Arvid Kappas

Renowned conservationist Jane Goodall dies aged 91 The conservationist was renowned for her groundbreaking chimpanzee field research and globe-spanning environmental advocacy.

A life well lived. R.I.P. Jane Goodall

Looking forward to our symposium on "We still need to know more about how emotions and social context interact in driving facial activity" at next week's CERE in Grenoble

RobotLAB pledges ‘zero disruption’ to servicing Aldebaran robots despite liquidation of business With the recent news that French robotics pioneer Aldebaran, the original creator of the NAO and Pepper robots, has entered judicial liquidation, RobotLAB is stepping forward to provide clarity, co…

Hope for Nao and Pepper robots on the horizon.

They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/t... meltdown - thanks ChatGPT!!!chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O08.KIMq.jr8ol0K49bEg&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Brian Wilson, visionary creative spirit for the Beach Boys, dies aged 82 Musician, who suffered from mental health problems, wrote and produced the 1966 album Pet Sounds – seen by many as the greatest album of all time

Good night sweet Boy! Brian Wilson dead at 82. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

Sly Stone, Maestro of a Multifaceted, Hitmaking Band, Dies at 82

Dance to the music! #sly #slyandthefamilystone #dancetothemusic
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/a...

Bill Atkinson, Who Made Computers Easier to Use, Is Dead at 74

The passing of #BillAtkinson triggers fond memories of the early days of the #Apple #Macintosh - I still miss #Hypercard - these were days of discovery - right on your desk www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/t...

Aldebaran, liquidation d’une icône de la Frenchtech, que valent encore ses actifs ? Symbole de la robotique française, la société a été placée en liquidation judiciaire le 2 juin. Les actifs, largement dépréciés, témoignent d’un

It is game over for Aldebaran, maker of social robots. After a period of being insolvent, a French court yesterday closed the doors of the struggling company. My lab, like dozens of others, depends on Nao and Pepper for research. #socialrobots #aldebaran #robotics
www.frenchweb.fr/aldebaran-li...

6 ways live music could help combat the loneliness epidemic A new research review shows live music isn’t just entertainment — it’s a proven way to boost feelings of belonging and community.

Go out and catch some live music!
theconversation.com/6-ways-live-...

The Reading Struggle Meets AI The crisis has worsened, many professors say. Is it time to think differently?

Is reading over? Are professors' worries expressing a romantic desire for an outmoded activity?

I just received word that Ellen Berscheid passed away last Thursday. Her work, with Elaine Hatfield, greatly impacted how we understand love today. RIP

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_S...

Coping with Emotional Distress via Self-Disclosure to Robots: An Intervention with Caregivers - International Journal of Social Robotics People often engage in self-disclosure and social sharing when trying to cope with emotional distress. This study introduces a novel long-term intervention designed to help informal caregivers cope wi...

Hot off the press: Laban, G., Morrison, V., Kappas, A. et al. Coping with Emotional Distress via Self-Disclosure to Robots: An Intervention with Caregivers. Int J of Soc Robotics (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s123...

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Understanding (and counteracting) the appeal of transgressive leaders | Gerben van Kleef Transgressive leaders appear to enjoy growing popularity across the globe. Why is this so? Synthesizing recent evidence, I propose that (i) such leaders are appealing not despite their transgressive b...

No wonder we can use Bad as a synonym for impressive Gerben van Kleef argues that transgressive acts by leaders find support not despite the norm violation but because of it. #socialpsychology #toxicleaders #500poundgorilla www.linkedin.com/posts/gerben...

A.I. Is Getting More Powerful, but Its Hallucinations Are Getting Worse

And the #hallucinations do not go away #AI #chatbots #Tech
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/t...

Opinion | Europe Built Trains. America Built Highways and Regret.

Europe and the US a story of two approaches to trains www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/o...

Perhaps of interest to you. Posters still being accepted.

kognitywistyka.org.pl/2025/05/03/p...

The Mother Who Never Stopped Believing Her Son Was Still There For decades, Eve Baer remained convinced that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc... the world is not black and white.

Bruce Springsteen's Message To Donald Trump Is Going Mega Viral Yeah, he's not a fan.

Bruce Springsteen's Trump Takedown Is Going Super Viral

www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/bruce...

www.podbean.com/ep/pb-4wckm-...

Our paper was the top downloaded article in the International Journal of Social Robotics in 2024. Building Long-Term Human–Robot Relationships: Examining Disclosure, Perception and Well-Being Across Time.
Guy Laban, Arvid Kappas, Val Morrison & Emily S. Cross

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Clem Burke, Blondie’s drummer and ‘heartbeat’, dies aged 70 Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, founding members of the new wave hitmakers, pay tribute to their late bandmate

*sigh* www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...

French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched

I guess there will be more conferences elsewhere then. Another brick in the wall.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘It’s beautiful, don’t you think?’ The urban miners unearthing treasure in Belgium’s homes and garages As the historic town of Leuven strives to become carbon neutral, it is transforming how its building are made – and demolished. Are there lessons for the rest of the world?

Leuven in Belgium demonstrates urban #sustainability. Fantastic. Guardian article #circulareconomy

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Opinion | Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True. (Gift Article) A journey through the front lines of global poverty shows that when the world’s richest men slash aid for the world’s poorest children, the result is sickness, starvation and death.

What kind of people do we want to be? What kind of world do you want to live in?

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

When One Size Doesn’t Fit All Many psychological scientists are now calling for a “heterogeneity revolution,” focused on uncovering individual and contextual differences in experimental outcomes.

Many psychological scientists are now calling for a “heterogeneity revolution,” focused on uncovering individual and contextual differences in experimental outcomes.

Ted Lasso to return for Season 4: ‘Ted’s coaching a women’s team’ Apple TV+ has confirmed Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as Coach Lasso in the Emmy award-winning show.

From @theathletic.bsky.social: Ted Lasso, the comedy series following an American soccer coach at a fictional English Premier League club, will return for a fourth season. “Ted’s coaching a women’s team.” nyti.ms/4iSspnq

No more Nao and Pepper robots? Aldebaran Robotics insolvent The manufacturer of the humanoid robots Nao and Pepper, Aldebaran Robotics, has slipped into insolvency. Whether and how it will continue is largely unclear.

I just learned about the insolvency of Aldebaran Robotics, producers of Pepper and Nao - the backbone of social robotics research. This is terrible news for the colleagues at #aldebaranrobotics and for #socialrobotics at large. Will smart and affordable social robots go the way of the flying car?

‘People Are Going Silent’: Fearing Retribution, Trump Critics Muzzle Themselves (Gift Article) People say they are intimidated by online attacks from the president, concerned about harm to their businesses or worried about the safety of their families.

Apparently, democracy not only dies in the dark, but in broad daylight www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...

A National Prefrontal Lobotomy: The Costs of Cutting the Social Sciences Issue 158: The long-term impacts of funding cuts threaten "social science for a safer world"

Defunding the world’s leading scientific community is akin to a performing a prefrontal lobotomy on the nation—you are effectively severing the connections between the most innovative ideas and its citizens.

Cutting support for science harms everyone! www.powerofusnewsletter.com/p/a-national...