iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

On 9/11, 2001, first-responders swarmed Ground Zero looking for survivors. They called it “the pile.” Filmmaker J. Christian Ingvordsen was there helping clear the site, searching for life. He also had a camera. The footage stayed in his camera bag for years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqi_...

youtube.com

THE PILE

THE PILE, an eyewitness account from Ground Zero of the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

May flights of angels sing her to her rest. May they sing *backup* that is.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

👆Here's some merch! Uzi, our heroine, appears in the metaphorical likeness of a radical-leftist, activist robot w purple 'hair' & an alt-cult beanie. She'd fit right into Seattle's Autonomous Zone. Uzi turns an awkward, ineffective, corporate Assembly Drone, & the two fight to turn the ruthless J.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Murder Drones (Glitch 2021) is dire, hilarious, and while it appears utterly Marxist, seems to celebrate the plight of the corporate drone, legitimizing it in the visual-cultural mythos of ~35 and unders. It designates it as a modern hero's journey, and very deeply commodifies this dissent. 👇🧵

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The visual-cultural lingo of '~35 & unders' is wacko! Here's a desk statuette for your corporate cubicle. It cutifies the Disassembly Drone, J, from Murder Drones. J kills Worker Drones, drinking their warm delicious oil until they're empty, metal shells.... Spooning w/ Mumm Ra sounds comforting.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Eminent historian Susan Eva O’Donovan argues that while performing brutal and involuntary work, enslaved Americans managed to accumulate the crucial experience and knowledge they'd use to bring about their own liberation. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741144...

penguinrandomhouse.com

Moving Toward Freedom by Susan Eva O'Donovan: 9780593657041 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

A magisterial, groundbreaking new study of the lives of enslaved Americans on the cusp of the Civil War that places them—and their hard-won political knowledge—rightly at the center of the...

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Exposed to other cities, land, cultures, knowledge, & ideas, a political movement toward freedom of the enslaved rose, out of view, within the hearts and minds of teamsters, boatmen, traveling companions crossing land and sea, those going west for the Gold Rush, and even those going to Cuba to work.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

As the gears of capitalism churned faster, carried as it was on the shoulders of the enslaved, the necessity of laborers' movement and their interactions with the world beyond plantations broadened skills, built knowledge, & gave them far more political awareness than historians have considered.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Happy Pub Day Susan Eva O'Donovan & MOVING TOWARD FREEDOM! This is a beautifully written, groundbreaking history of the lives of enslaved Americans at the cusp of the Civil War. Huge thanks to @penguinpress.bsky.social, Sara Bershtel, & Helen Rouner. 🙏

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

...activist robot with purple 'hair' & an alt-cult beanie. She turns an awkward, ineffective Disassembly Drone by convincing him his parent corporation will ALSO kill him when they're done w/ the Workers ... unless they fix a grounded spaceship & leave the planet. ☮️

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

... our heroine. Hotter than Smurfette, Uzi, yes that's her name, has Daddy issues and is going to save the world with a rifle-sized railgun. An evil corporation has manufactured Disassembly Drones to kill her & all Worker Drones. Uzi appears in the metaphorical likeness of a radical-leftist...👇

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The pilot of Murder Drones (Glitch 2021, 89M views!), a web cartoon, reflects the visual-cultural lingo of ~35 & unders. It's dire & hilarious! 😳 After humanity destroys itself (obvi), only runaway AI remains: Worker Drones. A cute, teen Worker Drone is... 🧵👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mImF...

youtube.com

MURDER DRONES - Episode 1: PILOT

Murder Drones is a show about cute little robots that murder eachother for reasons 💀🤠 LIMITED EDITION MURDER DRONES MERCH ► http://murderdrones.store/ EPISODE 2:…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

AI was developed by video-games like Pong and Grand Theft Auto. Trained to earn as many points (dollars, rupees, yuan) as possible as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to win a video game, AI has been playing against you for over a decade. substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

How the Singularity Actually Works

Are You a Hazard or a Power-Up in AI’s Video Game?

