iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 7h

I don't have a favorite NHL team right now so I root for players and storylines. A story I'll be watching is what happens with Shane Wright (no relation). He holds the single season NHL records for goals and points by a Wright and he's halfway to catching Tyler Wright for career goals and points.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Higher ed folks- is there an easy way to look up a researcher's career grant awards and federal funding amounts?

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The only thing I miss about Twitter is hockey Twitter. Hockey Bluesky is struggling.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

What's crazier? That the Thrashers were sold to Winnipeg for $110 million and are now worth $1.52 billion, or that there are 30 other NHL teams worth more than $1.5 billion, ranking the Jets second -last in the league (a few million dollars ahead of Columbus).

nytimes.com

NHL team values keep soaring, average franchise now worth $2.43 billion

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

When a $2.9 million house goes up for sale on PEI you try to figure out who owns it (property records on PEI are very opaque). Based on the hockey memorabilia in photo 41 I have a pretty good guess.

realtor.ca

Check out this listing

386 Campbells Shore Rd, Chelton, Prince Edward Island C0B1X0

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Wife: "Can you drop this off at a post office for me? It needs tracking." Me: "Sure. What is it?" Wife: "Kidney stones I removed from a dog yesterday."

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I'm spending a day in Boone, NC next week. Where should we eat? 2 adults, 2 teens.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

My kid decided he was going to take the SAT with zero prep. No practices, no review, nothing, aside from.the PSAT in school last year. He wanted to get a baseline and he'll take it again. I'm just along for the ride.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This little guy is a trooper. He had an inner ear polyp that decimated his ear and was heading to his brain. UGA surgeons couldn't find any prior cases of it in a cat his age. He's an original. Maybe he'll be in a journal article.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I've been hoping for a third group to come out of the woodwork. According to this story Anson Carter has a new group and is looking for a new location. My dream location would within a mile of 285 between Cobb Parkway and 85. By the Battery (Pennant Park?) or Perimeter Mall would be ideal.

espn.com

NHL in talks with third group about interest in adding expansion team in Atlanta

The NHL is in talks with a third group seeking to bring an expansion team to Atlanta, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN on Wednesday.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

It's a very weird thing to see all of the back to school Facebook posts from my Canadian friends when my kids are 7 more school days shy of their fall break.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

@jenmercieca.bsky.social My 16 yr old has to write something for a Lit class explaining what rhetoric is so I dig out my college textbooks from the 1990s. Now he can't decide if rhetoric does/should involve truth or not. I'm resisting the urge to explain the Sophists to him.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Being a relatively new transplant to the South from Canada, I did not consult a college football schedule before we set our wedding date for 20 years ago today. Our reception as at Park Tavern in Midtown. 3 miles away Georgia Tech hosted Notre Dame. Apparently it took some guests hours to get home.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Another story about the prospect of the NHL returning to Atlanta with no mention of who the owner(s) would be. And it's very odd that after the Alpharetta vote there was no statement from a hopeful owner about how important the vote was. I want a team here. This isn't giving me confidence.

ajc.com

Alpharetta asked whether an NHL arena is feasible. Here is the report.

The city last year commissioned a study to test the ice, evaluating the economic viability of placing a 20,000-seat NHL arena at North Point Mall. How realistic is the study?

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I'm at a HS volleyball game and they're having a vertical jump contest between matches. Back in the day Thrashers prospect Chad Denny showed up at prospect camp with something like a 48 inch vertical. He was an athletic freak. Now he's a teacher at a traditional Mi'kmaw school in New Brunswick.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I didn't expect to see a Saskatchewan Roughriders T-shirt being worn at a suburban Atlanta Costco today. Of course I talked to him.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Does anyone have lunch recommendations for Athens (Georgia)? It's been 20 years since my wife lived here and she was a broke grad student back then.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I have 3 hours to kill in Athens while UGA scans my cat. Any suggestions?

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Alpharetta approved the plan to redevelop Northpoint Mall and build an NHL arena. It doesn't guarantee a team but a failed vote would have been a huge obstacle. No comment so far from anyone looking to bring a team to the area, which seems odd.

wsbtv.com

North Point Mall: Plan for hockey arena, entertainment district approved

One of the main goals? To bring an NHL team back to the metro area

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Did anyone try the CFA chicken and waffles breakfast or lunch sandwich today? Thoughts?

