iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 27/02/2026

As lunatic billionaires take over CBS, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Fox, and most newspapers, it becomes easier to know which media to turn off. We can all go back to reading books.

A colorful, cartoon-style caricature fills the frame.

In the foreground, a bald man with large red-framed glasses and a short goatee smiles while holding an open, small hardbound book. His eyes are exaggeratedly wide, giving him a playful, slightly surprised look. He wears a maroon long-sleeve shirt, and one hand points at the page as if following the words.

Behind him are several old-fashioned CRT televisions with rounded screens and antennae.
• On the left TV is a black-and-white “PLEASE STAND BY” test-screen style image with circular calibration markings.
• On the upper-right TV is a propaganda-like image of a stern man pointing outward in front of an American flag, with bold text that reads: “TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT.”
• On the lower-right TV is another black-and-white test-screen style display with large text: “PLEASE STAND BY.”

To the right of the book, a stack of books sits on the table, suggesting studying or relearning. The background is warm-toned and textured, like an aged wall or paper, reinforcing a retro, slightly dystopian broadcast vibe.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 28/01/2026

In response to Martin Niemoller: First they came for the African Americans and I spoke up Because I am my sisters’ and my brothers’ keeper. And then they came for the women and I spoke up Because women hold up half the sky. 1/4

In response to Martin Niemoller (z”l):
First they came for the African Americans and I spoke up—
Because I am my sisters’ and my brothers’ keeper.
And then they came for the women and I spoke up—
Because women hold up half the sky.
And then they came for the immigrants and I spoke up—
Because I remember the ideals of our democracy.
And then they came for the Muslims and I spoke up—
Because they are my cousins and we are one human family.
And then they came for the Native Americans and Mother Earth and I spoke up—
Because the blood-soaked land cries and the mountains weep.
They keep coming.
We keep rising up.
Because we Jews know the cost of silence.
We remember where we came from.
And we will link arms, because when you come for our neighbors, you come for us—
and THAT just won’t stand.
-- Rabbi Michael Adam Latz
"First They Came," 2016
https://truah.org/resources/first-they-came/

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 18/12/2025

The intro credits for the theatrical release of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" consist entirely of space babes straight out of Playboy magazine. How did I not notice this as a teenager? Oh, wait, I know. #gilgerard

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 10/12/2025

Jim Morrison and Chevy Chase: Some people occasionally see a resemblance.

Black-and-white mugshots of Jim Morrison (1970) and Chevy Chase (1975), juxtaposed for any potential resemblance

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 06/12/2025

There's a new energy at Sears and Kmart. Shoppers are returning! They are happily bringing cherished household goods from home and putting them on empty store shelves. Giving an empty Sears a thriving appearance is what the holiday season is all about. ❤️

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 03/12/2025

Nowadays, ICE is a militia hired for their ideology, not their former respect for overly complex federal law. They don't care about Congressional intent, legal immigrants with complex cases, or the Constitutional rights of all people in U.S. territory. 7/8

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 03/12/2025

Millions of people have complicated immigration statuses due to the legal complexities created by Congress since the 1920s; before then, Americans didn't care about their neighbors' status, and it was legal for adult property-owning men to vote regardless of their citizenship. 5/8

Collage of immigration documents with a serious Native American woman against jail bars. The background is made of layered pieces of aged paper, including a U.S. passport, green card, birth certificate, and an I-94 form. Large torn paper in the center reads “IMMIGRATION STATUS,” with rubber-stamp style words “LEGAL” and “APPROVED” scattered around. In the lower right, a photorealistic portrait of a Native American woman looks off to the side with a neutral expression. Black vertical jail bars appear behind her. The overall tone is sepia and archival, like an old case file or stack of scanned legal documents.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 03/12/2025

Long before Trump, ICE already had a long history of erroneously arresting U.S. citizens who have valid birth certificates from states and territories that the ICE officers are too dumb -- or desperate for arrest quotas -- to recognize as American. 3/8

Surreal painting showing U.S. immigration documents melting in a desert landscape. A U.S. passport, green card, and birth certificate rest on the ground, their edges dripping like liquid. Curving blue ribbons labeled “TPS” and “H-1B” snake through the scene. On the right, a pair of metal handcuffs melts and drips beside black jail bars. The sky is bright with swirling clouds and vivid blue and gold colors, and twisted barren trees stand in the background.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 03/12/2025

I am a former immigration caseworker for Catholic Charities and its immigration resettlement programs. I think it's interesting to see how many Americans barely know what citizenship, permanent residence, and legal immigration status are. 1/8

