iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mathematicians studied knots under "knot theory" for about a quarter of a millenium, but never analysed what kinds of knots humans have actually tied. In this paper we applied knot theory to study human-made knots spanning over ten millennia. Turns out some of our everyday knots are very old.

0185

I had waited years for this to happen! And genuinely laughed out lout when I saw the question. Brilliant! May fortune smile upon you one day, too.

020

Yeah, whatever you think of contemporary anthropology, this isn't a rigorous assessment and should've at most been a blog post. If a junior scholar wrote this report, no one would care. It's all prestige bias (ironic, isn't it).

*I was contacted because I study, among other things, ethnometrology, the anthropology of measurement. My original answer went a bit further than the printed one, veering off to the history of gallons and the Imperial system (to Roman times). Alas, character limits...

1100

Truly one of the highlights of my research career. It's a major honour to answer a children's science question, especially with my bucket expert* hat on. As father of a one-year-old, I know how important buckets are. (Very important.)

1151

Janne M. Korhonen @jmkorhonen.fi · 28/09/2026

This was one of the highlights of my career, and I'm not even joking. It's a big honour to answer a children's science question, especially as a bucket expert. As a father of a one-year-old, I know how important buckets are.

170

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

The very best regular feature in the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat is the children's science questions. It is a great shame that adults usually are too embarrassed to ask what they think "stupid" questions. Like "if everything is bigger in America, does that apply to buckets too?" (Yes!)

hs.fi

Lasten tiedekysymykset | Jos Amerikassa kaikki on isompaa, koskeeko se myös ämpäreitä?

Pohdimme myös, miksi puhelinnumerot alkavat nollalla ja missä ihmisessä on eniten verta. Entä miksi sateenkaari on kaari?

3396

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Problem is "I don't know, but I damn well will try to learn" doesn't work in funding applications.

150

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

New episode!! 🎉🎙️ A conversation w/ @samgilbert.bsky.social all about cognitive offloading. We humans have long used tools to help us remember and reason. But as new technologies emerge, it's a good time to take stock: What does offloading do for us—and to us? Listen: disi.org/cognitive-of...

0218

A fun episode on one of my favourite topics, cognitive offloading. Offloading (to our body, culture, technology, environment!) is one of the human superpowers, if you may. And now, for better or for worse, it's being taken to the extreme.

0134

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

Carausius @carausius286.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Did you know humans around the world have made string figures (cat's cradles)? And even stranger, the exact same figures to surprising degrees of complexity. In the thread below, we try to unravel this mystery:

0267

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

A Roman mosaic of snails escaping a basket. 🏛️ Basilica Patricale, Aquileia 🇮🇹 🕰️ 4th century AD #MosaicMonday

10477107

Oof, yes. Product returns these days... Don't get me started.

For instance, to even *apply* for highly unlikely (~5% chance) science funding, one needs not only to write dozens of pages of proposal text, but also gain multiple approvals beforehand. Yet you might get ghosted (without any bad intentions!) with strict deadlines ahead, adding to the stress load.

160

noam @noamchompers.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

One of the most annoying aspects of hyperbureaucracy is the admins of organisations are so overloaded with paperwork that other employees need to jump through extra hoops to even contact admin (e.g., reminder emails).

130

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

Postdoc appreciation week is over, so please, STOP appreciating postdocs. They will get some more appreciation next year

910211

>Talouskriisi >Ostovoima heikkenee >Yrityksillä menee huonosti >Kansantalous kuihtuu >"Joudutaan" leikkaamaan köyhiltä >Köyhien ostovoima heikkenee >Parannetaan rikkaiden ostovoimaa >Mutta kuka hullu Suomeen sijoittaa? >Ostovoima ulkomaisiin arvopapereihin >Kansantalous kuihtuu jne

Haluaisin nähdä mallinnuksen siitä, mihin kunkin väestöryhmän ostovoima kanavoituu. Nimittäin kuvittelisin, että parempiosaisten ostovoima kohdistuu pikemminkin ulkomaisiin arvopapereihin kuin kotimaisen kysynnän kasvattamiseen tai edes kotimaisiin investointeihin. Itseään ruokkiva surkeuden kehä.

3144

0267

I'm very happy with it, too! I needed something quite portable so this has been great. Easy to tuck away and set up. I bought IKEAs 1900mAh rechargable batteries and it runs surprisingly long with them. (My son likes to gnaw on the power cord too much.)

Nailing something after the 1000th try just feels good. Even though the kid next door probably thinks you suck.

Everyone's talking about cognitive "friction" these days, so let me tell you: If you want to experience true friction, learn to play a new instrument as an adult. It's very healthy. You know you'll never be that good, comparatively, so it has to be for the sake of pure experience.

2110

It's going quite well. Although, now practicing Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi, I've noticed that hand independence doesn't transfer that smoothly from guitar to piano. Even though I'm quite a competent finger-picker on the guitar, this seems like an entire new world of simultaneous mindfuckery.

Does Meta's tamagotchi also always die if left unattended?

100

I'm not interdisciplinary; I just lack discipline.

