iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 10h

A missed opportunity by NC lawmakers, who could have called this bill "Pleasure at the Pump" to counter "pain at the pump" headlines.

A headline that reads Pain at the pump: NC's top lawmakers announce plan to come back for special session on fuel prices. "Pain at the pump" is a cliche of journalism

A headline that reads Temporary gas tax holiday bill Relief at the Pump signed into law by North Carolina governor

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I've been waiting for a news organization to do "Mitch Watch." The Daily Beast is on it.

A clock counter showing how much time has passed since Senator Mitch McConnell was taken to a hospital and last seen in public

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

A couple of weeks ago, while asking students which social media platforms they use. My style: X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

I inherited this dictionary from my grandmother. It’s on display in my office, but I don’t use it often.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. It’s a big book with a golden-brown cover

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Visiting my parents and catching up on local news.

A newspaper front page. The main headline reads Criminal probe into Sloth World launched

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

"Casting April" by my friend @wendyluwrites.bsky.social. It's a novel for young readers about sixth-grader April Xue "who lives and breathes all things Broadway."

Book cover of Casting April, showing a girl backstage at a theater. She has dark hair and eyes, and she uses a tracheostomy tube to assist her breathe. She is looking at the stage from behind the curtain, where a person dressed as an astronaut is performing in the spotlight.

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

The Daily Tar Heel’s front page marks April Fools’ Day.

A newspaper front page with joke news. The main headline says Hubert Scrambles for Summer Internship with a photo of former basketball coach Hubert Davis

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Stay tuned, snow haters. (You gotta hear both sides.)

An excerpt from a news story about the weather. It ends with "stay tuned, snow lovers"

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Pro-snow bias in local media. My hope is no snow.

This weekend could bring snow to the Triangle, but don’t get your hopes up

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Merry Christmas to family, friends and followers!

Homer Simpson reading a newspaper at the kitchen table. The main headline says “Christmas occurs”

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

When “yes” is the answer to a question headline.

New York Times headline that reads Is Gen X Actually The Greatest Generation?

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

What’s going on with headline writing. From now on, I may add that statement to many that I see.

Newspaper headline that says glitches slow roll out of Raleigh’s water billing system. What’s going on.

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

A lot of learning in today’s sports section.

Headline that reads “what we learned from Duke’s rout of Indiana State”

Headline that says What we’ve learned about UNC women’s basketball through three games

Headline that says UNC basketball rolls past NCCU. What we learned about the Tar Heels

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

That time that I met Sir Purr at a Durham Bulls game and told him that I am a Saints fan

Andy meeting the Carolina Panthers mascot Sir Purr at a baseball game. The mascot has black fur and a shirt with a paw print. Andy is wearing a cap and a T-shirt that says meow

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Canvas at UNC is down thanks to the AWS failure. Any other campuses affected?

A cartoon image of robots repairing a broken rocket

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Rice tips off the season against the College of Biblical Studies.

A schedule for a basketball game listed as Rice versus Biblical Stud

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Friday afternoon in academia: My cat Zazzle and I tuning into the UNC Faculty Council meeting.

A black cat with yellow eyes and a streak of white fur on his head. He is rubbing his face on the corner of a laptop. A meeting of faculty is on the screen

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Google's AI unaware that Venus Williams is indeed playing in the US Open tonight.

AI response from a Google search: "Venus Williams is not participating in the US Open 2025" even as she is

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

A request of news organizations: Please do not use stock images of people looking pained when getting vaccinated. It adds to fear and misinformation.

Photo of a man wincing with eyes closed while getting an injection in his upper arm

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Double rainbow this evening in Durham, NC.

Two rainbows over downtown Durham, North Carolina. In the foreground are a street and brick buildings. A church steeple and parking garage are in the distance

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Happy July 4th to my fellow Americans and my friends abroad.

An old printing press. Above is the slogan “the tyrant’s foe, the people’s friend”

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Flight tracker on Delta prefers “Gulf of America” for the body of water shared by the U.S., Mexico, and other countries.

Map labeling body of water as Gulf of America with Gulf of Mexico in parentheses.

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Yes, Qatar's possible gift of a $400 million jet to the president is an ethical issue, but it's also a legal one. Headlines should say so.

Washington Post headline and summary that cites "ethics experts" saying that the president accepting a gift of a plane would violate the Constitution

New York Times headline: Trump Plan to Acquire Qatari 747 for Air Force One Raises Ethical Issues

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Quote post with a picture of street graffiti on your phone.

The words “don’t panic” in green paint on a sidewalk

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Looks like the Ratliffs signed an NIL deal when they got back to Durham. I assume that a blender is used to make this drink.

A cocktail menu with a drink called Piper Noooo! It’s a reference to a character on the show The White Lotus

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Pollen trickling downhill in downtown Durham amid light rain

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

My first "Signalgate" sighting (via Politico).

A one-word headline from Politico: Signalgate, a reference to a reporter's presence on a group text with government officials discussing an attack in Yemen

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Main library in Durham County, NC. It's also a great place to vote during elections! youtube.com/watch?v=2KIG...

A contemporary building that houses the library in Durham, North Carolina. It has white columns on the first level and grey sides on the upper two floors. It's surrounded by trees and artwork

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Don't you dare turn your eyes away from history, even the awful, scary parts. If you don't watch it with your own eyes, you rely on others to tell you what you saw. We must all bear witness to what's coming.

A woman at a Willy Wonka amusement experience. She is wearing a green wig and brown dress and she appears bored

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

The Simpsons predicted Hot Frosty.

Homer Simpson standing next to a snowman that looks like a muscular younger version of himself

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

This week in living in infamy: a "relentlessly local" news organization describes a campus landmark and a new football coach as "infamous."

A sentence describing football coach Bill Belichick as infamous

A sentence describing the Pit at UNC as infamous. That area of the central campus is known as a gathering spot for gatherings and protests.

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

I still get the Sunday print edition of my local newspaper. Should I keep doing that or take their offer to go digital only?

Email from a newspaper offering a discount subscription if you drop the print edition and go digital only

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Here’s mine, when the UNC AD visited a faculty meeting and someone asked whether a suspended basketball player would play again. It got picked up by USA Today, ESPN and others.

Tweet quoting athletics director saying PJ Hairston will play in some games in the 2013-25 basketball season

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Dear CNN: There is no Department of Government Efficiency, so please don't include it among possible Cabinet nominations in the next administration.

A graphic on CNN's website listing two people to be nominated to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which does not exist

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 24/10/2024

Big thanks to the brilliant @laurapoole.bsky.social, who visited my editing class today. We had a great conversation about building a career as a freelancer. As Laura says, "Be bold!"

Editor Laura Poole, a woman with short hair and eyeglasses, gestures as she talks with a group of students at UNC

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 16/10/2024

Full-page ad by Planned Parenthood in this week’s print edition of The Daily Tar Heel, endorsing Harris for president and Stein for NC governor.

Full-page ad by Planned Parenthood in this week’s print edition of The Daily Tar Heel, endorsing Harris for president and Stein for North Carolina governor

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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 01/10/2024

I’m OK with a broader use of “decimate,” as seen in the opening crawl of The Last Jedi (2017)

Opening crawl of The Last Jedi describing the Republic as decimated

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