iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Pint of @elusivebrewing.com Oregon Trail. Bottle of Oregon Trail hot sauce w/ The Pantry Couple. Manager of the local and I working out best things to dip in. So far pickled eggs and poppadoms both 👍

A bottle of Elusive’s & The Pantry Couple’s Oregon Trail hot sauce, a pint of Oregon Trail and a ripped open bag of mini poppadoms.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I hope that Tim Curry’s last words were “I see you shiver with antici-“

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Got the emergency alert whilst managing a performance of Les Mis. Start prepping emergency procedure in my head but never mind it's just that the country's more combustible in general right now. Gold stars to the cast (All 14-17) who just carried on whilst the audiences' phones were giving it large.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

[to the tune of Metallica’s Fuel] Give me cask. Give me keg. Give me another pickled egg.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Does anyone know how you would keep beer cool in an outdoor festival in these temperatures? Surely the saddle & jacket solution wouldn’t be enough.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The local now has @elusivebrewing.com Oregon Trail as a permanent line. I can now drink my fave regular release whenever I want. ❤️

A pint of a pale amber-colour beer in an Elusive Brewing pint glass. The branding uses 8-bit retro gaming theming. In the background is a pub bar (tills, cans on shelves, snacks, etc.)

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Anyone aware of this pub demographic? People who save photos of a pub’s lineup from social media and then walk in about a week later asking for it when it’s long gone, presenting the photo along with their request. Never seen it before but started happening in my local.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

I think my train tomorrow not calling at its starting station has broken Trainline.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Just finished Echoes of the End, the first game from Iceland’s Myrkur Games. It’s got average reviews but this is a _debut_ and it’s a shame that isn’t recognised. For a first game it’s great and I’d love to see where they go from here. www.myrkur.is/echoesoftheend

myrkur.is

Buy Echoes of the End Now

Echoes of the End is a thrilling new cinematic adventure set in the fictional fantasy world of Aema. Uncover the heartfelt story of two unlikely heroes, master sword and magic combat, and traverse bre...

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Recently signed up as a paying member of a political party for the first time. My god, the e-mails. Two today so far about the same thing. I like to be informed but the unsubscribe button may be needed if this continues.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Just finished @nomada.studio’s Neva. Lovely little game. Fantastic art direction and a beautiful balance between serene and challenging. Recommended to switch off to after a busy day. neva.game

neva.game

Neva

Experience the moving tale of a young woman and her lifelong bond with a magnificent wolf as they embark on a thrilling adventure through a rapidly dying world.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Latest effort from @brandonsanderson.com. The Cosmere beckons once more and I genuinely cannot wait.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

The pub's EPOS system has an AI element which has recommended Liquid Mistress be categorised as "Erotic Foods & Edibles".

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

@sirencraftbrew.bsky.social Liquid Mistress on keg. I haven’t had this in years. An absolute time warp of a beer - a perfect blend of hops and malt. Bitter and sticky. Gave up my next selection for another of this.

A pint of Liquid Mistress, a red beer with a toffee/cream head in a Siren pint glass. It sits on a rubber bar mat on a top of dark varnished wood.

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.” Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

A couple of years behind but I finally watched Shogun (Haven’t read the book) and it’s cracking telly. Drags a bit in parts and I took a while to warm to Cosmo Jarvis’s performance but otherwise can’t fault it. A great balance of serenity and tension.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

I’m seeing little printed publications being referred to as “zines”? Is this just a passive shift or is it because the previous 4 letters are the same as a current US political movement and using them would focus the algorithm unwantedly?

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

No Other Choice is definitely a cinema nerd’s film, foreign language notwithstanding. It’s a weird story told slightly oddly and the humour is _dry_. It’s got loads of praise but is absolutely the kind of film that the wider public will think cinema’s vanishing up it’s own backside.

A poster for the film No Other Choice. A man holds a potted chilli plant above his head as if to drop it on someone. Tree branches twist across the design with a blue sky in the background.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I’m heading to Scotland in March and Bluesky has given me 2 things to do just this morning - try some pochle (see below) and try @pilotbeer.co.uk’s Vessel restaurant in Edinburgh.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

I’d love a small per-article rate for reading stuff online. I don’t read some things because I have to sign up for a payment plan for one article and so decide not to but absolutely get (and support) that good journalism should be paid for.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

1st of 2 days off after 9 days on. Bit of Powerwash Simulator 2, spot of pub (free beer because the keg kicked halfway through), online games night later. Maybe Deep Rock Galactic.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Outrageously good 2 days at Damnation Festival. First festival by myself and just lost myself in it. Drank less, got down the front for more bands, took no photos. Oh, bought merch. Tired now.

A photo of 2 t-shirts, 1 for Portuguese black metal band Gaerea, 1 for Damnation Festival 2025. Also some CDs. Left to right: Symbiosis by Nordic Giants, The Night is for Dreamers by Din of Celestial Birds, Oddlove by Coilguns, Dust Eater by Dimscûa, I Leave You This by Overhead, The Albatross and The Spin by Messa.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Sparkled cask Boddie’s at the local. Sublime.

A pint of Boddington’s Bitter on cask. A clear amber colour that gradually thickens towards the top to allow for a perfect head. A trickle of beer seductively makes its way down the side of the glass, telling you “I’m so full, drink me, drink me!” Helpless, I indulge,

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Bit of a sumo catch-up last night in preparation for the exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall next Friday. Just can’t wait and hoping that Hoshoryu will be there.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Sat planning the logistics for the beer lineup for a friend's handfasting whilst listing to the 1990's National Theatre Oklahoma! soundtrack and drinking a TIPA. Feeling very much at peace.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

Great day at Abyssal Festival. Under and Mastiff not to my tastes but everything else just grand. Bands of the day were Margarita Witch Cult & @hundredyearoldman.bsky.social so bought albums from both of them.

