iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 15/08/2026

Popped into The Book Centre when visiting Kilkenny last weekend (it has a water feature???) and spotted @drcarpineti.bsky.social's book! So that came home with me.

A photo of my hand holding a copy of Invisible Rainbows by Dr. Alfredo Carpineti. There is a houseplant in the background.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 15/08/2026

Wedding ready last weekend

Photo of me smilingin a burgundy suit with a pink tie

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 22/07/2026

How I sleep after ignoring everything Michael McDowell has ever said

Simpson meme where Homer is wrapped up in bed looking content saying "Ahhh, I'm just a big, toasty cinnamon bun."

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 03/07/2026

Music recommendations going in a different direction after urgent song needed to soothe friend's baby...

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 19/06/2026

Nothing to do with this?

Screenshot of Irish Times article from three days ago with headline "Drone delivery company Manna racks up losses of €50m"

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 23/04/2026

Not sure how read.ai claim to be GDPR compliant...

Screenshot of email header saying: You've been invited to view this report because X
added Read to the meeting and wanted to share the recap with you.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 23/04/2026

Was just emailed an AI summary of a Zoom call I didn't join that requires an account to read the full report but includes this nugget in the email:

Screenshot of email saying "Action Items
Meeting participants will stop AI-assisted automatic transcription or note-taking for this meeting series to preserve informal discussion confidentiality."

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 11/04/2026

This Veep clip is becoming more and more applicable

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 25/02/2026

The Irish Times really wants to make Maria Steen happen

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 03/12/2025

This reminds me that years ago I made a set of #VoteLeftTransferLeft badges 😅

My hand holding an arrow shaped badge that says "VOTE LEFT. TRANSFER LEFT."

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 07/08/2025

I've complained about OpenAI model names to anyone that'll listen so I guess this is an improvement? 🤷‍♂️

Screenshot of GPT-5 system card

"It can be helpful to think of the GPT‑5 models as successors to previous models:

Previous model
GPT‑5 model

GPT‑4o
gpt-5-main

GPT‑4o-mini
gpt-5-main-mini

OpenAI o3
gpt-5-thinking

OpenAI o4-mini
gpt-5-thinking-mini

GPT‑4.1-nano
gpt-5-thinking-nano

OpenAI o3 Pro
gpt-5-thinking-pro

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 13/05/2025

Cooper: “The prime minister said yesterday, I think almost in the same breath, he talked about the diverse country that we are and that being part of our strength.” Any pro sentiment in his speech was quickly watered down by negatives. He didn't praise diversity, he promoted integration.

A screenshot of the PM's speech with the word But highlighted in red:
Migration is part of Britain's national story. We talked last week about the great rebuilding of this country after the war; migrants were part of that, and they make a massive contribution today. You will never hear me denigrate that. But when people come to our country, they should also commit to integration, to learning our language, and our system should actively distinguish between those that do and those that don't. I think that's fair.

A screenshot of the PM's speech with the word But highlighted in red:
Equally, Britain must compete for the best talent in the world in science, in technology, in healthcare. You cannot simply pull up a drawbridge, let nobody in, and think that is an economy that would work. That would hurt the pay packets of working people – without question. But at the same time, we do have to ask why parts of our economy seem almost addicted to importing cheap labour rather than investing in the skills of people who are here and want a good job in their community. Sectors like engineering, where visas have rocketed while apprenticeships have plummeted. Is that fair to Britain? Is it fair to young people weighing up their future to miss out on those apprenticeships, to see colleges in their community almost entirely dedicated to one-year courses for overseas students? No, I don’t think it is. And truth be told, I don’t think anyone does. And yet that is the Britain this broken system has created.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 04/05/2025

Ran a silly little 10k today despite not training for it properly. I'm taking this as a baseline to beat for future runs.

Photo of me in a bathroom mirror. I'm wearing a blue run event t-shirt with my run number attached and shorts.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 25/04/2025

Watching Andor for Mon Mothma really at this point. Obsessed with this journey.

