iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bobbie @bobbie.net · 24/09/2026

This fascinating, grim and utterly necessary story from my old chums at Tech Review: zillions spent on high-tech US border surveillance and yet thousands of people still dying within a stone’s throw of towers. A horrible reminder of how the promises of a technology often fail.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 17/08/2026

If you want to see how unusual it is, hit up Madelyn Leembruggen's TikTok. The joy at being asked questions along the way is real!

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 12/08/2026

This was a fun conversation!

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 06/08/2026

Surprised how upset people are about AI companies destroying books. They'd be shocked if they knew how little publishers actually care for books as a physical object. (not surprised people care about secret slurping up of text by hungry language models, however) bobbie.net/2026/08/05/g...)

bobbie.net

Gluttony and the guillotine

If you live in the continental United States and get bitten by a bat, or a raccoon, or a fox, your doctor will probably advise you to go and get rabies shots. Rabies isn’t common, but it&#821…

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 08/07/2026

Just saw it last week-it was incredible, especially in the final act.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 04/07/2026

Seven years ago my friend Lyra McKee was murdered while reporting on rioting in Derry. Three men were just found not guilty over their involvement in killing her, despite a bench trial that took more than two years. She deserves better than this. www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ju...

theguardian.com

Three men found not guilty of murdering journalist Lyra McKee

Family of woman who died after being hit by a bullet as she observed rioting in Derry say justice system has failed her

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 05/06/2026

Late to it, but Anna pointed out this quote from Steve Rosenbaum, the author of a book on AI destroying truth that contained half a dozen made up quotes. “It’s like saying, do you beat your wife? It’s one of those accusations that there’s no response to.” Sorry, WHAT?? www.wired.com/story/future...

Quote from Wired magazine in which Steve Rosenbaum. "Rosenbaum would not weigh in on the accuracy of Pangram's results. In fact, he didn't want to talk about them at all. "I don't participate in that conversation," he said. "It's like saying 'do you beat your wife?' It's one of those accusations that there's no response to."

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Curious Reading Club @readcurious.xyz · 01/06/2026

Excited to say that our pick of the month for June is @adambecker.bsky.social's storming MORE, EVERYTHING, FOREVER. From AI apocalypse to immortality, if you've ever wondered what strange beliefs the Silicon Valley really hold... this is the book for you. newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/cu026-anno...

newsletter.readcurious.xyz

Get your mind blown with June's pick of the month

Adam Becker's "More, Everything, Forever" will leave you shocked and awed.

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Curious Reading Club @readcurious.xyz · 03/05/2026

Our book of the month for May is “Feed the People!” by Gabriel N Rosenberg and @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social — a provocative argument in favor of mass food production and the pleasures of “democratic hedonism” Read more: newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/cur025-ann...

newsletter.readcurious.xyz

Get your teeth into May’s book of the month

“Feed the People!” by Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 14/04/2026

Just 3 hours left to support this indiegogo campaign! I've been working with @locusmag.bsky.social to ensure that coverage of science fiction, fantasy and horror publishing stays independent. Great rewards here for voracious readers + aspiring authors. www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/...

indiegogo.com

Locus Mag: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror 2026 by Locus Publications - Indiegogo

Celebrating and uplifting authors, artists, and story -- the guide to the world's imagination.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

For those who've enjoyed COYOTE and want to support us, we're offering 50% off your first month as a subscriber. The deal is good until midnight! (Our scrappy worker-owned media outlet thanks you!) 👉 www.coyotemedia.org/local-news-day

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Curious Reading Club @readcurious.xyz · 05/04/2026

One of the most impressive things about @alexclapp.bsky.social's "Waste Wars" is his journey to document the afterlife of our garbage. Here are some of the locations he visits in our April book of the month. Get ready, it's genuinely shocking. newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/photo-essa...

newsletter.readcurious.xyz

Inside the world's ghastliest garbage dumps

A visual tour of the locations in "Waste Wars".

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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Feel like winning yourself some personalized limited-edition Wm. Gibson while helping Locus continue to do its wholly admirable and increasingly essential thing for sf and fantasy? Step right up!

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 25/03/2026

Six months ago Sora made me feel so sick to the pit of my stomach that I wrote about it in the NYT. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/o... What was it for? Just to generate slop and confuse people about what’s real and what’s fake? Now it’s been shut down. Good riddance! www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...

nytimes.com

Opinion | What Is Sora Slop For, Exactly?

