iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 9h

By the way, whatever happened to magazines? These little books bear the names of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, TIME, PEOPLE, etc, but they are about Elvis, the Pope, Dolly Parton, or the Grateful Dead. I don't think this drugstore sells ANY actual weekly newsmagazines. How and when did this occur?

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 10h

TIME's Bear Of The Year issue is out! (I hate Disney's rendition of Pooh, but this booklet also has plenty of E H Shepard's canonical illos, so I'll forgive TIME.)

In a drugstore, with counters of tobacco, candy, and magazines in the background, a hand (mine) holds a magazine. Or is it a book, shaped like a magazine? It is entitled "TIME Special Edition: Winnie the Pooh, A Bear Like No Other." The cover has the bold red edges that are TIME magazine's trademark. Framed within is a photograph of a yellowish stuffed bear wearing a red T-shirt. He is sitting. Before him is a honey pot shaped like a beehive, or perhaps it is a toy beehive. Other text reads "100 years of heart and honey; Life in the Hundred Acre Wood; Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Roo; friends in adventure and delight." This thing cost fourteen dollars. Photo copyright 2026 by William S. Higgins. Magazine copyright 2026 by Time, Inc. Winnie-the-Pooh himself is out of copyright. His first literary appearance in 1926 has fallen into the public domain.

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 16h

Randall Munroe (@xkcd.com) today, in XKCD #3306, once again steps into the realm of accelerator #physics.🧪 Indeed, he publishes his own version of our own beloved Livingston Curve. Long ago, M. Stanley Livingston plotted the exponentially rising progress of particle accelerators. Munroe's Curve:

xkcd.com

Accelerator Energies

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Luke Bones 🦴🦴 @lukemeister.bsky.social · 21h

They're good planets Brent Name them by SI prefixes of their mass in kg Sun: quettaplanet Jupiter: ronnaplanet Earth: yottaplanet Ceres: zettaplanet Comet 67P: teraplanet Chelyabinsk bolide: megaplanet Zodiacal dust: picoplanets-nanoplanets

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Chad Orzel @orzelc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

(If I were these guys, I might consider a charitable donation to help the Nobel Foundation hire a more flattering sketch artist...)

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Mike Feher @saxmike71.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I regret to report a coup d'état in Peoria, Illinois. Where University Street meets Forrest Hill Ave, the southeast corner holds INSURANCE KING and ROYAL VAPE; PAWN KING's on the northeast corner, and, visible half a block northward, BURGER KING. PAWN KING's gone, CASH AMERICA's now in his place.

Street scene. At left, a modest building with a red and blue sign proclaiming "Insurance King, Low-Cost Insurance." At right, another modest building whose sign, in yellow letters of a hard-to-read font, says "Royal Vape." The address is 1214 West Forrest Hill Avenue in Peoria, Illinois. Google Street View image captured June 2026. Photo copyright 2026 by Google.

Street scene. A white storefront with blue trim. A sign proclaims in red letters "Pawn King." The address is 3099 North University Street in Peoria, Illinois. Google Street View image captured June 2026. Photo copyright 2026 by Google.

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Reina Hardy @reina.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I need a good toddler book about the periodic table of the elements STAT. My two year old just learned all the symbols in the Moon and Serpent Magical alphabet for some reason and is even using them in rudimentary spells. I need to distract him.

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Congressman Bill Foster @repbillfoster.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

REMINDER: The deadline for the 2026 Congressional App Challenge is October 26! Middle and high school students in Illinois’ 11th District can compete by designing and submitting an innovative app. For more information, visit: foster.house.gov/app-challenge.

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Suzanne Karr Schmidt @drkarrschmidt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Forbidden Newberry Tonight! AND in @chicagotribune.com!

Chicago Tribune paragraph in their What to do in Chicago column today!

