iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 02/10/2026

Post something random, or you’ll have an awful October.

Avery Brooks (many happy returns today!) starring in “Far Beyond The Stars”, dialogue: “No. I’m tired of being calm. Calm never got me a damn thing.”

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 02/10/2026

I finished the draft of the keepers guide yesterday.

An intertitle with decorative starlight color (Cosmic Latte) text on deep eigengrau black. It reads: Barzai Expanse — 5447 THV. Humanity is free of war, poverty, and racism. Only the limits of imagination stand before us. STARS ARE NOW ETERNAL

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 28/09/2026

I’m SO CLOSE to finishing a comprehensive draft of this book. It ranges from space opera, Martin Luther King, and xenophobic bad guys all the way to how to make a galaxy with a deck of cards. Two more days until I call time on this draft, tuck away the loose strands and send it out for comments.

The cover of Stars Eternal, Perilous New Journeys.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 01/09/2026

Preview looks weird. Here are the covers of JDR and PNJ.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 09/08/2026

Been working on something

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 23/07/2026

Making a thing to help me make more things

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 30/05/2026

Writing the game, making the game. The Living Starlight is the game’s “escape the prison star” scenario, asking questions that resonate with current events, like ‘is there some way we could get tf out of here’

Star Trek Animated Series title card (a rocky, crater-marked aqua green moon over a painterly starfield, with the title: The Living Starlight

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 07/02/2026

Hygge has entered the chat

A cozy looking great big mug of hot chocolate, on a lazy Susan. She is doing her best.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 24/11/2025

Dropping Friday! First edition! Habros.itch.io/stars-eternal — a love letter to sci-fi, fandom, and the conviction that a better world is possible.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 12/11/2025

A personal Life List 💗 When Barzai decamped to Illinois, the Aurora Borealis was the absolute top of the list for what I wanted to see. I am so thrilled I lived to see it with my own eyes. (Here’s a picture)

Aurora Borealis over some tall suburban shrubs. An upstairs light is on.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 12/10/2025

Barzai Field Expedition 002 in the books. We are convening again next month.

Isis Rodriguez
(b. 1964, California; active in Guanajuato)
Remembering María Sabina (Recordando a María Sabina)
2019

A black street dog is huddled in a crate in an alley. The crate is also serving as a túmulo, part of an ofrenda on which sits a falsa blanket reminiscent of the Mexican tricolor, a candles, flowers, and other offerings before the painted image of an elderly woman (María Sabina). Next to the ofrenda is another candle and a smoking bowl of incense.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 09/10/2025

Only Murders TIME! (Homeric Greek pun.) The actor (presumably having been lied to) distinctly pronounces *metropoloi 🤢. The subtitles have it right! I see you Subtitle Person!

“On this planet amid the metropoleis,” says the subtitle of OMITB 5x7, a drone shot over an autumn NY(?) rural highway with a few squat farm houses and the turning leaves over still-summery green fields

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 09/10/2025

“The girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa”

Luke and Leia try to stay warm on the Ice Planet of Hoth with some normal family time. Luke has a gloved hand around his sister’s waist, while she pushes the hair back over his ear and leans in to whisper some kind of secret maybe?

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 06/10/2025

Holy shit, do I know people like this

Screenshot of a tweet: ≥ Reposted by David M. Perry
Erin Biba •@erinbiba.bsky.social • 4h
→ Replied to Erin Biba
Bluesky Elder
Diggs literally DESPISED the "everybody eats" mentality of the team. He wanted to be the only guy to ever get the ball.
Completely against our ethos. Absolute vibe killer.
• 21

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 03/10/2025

Friday afternoon creativity: creating the character sheet and pregens for Stars Eternal TTRPG. I’ll be running this at Gamehole Con in two weeks! Very exciting - only two seats left.

A tabletop RPG character sheet in the form of a draft printout. The Knowledge stat is abbreviated N-L-J.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 02/10/2025

Person in the comments pointing out this pledge is totally broken because there are no licenses currently available, at all. I use Adobe at work but Affinity for side projects…well, at least I’m locked in. I’m at least glad I can keep what I paid for.

1/4
Four pledges to the community.
1
FAIR PRICING
Perpetual licenses will always be offered and we will always price
Affinity fairly and affordably.
Canva
AFFINITY

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 02/10/2025

The Intersection Project that Barzai Observatory is now working on — currently just a handful of us — is to build a 3rd Space for antiracist lifelong learning and development of intersectional allies. We are committed to solidarity!

So, I'm writing today to make the case for multiracial and multi-ethnic solidarity. By examining how white supremacists policies have weaponized the law to restrict Black and brown people's ability to be full and free citizens of this nation, I hope you'll see why it is crucial — especially for anyone committed to human rights — to set aside political games and prejudices and link arms for liberation.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 24/09/2025

Same and same (mutatis mutandis). It’s important to disrupt the flow — If you can say about 10-25% of white folks get it (Maybe™️), and Trump’s never fallen below mid-30s% (almost all white), — the question is how do we grow the white Movement base, not how do we make more wallflowers.