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Curious Reading Club @readcurious.xyz · 23/02/2026

Amazing to chat with @craigmod.com about his book Things Become Other Things, his friends, his mentors, the Japanese language, being an old man whisperer, AI, purpose... oh, all the stuff! newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/craig-mod-...

newsletter.readcurious.xyz

"Purpose is being denuded from every aspect of society"

Talking with Craig Mod about his book "Things Become Other Things".

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 09/02/2026

Most concerning part of the case of Seamus Culleton, an Irish man on a green card path and legally able to work, but imprisoned by ICE for 5 months? He says agents presented docs agreeing to deportation that were "signed" by him that he'd never actually signed. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Screenshot of text saying "When his attorney appealed to a federal court, two ICE agents said that in Buffalo, Culleton had signed documents agreeing to be deported. Culleton said he did not agree and that the signatures were not his. "My whole lfie is here. I worked so hard to build my business. My wife is here."

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 07/02/2026

And I'm led to understand that many of the prominent folks on Substack are given extra $ or other incentives to stick around. Or they just feel trapped and scared to leave! But @caseynewton.bsky.social moved his NL elsewhere and wrote about the results in detail: www.platformer.news/leaving-subs...

platformer.news

What I learned in year four of Platformer

Everything that happened after we left Substack

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 07/02/2026

I find it strange that the Guardian doesn't mention previous reporting on this issue, notably by Jonathan Katz in the Atlantic in 2023... but just know that there are lots of alternatives out there. I'm happy to help anybody who doesn't know where to start. www.wired.com/story/best-s...

wired.com

The Best Substack Alternatives

These three alternatives to the newsletter platform offer just as many—if not more—features, and can be easier on your wallet.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 07/02/2026

When I tell ppl that moving to Substack is a terrible idea, this is why. It doesn't just host Nazi newsletters, it promotes and makes bank off them. This isn't new information—folks have been reporting on it for years—but if it's new to you, act accordingly www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

theguardian.com

Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters

Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism

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Tom Usher @tomusher.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

The funny thing about a certain type of angry conspiracy guy is that they’re literally being confronted with an elite paedophile ring and a tyrannical government at the same time right now, and because it isn't being done by the people they wanted it to be done by they’re all being pussies about it

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Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

The violent occupation of Minneapolis started with a vlog. I've wanted to find a framework to describe Nick Shirley & others like him: "Influencer" is too quaint. "Journalist" is obviously wrong. I landed on "slopagandist." Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...

theverge.com

What is Nick Shirley?

Slop doesn’t need to be AI-generated

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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

“ICE isn’t the Gestapo. The Gestapo was…” (proceeds to describe qualities that apply to what ICE is currently doing)

From Senator Chris McDaniel: “Lately, some folks have taken to calling ICE “the Gestapo.” It sounds fierce. It feels righteous. But it isn’t true, and it isn’t harmless.

The Gestapo was a secret police force. No warrants. No courts. No lawyers. And no appeals. People vanished in the night, not because they broke the law, but because the law no longer meant anything. The knock on the door was the sentence.

ICE isn’t that. Not even close.

ICE is a public agency enforcing laws passed by elected officials. Its agents file reports. They seek warrants. They lose cases. Judges stop them. Lawyers challenge them. Some detainees go home. That’s not tyranny. That’s bureaucracy, for better and worse.

You can hate immigration policy. You can argue enforcement is too harsh, too sloppy, or too broad. You can work to have the law changed if you wish. That’s a republic doing what it’s supposed to do.

But when you call ordinary law enforcement “the Gestapo,” you cheapen real evil. You turn history into a slogan and suffering into a metaphor. And once every badge is tyranny, no tyranny is left to recognize.

In Mississippi, I was raised to believe words should earn their weight. This one hasn't yet. It throws around the language of dictatorship while living under a system where courts still rule, lawyers still argue, and the government still loses.

That difference matters.

Because the day enforcement becomes secret, unchecked, and answerable to no one, we won’t need to borrow names from history. We’ll know exactly what we’re dealing with.

And we’ll wish we’d kept our words honest.”