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more mr. spice guy @juniorhoncho.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

after the guy who wrote the Alphabet Song died they were cleaning out his place and found more than ten thousand handwritten pages of an unfinished Numbers Song

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⭐ ᗰᗩᖇᛕ ᗩ. ǤᗩᖇᒪIᑕᛕ ⭐ @markgarlick.com · 01/10/2026

Thank you all for likes and comments. Much appreciated. But even more appreciated are RESKEETS. My income has been cut in half by AI and is only going to worse. Some of you have far more followers than I. You can make a difference by just hitting that share button. Please. And thank you.

Illustration of a planetary system in the style of Dutch artist Mondrian.

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70s Sci-Fi Art @70sscifiart.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

In 1959, Forrest J Ackerman commissioned famed science fiction artist Frank R Paul to create a parody of Paul's old Oct 1926 issue of "Amazing Stories." Ackerman had Paul change the title to a pun on his nickname "Forries" & add a century to the publication date... making it the October 2026 issue.

An October 2026 issue of "Amazing Forries" features a guy in a red cloak greeting two aliens that look like giant lobsters with beaks, with a silver tube-like spaceship behind them.

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The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 30/09/2026

5 4 3 2 1 Thunderbirds Are Go! Filmed in VIDECOLOR and SUPERMARIONATION. Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's Thunderbirds started 61 years ago today on ITV. @gerryanderson.bsky.social

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

XKCD #3304 is the SECOND Spacecraft Operations Joke in a week! And, like JUICE's several Earth gravity assist maneuvers, exquisitely timed—appearing on the same day as the (second) flyby. So long, JUICE. See you later! 🛰️🌍🌎🌏

xkcd.com

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

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Landru79 @landru79.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#NASA's #Mars #Perseverance rover Front Left Hazard Avoidance Camera (Hazcam) Sol 1981 1987 1992 mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mul... NASA/JPL-Caltech/j. Roger

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Gene J. Mikulka @genejm1017.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Just a reminder...at 3:00 PM EDT Today (9/28/2026), NASA and Boeing leadership will discuss the Starliner spacecraft’s development and plans for regular crew flights to and from the International Space Station. Watch at the link below: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9ep...

youtube.com

Space Station Operations Update (Sept. 28, 2026)

YouTube video by NASA

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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 28/09/2026

Juice used the gravity of our home planet to alter its route to Jupiter using very little fuel. The flyby deflected Juice by an angle of 20° compared to its pre-flyby path and increased its velocity by 3.5 km/s. 🔭 🧪

Infographic showing Juice's flight past Earth with a dotted orange line. Key timings are indicated, including the start of the flyby navigation campaign (17 August), the closest approach to Earth (28 September) and the farewell images of Earth (2 October). Some of the line is bold yellow, a key indicates that this means that Juice's science instruments are switched on.

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Ben Gross @bhgross144.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

(taps microphone) Are there any #humanities scholars in the audience? Interested in learning more about @ransomcenter.bsky.social's 2027-28 fellowships? Tune into our online information session from 10-11 AM, CDT on Friday, October 9. Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/0fb438... 🗃️📜📚

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"Moon car" Balbalis' interior art for Willy Ley's popular science article "For Your Information: How to Get Around on Other Planets" in Galaxy Science Fiction (August 1958) #scifi #sciencefiction

A long tube with four large wheels and a further 5th wheel out front. There's a canopy over the top of the passenger cylinder. It rolls through the lunar landscape.

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Harry McCracken @harrymccracken.com · 26/09/2026

First time I’ve seen public signage establishing rights for robots over humans.

Red and white "No Stopping Except Authorized Autonomous Vehicles" sign at night near San Francisco airport.

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Luke Bones 🦴🦴 @lukemeister.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If we all gave to save the grave of the man with a wave, we could have a rave!