Unidentified poll: the salient part is that white men voted 38% for Harris, 60% Trump, while Black women voted 92%/7%. The graphic provides breakouts by Latino, Black, white, everyone else; men vs women, and which way they voted, but is unattributed and undated.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 20/09/2025

Post a female character whom you love!

Major Kira Nerys from Deep Space 9 says: Everyone has their reasons. That's what's so frightening.
People can find a way to justify any action, no matter how evil..
...YOU CAN'T JUDGE PEOPLE BY WHAT THEY THINK OR SAY, ONLY BY WHAT THEY DO.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 19/09/2025

Show me a picture on your phone that has your energy. Not a selfie.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 14/09/2025

Barzai did our first Away Team trip out yesterday. I’m thrilled with how it went, and also thrilled with another milestone in place. The monthly Trip programming is now running, so it’s on to the next part — getting the Small Group project up and running. Step by step, piece by piece.

A peahen we met on the first Field Trip of the season. She is brown and feathery, with a little white head and black eye streaks, standing proudly atop a picnic bench.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 12/09/2025

If you can believe it, it’s Friday ONCE AGAIN

Drawing of David Lynch with pale all white eyes in front of alternating black and white chevron pattern. Face is blue. Caption is a quote from DL: FIX YOUR HEARTS OR DIE

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 05/09/2025

The Dem caucus wants an objective win of some type (We saved healthcare!), and even more they want to preserve the old two party system. That’s where this point is exactly right. They’re trying to hold together the old (corrupt) status quo, which is /not/ the same as fighting for democracy.

Screenshot of article: It's the deep-seated belief among independents and Democratic voters that Democrats are weak and feckless; their nominal positions don't matter because they're either unwilling or unable to fight for them.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 04/09/2025

Paramount does not deserve Star Trek any more.

Dr T’Ana, Medical Caitian, hissing and spitting even though she’s wearing a Starfleet uniform

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 31/08/2025

Post a random picture or else everything will go bad in September.

A photograph of the brick exterior of STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT VISITOR CENTER. There’s a purple neon sign in the window reading:
IN THE NAME OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE ME, I PLEDGE TO BE BRAVE, TO BE TRUE TO MYSELF, AND TO FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR EQUALITY.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 24/08/2025

Repost with a group you’d love to hang out with

People flying all over the place in jet packs, in what appears to be a 1970s concept of an orbital habitat, with a LOT of International style buildings, wooden walkways, and green ferns and trees everywhere.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 24/08/2025

“I don’t care what anyone says, I like that movie”

Section 31 poster featuring Michelle Yeoh in leather on a throne and her boot up on what appears to be a dead space ruffian.

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 07/08/2025

I accidentally latched onto this movie as a teen and I love it to this day. You might enjoy perusing the subject on tumblr

sailorsally
Follow
.••
they put the palest twink with the bluest ocean eyes and self preservation instinct of a moth flying right into the porch lamp in the fucking Arabian desert, gave him a dark mysterious boyfriend of a foil and made him go thru trials and tribulations of biblical caliber and by god the dunes were endless and the cinema was absolute.
#Lawrence of Arabia #the Film of all time #absolute cinema #cinema #peter o'toole #Omar Sharif #David lean
63 notes

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 25/07/2025

"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - George Orwell, 1984

Its a picture of George Orwell, next to a quote from 1984: "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 23/07/2025

OMG IT IS HAPPENING I NEED TO SELECT ONE NOTEBOOK I ALREADY OWN AND THEN USE IT FOR ONE THING ONLY I would like to thank all ::earpiece:: ah yes duty calls

Red, blue, cream LCARS graphic from Star Trek indicating “ALERT: CONDITION RED”

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 09/07/2025

Visiting Tucson again from the Chicago area…enjoying a proper hot dog for the first time in a while. 🤤

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 24/06/2025

“Pls don’t say I knelt before Zod”

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 24/06/2025

If you see this, post an image you saved because it made you laugh.

A black and white meme of two hippos under a full moon. It says: “inside you there are two moo dengs
this one bites people
so does this one
bite the people”

Moo deng is a cute baby hippo, photoshopped in twice, she looks wet and angry and chubby and cute

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 10/05/2025

I just realized something incredible

We have the exact same amazing glasses - rose colored square with rhinestones on

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Eric L-M Shuman @barzai.com · 07/04/2025

I too long to have my keys taken away but alas, this is a job for self-described Not All Men to clean up on behalf of the apparently ~100% of men who need to do better.

A line drawing of a horse smoking a cigarette and wearing a blanket that says “Don’t Give Up - You Can Cuss - The Whole Time - Just Don’t Give Up”

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