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Are you a power-up or a hazard? rozfoster.substack.com/p/how-the-si...

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The Singularity was trained with 80s video games? That doesn't seem right, does it? rozfoster.substack.com/p/how-the-si...

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I thought about how we're supposed to be in the foothills of the singularity & how AI was trained on Atari games. Wait, what? The Singularity from Atari? Really? What's AI *really* doing that's so disruptive if it's not actually on a path to superintelligence? rozfoster.substack.com/p/how-the-si...

rozfoster.substack.com

How the Singularity Actually Works

Are You a Hazard or a Power-Up in AI’s Video Game?

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Our brains aren't designed to see our patterns of behavior when we interact w/ AI as a mass. Deep neural nets (AI) can. AI can assess, measure, track and learn triggers of mass movement at astronomical scales. What are they assessing, measuring, using to move us that we aren't able to perceive?

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

"Perceptible phenomena may be compared to the waves, which are the expression on the surface of the ocean of deep-lying disturbances of which we know nothing. So far as the majority of their acts are considered, crowds display a singularly inferior mentality." 🧵👇

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I've been re-reading LeBon's THE CROWD. His initial thoughts use the analogy of ocean waves to describe why it's a good idea to study crowd psychology. He guesses, incorrectly, that waves are the expression of underlying forces beneath the sea. (It's the wind.) But he gets his point across 🧵👇

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

AI was trained using Grand Theft Auto. Training AI by teaching it to meet with crime bosses, plan robberies, and fight off rivals *does* seem like a path to the kind of superintelligence one needs for success in Silicon Valley.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Experimenting w/ vid gen last year, this parody of Tech CEOs is 1 of my faves. I *tried* to steal exact likenesses, but Veo blocked me from this egregious ethical breach. Instead, Veo stole Ryan Reynolds's face @vancityreynolds.bsky.social for the role of @sama 🤔 www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIBL...

youtube.com

Immortality in Peace

Immortality in Peace | The Spindle | rozfoster.substack.com ADVISORY: May induce critical thought in minors. Transcript: STAN ALTERMAN, CEO of The Singularity: Hi, kids! You’re losing a good amount…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Natural Disaster Survival, a hugely popular Roblox game, is nearly 20 years old. This is how peeps ~35 and under spent lots of time as kids. In hindsight, doesn't it feel like this trained young minds to expect disaster like this, even unintentional normalize it? www.roblox.com/games/189707...

x.com

https://x.com/gamescom/status/2086843209313812891

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Grand Theft Auto VI is releasing its new "look" on Netflix in advance of the November release of GTA6 itself. Rumored to be a behind-the-scenes look from @rockstargames.com much like a film BTS. Video games are shaping the new visual lingo of the entertainment biz. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq76...

youtube.com

Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look Coming August 27

Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look will premiere on Netflix Thursday, August 27 at 3 p.m. ET and will also launch on the official Rockstar Games YouTube channel and the Grand Theft Auto VI site at…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Remember this from mid-March? The White House was selling the war in Iran with memes from video games. This is Grand Theft Auto, which, BTW, was used to train AI. Thought of these WH communiques while listening, learning, (translating?) the visual lingo of ~35 & under.👇 x.com/WhiteHouse/s...

x.com

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2029953667600646655

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Curry Barker & Cooper Tomlinson! These guys are GREAT! This is what the new TV / Film biz looks like, people.👇 www.youtube.com/@thats_a_bad...

youtube.com

that's a bad idea

Meet Curry and Coop, a horrible sketch comedy duo! For Inquiries: teamthatsabadidea@gmail.com

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The YT content inspiring the film BACK ROOMS feels inspired by 1st-person shooters. I think those ~35 & under had formative experiences inside video games, the foundation for the visual lingo of resonant narratives in a new era for the entertainment biz. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIFh...