Two CD albums against a dark wood background. Sleep in Light by Hundred Year Old Man and Strung Out in Hell by Margarita Witch Cult.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

Off out to a local metal festival. Southampton often gets missed for metal gigs, sandwiched between Brighton, Bristol & London so this is a great turn up for the books! 🤘

A poster for Abyssal Festival at Papillon in Southampton. Bands are Praetorian, Vnder A Crumbling Moon, Under, Trippy Wicked, Uncoffined, Sugar Horse, Hundred Year Old Man, Mastiff, Margarita Witch Cult and Slomatics.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

An absolute barnstormer from @elusivebrewing.com. A classic black IPA. Roasty malt and wonderful dank hoppy bitterness. The recipe’s been improved but generally why change what works.

A can of Shadow of the Beast, a Citra & Mosaic black IPA from Elusive Brewing. The artwork is of a humanoid beast in a forest, all in 16-bit art style.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

MANCHESTER! I’m in town for Damnation Festival in a few weeks at the BEC, staying in the city centre. Any good breakfast/brunch places in the city centre or on the way to the BEC?

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Pint of Lost Pier Better Best Bitter, cheese & onion [regional round bread name of choice].

A pint of a red/brown cask beer and a cheese & onion sandwich with a healthy portion eaten.

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

NOTHING will prepare you for this 45-second story arc. From "I'm just doing this because I love the flag, it's totally grassroots, and I'm not part of anything political"... to who actually gave him the flags the night before. Anyone who believes it is an innocent movement needs to see this.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Missed aikido training tonight due to work so just catching up on new Damnation Festival announcements and prepping for sonic annihilation in November. 🤘

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Walked from Ventnor (sea level) to St. Boniface Down (241 metres), the highest point on the Isle of Wight. It was _steep_. But worth it at the end.

A flight of stone steps, hundreds of years old.

The view from St. Boniface Down, a dirt path heading down leading to rolling hills and the sea beyond.

A view down to a bay with small towns nestled along the edge.

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

It's Pipes, Mum! Pipes is here! @scriblit.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Patient, sobbing: But Doctor, I AM Pagliacci! ChatGPT: Apologies. I didn't realise when recommending Pagliacci's epic show to cure your depression that you were the genius himself. I'm impressed! With regards to your initial question, I can recommend seeing the Great Clown Pagliacci.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

For me there is joy in the work I do. If someone is looking for a program to do their work for them then that says to me that they take little joy in their work and should find something else, like the politicians who think that the best way to help is for them to do as little as possible.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Monday night aikido training done. Pint in a local whilst I peruse the newest Damnation announcements. November may destroy my soul.

A pint of hazy pale beer in a stemmed glass on a dark wooden table.

A poster for Damnation Festival 2025. Held at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on November 8th & 9th.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Top 3 trending topics on Bluesky: "Pope Francis" "WrestleMania" "Pete Hegseth" That's conjuring quite the mental image...

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Pilot @pilotbeer.co.uk · 17/04/2025

Good news, NASA have discovered your boyfriend’s homebrew lager.

An article about the discovery of DMS in space.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Really nice time at The Butcher’s Hook for an @elusivebrewing.com event this weekend. Excellent beers (Double Sunset Oregon Trail!) and bonus hug from @tabamatu.bsky.social.

A glass of beer on a wooden table with a pair of sunglasses next to it.

A bottle of Mills Brewing beer next to a stemmed glass of it.

The river Itchen at dusk with barely a ripple on the water.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Weather changing like US trade policy at the moment…

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

An hour between trains at Wolverhampton. Pint of cask & a ham cob at The Great Western. 👍

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Visiting friends in Scotland and we walked along the water from Edinburgh to Leith so naturally popped into the Newbarns taproom. Absolutely great place. So cosy. Peaceful atmosphere lots of old beer tat on the walls and great beers. 👍

The Newbarns taproom. A mixture of old wooden chairs and tables with a dark floor, white walls with hop bundles strung up.

Newbarns beer fonts. Old brass fittings that they recover from pubs as they find them with modern keg taps attached to some.

A pint of Bios lager in a Newbarns-branded glass.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

As someone who used to make regular beer trips to London but now less so this newsletter is a great way of still getting some idea as to what’s going on in the big city. Already marked the new Bohem place on a map.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Southampton to Lenzie (Glasgow) by train today. Incident meant I missed my connecting train from London but folks from South Western Railways & @avantiwestcoast.bsky.social were super helpful and got everything sorted again. 👍

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

2nd training session after a silver medal at the British Aikido Association national championships. Competition is great - you meet new people who test your techniques in all kinds of ways. Lots to work on.

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

Pellicle @pelliclemag.com · 19/02/2025

Anyone for a Rutland Butland? Today we are heading to The Rutland Arms to see what makes it such a special pub. (No, we don't dare touch the jukebox either) www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/2/...

pelliclemag.com

Different Class — The Rutland Arms, Sheffield — Pellicle

When I moved to Sheffield in 2021 the Rutland Arms bore a surprisingly moving bit of graffiti on its 1930s tiled exterior: ‘I love this pub’. Pure affection expressed through petty crime, and a great ...

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Reposted by Alex MacArthur

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

I’m George Takei and I approve of this message.

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Alex MacArthur @alexmacarthur.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Because I can’t find a Simpsons gif with the whole exchange: “Oh, come on, leave town!” “No.” “I’ll be your friend!” “No.” “Aw, you’re mean.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

theguardian.com

Starmer urges Trump to provide ‘backstop’ for European peacekeeping force in Ukraine

British prime minister says force would need protections such as air cover that only US can provide

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