Black History Month Events!

February is Black History Month and the University of Iowa events begins soon. There will be an inaugural Black History Ball and more!

Author: James Amos

I'm a retired consult-liaison psychiatrist. I navigated the path in a phased retirement program through the hospital where I was employed. I was fully retired as of June 30, 2020. This blog chronicles my journey. View all posts by James Amos

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Replace Sycophantic AI with Marvin the Paranoid Android?12 Jan 2026
I found the perfect JAMA article explaining that sycophancy is programmed into Artificial Intelligence (AI) therapy chatbots. This reminded me of Marvin the paranoid android (“Life! Don’t talk to me about life!”) in the book series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams. Marvin is an incredibly depressed robot who would never make … Continue reading "Replace Sycophantic AI with Marvin the Paranoid Android?"
Saw a Banded Red-tailed Hawk in Our Back Yard!11 Jan 2026
I got a picture of a banded Red-tailed Hawk today in our back yard. It was pretty exciting. I can’t remember ever seeing one banded. I’ve gotten pictures of them occasionally, most recently before this in July, 2025. That one wasn’t banded. I checked on the web for any reports of who might be tagging … Continue reading "Saw a Banded Red-tailed Hawk in Our Back Yard!"
Svengoolie Movie: “The Skull”11 Jan 2026
Svengoolie Intro: “Calling all stations! Clear the air lanes! Clear all air lanes for the big broadcast!” I watched the Svengoolie movie, “The Skull” last night and it was fairly interesting in that the heirs of the Marquis de Sade, (whose skull the movie was about) actually forbade his name and title be mentioned in … Continue reading "Svengoolie Movie: “The Skull”"
Confabulation in Artificial Intelligence11 Jan 2026
I saw an excellent post on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Dr. George Dawson’s post today, “The Problems With AI Are More Readily Apparent.” He mentions AI producing confabulations which are sometimes called hallucinations in AI. I distinguish hallucinations from confabulations because the former are sensory or perceptual problems while confabulations are making things up. In … Continue reading "Confabulation in Artificial Intelligence"
Connections Between Psychiatry, Artificiality and Blues Music?10 Jan 2026
I heard a song on the KCCK Big Mo Blues Show that I first heard in June of 2025. The song is “Artificial” by Walter Trout. At first blush, I agree with what I think is the point of the song, which is basically a protest against artificiality which could manifest in a range of … Continue reading "Connections Between Psychiatry, Artificiality and Blues Music?"
Snow Squalls Predicted in Iowa Today!10 Jan 2026
The National Weather Service predicts “snow squalls” for parts of eastern Iowa today in the afternoon. Sena recognized the guy in the GIF above as W.C. Fields and wondered if there were any other videos of this scene with audio as well. They aren’t hard to find.

Plan for retirement, even if you don’t plan to retire. This means sound financial planning, developing other interests, and nurturing your relationships with significant others. Retire, even if you are not retired. Take enough time off periodically, and completely, with no connections to work, so that you can feel emotionally free from concerns about patients and practice. Of course, there is no reason to retire if you really love your work and relationships just as they are.-H. Steven Moffic, MD See original article in Psychiatric Times