iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Hello, Doha! Swanky hotel? Oh, yes. 🇶🇦 #indoors #travel #photograph #qatar

The image shows an intricate and striking architectural design feature within a hotel. The main focus is a large, angular glass and metal structure that extends upwards, forming an impressive overhead canopy or atrium. The design incorporates a series of intersecting triangular and diamond-shaped panels, creating a dynamic and geometric visual effect. Some of the panels are made of clear glass, allowing natural light to filter through, while others have a metallic, mirrored finish that reflects the surrounding environment. The overall impression is one of modern, sophisticated design that is both aesthetically pleasing and functionally integrated into the building's architecture.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

At Heydar Aliyev Airport. Leaving Baku again for a week on work. Destination: Doha, Qatar.

The image shows a large, dimly lit airport terminal with a high, curved glass ceiling. The terminal is empty, with rows of black leather chairs arranged in the center of the space. The windows on the walls are tall and narrow, and the artificial lighting creates a moody, almost theatrical atmosphere. The overall impression is of a modern, minimalist design with a focus on functionality and efficiency.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Watching "Big Trouble in Little China." Anyone else consider growing a mullet to channel their inner Kurt Russel? Asking for a friend.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

Soviet mural in downtown Baku, #Azerbaijan. The mural commemorates "The Great Patriotic War," a different take on World War II.

A Soviet-era mural on a building wall in Baku, painted in white and beige geometric shapes, depicting stylized figures with upraised hands and a cross symbol, commemorating World War II. The mural is set against a cream-colored building with classical architectural details.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

I greatly appreciated the street art in Tbilisi, Georgia. Lamb's work could be found throughout the city back in 2017. #travel #georgia #streetart

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

A friend was looking for a deal on an Azerbaijani carpet. I tell her, every carpet seller I've met is happy to cut a deal. Everyone gets a "friend price." That song and dance is all part of the game. I admire the dishonesty built into the tradition.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Beyond it being Iggy Pop, I picked up "Brick by Brick" on the Charles Burn cover alone. Icing on the cake: it also features Slash and Duff of Guns n' Roses and Kate Pierson of The B-52's. 🤩

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

The photographer wanted to make .gifs, but couldn't wait 70 years for their invention.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

More quaint warnings from the the 1990s #punk and #hardcore scene. I found this one in Reversal of Man's (1998) "Revolution Summer." The entire insert booklet for this 10" is a work of art. It uses the old zine methods of copy editing.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Tucked inside Catharsis's double-LP "Samsara" (1998), I found this insert promoting an indie publisher. Feels so quaint these days. #hardcore #music #indie #punk

"WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE PLANET, YOU'LL MISS THE SMALL PRESS"

"We're living at a time in history when multinational corporations have become the largest single force in determining the way we live our lives. Not only do they control nearly all areas of commerce & consumption, they also control the flow of information and ideas. Fewer than 10 corporations control most of the global media and it's getting worse with every corporate merger. As these institutions become larger and larger, they control more and more of our lives. They decide what is "newsworthy"... they decide which books get published... they decide which opinions will be voiced. These points of view inevitably support the agendas of those that control these empires. Advertisers manufacture our desires while "news" editors manufacture our consent by regulating the flow of information... information about the health effects of chemicals in our food, the effects of our consumption on the biosphere, and the real cost of the products we buy (in terms of human misery & ecological destruction). These corporations are subsidized by our tax dollars through an elaborate system of corporate welfare. They exist to make a profit for their shareholders. This is their prime directive and it is becoming increasingly evident that they will steamroll anyone or anything in their path in order to meet this objective.

These corporations won't be publishing books on grassroots resistance to U.S. imperialism & war, or be making movies about labor struggles. They won't be reporting on the devastating ecological effects of urban sprawl and a culture based on fossil fuel dependency. This is why the independent press, now more than ever before, is essential to the well-being of a vibrant and original culture of resistance. Indeed it is vital to our very freedom, quality of life and right to honest information. Alternative media (and all small businesses) all over the world are in danger of extinction. Your support is essent…

"TREE OF KNOWLEDGE PRESS"

