iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Another great bio of a 1949 Pillsbury Bake-Off contestant. LB also reveals her not-so-secret love of rolled sponges (cakes)...

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Could there be an alternative to including one's email in the alt text? Seems less secure and open to possible misuse.

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Reposted by Alan

Simon Patterson @denkmit.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

FINALLY the 2027 MotoGP calendar is out!

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Bob Hitchcock 〓〓 @tamarphotography.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

THE WAIT IS NEARLY OVER! The first issue of ao, the FREE digital magazine which celebrates the aesthetic of the ordinary, will be published on Friday September 18 at 6pm. Follow us on @aofoto.bsky.social to be first to receive the link! #aofoto #EastCoastKin #WestCoastKin #photography

The very first edition of aofoto magazine.
Follow us at @aofoto.bsky.social and https://aofoto.art

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Ancient technical writer here: typing two hyphens was how one made an em dash on mechanical typewriters (which did not have it as a separate character). Not lazy; there was no alternative. MS tools hang onto their legacy of "fixing" that stuff 🤷‍♂️

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Our neighbor's cat likes to stake out the pigeons that gather above our front door. I'm team cat on this one. #catsky #catamong #catsofbluesky

A color photo captured from a doorbell cam showing a black cat sitting on the front walk and staring up at the roof, intently tracking the activities of the pigeons out of frame.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I went to check my copy but apparently I have the eighth? Titled "Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary" with a 1977 copyright. ("Artificial insemination" but no "artificial intelligence")

A color photograph showing an oblique view of a red-covered dictionary on a desk. The dictionary is titled "Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary". The cover shows signs of use such as fading and fraying.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Oh ok, that makes sense. Thanks!

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I love this shot. In Pete Townshend's song, "White City Fighting", he's got a line: "down to the refuge near qpr". Would this be that place by any chance?

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I had the last four from guess #2, but ran out of guesses and broke my streak 😪

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

One of three male contestants in the first Pillsbury Bake-Off later went on to have a career as a food columnist.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 26/08/2026

Happy National Dog Day to all the cynophilists out there.

cynophilist
sə̇-ˈnä-fə-lə̇st
noun
{cyn + phile + ist]
someone that is favorably disposed toward dogs

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

My wife is making recipes from the 1949 Pillsbury Bake Off and researching their creators. Some recipes are meh, but these rolls were delicious 😋

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lindybrandon @lindybrandon.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Exposed to the hardships of economic depression, Jo Lowman devoted her career to New Deal initiatives on the U. S. mainland. She survived a turbulent marriage and divorce, and competed in the 1949 Pillsbury Bake-Off with a coconut chocolate cake. #baking open.substack.com/pub/lindybra...

open.substack.com

1949: Dreambrosia Fudge Cake

A not-too-sweet chocolate coconut cake with buttercream frosting by Mrs. Charles F. Lowman, an award-winning baker whose name should be known.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, UK. July 2026 #photography #photosky #travel

A color photograph of the Old Royal Naval College in Greewich, UK. The photo was taken from a moving vehicle, and so items in the foreground a blurred from motion, including the large wrought iron fence and gate. Further back, people inside the grounds are sharply focused, as are the twin domed towers of the college.

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lindybrandon @lindybrandon.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

We shared Jane O'Donnell's cherry cake with our neighbors who loved it too. Jane married her high school sweetheart, raised four children, and devoted her spare time to her church. Here's her story & the recipe that took her to the 1949 Pillsbury Bake-Off. #baking open.substack.com/pub/lindybra...

open.substack.com

1949: Mount Vernon Dessert

A twist on a cherry upside-down cake by Mrs. Harry W. O'Donnell, an award-winning baker whose name should be known

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I didn't even know this was a thing until recently when Asher Perlman did a round up of AI ripoffs of his "going for the jukebox" comic. Sheesh.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

This doggo's humans called him back before I could get a closer photo. But I kind of like the way this one came out. #aofoto #dogsofbluesky #dogsky #10minutesfromhome

A color photo of a neighborhood street. On the left side, a dog peers over a tall block wall looking straight into the camera. The wall continues into the frame, curving right in the distance. A sidewalk and street follow the line of the wall. A few wispy clods can be seen in the blue sky at the top of the frame.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I remember meeting Edward Tufte after one of his classes, and the gleam in his eye as we briefly discussed Captain Crunch whistle phone phreaking. It's the same technically thorough playfulness.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Yes! When a theory or tech becomes monetizable the vibe changes from that smart combination of whimsy and humor you describe to the drone of capitalism.

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Des @desdelboy.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Cheers all, no need for time travel. The oldest masterpiece featuring a beer you can still buy today is Édouard Manet's 1882 painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergere. It prominently displays two bottles of Bass Pale Ale, recognizable by their iconic red triangle labels. #BskyBeer

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (French: Un bar aux Folies Bergère) is a painting by Édouard Manet, considered to be his last major work. It was painted in 1882 and exhibited at the Paris Salon of that year. It depicts a scene in the Folies Bergère nightclub in Paris. The painting originally belonged to the composer Emmanuel Chabrier, a close friend of Manet, and hung over his piano. It is now in the Courtauld Gallery in London.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Tepee Curios shop, Tucumcari, New Mexico June 2026 #neon #neonlights #route66 #roadsideamerica

A color photograph showing a nighttime view the Tepee Curios shop on Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The shop is a white building on the right, featuring kitschy designs meant to evoke Native American motifs. A fake teepee is built over the front door of the building, featuring more faux Native American motifs plus a lit neon longhorn steer graphic. In front of the shop is a tall sign with lit neon outlining additional "native american" kitschy motifs including a circular feathered headdress at the top, a saguaro cactus (not native to New Mexico, btw), and a teepee. The sign reads, "Tepee Curios". The spelling of "tepee" is different on the sign than on the front of the building. Go figure. To rear of the scene, on the far side of the shop, a classic pickup truck is visible parked next to the building.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico June 2026 #neon #neonlights #route66 #roadsideamerica

A color photograph showing a night scene of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. A classic 1950s touring car is parked at an angle under a brightly lit neon sign that reads, "Blue Swallow Motel". Other phrases on the sign, lit up in neon, read "100% Refrigerated Air" and "TV". The "vacancy" part of the sign is not lit, so the motel must be full. Another lit neon sign over the main door to the right of the car reads, "Lobby".

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Yes, kinda random which ones load.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I had a 2000nTbird that I bought new. Excellent all-rounder with that classic styling.

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

This #cake is really good, and the recipe author's backstory is super interesting

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lindybrandon @lindybrandon.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

It's apricot season! Here's a fun way to use some of that bounty, invented by Florence Schoenleber, a career nutritionist and home economics expert at a time when the United States was suffering from a malnutrition epidemic. #baking open.substack.com/pub/lindybra...

open.substack.com

1949: Apricot Surprise Fudge Cake

A rich apricot-studded chocolate cake by Miss Florence Schoenleber, an award-winning baker whose name should be known

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Alan @alanwordguy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Notice how "I drove" becomes "WE drove..." 😆 j/k - great scoop. I really enjoyed Dave's article

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