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

My kids (16yr old boy and 14 yr old girl) are in the target demo for this. Their comments: Chewie for GB makes no sense but the shirt slaps. Why did ATL get the only inanimate character? Why aren't there more female characters? Disney is built on princesses. No Cars? Generally they approve.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Tonight Alpharetta City Council is voting on the redevelopment proposal that includes an NHL arena at Northpoint Mall. A yes vote doesn't guarantee an NHL team in the Atlanta suburbs but it's a necessary step. A no vote would be a major setback for Anson Carter's group.

wsbtv.com

Alpharetta to vote on North Point Mall redevelopment plans

The Alpharetta City Council will vote to make, or reject, a large development project that could change the athletic landscape of the metro area.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

When you think about it, the percentage of heroes who wear capes is pretty small.

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Reposted by Ben Wright

Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

This isn't the first time the USA has placed 50% tariffs on Canada. In 1890, the USA's Tariff Act was touted as a way to build up American industry, but the true goal was forcing the annexation of Canada. It backfired and made Canada stronger. This is the story. 📸 LoC 🧵1/10

Political cartoon criticizing the Republican platform for favoring untaxed whiskey (jug labeled "Untaxed Whiskey 20¢ Gal.") while presenting war‑taxed common cloth with an 89% tariff, highlighting perceived hypocrisy.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Nova Scotians are good people, and I'm not just saying that because my mother is from Halifax.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I was living in Ottawa when the blackout happened and I'm struggling to remember what I did to keep myself entertained, or fed. I do remember going for a walk past the Russian embassy around the corner in Sandy Hill. They had armed guards on the roof and spotlights running off of generators.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

@jeffmarek.bsky.social @wyshynski.bsky.social Let me know if you ever want some Buff and Ladd stories. I'm easy to get a hold of. If we don't get Thrashers 2.0 my leasing contender is Georgia Copperheads. We need snakes in the NHL.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I have things to do so naturally I spent a bunch of time cleaning out my over capacity Dropbox account and came across the audio of Slava Kozlov's 2010 Thrashers locker room cleanout day interview. He went scorched earth on the coaching staff. They got fired the next day and Slava went to the KHL.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The plan to build a mixed use facility with an NHL arena in Alpharetta has local zoning board approval. City Council will vote on it on August 24. No mention of who would own the hypothetical NHL team, which is the biggest stumbling block (in my opinion). #NHLexpansion

bizjournals.com

Alpharetta board advances North Point Mall redevelopment meant to lure NHL team - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Alpharetta Planning Commission voted 4-3 in favor of Jamestown's plan to redevelop a struggling shopping mall into a mixed-use district.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Long distance relationships are hard, expensive, and rarely work out. They are mostly a bad idea. You need time together to have a strong relationship. My 20th wedding anniversary is next month. Our relationship was long distance and international for the first 2.5 years.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Could use some more suggestions on this. I'm looking at you @austinlouisray.bsky.social.

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Reposted by Ben Wright

Citizen.Coping @propcazhpm.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Massachusettes "Millionaires Tax", which was targeted to fund transportation and education, has been a resounding success. It has funded FREE school lunch for ALL students, FREE buses in lowest income communities (people can get to work, etc.), and FREE community college. And "exodus" was minimal.

boston.com

Millionaires tax surges past expectations, once again

The voter-approved surtax has sailed past its $2 billion estimate for another year in a row.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Atlanta folks- I'm looking for a good lunch spot on a weekday that's walking distance to Piedmont Park. Any suggestions?

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL) are teasing a "special" press conference on August 20. I don't know what it is, but if you have good news that impacts the on-ice product, you don't usually sit on it for 2 weeks. You just announce it. So it's probably business related.

atlantagladiators.com

Atlanta Gladiators | Save the Date

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Lifting weights with people is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and I wish I'd started before I was in my late 40s. A gym community that celebrates your wins and encourages you to do more than you thought you could is priceless. Also, I hit squat and bench PRs in the last week.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Have you ever had a sandwich from Honey Baked Ham? You should. Is $12 for the club (no sides or drink) a bit pricey? Sure. Will you still be full 5 hours later? Yes.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Today I learned that the Canadian pronunciation and Southern pronunciation of the word "protractor" are not the same.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Maybe I should have cleaned out my bathroom drawers a few years ago.

Bottles with expiration dates from 2019 and 2011.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Listening to @thesheethockey.bsky.social yesterday and he hinted the NHL could be courting the billionaire Hopp family as potential owners. My thoughts: They invest heavily in biotech, which Atlanta and Georgia Tech specialize in. Atlanta has a strong German business community.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

This is the sky over East Cobb and Roswell right now, and it's been doing this for at least 20 minutes nonstop.

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Ben Wright @benwrightatl.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Canadians can hold grudges forever and do not care if their strategy leads to wins as long as they think it's right. Just look at the Toronto Maple Leafs. They still have widespread support despite not having a winning strategy since 1967.

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