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👻 Saavik ‘Spooky Season’ Ford 🎃 @saavikford.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Hey folks—this is doing really well—more than 90% raised!!! But they aren’t there yet! Can you help save the grave of the man who 1st recognized light is an electromagnetic wave??? It’s more than a little shocking this is down to private fundraising, but with your help, it will get done!!!

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Jason Hutt @jthutt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

End of a chapter.

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Jason Hutt @jthutt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Packing up and moving out of my old Orion office. It’s tradition here to get a going away picture signed by the team you’re leaving. Next one will be from Artemis II

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If there's any kind of @xkcd.com joke I enjoy as much as a Particle Physics Joke, it's a Spacecraft Operations Joke! xkcd.com/3302/

xkcd.com

Voyager Instruments

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Sarah Tuttle @niais.cryptoanarchy.network · 25/09/2026

Hey y'all. Sunspot Observatory in New Mexico is being closed and decommissioned. Disappointed and broken hearted. But? Their excellent gift shop is selling everything off at 50% off. nmsusunspotsolarobservatory.company.site/products Make sure to use the code. (And if you like Deneen mugs...)

nmsusunspotsolarobservatory.company.site

Products — NMSU/Sunspot Solar Observatory

Welcome to the Sunspot Solar Observatory shop where you will find unique astronomy themed gifts.

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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 25/09/2026

In celebration of #WorldMaritimeDay, let's remember our first-ever research vessel, Atlantis! From 1931-1966, Atlantis helped researchers investigate the secrets of the ocean. The legacy continues with today’s R/V Atlantis, the support ship for deep sea sub Alvin!

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Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Colln, UGA Libraries @brownmediaarchives.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

There are already Blessed Fulton Sheen icons, tshirts, stained glass images, etc., for sale on Etsy, but who will be the maker who sells boxes of chalk with this television icon's image on them?

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Beatification unlocked— Pope Leo: “We…by our apostolic authority, grant the faculty that the Venerable Servant of God Fulton John Sheen…a tireless preacher of the Gospel through the modern means of communication and a diligent shepherd animated by missionary zeal, may henceforth be called Blessed…"

New portrait of Catholic priest Blessed Fulton John Sheen (1895-1979) unveiled at his beatification ceremony on 24 September 2026. He is a smiling man with white hair and pale skin. He wears a Roman collar, black cassock, and items denoting a bishop, including a wide red belt-like fascia around his waist, a large cross on a chain around his neck, and a red cape. He holds a piece of chalk in his hand, as though ready to write. He came to prominence as a U.S. TV personality in the 1950s, illustrating his preaching by writing or drawing on a chalkboard. I do not yet know the name of the artist, but when l find out I will post a note later in this thread.

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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops @usccbofficial.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today the Church celebrates Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. Through radio, television, and a life of prayer, he brought the Gospel into millions of homes. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us.

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Ben Gross @bhgross144.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Exciting news from Cambridge, where the long-lost, original model of the USS Enterprise is about to go on display at the MIT Museum! (This is the one featured in the opening credits, not the larger studio model at the Smithsonian.) Details: mitmuseum.mit.edu/announcement... #StarTrek #scifi 🗃️📜🖖

The rediscovered original 33” model of the Starship Enterprise prior to restoration. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions/HA.com.

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Caption to art reads: “An imaginary astronaut's view of the Didymos and Dimorphos asteroids” but SHOULD read: “An imaginary astronaut's view of the Didymos and Dimorphos asteroids, as reflected in the visor of another imaginary astronaut.”

esa.int

A hitchhiker’s guide to Hera’s target asteroids

Currently speeding through deep space at 12 km/s relative to Earth, ESA’s Hera spacecraft is due to reach its target Dimorphos asteroid this November. But if an astronaut were magically teleported ont...

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I thought this *had* to be fake. But you can see the [insert polite word for "moron"] Tuberville ACTUALLY SAYING this, in Congressional Record: www.govinfo.gov/link/crec/la... This guy is running against Doug Jones for governor. God save Alabama. fallows.substack.com/p/running-as...

