iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026

I know jack about plants, and even less about fungi. But we've had a lot of rain here lately, and these shroom bros just appeared on the edge of my lawn. No idea what they are, if they're good for anything, or poisonous, or what. But they're very round and white […] [Original post on jawns.club]

A pair of white-capped mushrooms poke out of a patch of grass. They're a couple of inches tall, and the caps are almost perfectly round.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026

I may have inadvertantly created An Art.

A screenshot of a shared post from Brian MacDonald's Mastodon account. The added text, from Brian, reads "Truer words..." The quoted post, however, is blank, and reads "Post unavailable."

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 28/01/2026

Happy Large Boulder the Size of a Small Boulder Day to all who celebrate!

A screenshot of a social media post from the San Miguel Sheriff dated January 27, 2020. Text reads: "Large boulder the size of a small boulder is completely blocking east-bound lane Highway 145 mm78 at Silverpick Rd. Please use caution and watch for emergency vehicles in the area." The accompanying photograph shows a snowy road winding through mountain peaks. The sky is heavily overcast and snow is falling. There is a snow-covered boulder in the center of the image, about the size of a refrigerator on its side, blocking the right lane of the road. In the foreground is a parked SUV with Sheriff department markings.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2025

Having a deliberately non-productive day.

A smiling blonde woman holds a small three-toed sloth in her arms. The sloth has one hand on her shoulder and is turning around to look at someone off-camera. The text reads "Embrace the Sloth."

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2025

I got a book in the mail! Getting books in the mail is one of my favorite things about the job I used to have, and I'm not sure when it'll happen again. But I now have a complete collection of the works of @vmbrasseur (for now). If you're in FOSS, in tech, or in […] [Original post on jawns.club]

The front cover of "Business Success with Open Source," by VM Brasseur, edited by Adaobi Obi Tulton, published by the Pragmatic Bookshelf. The cover features a row of large, two-pronged metal forks, probably just out of the forge, ranging from bright orange to full red.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 15/07/2025

Translated editions are such cool things, and I'm always excited to see them. But I've never had a physical copy of a translated book that I worked on. Lucky for me, @vmbrasseur is a wonderful, thoughtful human being, and sent me this copy. Thanks!

The cover of the book Forge Your Future with Open Source by VM Brasseur, in its Japanese edition. Like the English version, the cover features a heated piece of iron being shaped into a decorative curl on a mould.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 16/06/2025

Feel like I might be missing some nuance here...

A shipping options form on a store website. The first option reads "Get it by Tomorrow - FREE." The second option says "Scheduled Delivery (Outside) - $79.00. Get it Tomorrow."

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2025

Hike in Portland with #WriteTheDocs on Saturday. This view from Pittock Mansion ain't half bad. Glad we had a nice day for it.

A long distance photo of the Portland skyline taken from Pittock Mansion. I'm the foreground are thick green trees on a downward slope. I'm the middle ground is the skyline of Portland, with a few skyscrapers and a variety of small buildings. In the distance is a line of mountains, although Mount Hood is obscured by clouds. All of this is under a bluish grey sky of puffy clouds.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 26/04/2025

While I was away for a week, my trees apparently decided it was party time. Enjoy this timeline cleanse.

A dogwood tree in a yard of green grass. The branches of the tree are covered in white blossoms.

A crabapple tree on a lawn of green grass. The branches are covered with tiny pink blossoms. A green pine tree is visible in the background.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2025

Help me out, internet: These are the controls on a water dispenser. Red: hot water. Blue: cold water. Green A: ????

The front of a water dispenser with three buttons: a red button with an icon of a mug with steam, a blue bottom with an icon of a water dropper, and a green button with an outline of a glass containing a capital A.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 22/03/2025

Beating that, the large petals are called "shoulder shells." They're shoulder-pad pieces for large-scale buildable figures, like Darth Vader and Boba Fett. But the *best* -- those two small buds? They're single pieces. Specifically, they're white, repainted […] [Original post on jawns.club]

The Demogorgon minifigure from the "Stranger Things" Lego set. It's primarily brown, with painted-on abs and talons on the feet. It holds a pair of three-pronged claw pieces in each hand. The head is a five-lobed piece, painted to represent a red, open maw full of teeth pointing at strange angles.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 22/03/2025

The Lego Botanicals collection is really something. Here's an orchid for your timeline on a Friday night.

The Lego Botanicals Orchid set sits on a wooden table. The full model is about 15 inches high. The base is a cylindrical slate blue pot with vertical ridges. The plant itself consists of several thin green stems, bending and branching at angles to studies organic growth. There are six full blossoms on the branches, with round white portals and pink centers. There are also two smaller blossoms and a few pink buds. At the base are four wide dark green leaves of various shapes, and a couple of light green tendrils reach out of the pot. Loose brown pieces are scattered inside the pot, representing mulch.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 16/03/2025

Seen at the supermarket this morning. Did someone shoplift one egg?