"Tree of Knowledge is a mailorder distribution & publishing collective struggling to provide the finest in alternative media at affordable prices. We have more than 150 zines, books, and pamphlets focusing on health & social issues, activism, DIY, anarchism, ecology, alternative living, punk/hardcore, youth culture, feminism, veganism, & other forms of intelligent rebellion. We've got zines such as Auto-Free Times, Fucktooth, Contrascience, Icarus Was Right, Inside Front, The Match!, Flavorpak, War Crime, Here Be Dragons, Cooties, Retrogression, Screams From Inside, Dishwasher, Temp Slave, Outpunk, Dwgsht, Femme Flicke, Cometbus, Doris, The Underground Auto Worker, Dwelling Portably, War Crime, Live Wild or Die, Slug & Lettuce, Backseat, & Enobled Mind... plus a good selection of comics (including the entire Migraine Press catalog). We've got books by Emma Goldman, Noam Chomsky, Judi Bari, Graham Purchase, Ward Churchill, Grace Llewellyn, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Raoul Vaneigem, and many other articulate folks. We publish stuff when we can... stuff like The Playground Messiah, a graphic novel by Emily Heiple & Nate Powell about some teenage revolutionaries who inspire an uprising in their high school, or Spectacle Magazine, a journal of ecology, activism, humor, & alternatives & resistance to corporate dominance & destruction of the planet. Our 1999 mailorder catalog is out and is yours for just $1.00 (or some stamps) from the address below. Thanks a lot!"

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Teaching a lesson today, we had an assessment, yet no one-liner defining the objectives. I improvised. I wrote on the board, "Lesson Objective: To develop tools to prepare for an uncertain future." I left it on the board all day. I think we'll revisit it regularly.

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Stephen R Bissette @stephenrbissette.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

As I approached my front door, I heard the Mars Volta coming from inside the apartment. I then walked into a cosmic light show. #unexpected #psychedelic

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

After completing the shorebased course last month, I received my RYA Coastal Skipper & Yachmaster Offshore certificate today. Looking forward to applying those skills this spring. ⛵ #accomplishment

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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 06/01/2025

Features of Adulthood xkcd.com/3034

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

My Master of Science in Business Analytics officially kicks off this week. #quantic #business #analytics #lifelonglearner #stoked

Screenshot from Quantic's MSBA homepage, indicating it's Week 1 of the program.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 05/01/2025

Cleopatra lived closer in time to 'yeet' being in the dictionary than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Early Sunday afternoon near Fountain Square Baku. #Azerbaijan #photos #trees #architecture #winter

A tree-lined sidewalk in downtown Baku, with classical European-style architecture, ornate balconies, and a Boss store. Parallel-parked cars line the street.

Looking up at bare winter trees against a cloudy sky, framing the elaborate balconies and façades of a historic Baku apartment building.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

When seated without a safety belt in the back of a ₼2 Bolt ride share, I see this *all the time.*

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

The view from below inside the Istanbul Airport. #travel #architecture

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

I-guana wish you the happiest of New Years! 🎉 #Florida #nature #wildlife

A green iguana sunbathing on a textured tree branch, its spiky crest silhouetted against blue sky and foliage. Close-up shot showing the reptile's scaly detail.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

A walk through a familiar neighborhood seven years ago. I always look forward to revisiting this street. #BoyntonBeachFL #travel #sunset

A suburban street at sunset with palm trees silhouetted against a dramatic orange and yellow sky. Typical Florida single-story homes line the curved road.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Lunchtime view of the Intracoastal in #BoyntonBeachFL.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

This take I will share with my sixth graders.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Earlier this year, I visited Astana, Kazakhstan. The skyline was breathtaking. #travel #Kazakhstan #architecture

A panoramic view of Astana's modern city center from an elevated position. In the foreground is the neoclassical Kazakh National Opera building with its white columns and grand entrance. Behind it rises the city's distinctive skyline, dominated by the Soviet-style Triumph of Astana building with its spired top. The image shows a mix of modern architecture and green spaces with parking areas visible in the mid-ground.

A closer view of the city's business district showing the iconic curved golden-glass "beer can" tower (officially the Kazakhstan Business Center) and several modern blue-glass skyscrapers. In the foreground is a curved neoclassical building complex that forms part of the city's administrative quarter. The image captures the dramatic contrast between contemporary and traditional architectural styles.

A view looking down one of the city's main boulevards, with modern office towers on the left and a striking white mosque with golden domes on the right. The boulevard is lined with trees and heavy traffic is visible. The image particularly highlights the city's mix of modern architecture with traditional Islamic design elements.

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Nature Nomad @naturecompass.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Breathtaking Aerial Shot of an Alligator 🐊 This stunning photograph captures an alligator gliding through the crystal-clear waters of the Everglades. The water is so clear you can see the alligator's shadow on the bottom of the lake. It's a truly breathtaking photo. 📷 Shelly Collins #Wildlife

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Hard to believe in a time when South Florida public schools were built on the beach. Yet, in the 1930s, that's where the community developed Boynton High School. Images courtesy of the Boynton Beach Historical Society. www.boyntonhistory.org/boynton-high... #BoyntonBeachFL #history #education

A vintage black and white photograph of a large Spanish Colonial or Mediterranean Revival-style building with a central section flanked by two wings. The building features arched entrances, multiple windows, and a tiled roof. Some palm trees are visible on either side, and what appears to be an old car is parked in front. The foreground shows an undeveloped or grassy area.