An abstract visual depiction of a former immigration caseworker thinking through the maze of symbols for U.S. legal immigration status, including a passport, birth certificate, green card, I-94 form, and Employment Authorization Document.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 25/11/2025

With the best economy ever, may your loved ones enjoy an extra special Thanksgiving of $1.99 spaghetti and orange soda. 🦃 Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️

A Thanksgiving-themed table setting featuring a discount holiday meal: a plate of spaghetti with red sauce as the main dish, accompanied by a bowl of instant macaroni and cheese, a small bowl of canned chocolate pudding, and a bottle and glass of orange soda. A ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ napkin with autumn leaf decorations sits behind the dishes on the wooden table.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 04/09/2025

Life is its own answer. Accept it and enjoy it, day by day. Live as well as possible. Expect no more. Destroy nothing. Humble nothing. Look for fault in nothing. Leave unsullied and untouched all that is beautiful. Hold that which lives, in all reverence. 1/2

Their backdrops representing two different points in time, a Black woman and Martian man stand next to each other in the present and have a conversation.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 18/08/2025

If we wish to preserve or restore a nation that represents and upholds the values of its people, then voting and civic engagement must be accepted in Americans' minds as everyday responsibilities. 1/5

A photorealistic depiction of two televisions. One TV is very old fashioned and retro, and shows black-and-white news coverage of immigrants and Black people voting. The other TV is a modern high-def color flatscreen that displays angry political conflict. In the background behind both TVs hangs a soiled and worn-out American flag.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 04/08/2025

Before it was the Gulf of Mexico, the Aztec called it Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl. The Maya called it Nahá, or “Great Water.”

An AI image of a coastal swampland at sunset, overlain with this text: Before it was the Gulf of Mexico, the Aztec called it Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl. The Maya called it Nahá, or “Great Water.”

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

Further refinement of the Empire State Plaza rethink.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

Here's better depiction of the State Museum rebooted to share the experience and interaction of immigrants in the City and in colonial villages.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

The Empire State Plaza is New York State's hub of government offices. But the vast complex in Albany is 25 percent vacant, and empty after 5 p.m. Let's repopulate it with AI and biotech startups that work (and play) at all hours.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

What if Albany nights felt this alive? Picture it: At the Empire State Plaza, you’re choosing your vibe— ➡️ On the left: Neon lights, house beats, and dance floors alive with energy. ⬅️ On the right: Live country music, laughter over cold drinks, and the glow of a classic sports bar.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

New York State has struggled for 50 years to enliven its State Museum, at the Cultural Education Center. This image reimagines what a history and cultural museum -- uniting SoHo immigrant community with colonial village -- might look like, within the existing structure.

A depiction of a vast 1960s Brutalist building interior re-imagined with buildings recreated from urban SoHo and a colonial village, and tour guides in period clothing.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

The Empire State Plaza in Albany has an underground city that no one knows about. It's called the Concourse, but it's dead after work hours because it's not open to Plaza and surrounding city. This renovation opens up the Concourse to the surrounding Plaza and new street-level stores.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

A Plaza-level view of street life with the reflecting pools removed from a re-envisioned Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

This alternate conception creates separate street-level buildings that are more consistent with the existing downtown. Food trucks and a streetcar line make the plaza a hub of urban life.

This depiction of a re-envisioned Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, replaces the vast complex's outdoor reflecting pools with street-level retail in the form of brick buildings that recall the city's industrial era.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 15/07/2025

The Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, is a celebration of space-age Brutalism. Functional but lifeless after 5, what might it look like with a wee little makeover? Let's dream! For example, this aerial concept opens up the complex's underground city to the sky with street-level retail.

A re-envisioned Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York. This depiction replaces the vast complex's outdoor reflecting pools with street-level retail and glass atriums leading into the underground city, or Concourse.

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 11/07/2025

Really? Nobody remembers Jeff as the villainous club owner and playboy in “Thank God It’s Friday,” the greatest Donna Summer movie of all time? My god, what is the world coming to…

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 04/02/2025

This has all happened before, and it will happen again. See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal...

This has all happened before, and it will happen again.
-- Battlestar Galactica

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Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل ) @airhart.me · 14/01/2025

Back in 2008 I helped cause a ruckus in Rhode Island when the local Tim Horton's agreed to cater doughnuts and coffee to a group opposing marriage equality. After a national outcry, Timmy's corporate office put a stop to that. #starbucks