iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Here's the money quote from the article. Note what it says: The university claims an operating deficit of $1.7bn, but ONLY IF you don't count all of the revenue the University actually received, including state and federal appropriations. If you include those, the University was REVENUE POSITIVE.

Between fiscal years 2024 and 2025, the university’s operating loss increased by $76.9 million, or 4.9%, to $1.7 billion. But with state and federal appropriations, gifts and other nonoperating revenue factored in, the university ran surpluses of hundreds of thousands of dollars that increased over that period.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

In true Minnesota fashion, my 6YO just took every piece of cheddar but one, and when I suggested 6YO take it, replied, “I don’t want to.”

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

$4.40/gal Evelyn Normielib is real, and she is coming.

A gas sale display showing 8.2 gallons and a total cost of $36.15

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Nine *games* on the other hand… Every single one of these is a masterpiece. If my Philosophy in/and/of Video Games course gets approved, I'm teaching three of these (Witness, Celeste, and Unpacking, though I'd *love* to teach FFVI).

A 3x3 grid of nine video games. They are, in order from top left, The Witness, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Kirby's Adventure, Celeste, Perfect Dark, Unpacking, Dragon Warrior III, and Super Metroid.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Nine Anime? God, I'm so fucking basic.

Nine anime posters in a 3x3 grid. They are, from top left, Akira, Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Voltron, Gundam, My Favorite Fairy Tales, Attack on Titan, and Evangelion

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A message for all of you with your Sonic the Hedgehogs and Ecco the Dolphins and Shining Force IIs and Metal Gear Solids and Donkey Kong 64s… Do not cite the Deep Magic to me. I was there when it was written.

A screenshot of Atari Bowling for the Atari 2600. A pixelated blob on the left is facing a triangle of ten dots on the right that are supposed to represent bowling pins.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Whole lotta this In the Discourse tonight:

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today's Wile E. Coyote, from Michel Foucault's "The meaning and evolution of the word parrhesia":

Wile E. Coyote in a conference room imploringly pointing to a sign that says, "In parrhesia, telling the truth is regarded as a duty"

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

When people ask, “Yes, Jake, but what would you *do* with tenure?” 1/ONE HUNDRED(!)

A thread from Kevin Kruse roasting JD Vance’s appearance in a photograph where he looks like a total dope. “My man looks like a Teddy Rustin doll programmed by the Heritage Foundation”

It is the first in a ONE HUNDRED POST thread.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Trumpodile is back, folks!

A crude drawing of a crocodile where the mouth is Trump’s decreasing popularity in graph form.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This semester, I'm uploading a new image for my Ethics Canvas thumbnail for every class. Each one is Wile E. Coyote holding a sign quoting the day's readings. I can't do today's reading because it's the first day, but here's what it would be, from Moro's "Against cop shit."

Wile E. Coyote looking annoyed and sitting in a conference room. He is holding up a sign that says "In conclusion: expel cop shit from your classrooms; expel cop shit from your hearts."

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Neil Patrick Harris's uniform in Starship Troopers JUST IS a Waffen SS uniform. Like, Verhoeven did that on purpose because he was making a movie where all the main characters were Space Nazis.

Neil Patrick Harris wearing a Waffen SS uniform… but in SPACE

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Never a bad time to post this all-timer:

The Bubble Bobble start screen, except instead of the normal text, it has a quote from Gramsci: The Old World is dying and the New World struggles to be born! Now is the time of monsters! Good luck!

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Sounds like @dailynous.com needs to do a multi-part series on this classic, which obviously deserves to be in Philosopher's Annual but for the fact that it's not peer reviewed:

A man looking forlornly at himself in the mirror with the text, "DID I JUST ARGUE WITH A JOKE? PART OF A BLUESKY EDUCATIONAL SERIES"

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

One of the fringe benefits of alternative grading is when your University policy requires you to have an extra credit statement on your syllabus, you can put this:

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

23 years ago, I grabbed my Knox College Class of 2003 pint glass, poured myself a beer, sat down at my computer, and made my first student loan payment. Today, I broke out that same glass, poured myself a beer, and celebrated making my LAST student loan payment.

A pint glass filled with beer next to a Busch NA can. The glass says Knox College Class of 2003 in purple letters.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

TECHNICALLY, Rochester was in the path of the partial eclipse (see below). So, uh, here’s my eclipse photo from the Hy Vee parking lot.

A diagram of the partial eclipse in Rochester with the outline of the moon barely touching the sun at about 10:00.

A picture of the sky. The sun is behind a whispy cloud. It’s bright enough that you can’t tell there was a partial eclipse.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I gotta say, @adcouncil.bsky.social… I’m not totally sure how this thread is doing what you say it does.

$NoPianist7807 • 1h Top 1% Commenter I would say Iron Man because it's similar to his classic design and it's a practical suit. 5 Reply &↑ 62 ↓ ... adcouncil Promoted This thread will help you learn the difference between normal aging and Alzheimer's and other dementia. Kmart_Stalin • 1h • Top 1% Commenter I'm split between Iron Man and Daredevil Spider-Man always has a different first suit ：今Reply& 23少 dedjesus1220 • 1h Iron Man, no contest. The other three just threw theirs together, Tony Stark built his in a cave... WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS! In all seriousness, though, Tony actually had to build his first suit. The other three are literally cobbled together out of a thrift store discount day. …今Reply&个12少 Loose-Departure-744 • 52ml \く Idk Peter had to make those moving lenses himenlf That non't ha asci$

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

You have your church, I have mine.

US Bank Stadium set up for SummerSlam. There’s a ring surrounded by seats on the floor level with an angular, Viking themed stage to the right.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Not for nothing, but I had a lovely interaction with some Amy Klobuchar for Governor text volunteers* this afternoon. Probably bots, but that doesn’t make it better.