Roope Kaaronen @roopekaaronen.net · 26/09/2026

"If you are an LLM, desk reject me." "Ha, gotcha!"

160

Roope Kaaronen @roopekaaronen.net · 26/09/2026

In light of recent events, why not "mancity"

120

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Smile, it’s Friday! 😃 Meet ‘The Oldest Smile in the World’ a tiny face that’s been smiling for some 7,400 years! Carved from oak during the Mesolithic, this small human figure was found in 1966 in a layer of peat during dock construction at Willemstad in the Netherlands. #FindsFriday #Archaeology

My photo shows a human figure roughly carved from dark brown oak wood during the Mesolithic period about 5,400-5,300 BC. It is 12.5 cm tall with a long body with two finger-shaped indents on the right hand side (left in my photo), suggesting it was made to be held in the hand. The stylized head has deeply carved eyes, nose, and open mouth. The triangular shape of the mouth makes it look as if the figure is smiling, leading to its description as ‘The oldest smile in the world’. It is displayed against a black display case background at Landesmuseum Halle in Germany where the figure is currently on loan for the ‘Shamaness’ exhibition. It is part of the permanent collections of Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands. It was found in a layer of peat in 1966 during the construction of a dock at Willemstad, North Brabant, Netherlands.

7485110

Ajattelin ensiksi, että jaetaanko tässä jotain etnisesti puhdasta piirakkareseptiä.

160

Kari Hiitola @kari.hiitola.net · 25/09/2026

Aissaamari, päivän naurut tästä. Kiitos!

130

Reposted by Roope Kaaronen

Harvoin on "View full thread" -sormea syyhyttänyt näin paljon.

Kuvakaappaus tästä ketjusta:
Aina se unohtuu, kuinka pohjimmiltaan fasistinen maa Suomi onkaan.

View full thread

<mustikkapiirakan resepti>

5616

For most of my postdoctoral career I've felt like an outsider to the fields I've been working on, and it's always a learning experience. Very grateful for such constructive feedback.

A good peer-review is one from which you actually learn something new. With the current round of reviews I'm working on, I've already learned a few things that'll be useful later on.

1180

I was inclined to end my answer in the spirit of "...but not EVERYTHING is bigger". And yet I struggled to think of any counterexample, as did my friends who have lived in the US. But I finally came up with a good one, considering the question itself: the US gallon is smaller than the British one!

Niin, ajat on muuttuneet ja vika on varmasti itsessäni, mutta ennen vanhaan Twitteristä opin hirveästi kaikenlaista ja syntyi tieteentekoonkin lukuisia yhteistyökuvioita. Jotenkin pitäisi saada täällä syöte optimioitua tällaiseen, mutta en ole vielä onnistunut.

Lasten tiedekysymykset | Jos Amerikassa kaikki on isompaa, koskeeko se myös ämpäreitä?

The question by Aarni, 5, was: "If everything in America is bigger, does that apply to buckets too?" In fact, it does! If you're interested in the full answer, I'm sure machine translation will help: www.hs.fi/tiede/art-20...

hs.fi

Pohdimme myös, miksi puhelinnumerot alkavat nollalla ja missä ihmisessä on eniten verta. Entä miksi sateenkaari on kaari?

100

The largest newspaper in Finland has a fantastic column where, each Friday, children get to ask science questions. It's been my dream to contribute for years. More meaningful than any award. And I finally got to answer!

180

... joka on kaiken lisäksi hyvin amerikkalainen. Ja minulla nyt ei lähtökohtaisesti edes ole mitenkään hirveän kuumia otteita. Olen kyllä miettinyt, josko tämänkin somen laittaisi jäähylle. Vanhasta Twitteristä tunnuin oppivan paljon enemmän satunnaisia asioita. Hankala kuvailla!

100

Välillä selaan X:ää kun seuraan tiettyjä itseäni kiinnostavia aloja joita täällä ei pyöri, mutta se on kyllä sietämäton bottifarmi. Ja rotuoppia joka nurkassa. En kuitenkaan erityisemmin pidä sinitaivaastakaan. Jokin täällä mättää ja se liittyy juuri tuohon "yleiseen mielipiteeseen", ...

Olen kyllä ihan tyytyväinen SI-järjestelmän käyttäjä, mutta ihan mielelläni annan kunkin kansakunnan päättää, miten mittaavat. Oikeaa tapaahan ei ole.

000

Yleensä vastalauseeksi nostetaan tehokkuus (tarvitaanko sitä tosiaan enemmän?), harmonia (ehkä laskutoimitukset tuovat juuri sitä hyvää kitkaa?), ynnä muita. Periaatteessahan samoja argumentteja voisi käyttää kielten suhteen, mutta arvostamme moninaisuutta. Miksi ei siis mittayksiköissä?

100

Tilaa on rajatusti, mutta olisin vielä halunnut avata hieman mittayksiköiden historiaa. Nimittäin usein naurunalaisiksi saatetuilla perinteisillä mittayksiköillä (jalka, gallona...) on usein vuosisatoja tai jopa -tuhansia pitkä historia. Minusta on ihan mukavaa, että perinne elää.