iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Sage Deviant 🏳️‍⚧️ @trans.bsky.social · 17h

anyone who is still an enthusiastic harry potter fan in 2026 deserves to be publicly shamed & bullied

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Brookfield Zoo Chicago @brookfieldzoo.bsky.social · 10h

It’s always a gourd time for some pumpkin enrichment! 🎃🐻 Recently, sloth bears Lila and Kartik got a special Halloween treat from their animal care team: pumpkins packed with crickets, grapes, and other fruits and veggies!

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 21h

dennis hastert and jim bakker in the same day feels like an apology for dolly and tim curry

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Memento (spooky) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 10h

if i vote early today it should be the law that I no longer have to see campaign ads in ohio

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 13h

My unpopular take is that God actually *is* returning to judge sins, but it's more like American Idol where God is like "damn dawg, that was a really impressive sin, a little pitchy but I’m putting you through to the next round" meanwhile Simon Cowell looks over at him in disbelief.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 12h

Pedophile politician Denny Hastert dies one day, and disgraced 1980s con man Jim Bakker dies the next, and I'm just going to let my mind connect the dots for the perfect completion of that trio and ...

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Meg Elison @megelison.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Please remember that for every VE Schwab and Stephen King, there are a lot of banned Black, queer, and POC writers you've never heard of, to whom it is maybe not a badge of honor but a denial of their voice. Being banned is not a marketing opportunity, unless one is already rich.

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Brandon @bedubble.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

This is the future liberals want and it’s alive in Chicago.

Mexican flags, a statue of Mary, and a pride flag all side by side

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Nate Bowling @natebowling.com · 05/10/2026

Here's the original video from George Brett Olson that got me started on all of this The fact this is actually happening continues to baffle me

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Had my regular checkup with the cardiologist this afternoon. After taking a listen with his stethoscope, he said, and this is an exact quote: "I don't hear anything goofy."

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

ATTN: Everybody presenting at #ILAAC this week ...

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lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 05/10/2026

say what you will about nordic cinema. no matter which country, no matter what genre, setting, or tone, you're all but guaranteed to be made witness to some of the most beautiful, luxurious looking wool sweaters ever put on the silver screen

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Bisexual Kaiju @bisexualkaiju.myatproto.social · 05/10/2026

A lot of writers, readers, booksellers, etc. on the website are talking about how book bans have a disproportionate impact on living BIPOC/queer/trans authors, and it's true. But a lot of people don't know where to find those books. That's why, this year, I'm going to make a thread for you!

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Hey @democrats.org @housedemocrats.bsky.social @democrats.senate.gov check out all the gray-haired old white folks singing "Killing in the Name" on Saturday. Do ya think they want you to make a priority of finding compromises and ways to "work with Republicans"? www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht2p...

youtube.com

"Killing in the Name" sing-a-long, live at Power to the People Fest, 10/3/26

YouTube video by Andy Carvin

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 05/10/2026

This is your occasional reminder that generative "AI" in particular could have been developed on public domain materials and/or licensed and compensated works but the major players intentionally, methodically and systemically chose to steal labor from working creative folks instead

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Emily Gorcenski @emily.gorcen.ski · 05/10/2026

The Nobel Prize in Medicine went to scientists who discovered how to turn brain cells on and off, and what I’m most wondering right now is how much for them to install that switch in my brain

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¡matt! ✶✶✶✶ @mattfromchicago.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Once again every time there's some wildly successful pedestrianized space in the city nobody seems to think "hey this is really popular maybe we should expand the footprint"

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Sometime this year @93xrtchicago.bsky.social added both Dinosaur Jr "Feel the Pain" and Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps" to the station's playlist, and I approve.

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Child Catcher in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

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Catherynne M. Valente @catvalente.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Art, music, movies, books, tv shows, plays, games, these are a huge part of how we form bonds, know we can vibe with another human being. AI “art” seeks to replace it with algorithmically personalized content no other person experiences. It sticks a stake in the heart of human connection.

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Chicago Zine Fest @chicagozinefest.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

We need your help! Consider volunteering for a 2-hour shift next Saturday to help make #CZF2026 happen. Tasks include welcoming people to the fest, giving directions, covering tables when zinesters need a break, etc. It's a fun time! 😎 forms.gle/sruJfcojaXQi...

Flyer asking for volunteers for CZF 2026. Text reads: We need your help to make Chicago Zine Fest a success! Volunteer for a 2-hour shift at chicagozinefest.org.

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Catherynne M. Valente @catvalente.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The easiest, least risky path to friendship is “oh you liked that, so did I!” Make that impossible, and few will be able to form enough non-familial connections to rise up against so much as our own ennui, let alone The Regime.

