iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

My old commute. Bavaria, January 2017.

Cyclist covered in winter wear on bicycle path cleared of snow.

130

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Some of us needed to have it spelled out.

Still from "The Lion King." A cloud of dust spells out "sex."

040

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I came back from Europe with a suitcase full of vinyl and CDs. My lige has gotten richer since I began rebuilding my collection of music on physical media.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

#UKtoGermany2026, km847: Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt, Und ruhig fließt der Rhein; Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt Im Abendsonnenschein.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

#UKtoGermany2026, km. 645: The source of the Ahr. Irreligiosity aside, I genuinely hold springs to be sacred.

Red bicycle by a spring. Spring is ina wall protected by a grille.

030

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

#UKtoGermany2026, km 484: Brussels. Doing some more WG Sebald tourism. Sebald had some choice insults for Belgium, and gets his digs in in "Austerlitz" & "Rings of Saturn." The Palace of Justice was the epitome of Belgian ugliness, he wrote. #LitWiss

Belgian Palace of Justice. Cavernous entrance dominates.

120

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

#UKtoGermany2026, km. 230: Finally crossing the English Channel.

Cars and cyclists linedup at ferry terminal.

Red bicycle in front of EU sign for France.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

"...es war ein überaus trauriger Augenblick – deckend stand nun Scheibe auf Scheibe – ... ein einstimmiges "Ah" aus aller Munde, und dann Totenstille, es war der Moment, da Gott redete und die Menschen horchten." -Stifter, Die Sonnenfinsternis

Solar eclipse as seen through protective glasses.

000

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Without downloading new pics, what is it like dating you?

Section of reptoduction of Lübecker Totentanz.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

#UKtoGermany2026, Km. 264: Stonehenge and environs. Don't just admire the stones, wander the area, explore the barrows, stop by Woodhenge and Durrington Walls. Knowing that the greater area has been a special place for most of the Holocene makes one feel small.

Heel stone of Stonehenge in foreground, Stonehenge in background.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Had a wonderful two weeks in Cambridge. Now it's time to ride to Germany. #UKtoGermany2026, km. 0.

Foreground cyclist with red bicycle, background King's College, Cambridge.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

#UKCycleTour2026 is done. 2521km total. First order of business will be a shower.

Dirty cyclist with a red bicycle holds helmet aloft. Gothic hall of Kings College Cambridge in background.

140

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

#UKCycleTour2026, Km 2351: Nottingham. An obsession with the Robin Hood legend when I was five might have been an early milestone in the formation of my class consciousness.

Bicycle with statue of Robin Hood about to shoot an arrow.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

#UKCycleTour2026: While you were in a heatwave, I was cold and wet in the Scottish Highlands. But for that the pictures are all the more dramatic.

Red bicycle in foreground, castle on island in background.

Red bicycle with brook, moor in background.

070

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#UKCycleTour2026, km 1297-1409: a rewarding day #cycling the Scottish Highlands.

Red bicycle in foreground, background stream bends. Fields.

Red bicycle in foreground, fields, holls in background.

Stony creek flowing towards viewer, hill in background, fields on both sides.

000

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

#UKCycleTour2026, km 1017: Coastal Northumbria. This is nice.

Red bicycle in front of pasture with a brown cow. The ocean is in the background.

000

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

#UKCycleTour2026: Somerleyton, last of my Sebald "Rings of Saturn" stops. The next tour of the manor isn't until Tuesday, so I can't report on the quails. Hope they're doing better than in August 1992.

Foreground bottom left red bicycle, background 19th century manor in red brick. Square tower to left, clock tower to right.

Somerleyton train station, pair of tracks with brick station building.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

#UKCycleTour2026, km 256: Lowestoft. More Sebald "Rings of Saturn" tourism. Sebald slathers on the melancholy, and pointing out that some of these places are more pleasant than he makes out is cheap. But can report that Lowestoft in 2026 accords with his description in the novel.

Foreground red bicycle with luggage, background Lowestoft Train Station.

Boarded up buildings and low-end businesses on a market street.

110

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

#UKCycleTour2026, km 199: More Sebald Rings of Saturn, the bridge over the Blyth. Sebald connects this bridge to the history of European destabilization of China in the 19th century. The contemporary footbridge replaced the one built for the railway that maybe was meant for the Chinese emperor.

Foreground left red bicycle, background pedestrian causeway over river.

000

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

#UKCycletour2026, km 188, der Sog der Leere. More WG Sebald "Rings of Saturn" tourism to #Dunwich. Dunwich was an important medieval trading port up to 1286, when a catastrophic storm closed the harbor. Over centuries the city was washed to sea by erosion.

Greyfriars Monastery at Dunwich. Ruins in background, cyclist viewed from behind in right.

Last grave of Dunwich. 18th century tombstone in overgrowth.