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John Garrison Marks @johngmarks.com · 23/09/2026

I hear the heads on all the statues in the Garden of American Heroes are going to tilt back and machine guns are going to pop out of them. Headless James Fenimore Cooper and Kobe Bryant just mowing people down.

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Gideon Marcus (he/him) @gideonmarcus.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It costs pennies to continue the mission, billions to bring it back... Help keep it going! c.org/BF6g7QbWp7

c.org

Sign the Petition

Heliophysics Community Support for Continued Measurements by NASA’s New Horizons Mission

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The saga of salvaging the rocket-turned-boat Starship 40 Continues. Youtuber shipping expert @mercoglianos.bsky.social comments on portions of a SpaceX video that give excellent views of the process. Well worth your while, if you’re curious!

youtu.be

Salvaging Starship 40: What SpaceX's New Footage Reveals

YouTube video by What's Going on With Shipping?

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ErickSoares3 @ericksoares3.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

@beamjockey.bsky.social Returning here after two years because, a few days ago, I've added a new text by him on Wikisource: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Chicago...

en.wikisource.org

Chicago Sunday Herald/1917/03/25/10,000 Aeroplanes to Protect the Monroe Doctrine - Wikisource, the free online library

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The other day, I was looking for "The Sound of Science Fiction," a blog entry I'd posted in 2007. Google was not very helpful, but I dredged my blog's archive and finally found it. So I'm linking to it here. It may sound like science fiction, but it's not. beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/56321.html

beamjockey.dreamwidth.org

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I don't watch a lot of TV news, but I sure hope the news channels are making hay out of "Secretary Bessent asserts (smugly) that Robert Oppenheimer was NOT a physicist." Perhaps interviewing a Historian of Science. Or, better, a Sixth Grader Who Has Learned How To Use An Encyclopedia. #HistSci

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Harry McCracken @harrymccracken.com · 21/09/2026

I forgot to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Bullwinkle statue yesterday. Here’s my 2021 article about it. It’s pretty definitive! harrymccracken.com/blog/2021/09/18/…

harrymccracken.com

The Moose and the Showgirl

The life and times of the Bullwinkle statue, 1961-2021

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

TV series pitch: A colorful character is curator of a major city's planetarium/observatory/museum, but also helps an attractive police detective solve astronomical crimes. 🔭🚓

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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey @beamjockey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Bjo Trimble just smashed a bottle of champagne on the bow to dedicate the (newly restored) shuttlecraft GALILEO. Over the years, Mike Glyer's FILE 770 has kept tabs on the fluctuating fortunes of the vintage #StarTrek prop. See the link.

file770.com

Bjo Helps Dedicate Galileo Shuttle’s New Home

Seated: Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Bjo Trimble. Bjo Trimble joined several Trek cast members at Trekonderoga Weekend to christen the USS Galileo’s new home at the Star Trek Tour Set in Ticonder…

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James Davis Nicoll @jdnicoll.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The Market Square winter death-trap is where I discovered I can recognize the sound of ice sliding off the roof fast enough to flip my hood up and get my library book above my head. No, I don't know why a Canadian mall would have a roof that routinely sheds ice.

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Liz @atliz.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The best part is that arrogant smirk as he confidently beclowns himself.

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Christopher De Vries @unnecessary.tech · 20/09/2026

Bessent essentially makes Representative Foster’s point with his incompetent assertion that Oppenheimer was not a physicist. Foster also happens to be a physicist. youtu.be/PIwWsHy9RfE?...

youtu.be

Bessent: “Robert Oppenheimer was not a physicist...”

YouTube video by American Bridge 21st Century

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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I have an orphaned encyclopedia volume which lost the rest of its set, so perfect to use for book history. How did this lonely volume E end up alone? We will never known.

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Kip Williams sort of @kipwilliams.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Too many people confuse sentence completion with complete sentience.

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