Mon Mothma's first appearance in Return of the Jedi

GIF of Mon Mothma dancing chaotically at the end of Andor Season 2 Episode 3

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 14/04/2025

Whatever your feelings about OpenAI can we unite in hate about the naming of their models? 4.1 > o3-mini (high) > o1 (high) > 4.5 > 4o > 4.1 mini > 4o mini

SWE-benchmark bar chart from OpenAI of model performance.
GPT-4 55%
GPT-4o (2024-11-20) 33%
OpenAl o1 (high) 41%
OpenAl o3-mini (high) 49%
GPT-4.5 38%
GPT-4.1 mini 24%
GPT-4o mini 9%

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 15/03/2025

Restarting couch to 5k. Grim.

Fitbit run summary - 5.45 km. 41 min duration. 7'38" pace. 5,376 steps.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 28/02/2025

"I'm gay and I love shopping at Robert Dyas"

Keir Starmer at a White House press conference in front of US & UK flags, subtitles saying "There's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom"

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 21/02/2025

"It also doesn’t align with being a so-called ‘First Minister for All’." The DUP: Who will be the First Minister for Ethnic Cleansers?!

Screenshot of the Guardian "DUP leader Gavin Robinson confirmed that his party would be represented in the US capital next month. He said:

The fact that Sinn Fein’s decision to boycott the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington DC was announced in Dublin speaks volumes about where Northern Ireland sits as a priority for Sinn Fein

The DUP will be represented in DC for St Patrick’s events. We always use the opportunity to strengthen Northern Ireland’s economic and political ties with the United States, regardless of who occupies the White House. We will continue to engage with our partners in Washington, promoting Northern Ireland as a place to invest, work, and do business.

While there will always be differences of opinion on policy matters, Sinn Fein’s decision to disengage from an important diplomatic and economic opportunity is both short-sighted and counterproductive. It also doesn’t align with being a so-called ‘First Minister for All’."

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 18/02/2025

I mean they could be walking down the street and I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to these men.

Screenshot of Keke Palmer failing to identify former US Vice President Dick Cheney during a Vanity Fair lie-detector test

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 18/02/2025

*stands up on bus* "I don't know who the 2 Jonnies are"

A screenshot of the man standing up on a bus during the "I don't know what a tracker mortgage is" advertisement

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 15/02/2025

Miss her every day 🥲 She shone too bright and too short for this world.

A photo of me holding a bottle of Sprite Lemon Lime & Cucumber with a plant in the background.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 13/02/2025

Spending that doesn't benefit him is going to be "bad". This pound shop gobshite just doesn't like paying taxes.

Screenshot of two headlines
The first from BBC news: BrewDog co-founder may delay marriage to max-out tax relief 18 Dec 2024 - BrewDog co-founder may delay marriage to max- out tax relief ... BrewDog co-founder James Watt has said he may delay his marriage to reality TV ...

The second from Sky News: BrewDog founder says entrepreneurs will abandon UK if capital gains tax increases 18 Oct 2024 Capital gains tax on the sale of shares and other assets is currently set at up to 20%. It is expected to rise by several percentage points in ...

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 31/01/2025

Mpox vaccine info and HIV data links broken

"The page you're looking for was not found" message for cdc.gov/mpox/vaccines/

"The page you're looking for was not found" message for cdc.gov/hiv-data/index.html

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 15/01/2025

This stat is so funny and awful. "On average an airport passenger has one tablespoon of Guinness!" Airport boss says two-drink limit for flyers not needed in Ireland | Irish Independent search.app/u2PTMChraLm9...

Screenshot from the article "However, he added: “The average person who uses Dublin or Cork Airport who does go to a bar consumes less than half a pint."

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 31/12/2024

He's on the espresso martinis #HappyNewYear

A selfie of me in an Aran sweater smiling, holding an espresso martini

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 01/12/2024

Yes! Also reminds me of this poster. There's so much to unpack on how this is about people in their 20s/30s but not pitched at them. Nevermind all the classism.

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Alan Rice @alanrice.ie · 12/11/2024

Trying out Openvibe for cross-reading and cross-posting on Threads/Bluesky/Mastodon.

A screenshot of Openvibe of my post saying ""Turning it off and back on again" never fails." in triplicate on Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon.

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