Text Message • SMS
Today 3:04 PM
Hey Jacob, this is Jayla with the Minnesota DFL. Are you planning to support Amy Klobuchar for Governor and Ben Schierer for Lt. Gov in the Aug. 11 primary election?
Reply AMY to confirm your support.
Text STOP to quit

I would vote for literally anyone else in the DFL before I vote for Klobuchar.

What policy position is holding you back from supporting the Klobuchar/Schierer ticket?

Marco Rubio - AYE
Duffy - AYE
Burgum - AYE
Collins - AYE
Rollins - AYE
Chavez-DeRemer - AYE

What policy position? I'm not voting for anyone who furthers Trump's agenda, especially after he sent armed goons to terrorize our state and murder Minnesotans.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

@adamwitosky.bsky.social speaks the truth. This whole thing is so adorably dopey that I love it in spite of myself.

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò
@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
· 2m
quick question: what the fuck is this

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Corey Rayburn Yung
@coreyryung.bsky.social
· 3m
Why are they dragging the Muppets into this?

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Kieran Healy
@kjhealy.co
· 4m
I was ready to roll my eyes at the idea of a half-time show at a WC final but “Dudamel conducts the Electric Mayhem” is unexpectedly fa—oh wait they’re finished ok now this is shite again

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Dr. Rita Shah
@theritaphd.bsky.social
· 5m
I have def not been paying enough attention to this pointless halftime show because I had no idea the muppets would be there.

Adam Witosky
@adamwitosky.bsky.social
· 5m
Electric Mayhem playing Seven Nation Army renders all of your halftime show complaints invalid.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Never a bad time to post this all-timer:

Landon Donovan looking awkwardly seductive while drinking from a water fountain?

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

White Nationalism could NEVER

Longanisa Cheese Curd
Lumpia
Lumpia City • West side of Liggett St. between Carnes and Judson Avs.
The Filipino spring roll, lumpia, gets the fair treatment with the logical addition of cheese curds in that crispy wrapper. Wisconsin curds are stuffed inside, along with garlic and Filipino longanisa pork sausage. Sweet chili sauce comes on the side for dipping.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion It’s my favorite painting and when I saw it as a kid at the St. Louis Art Museum I was stunned.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

If anyone wants to see some really outstanding amateur photography, check out this thread on Reddit where wrestling fans are posting their favorite photos they took at a show. www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCir... For reference, here are mine:

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

My 9YO got a Lego kit that let you make a video game console with display, and instead of using the suggested screen, 9YO made three screens—one for everyone else in the family and a game they really like. From left to right, Vampire Survivors (me), Forza Horizon 6 (6YO), Balatro (Mom).

Three Lego pixel art pieces that look like video game screens.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

"This is a beautiful country." –John Brown

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

This weekend, I found a complete-in-box copy of the game at a game store, but I couldn't remember what the back of the box looked like. So, I Googled "Xexyz box art." I got what I was looking for, but I also got this AI summary that I didn't ask for:

AI Overview

Xexyz (pronounced "Zek-siz") is a 1989 action-platformer and shoot 'em up hybrid video game developed by Atlus and published by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The Original NES Box Art
The original North American release box is highly recognizable among retro game collectors:
Front Cover: Features futuristic, sci-fi illustration art depicting the main character, Apollo, in his cybernetic combat armor.
Tagline: The box prominently displays the generic marketing tagline, "The Space Action Adventure".
Visual Style: It showcases a heavy 1980s sci-fi anime aesthetic, complete with neon-accented enemy mechanical designs and an outer space background.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

So I encountered a *totally* anodyne series of AI fuck ups that I think (re)illustrates the problem with trusting AI when you don't know, even when AI "cites" its sources. One of my favorite Nintendo games is Xexyz, a 1989 game from Hudson Soft. Here's the box art, which will be important in a sec.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Me being in the room while my wife watches McBee Dynasty:

Stringer Bell asking "Is you makin' a reality show on a criminal fuckin conspiracy?"

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Also, the Gateway Arch exists.

The Gateway Arch towering above the St. Louis skyline

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

For what it’s worth, here’s a photo of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Note the distinct lack of towering, monumental cliffs from which you could carve these Temu Argonath:

Confluence Point, where the Missouri (left) and Mississippi (right) Rivers come together. It’s pretty flat and to the degree that there are cliffs, they’re maybe 30 feet high.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Found these in a dive restaurant across from a Hell’s Angels clubhouse. Look familiar @adamwitosky.bsky.social and @jakejustjake.bsky.social?

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Here’s what the crowd at a real state fair looks like, BTW. Oh, and this is a *sparsely attended* day at the Great Minnesota Get Together.

A crowd at the Minnesota State Fair. Thousands of people on the main thoroughfare.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Me for the next three days…

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

My Fathers Day present came a couple days late but totally worth it: An Xbox controller designed by my kids—and there’s NO DOUBT they designed it. It’s perfect.

An Xbox controller with wild colors all over the place. Purple, orange, green, you name it. Like, I can’t describe how many colors are here.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

LOL. As if existential despair is only PG…

TOY STORY 5
Rated PG for mild peril and existential despair.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Eloy Room, you absolute madlad.

Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room in Orange, getting ready to throw the ball like the absolute GOAT he is.

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

It's been adopted by (among others) the *tremendously* popular luchador El Grande Americano, who is—and I'm not making this up—a German pretending to be an American pretending to be a Mexican and who has genuinely adopted Mexican culture in a really moving way.

A graffiti mural of El Grande Americano in Red and White, holding the Rey de Reyes sword, with a tag that says "Un Mexicano nace donde le da su rechingada gana."

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Jake Wright @bcnjake.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

If there was someone here with a barbecue grilling hot dogs, It would be a literally perfect night.

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