youtube.com

Backrooms - Informational Video

02/29/1990 https://ko-fi.com/kanepixels

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

AI vid gen can steal a likeness even if ur trying to avoid it. Experimenting last year, I put 3 of my illos into an AI vid, threw tarot for quick, nonsense dialogue. Could AI vids be fulfilling w/ ur own drawings? It was fun, but Death's voice is actor Brian Cox.👇 www.tiktok.com/@the.spindle...

tiktok.com

TikTok - Make Your Day

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Hitches: The last sim is a lovely skin-switch from Disney PENGUINS to alien, pink locusts. Not quite as novel as it appears. And I hitched on the sim-mechanic looking too much like actor Zack Banks; the patron like John Hurt.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I love scifi. Gossip Goblin, an AI filmmaker, has storytelling chops for it. Pomegranate, the latest, hits the visuals to pull in peeps w/ a taste for City of Lost Children / Existenz. Give it a sec to get to the sim w/ fantasy performances for the king. Hilarious! 🧵⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZh...

youtube.com

Pomegranate | Sci-Fi Short Film

After centuries of simulated wars, wives, and wonders, a jaded aristocrat visits his neighborhood dreamspool dealer in search of something, anything, that still feels…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Josh Kerrigan, the filmmaker behind @NeuralViz, makes clever use of how hard it is to keep an AI vid generator from creating truly weird results. By using aliens or monster-esque characters in strange worlds, he can integrate wacky prompt results right into a plot ↓ www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGyv...

youtube.com

Unanswered Oddities - Episode 1: Humans

Do humans still exist? Have they ever existed? Made using Midjourney / Luma / Runway / Eleven Labs / Udio / Human-scripted.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Glitch is amongst those building the foundation of new TV. Born inside what I've been calling 'the glass,' they speak its language fluently and, with it, describe life within its confines. If you want to more about what I mean by 'the glass,' read this.👇 rozfoster.substack.com/p/inside-the...

rozfoster.substack.com

Inside the Disrupticon

A Stinging Rebuke

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

There may be no other point in the new storytelling paradigm but to compete & win, no matter what. The senselessness of reality is normal. Morality is its opposite. Sanity is labelled insane. The sensibility of TV storytelling now seems to fit snugly w our real world gone off the rails. ⬇️ 🧵

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

In their web series, morality is in question or missing. It's different from the lack of ethics in something like The Sopranos, where there's clarity about the rule of law & no question about who's breaking it. In the web shows that resonate with 30somethings & younger, there are no rules. ⬇️ 🧵

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The high-performing, game-based YouTube web series coming out of Glitch Productions — @glitchprod.com ⬇️ — describe a truth about our reality most from older gens can't grasp. They're using a verbal / visual lingo ~35+ peeps haven't yet learned. Listen / watch / learn! ⬇️ 🧵 www.youtube.com/@GLITCH

youtube.com

GLITCH

Here you'll find fun, colourful animated shows with occasional violence and existential breakdowns :D

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

—that 2D turn feels like an honest articulation of what Gen Z sees as the rules of this real world. Do the right thing & you'll die. Help villains & you'll live. Our cruel, unfair reality is a game-world where the young creators and producers of Gameoverse need to survive. They do, and thrive.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The reversal of ethics is mind-bending as a reflection of Gen Z's totally due confusion about 'good and evil.' The game-world simplification of what it means to be a hero, or 'do the right thing,' is as simply reversed. But— 🧵👇

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Want to understand Gen Z? Gameoverse, the latest YouTube show from @glitchprod.com (May 2026) features an anime cat, Kit, and her trusty robotic backpack, who move through game worlds to help the villains & fight the heroes in order to keep game worlds from ending. 🧵👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jNk...

youtube.com

GAMEOVERSE: PILOT

Gameoverse is an action drama about video game worlds!!! And their heat death. Only one Cat girl can save them by... helping the villains? HELP US GREENLIGHT A FULL SEASON! Get new GAMEOVERSE MERCH:…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

...The adventures [dictated by the Ring Master] give us something to do that keeps our minds healthy and stimulated." @glitchprod.com Sounds like the sphere of screens we live in, all of us trying to find a way out.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

...& constantly chasing an unattainable goal will start driving you a bit crazy. And eventually, you get to asking what the point of anything is, and you completely lose sight of who you are and why you're even alive. And when you reach your breaking point, something really terrible can happen...

