iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Luke Ontario @coolhand.bsky.social · 26/01/2024

Thinking of that time at work when sales was asking for 20 foot USB cables and our electrical engineer said “it’s ohm’s law, not ohm’s fucking suggestion”

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VERTICAL📼BLANKING📺INTERVAL @vertiblank.bsky.social · 23h

A Hark! A Vagrant classic

Watson: Oooh, what’s that you’ve got?
Franklin: My final report
Watson: Little Rosie Franklin’s research! I bet it’s something!
Franklin: ROSALIND.
Crick: Oh, that’s a big name
W: You’re getting fancy on us! Tell me—
F: Ah. I love this game.
W: Is it a scientific breakthrough in feelings?
F: Well, I suppose I have to go into hysterics or have a baby somewhere, good day gentlemen
W: GO, GO
[W and C slip a look at F’s notes]
C: Nice
W: Quit hogging

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Dana El Kurd @danaelkurd.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Any suggestions for middle grade books with arab protagonists? My kid just said they dont like being arab because "we're always the bad guys."

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Aunty Donna @kebabette.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Ōtautahi Christchurch book people! We Are Books has a sale in the WEA Hall today and tomorrow 10am to 4pm as well as the Bookshop itself and all its goodies. www.cwea.org.nz/we-are-books/

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Micah @rincewind.run · 02/10/2026

getting mad at the pope for not thinking the chatbot has a soul is easily the funniest thing I've read all week

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Word Family Friday @wordfamilyfriday.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In which "decal" and "cockamamie" are the same word, both from French "décalcomanie"! "calque" ("to copy, to trace, to calque") is an extremely close relatively. Variously more distantly (all from Latin "calx": "heel"): "recalcitrant", "caltrop", "calzone", "Chaucer"

Directed graph visualizing the information in this thread

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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:

Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads:

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."

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audioculturenz.bsky.social @audioculturenz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Student Radio Network in association with Irirangi Te Motu/NZ On Air has announced that the Aotearoa Alternative Awards are returning for 2026. And AudioCulture Iwi Waiata happily return as the sponsor of Te Whiringa Toa 2026 ki a Te Pou Hononga/The 2026 SRN Top 10 Award... 1/2 srn.nz

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UnderTheRadar @undertheradarnz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Absolute legends of Japanese punk rock, Shonen Knife have announced local special guests for their spring tour of Aotearoa NZ — HOMESICKK?, Memory Foam, SEEK HELP!, GY-RO and Displeasure! Celebrating the release of Let's Knife Re-Cut, get tickets NOW via UTR & susiesays.co.nz

undertheradar.co.nz

Shonen Knife 'Let's Knife Re-Cut' New Zealand Tour Supports Announced

Japanese pop-punk legends are playing in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Ōamaru and Dunedin.

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JBR @jetblackraider.itch.io · 11/10/2025

the perfume meme

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Grant Jacobs BioinfoTools/NotJustDNA 🔬🧬🖥️✍️📚🇳🇿 @notjustdna.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#NZpol Saw this excellent quote-reply to Simeon Brown’s latest attack on Labour. Worth sharing.

David Peez @RebelEkonomista

"The truck driver in Pakuranga helps pay off a lawyer's loan." No, Simeon. He doesn't. Not a cent.

When the government lends a student money, it creates the dollars and credits their account. No tradie's tax was collected and posted to a law degree. When the graduate repays, those dollars are deleted, drained back out like tax. They don't land in the truck driver's pocket either.

So nobody foots the bill. The worker and the graduate aren't on opposite sides of a ledger. Setting them against each other is the trick, and it runs on the same myth as "add it to the tab", that the government is a household counting coins. It issues the currency. The real limits are real resources and inflation, not a truck driver's tax bill.

"Someone always pays." Sure. Just never the person you keep pointing at.

Read more: http://therebeleconomist.substack.com

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Luke Ontario @coolhand.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I hate all android keyboards, so I made one a while back that's 1) simple as hell 2) learns words locally and 3) predicts swears. I was reminded of this when someone asked about accessible android keyboards, and I can't find the thread. Anyway, here's a page. I could carry that idea further.

lukesteuber.com

LocalType | Luke Steuber

A private Android keyboard. Predictions, typo fixes and an optional on-device language model, all on your phone.

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Queen Olivia III @queenoliviaiii.com · 27/09/2026

Anyone who sees a seal in a silly place is urged to contact DOC by phoning 0800 DOC HOT (362 468), with sightings noted for future conservation planning. www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3610...

stuff.co.nz

Why did the seal cross the road? To bring Wellington traffic to a halt

Police officers appeared to use road cones to persuade the “pretty small” seal not to cross the road, but it was too headstrong to obey.