A vintage black and white photograph showing a row of Spanish or Mediterranean-style houses with palm trees lining the street. The houses appear to be two-story structures with white or light-colored stucco walls and arched architectural details.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

Another closet rummage discovery. In high school, I was fortunate to take a photography class. In the mid-1990s, this class would have predated the ubiquity of digital photography. My parents had kept my portfolio and classwork. We were assigned to take selfies before they were called that.

A contact sheet of black and white photographs showing multiple expressions and poses of a person outdoors. The photos appear to be taken in sequence on Kodak TMX 5052 film. The scene shows a white building and trees in the background, while the subject is seated and goes through various expressions from smiling to contemplative to covering their face. The contact sheet layout shows approximately 15-20 frames arranged in rows, each capturing a slightly different moment or expression. The photos have a warm sepia-like tone and appear to be from a casual, candid photo session.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

Development along the Intracoastal Waterway of Pompano Beach, FL, 2012 and 1989 with 2015 map.

An aerial photograph taken in 2012 of Pompano Beach in Florida. It shows a long strip of high-rise condominiums along the Atlantic Ocean. The Intracoastal Waterway runs parallel to the beach, creating a narrow barrier island. On the west side of the waterway are dense residential neighborhoods with single-family homes. The Atlantic appears deep blue, contrasting with the urban development.

Image courtesy of formulanone. https://flic.kr/p/SujtKZ

An aerial view of a residential waterfront Pompano Beach, Florida neighborhood in 1989. The image shows single-story homes with white roofs along a wide waterway. One property has a visible swimming pool. The photograph has a purple-blue tint and shows a more suburban, less developed area compared to later images.

Photograph taken by Robert M. Overton in 1989. Image archived by the Florida Memory project. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/131760

US Topo 7.5-minute map for Pompano Beach, FL, from the U.S. Geological Survey.
https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Maps/USTopo/PDF/FL/FL_Pompano_Beach_20150804_TM_geo.pdf

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Other finds from my parents' closets: LPs. Let me say, Jethro Tull's turned packaging into an art. We're talking watercolor paintings, pop-up gatefolds, and a newspaper complete with help wanted ads, cartoons, a crossword puzzle, etc. #vinyl

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Darth Putin @darthputinkgb.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

The purpose of propaganda is not to make you believe something. It is to make you believe nothing. So that you do....nothing.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Whenever I visit Florida, I take advantage of walks before dawn. #BoyntonBeachFL

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Mangrove lagoons on the shore and cumulus clouds in the sky. Can't argue with the weather during the #kayaking outing on the Intracoastal Waterway. #JupiterFL

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

This scene has played out in my school's IT Department.

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Edmaps.com @edmapscom.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

History, territories, and ethnic/religious identities: An Ethnographic Map of the Northern Mesopotamia (Iraqi Kurdistan) in the 1920s ("Map compiled according to the ethnographical map submitted by the British Government to the League of Nations in September 1924"). #Kurds #Arabs #Turks #Christians

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(((Tendar))) @tendar.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Azerbaijani government sources have confirmed that Flight 8432 of the Azerbaijan Airlines was shot down by a Russian missile. This was reported by Euronews.

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Rummaging through my parents' closets, I came across a world atlas from the 1960s. Nabbed it. #history #geography #visualization #maps #data

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Planning to kayak today on the Jupiter and Intracoadtal Waterway. Did some background research from Foster's "Paddling South Florida." I want to learn more about this story from Jonathan Dickinson. #JupiterFL #kayaking #history

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Morning walk to the Venetian Bay Village in Naples, FL. Loving the waterfront scenery and the Banyan trees. #NaplesFL #trees

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

I made a dataset from my #ClamPass walk using Claude by @anthropic.com. Uploaded a pic of a board listing species at the park, asked Claude to list the species with several classifications, including conservation status, relationship to the ecosystem, and more. Boom: ecological data. #AI #NaplesFL

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Morning walk through Clam Pass in Naples, Florida. 🌴🌊 #ClamPass #NaplesFL #NatureWalk #FloridaBeaches #Mangroves

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Benj @benjel.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Strolled through the Dogs and Cats Walkway and Sculpture Gardens at Maurice A. Ferré Park in Miami. So many cat sculptures. 😻 #Miami #PublicArt #FerréPark

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