031

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

#UKCycleTour2026, km. 155: The WG Sebald "Rings of Saturn" portion begins with Orford. The National Trust runs a ferry over twice a week, but timing didn't work for me. Sebald paid a guy off to take him, but the island is a sensitive bird habitat, so I'll content myself with this view.

Red bicycle in foreground, river with boats, island beyond. Pagoda-like structures visible on horizon.

View across river to Orfordness island. Boats to right, abandoned pagoda structures in distance.

030

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

In London, making a few social calls.

040

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Mapping out my #UKCycleTour2026. First leg will hit up some of the spots from W.G. Sebald's "Rings of Saturn:" Orfordness, Dunwich, the Saints, the bridge over the river Blyth, and Somerleyton. #cycling #litwiss

Map with route along the coast of Suffolk from Orford to Lowestoft, then west.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Curséd autorickshaws now plying the streets of #Delhi.

Autorickshaw with livery showing American flag and Donald Trump's glowering official portrait. Text reads "happy birthday America! 250 years old."

110

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Now in rotation: Bhuta's Belgian Blonde. The T-58 yeast gives it a wonderful spice. #Homebrewing

Glass of golden beer next to a beer bottle.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

The cats were definitely interested, and apparently mine aren't the first?

Tortoise shell cat staring attentively from top of futon.

Tortoise shell cat on floor watching attentively.

Cat head from behind in foreground, scene from "Flow" with main character black cat in background.

000

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Can I make it dry-eyed through this movie about a cat in danger? Let's find out.

DVD cover of the film "Flow." Cover art shows wide-eyed black cat in water surrounded by tropical fish.

381

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Now in rotation: Showboat IPA, so named for a very show-offy three-legged cat I met once. #Homebrewing #BilliBräu

Large bottle of beer with tall glass straw-colored beer. Label has portrait of three cats. Trees and building in background.

130

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

In addition to starting with vinyl, I'm Rebuilding my CD collection. Now listening to these recordings of Mahler 5&6. My mother let me have them last fall. It wasn't just these symphonies or recordings, but these specific objects that shaped my musical tastes in my early teens. Glad to have them.

CD covers of Mahler symphony 5 (Claudio Abbado, Chicago Symphony) and Mahler 6 (George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra).

110

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

A present to myself. I'm making good on my renewed commitment to physical media. Max Richter is spinning. A human being sold me this record.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

There's a delegation of Norwegian visitors on campus.

Audrey from "Twin Peaks," grinning after she drove off a delegation of Norwegian visitors by telling them about Laura Palmer's murder.

020

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Now in rotation: Penrod's Pils, premium Czech lager. Just in time for summer. Named for Rotten Penrod, a cat who passed 4 decades ago, but whose disgusting anal habits remain stuff of family lore. #Homebrewing #BilliBräu

Left, glass of golden beer with white head, right bottle of beer. Both sit on balcony railing in late afternoon sun, trees and a school in background.

030

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

New bicycle! Bought myself a hybrid because there's no sense riding my fancy performance machine to the market. Brought it home and the safety inspectors got right to work. #bikesky

Chrome colored hybrid bicycle before a blue wall. A silver bicycle frame hangs on the wall.

Black cat and tortoise shellcat by a bicycle front wheel. Tortoise shell is sniffing the tire.

0141

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Enjoyed the arrival of spring with a cycle tour along the Ganga canal leading to Haridwar. Did some 1857 tourism along the way.

Holding a cup of coffee in foreground, canal in background.

1857 uprising memorial in Meerut. Statue showing two 1850s era sepoy soldiers.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

A colleague and her students organized a "Moby-Dick" readathon. We'll be spending the weekend dorking out. 🐳

Copy of Moby-Dick in foreground, white whale cutout on wall in background.

240

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

All I can think about as I read "Dracula." (Repost with typo corrected)

Buff dog/wimpy dog meme. Buff dog as characters from Dracula. "A wolf burst through my bedroom window, gave my mom a deadly heart attack, and I am turning into a vampire. I will write it all down in lengthy elegant prose!" Wimpy dog as techies. "I need ChatGPT to write happy birthday."

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Me, driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation.

021

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

2025 was a banner year for cycling. I did 12,007km, besting my previous record of 10,800 from 2021.

App data of cycling. Shows bar graph for months, plus total 12,007.6km for the year.

Red bicycle on road in Delhi at 12000km mark.

Map of cycling done around Drlhi and Rajasthan.

Map of cycling done from Germany to Turkey.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

The artistry from the site is incredible.

High reluef lion, low reluef boar on pillar.

010

Alexander R. Phillips @arphillips.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

I did my longest cycle tour by far: #OttomanEmpireTour2025 took me from Germany to Turkey, 5,392km total. Highlights included pedalling past bears on Romania's Transfăgărășan and visiting some of the oldest known human structures at Göbeklitepe and Çatalhöyük.

Red bicycle in foreground, mountain valley in background.

Red bicycle in foreground, salt lake Tuz Gölü in background.

3323