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te pua o te rēinga @cucumber.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

on display at world of wearable art this year a werewere kōkako brassiere

Saar Snoek blue mushroom and moss brassiere on a mannequin

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Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I note that the picture of the "European Academy of Engineering" that comes up in Google Maps is an altered version a 2022 picture of a main building of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The facade has been digitally reworked to make it look like the engineering academy!

A side by side comparison of an altered version (top) of a Gothenburg University building versus the actual 2022 photo (bottom), which was a show of solidarity with Ukraine

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Kristian Svennevig @ksvenenvig.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

3D-print your own landslide! New paper out in @geomorphica.bsky.social "Open access 3D-printable landslide models for outreach and teaching" journals.psu.edu/geomorphica/...

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evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A world of always-on cameras and microphones on peoples' bodies is a very serious privacy and security problem for the people wearing them and for everyone around them.

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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.

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Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 24/09/2026

*extremely tired voice*AI agents don't "go rogue". They are not sentient; they don't have agency. They work within guardrails set by humans. If the humans are so shit at building secure sandboxes for the agents to work within, that's on the humans. Stop using this framing.

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Dr. Cassandra Mudgway @legallyfeminist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Re sharing this oped I wrote about Smart Glasses for... reasons #nzpol (The reasons are Meta have launched their AI enabled Smart Glasses in NZ and that sucks) www.rnz.co.nz/news/science...

rnz.co.nz

Smart glasses make secret filming easier. What does NZ law actually protect you from?

Analysis: At a glance, they look much like ordinary eyewear.

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Emily Grubert @gruberte.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I think I’ve underestimated how radical it is to be an “actually, we don’t need more data” guy in the age of AI

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Tracy Lord of the Nazgûl @seeemilyplay.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

everyone’s culturally irish til you ask em to show even a fraction of the moral courage sinéad o’connor did

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 19/09/2026

A cancer vaccine succeeded in a clinical trial in preventing the recurrence of melanoma, a result experts say is a breakthrough for mRNA-based treatments. Trials for lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and other diseases' vaccines are also underway.

washingtonpost.com

A melanoma vaccine was hailed as a breakthrough. Which cancers are next?

Trials investigating mRNA vaccines for lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and other diseases are already underway.

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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Episode 2 is up! Beforecast, my new podcast about history and our present, starting with a deep dive into Machiavelli. beforecast.fm has links to all the podcast sites, and the YouTube link is below.

beforecast.fm

Beforecast — Now Live

Historian Ada Palmer on the real Machiavelli. Episode 1 is out now. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube and more.

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Dr Emma L Briant 🇬🇧 in 🇺🇸 w/ 🐕 @emma-briant.co.uk · 25/11/2025

NEW: My Udemy course 'Propaganda & Disinformation for Beginners' has helped students in 26 countries worldwide strengthen their armour against disinformation since it launched 2 years ago. Techniques Cambridge Analytica used to secretly profile millions have become a vastly profitable industry.. /1

World map showing students from 26 countries and in 9 languages.

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Heather R @kiwienzian.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This evening I learned that Auckland Council has deployed guard-llamas to protect sheep at their farms at Ambury Park and Puhinui! www.rnz.co.nz/news/country...

rnz.co.nz

Llamas reduce number of dog attacks on sheep on Auckland council farms

Correction: A previous version of this story referred to a dog attack last June. It actually took place in January.

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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

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Luke Ontario @coolhand.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The old year clock! Now including: • major world events • meteors • earthquakes • aurora strength • solar wind • near earth objects • major fireballs • temperature anomalies • wildfires • hurricanes and major storms • reported UFO sightings (no joke!) Updared live straight from a source

datapoems.io

Cosmic Clock 2026

A 2026 cosmic clock with orbital rings, almanac context, and live space-weather data feeds arranged around the current time.

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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.

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But Andrew Hickey Died Ten Years Ago This Very Night @andrewhickey.500songs.com · 14/09/2026

None of this covers the real real reason. Twenty years ago, gigs were cheap promotional tools to sell expensive records. Now most people listen to music via streaming and don't buy it, records are free promotional tools for expensive gig tickets.

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Matt Bors @mattbors.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It was exactly ten years ago today, on my 33rd birthday, that I posted this comic online.

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Madam Snazzy @moatatamaira.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Tis the season, e hoa mā. You know what to do. #tewikiotereomāori

Racks of Te wiki o te Reo Māori on display at the warewhare.
Let’s sell this stuff out again.