A nearly barren egg display at a supermarket. One carton sits at an angle, with its lid open. The carton contains 11 normal-looking eggs, and one empty spot, farthest from the camera.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 01/02/2025

It took a while, but I managed to complete the D&D minifigures collection. Some pictures: 1. All the heroes from the collection. (l-r): Halfling druid, Elf bard, Aaracokra ranger, Gith warlock, Tiefling sorcerer, Dragonborn paladin, Dwarf barbarian. 2. The […] [Original post on jawns.club]

Seven Lego D&D minifigs stand in a line on black base plates. Left to right:
The Halfling druid has pale skin and a dark green hood with brown antlers attached. His clothes are mostly green. In his right hand is a staff topped with leaves and a flower.
The Elf bard has light skin and white hair. His eyes are closed and his mouth is open. He has a turquoise vest over a white shirt. In his right hand is a brown lute. In his left is a golden rapier.
The Aaracokra ranger has an eagle's head with white feathers. Large white wings sprout from his back, and he holds a brown bow. A small gray dog stands at his side.
The Tiefling sorcerer has orange skin, black hair, and small orange horns. She wears an elaborate purple outfit. She holds a translucent pink piece with three prongs to represent a spell. A small red pseudo-dragon is at her side.
The Gith warlock has yellow skin, facial markings, and black hair. He wears a dark blue and red outfit. In his right hand is a gray dagger. In his left is a long black staff topped with an oversized eyeball.
The Dragonborn paladin has a gold dragon head, and wears silver-grey armor. In his right hand, he holds a mace with a blue handle and a crystalline head. In his is a large shield with an image of a platinum dragon's head on a blue background.
The Dwarf barbarian has dark skin and orange hair, and wears dark red clothes witha large fur collar. In her right hand she holds a double-bladed battle axe. In her left, she holds a flaming torch.

Five Lego D&D minifigs stand in a line on black base plates. From left to right:
The mind flayer is a figure in black robes with a misshapen purple head, and squid tentacles where its mouth should be. By its side is an intellect devourer, which looks like a disembodied brain with little purple feet.
Strahd von Zarovich is a vampire with gray skin and fangs. He wears an elaborate reddish outfit and a black cape. In his right hand is a large sword; in his left is a crystal goblet. A small black rat crouches at his side.
The Lady of Pain wears an elaborate headdress with greenish spikes pointing in multiple directions. her face is entirely hidden by a mask with a flat expression. She wears orange robs, and has an elaborate orange cape divided in four. She stands on a transparent piece to indicates she's actually floating. She holds a cube of some kind, probably a mystical artifact.
Tasha the Witch Queen looks like a young woman with long auburn hair. Her mouth is open, a reference to her "Tasha's Hideous Laughter" spell. She wears a traditional witch's hat in gray. She holds a large brown spellbook in front of her. At her side is a gray cauldron with purple flames.
Szass Tam is an undead wizard, so his face is a skull, and he has no hair. He wears red robs with a red cape and upturned collar. In his right hand is a red translucent piece representing a spell, and in his left is a translucent red skull.

The heroes of the D&D minifigure collection, mixed in with the four heroes from the D&D "Red Dragon's Tale" set. They stand in two lines on black bases. Seven of the figures were described previously.
Row 1, l-r:
Elf bard
Dwarf barbarian
The Dwarf cleric wears blue and tan painted garb on the body pieces. He has a separate piece representing bronze-colored pauldrons. He has a warhammer in his left hand, and a piece representing his holy symbol in his right. This version of the figure has a beard piece and white hair.
Halfling druid
The Gnome fighter has caramel-colored skin and blond hair, and wears gray armor with black short legs. He also has a piece representing an armored pauldron. He carries a sword longer than he is tall, and a shield with an emblem of a black displacer beast on a field of orange and yellow.
Row 2, l-r:
Dragonborn paladin
Aaracokra ranger
The Orc rogue has gray skin and and a dark blue hood. He wears blue padded armor with elaborate brown leather accoutrements. He wears a blue cloth cape, which matches the printing on the torso. He carries a dagger in each hand.
Tiefling sorcerer
Gith warlock
The Elf wizard has dark skin and hair, and wears blue and purple robes represented by the "dress" minifig piece instead of the usual legs. She also has a piece representing upturned shoulder pads. She carries a gold wand with a blue gem on the end, and a brown spellbook with an elaborate cover.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 01/02/2025

[Food, gluten] Fresh-baked banana bread. Why? Why not?

A loaf of dark brown banana bread rests on a wire rack.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 19/01/2025

Snowy long-weekend project: Robert Indiana's LOVE statue, the Lego version. It's a relatively quick build, and it looks simple, but that letter O is one of the most complex builds I've seen. I've admired the Lego fine art sets, but haven't bought any before […] [Original post on jawns.club]

A version of Robert Indiana's LOVE statue, rendered in Lego. Like the original, it consists of four block letters arranged in a square, an L-O above a V-E. Also like some versions, the faces of the letters are rendered in red, with the "inside" parts of the L and the E in blue, and the O and the V in green. This version is 10 inches tall, and about the same in width. It's about two and a half inches thick, giving it a sense of mass and a satisfying chunky feel.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 18/01/2025

In parts of the US... It's a long weekend. The weather is lousy. You deserve a break. Embrace the sloth.

A smiling, blonde woman holding a juvenile three-toed sloth.

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Brian MacDonald @bmac.jawns.club.ap.brid.gy · 24/12/2024

I've often joked that my favorite kind of snow is "the kind that falls on the grass, but not the street." It stands to reason that the opposite must exist, as I found out this morning.

A photograph of a house's front lawn during a light snow. The walk leading to the door in the foreground and the road intersection in the background are both white, lightly covered in snow. The greenish brown grassy lawn in between barely shows any white.

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