RESEARCH DESK
Research trails
Follow curated routes from an introductory question to papers, discussions and code.
Reading lists · Research trails · Research map · Probability laboratory
Curated routes through publications, recorded discussions, software and teaching models. Times are editorial estimates for a first pass, not measured completion times. Follow the original sources for research claims.
105 MIN / FIRST PASS
From probability to Active Inference
Start with a small update rule, then distinguish that teaching example from broader accounts of cognition and Bayesian mechanics.
Prerequisites: Basic fractions; familiarity with conditional probability helps with the final paper.
demo / 10 min
Binary Bayesian update
Change a prior and likelihoods. Explain why an observation changes the posterior and identify impossible evidence.
work / 25 min
Of woodlice and men: A Bayesian account of cognition, life and consciousness. An interview with Karl Friston.
Read the interview for conceptual context. Separate discussion of the Free Energy Principle from experimental evidence.
video / 30 min
Fundamentals of Active Inference (Onboarding & Introduction, Session 1) April 21, 2026
Sample the Fundamentals onboarding discussion and note unfamiliar terms to revisit in the monograph.
work / 40 min
A Worked Example of the Bayesian Mechanics of Classical Objects
Inspect the worked example's assumptions and equations; identify the extra structure beyond the binary update.
120 MIN / FIRST PASS
Ants, reinforcement and collective behavior
Compare an abstract reinforcement process with empirical measurements and specific models of ant behavior.
Prerequisites: Introductory biology and probability; no programming required for the first three steps.
demo / 10 min
Reinforced urn
Repeat a seed, vary reinforcement, and explain which biological mechanisms the urn leaves out.
work / 30 min
Gene expression variation in the brains of harvester ant foragers is associated with collective behavior
Identify the measured variables and distinguish reported associations from causal mechanisms.
work / 35 min
A single-pheromone model accounts for empirical patterns of ant colony foraging previously modeled using two pheromones
Compare a specific pheromone model's assumptions and outputs with the abstract urn.
video / 25 min
ActInf Livestream #029.0 ~ “Active Inferants: An Active Inference Framework for Ant Colony Behavior”
Sample the Active Inferants discussion and list the modeling choices that need their own empirical validation.
software / 20 min
MetaInformAnt
Inspect the repository's data workflow and evidence boundaries before considering a local run.
120 MIN / FIRST PASS
Information commons and cognitive security
Move from narrative ecosystems to standards and operational agent skills, keeping conceptual and implementation claims distinct.
Prerequisites: Interest in information systems, governance or security; basic repository navigation for the final step.
work / 30 min
Narrative Information Ecosystems: Conflict and Trust on the Endless Frontier
Identify the framework's units of analysis and its account of conflict and trust.
work / 30 min
Structuring the Information Commons: Open Standards and Cognitive Security
Compare the role of open standards with the preceding narrative perspective.
work / 35 min
The Properties, Processes, and Perspectives Inter-Framework (P3IF): Multiplexing interdisciplinary requirements frameworks to manage information risk and foster cognitive security
Follow the distinctions among properties, processes and perspectives in the proposed framework.
work / 25 min
CogSecSkills: Multiharness Agentic Skills for Cognitive Security
Inspect the skill architecture and follow its associated software link; distinguish packaged guidance from demonstrated security outcomes.
90 MIN / FIRST PASS
From research teams to reproducible artifacts
Connect research organization with an executable document pipeline and inspect the source before running it.
Prerequisites: Comfort reading a repository README; Python and shell experience for any later local execution.
work / 25 min
Generative Research Teams: Active Inference Compositions for Research and Meta-Science
Read the proposed team composition and distinguish an organizational model from measured team outcomes.
work / 35 min
A template/ approach to Reproducible Generative Research: Architecture and Ergonomics from Configuration through Publication
Trace configuration, computation and publication boundaries through the described architecture.
software / 30 min
template
Inspect installation requirements, example inputs and validation commands before choosing a bounded reproduction.