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thatgirlinsb @34thparallel.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Protesters at the Irish Open. shitler’s international golf links and hotel Doonbeg, Ireland. Thank you, Doonbeg!

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UnderTheRadar @undertheradarnz.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Irish rap firebrands KNEECAP are returning to Aotearoa NZ — headlining Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland's Spark Arena and Pōneke Wellington's TSB Arena in February, with special guest Lady Shaka! Tickets are on sale NOW via ticketmaster.co.nz

undertheradar.co.nz

KNEECAP (IRL) Returning to Aotearoa New Zealand

Irish rap activists are performing at Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland's Spark Arena and Pōneke Wellington's TSB Arena.

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Stinky Jim @stinkyjim.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I’m Trans Tāmaki Expressing myself with nothing but train related tackle in song form for the next 6 hours + (10-4) at Queens Wharf next to the Bike Hub. Transportational tones, CRL cuts, renking railway riddims. Free, come keep me company 🚂🚂🚂

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Collette Snowden @drcollette.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

For heaven's sake can someone print this, and distribute to every journalist and politician in the country - with all their staffers, and research services available, the continued ignorance is just wilful ignorance and deliberately divisive.

There is a chart showing the different varieties of XY Chromosomes in humans.

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Cally Beaton @callybeaton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Anyone who has ever complained about London Underground, complain no more.

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victoria scott @victoriascott.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I have turned in The Final Copy to @antithesis-press.bsky.social for sending off to print! you have the rest of the month to pre-order this btw, I really cannot emphasize enough that if you want to get a copy you should move sooner rather than later lol antithesispress.com/product/poll...

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Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...

mathandai.org

Declaration — Math and AI

Read the declaration and add your name.

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WIRED @wired.com · 11/09/2026

Timnit Gebru argues that AI companies are stoking fears of extinction to avoid discussing actual harms, like autonomous weapons. www.wired.com/story/one-of...

wired.com

One of AI’s Fiercest Critics Says All the Doom Talk Is ‘Meant to Distract Us’

Timnit Gebru argues that AI companies are stoking fears of extinction to avoid discussing actual harms, like autonomous weapons.

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Asher HELLbein @asherelbein.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I don't know about y'all, but as a kid I absolutely loved all-ages compendiums of weird extinct animals. So this year, I wrote one. And then @stievenvdp.bsky.social illustrated it, and the results will knock your socks off. HOW TO SURVIVE PREHISTORY. Out April 27, 2027. You can preorder it now!

bookshop.org

How to Survive Prehistory: A Guide to the Wildest Beasts of Ancient Earth

From Smithsonian and Scientific American writer Asher Elbein comes the ultimate illustrated guide to prehistory's most dangerous real-life monsters, perfect for lovers of survival guides and dinosaur ...

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bekka leigh @bekkaleigh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A fellow graphic designer said that AI posters look like how customers typically ask for their posters to look, before graphic designers show them that posters don't actually need all that text or those graphics and it's stuck with me.

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 09/09/2026

Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state. A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface. And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).

A crescent Moon seen during the day, arcing from upper left to lower right of the frame. At lower centre is the full disk of Jupiter; the small dots to its upper left and lower right and Io and Ganymede, respectively.

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JRho @jrho.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The most absolutely massive flex from the state fair exhibit. This quilt is made of 40 years of prize ribbons from various categories at the New Mexico State Fair won by Carol St. Clair Johnson. She also won a prize for this quilt.

Massive quilt made of prize ribbons in blue, red, yellow, and white

Center square of quilt made of yellow and red ribbons and yellow rosettes

Block of quilt made of blue, yellow, red, and white ribbons. Ribbons state the year. Some have the prize winning object written on in marker

Carol St. Clair Johnson
born 1954; resides Albuquerque, NM

O Fair New Mexico-41 Fair Years
2023
satin ribbons

After unexpectedly winning her first blue ribbon for a sewn cape in 1981, Carol St. Clair Johnson developed an enduring love for the New Mexico State Fair. The quilt Fair New Mexico-41 Fair Years incorporates more than six hundred of the ribbons she won at the fair every subsequent year except 2020 (when the fair was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Johnson earned ribbons for needlework, knitting, crochet, pies, cookies, cakes, canning, jewelry, flowers, vegetables, and potted plants. The title of the quilt is a reference to the state song, and the design places the state's Zia sun symbol at the center. The quilt earned Johnson yet another ribbon: Best in Category (miscellaneous quilt) at the 2023 New Mexico State Fair.

Courtesy of Carol St. Clair Johnson

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