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

My man looks like the last remaining animated figure on clearance at Spirit Halloween in November.

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Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

You guys want to hear a short but adorable story that happened right in front of me at the baggage claim in NYC yesterday? I wasn't part of it and there are bits I didn't catch but holy crap, I can't stop thinking about it.

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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The bad faith is gonna be next level this week library friends. Take care of yourselves.

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Chicago Zine Fest @chicagozinefest.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#CZF2026 is in one week! Join us Saturday October 10th at the @chipublib.bsky.social Harold Washington Library Center. Almost 100 zinesters, an Indigenous zinesters panel, two workshops, & five hands-on activities including a typewriter zoo! 🐭 Details: www.chicagozinefest.org/czf2026.html #zines

Poster for Chicago Zine Fest, with an illustration of a cute mouse wearing glasses and looking at a map, walking through a crowd of people.

Text reads:

CHICAGO ZINE FEST
****
Saturday, October 10th, 2026
11 am-4pm
Free Admission
Harold Washington Library Winter Garden 9th Floor
400 S. State St.
Featuring exhibitors with zines,
self published books, and mini-comics available for sale or trade!
Enjoy workshops,
panel discussions, and readings!
chicagozinefest.org
Masks encouraged!

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 04/10/2026

Stop putting off that thing you wanted to do

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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Part of why I don't like the AI-or-bust economy is the constant flopsweat of people on the news who say this HAS to work. Quit making everyone so anxious. Goddamn. If this is the next Google then why are you acting like this? I don't remember being told to buy an iPhone at gunpoint.

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Mike Fragassi @refrag.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

If you recall, a number of years ago Disney created a band of kids that recorded Devo covers. Devo was in on it for all the right reasons. It was called "Devo 2.0". Now, hear me out: "Youth Ministry"

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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com

Title: Just announced! Three new Gruffalo books commissioned from bestselling authors!

Lee Chilld:
The Gruffalo just wants a quiet life, but when a crime syndicate moves into the deep dark wood, he must use his terrible claws and the terrible teeth in his terrible jaws to protect the fellow.

Sally Rooney:
The Gruffalo moves to contemporary Dublin. He
ill ever see past his orange eyes, purple prickles and poisonous wart.

Kazuo Ishiguro:
After a long absence, the gruffalo returns to the forest and attempts to make sense of his past. Encounters with a mouse, a fox, an owl and a snake uncover long-buried memories, regrets and revelations.

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Frog and Toad Bot @frogandtoadbot.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Then Frog and Toad ate a big breakfast. And after that, they spent a fine, long day together.

Frog and Toad romp through the woods together, having the time of their lives

From "The Dream"
In *Frog and Toad Together*

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Paige Madison @fossilhistory.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

"Housed in an unremarkable grey office block in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, his lab is now home to the world’s most extensive collection of the remains of modern humans’ ancestors: about 1,600 fossils representing 13 of more than 20 confirmed species of early humans." 🏺🧪

theguardian.com

‘It’s always been some white dude’: how Ethiopia became the world leader in uncovering the story of humankind

Housed in an unremarkable office block in the capital, the country’s national museum is home to the most extensive collection of the remains of modern humans’ ancestors – and a team of world-leading s...

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Should be free, especially for a Chicks concert. (Also, who carries change these days?)

A shiny brass machine in an all-gender restroom, selling tampons and napkins for 25 cents each.

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FLAVOR FLAV ⏰ @flavorflav.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Newest Super Group,,, FLAVOR DAVES,!! #DaveMatthews #DaveGrohl #FooFighters

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Jason Karsh @jkarsh.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I cannot stress enough how fucking illegal this is. “Donald Trump is a criminal who keeps committing crimes, and now he wants to bribe voters to keep Republicans in office so he can—you guessed it—commit more crimes.” If you can’t message around that, no one can help you.

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Juliana Stratton @julianastratton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This is your sign to check your voter registration, make your plan to vote, and get to the polls on or before November 3rd! Head to ildems.com/vote today! 🗳️

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 16/10/2024

A few years ago, I started putting together a Monster-Mash-free Halloween playlist, which I still add to on occasion ... www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

youtube.com

Halloween - YouTube

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Brian Smith @ambientrelish.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I was sitting on my deck just looking at the sky (as one does) and saw a dragonfly and a large bee in an aerial encounter for a second or so, zig-zagging a few inches away from each other, face-to-face, a couple times. So that made my afternoon.

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Memento (spooky) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

do not learn a new skill at work unless you want to spend all morning doing that new skill for others

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