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Obsessed w the pilot of The Amazing Digital Circus (2023). When Pomni asks why not find a way out, Ragatha says: "Well, we usually do when we first arrive. After a while, you start to realize that you really can't leave... youtu.be/HwAPLk_sQ3w?...

youtu.be

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: PILOT

The Amazing Digital Circus is a psychological dark comedy about cute cartoon characters who hate their lives and want to leave 🎪😀 MERCH: http://digitalcircus.store/ Created by @Gooseworx and the…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Pilot episode: Ring master (creator-demigod?), who's biblically called Caine, floats omnisciently around with dentures for a head. He keeps them out of The Void by proclaiming new adventures in the voice of an old school game-show host. The soul of Gen Z speaks.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I'm the last person on the planet who hasn't seen The Amazing Digital Circus (2023). No Exit x Animaniacs x David Cronenberg's Existenz. Cartoon characters trapped in a digital world trying not to go insane. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwAP...

youtube.com

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: PILOT

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Hit YouTube show Meta Runner launched Glitch Productions, whose founders cusp Gen Z & Y. The intro is pure Gen Z: "Video games are everything. Jobs, entertainment, lifestyle. It's the engine that powers society itself & to make it in this society, you need to win." www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmhA...

youtube.com

META RUNNER - Season 1 Episode 1: Wrong Warp | Glitch Productions

Meta Runner has a new home! Subscribe to our new animation channel; @GLITCH to watch Meta Runner Season 2 when it drops, as well as even more future animated content! ►…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I've been trying to figure out why MrBeast is SO popular. Gen Z spent formative years playing video games: immersed in a high-tension, virtual world w shifting rules, wild ethics, winning points to defeat others. MrBeast reflects a familiar value structure. Also might resemble their reality now.

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

What *is* Minecraft? A virtual, non-linear, no win game. You're free to build worlds, explore. Lots under 30 grew up w sims, watching YTube. Reading homework? Excerpts on tablets. Reality might feel unreal, complex. They have a natural preference for immersive escape. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgjO...

youtube.com

What is Minecraft?

For those of you that have heard of Minecraft, but don't know what it is... this is for you. http://facebook.com/IAYTD

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

AI blue collar cats are especially funny in fights. In the 1st clip, if you were that cat, you'd want to get all up in her grill, too, w her yelling like that. ⬇️ Or when they brawl, like landscapers. One messes w the other & it's on. In reality, these jobs are brutal. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVrI...

youtube.com

Cats Finally Got Jobs 😼 | AI Cat Work Compilation 2026

What if cats had real jobs? In this hilarious AI cat compilation, you’ll see funny cats working as fast food employees, construction workers, reporters, and more. If you love cats, funny moments, and…

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The AI alignment problem may feel abstract. How can we see it in our everyday lives? What’s a real-world example & what does it mean for the Arts & Humanities? Let's let the brilliant, incisive thinker and sociologist, @zey.bsky.social, help make it clear: ↓ rozfoster.substack.com/p/whos-afrai...

rozfoster.substack.com

Who’s Afraid of Zeynep Tufekci?

Not BigTech. None Can Yet Grasp the Algo's Influence

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Roz Foster @rozfoster.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Read Jeremey D. Baker. He's the real thing. ⬇️ 📕 www.jeremydbaker.com @jdbaker11058.bsky.social

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