGUAGE BEAT (a curated collection of my language journalism 2000-2024) is available as an e-book on THREE platforms: On Amazon: amzn.to/4aokz3c On Google Play: bit.ly/4wARdY2 On Apple: apple.co/4fK71SA
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
1986 Höglund released the banger "the machines are our friends". it argues that we humans should spend our time on research, art, love and culture - the machines can do the laundry, process food etc. and today.. people make AI art and plumbing is still a human task? www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZHL...
youtube.com
Kjell Höglund Maskinerna är våra vänner
YouTube video by kurtrobban
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
i am not talented at keeping track of small pieces of paper. fortunately, in Germany prescriptions can now be loaded to your insurance card. unfortunately, this is not the case for referrals. today I pray for patience, for me and for my doctors administration staff as we address the missing note.
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
when I review papers, I almost always find myself writing "gimme a plot of this" and "gimme a table". I find that people often try to do with prose what they should do in figures and tables. since it's such a common comment from me, I'm starting to wonder if I'm the problem here 😅...
static.klipy.com
Drag Queen: Is It Me? Am I The Drama?
ALT: Drag Queen: Is It Me? Am I The Drama?
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Mark Dingemanse @markdingemanse.net · 16/08/2026
words fail when I see - the blatant, naked racism of that vile white supremacist - the deep systemic racism of our universities & procedures - the anguish of dear colleagues - the countless unexamined white men failing upwards, with their countless unexamined privileges, 'just asking questions'
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Gender Census @gendercensus.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
The 13th annual international Gender Census 2026 is now open until at least 13th August 2026! survey.gendercensus.com It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy. #LGBTQ
Promotional image. Title: Gender Census 2026. Text: If you can't easily put yourself into just one of these two boxes, you are invited to take part. Images: On the left, a box with a Venus/female symbol on it, patterned with tree bark. On the right, a box with a Mars/male symbol on it, patterned with grass.
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Aki Vehtari @avehtari.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
All four books I've co-authored are freely available online for non-commercial use: - Bayesian Workflow at avehtari.github.io/Bayesian-Wor... Links to other three books are in the quoted post 👇 (too many books to fit in one post!)
avehtari.github.io
Bayesian Workflow book: Website – Bayesian Workflow book
Website for the Bayesian Workflow book by Gelman, Vehtari, McElreath, et al. — case studies, code, and exercises in R and Stan.
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Anna Belew @nabelew.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Go check out @geraldroche.bsky.social's review of @sophiasgaler.bsky.social's "How to Kill a Language" for a surgical dissection of the history of language oppression denialism, clear and informed reminders of its political nature, and a buncha links to good research (incl. by @chirila.bsky.social):
theconversation.com
Languages are disappearing, and the problem is political
Language loss is often a reluctant choice made to escape violence, not a willing choice made to gain benefits.
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bingley567 @bingley567.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
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earend | making 🐻🛡️⚠️ @earend.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The "Jason figured it out meme" from the Goodplace, but the captions are:

LinkedIn figured it out?

LinkedIn?  This is a real low point.
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Dr Attercop @drattercop.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I am once again begging journlists to ask a linguist before they publish hot takes about language. #linguistics CW: JKR, so there is transphobia, OBVIOUSLY.
scottishdailyexpress.co.uk
JK Rowling sparks grammar row over 'trans' and takes fresh swipe at Amnesty
The Harry Potter author explained that the word 'trans' was not an adjective as claimed by trans activists
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Endangered Languages Project @e-l-p.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
If you’ve seen this article, you may be sitting with anger, pain, or just exhaustion at dealing with another helping of colonial nonsense. We feel a responsibility to speak back when these colonizing narratives show up, yet again, in such a prominent venue. endangeredlanguages.com/story/respon...
New Yorker article title "Sometimes It's Okay to Let a Language Die" with "Sometimes It's" crossed out in red ink and "IT'S NOT" written above it. To the right is text "A Response to The New Yorker" and the ELP logo.
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
every day in research you learn something. Today I learned about "winsorizing", which is when you drop out datapoints in the first and 99th percentiles to reduce the influence of large outliers. I've seen people log10 transform, for the same reasons.. both seem.. not 100% satisfactory #datascience
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
have just learned that when working with #numPy, apparently NLP/ML people sometimes represent missing data for binary variables as -1 ...
static.klipy.com
Patrick Star Shocked in Spongebob Squarepants
ALT: Patrick Star Shocked in Spongebob Squarepants
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Pat Savage @patrickesavage.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I completely re-wrote the AI section of my guide to academic reading/writing to be much stricter and more negative (now titled "AI-generated fabrications as academic misconduct"). Please use/share with your students, and let me know if you have any more changes to suggest! doi.org/10.31234/osf...
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Cambridge University Press - Linguistics @cambup-linguistics.cambridge.org · 25/07/2026
The Nordic Journal of Linguistics is curating a special issue dedicated to the past, present, and future of the Saami languages. We invite contributions on Saami languages and Saami linguistics. We also welcome studies with varied linguistic methodologies, topics and more. 📚 cup.org/4rhHgfv
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Moritz Peter Fritschle @moritzfritschle.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The euro banknotes seem to get a new look, and the @ecb.europa.eu has hosted a survey, asking which desing is the preferred one. I really like the stork on the 50€ banknote. surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/banknote...
Stork on a fifty euro banknotethree buildings with storks on a 50 € note
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MPI-EVA Leipzig @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The lost golden age of #language diversity. Tens of thousands of languages may have existed between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago - their decline began well before European colonial expansion. Study @science.org led by @damianblasi.bsky.social. See: tinyurl.com/84j9nezy & www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
tinyurl.com
The lost golden age of language diversity
Tens of thousands of languages may have existed between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago - and their decline began well before European colonial expansion
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
aaaaaaahhhhhhhh😵‍💫 sounds like that food scientist guy all over again ("men eat more salad when women are around")
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laserhedvig @laserhedvig.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
may this kind of love find you
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Danny Kingsley @dannykay68.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
EXCELLENT: The Netherlands new OA policy seems to be well thought through obc.copim.pub/when-scaling... Policy explicitly recommends redirection & reallocation of funds from existing ‘big deal’ budgets towards community-driven alternatives, incl university-led diamond OA & Netherlands Uni Presses
obc.copim.pub
When 'scaling small' becomes national policy
The Netherlands' new open access strategy echoes the principles the Open Book Collective was built on - 'scaling small' and community-led publishing
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