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Fraud is a serious crime that merits laying siege to an entire city and collectively punishing every immigrant from Somalia. It's also a crime for which you can be pardoned and relieved of compensating your victims, so long as some of the money you stole finds its way to the president.

nytimes.com

Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 16/01/2026

I wrote a bit for @ffdweb.org looking at some of the work being done by Rick Prelinger (@footage.bsky.social) and @archive.org. The ambition? To save the past and give it away. "That’s the highest destiny that an archive can aspire to… when you give up control." ffdweb.org/digest/issue...

ffdweb.org

Preserving the Past on a Decentralized Future | FFDW

How archivists are using decentralized storage and blockchain to preserve fragile cultural history and expand public access for future generations.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 16/01/2026

If you’re going in the right entrance, Bear Gulch is a fun hike — you go through some caves (easily navigable by kids) and then emerge into the daylight by a reservoir. Can be stunning! Oh, and it gets COLD at night.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 15/01/2026

We’ve now reached the “then they came for the middle aged suburban dudes who have to go to work in the morning” part of the poem

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 13/01/2026

What they don't (or won't) get is that the 80s were "better" for them because the costs were all pushed out on other people, or future generations. Wonder why something is shit today? There's a high likelihood it traces back to some political tosswaffle in the 1980s wanting to feel like a real man.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 13/01/2026

They basically all think they're peak Arnie, or Tom Cruise in Top Gun, or Bruce Willis in Die Hard. The fantasy of exercising power gets them hard, they don't believe in consequences.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 13/01/2026

This regime is stuffed with folks who are still living in the long 1980s. They're led of course by Trump, who could revel in his gold-plated life with abandon, but also by those who fantasize about cheap goods, rampant bigotry, falling taxes, regular moral panics and Latin American interventions.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 23/10/2025

I just wish those same rich, powerful people would make the same calls on behalf of Chicago or Portland or Memphis (or the economy, or SNAP, or healthcare, or the Supreme Court etc) that they made on behalf of Silicon Valley. We know these tactics can work.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 23/10/2025

If Trump has, in fact, backed down on sending a massive ICE deployment to the SF Bay Area, it would be yet more confirmation that he nearly always backs down in the face of (a) organized resistance and (b) personal contact from the rich and powerful. www.sfchronicle.com/us-world/art...

sfchronicle.com

Trump calls off planned federal ‘surge’ in S.F. but plans for Bay Area immigration crackdown unclear

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he called off the planned federal deployment to the city after speaking with Mayor Daniel Lurie.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 19/10/2025

I haven't gone deeply into cybernetics, but Beer is definitely a thinker who comes up a lot more now than he did when I started out. I've always appreciated what is essentially his inversion of "the ends justify the means." The *actual* ends are the things you have to justify!

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 19/10/2025

FWIW proceeds from this are going to the International Rescue Committee and its efforts to relieve the effects of genocide on the people of Gaza. I've sharply disagreed with the Times many times over the years, including (but not limited to) what's happening there. This was my imperfect solution.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 19/10/2025

What is Sora's deepfake slop for, exactly? A little bit from me in the NYT on this awful, ghoulish invention which ultimately seems to have one purpose: to demolish the wall between the real and the unreal. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | What Is Sora Slop For, Exactly?

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 18/10/2025

You absolute, bootlicking, treasonous cretins. Whatever brief surge of power you get from being gleefully cruel is not enough to outweigh your complete betrayal of everything actual humans care about. Come find me!

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 23/08/2025

I had one game where we were really battling for a draw and I (GK) kicked it straight to the opposing striker, who promptly whacked it directly past me and we lost. You get to be resilient with all the screw ups you can do as a goalie, and it wasn’t an Og, but it’s the one that sticks with me.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 19/08/2025

As a British person I would suggest it’s a common theme in emotionally repressive cultures

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Curious Reading Club @readcurious.xyz · 01/08/2025

📣 Our book of the month for August is... STRATA: STORIES FROM DEEP TIME by @laurapoppick.bsky.social We loved this detailed, deliberate overview of geoscience—and its mixture of lyrical prose and detailed profiles of researchers and the things they study. newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/announcing...

newsletter.readcurious.xyz

Deep thoughts on deep time with August's book of the month

Laura Poppick's "Strata" takes the long view on geology.

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Curious Reading Club @readcurious.xyz · 01/07/2025

📢 Our pick of the month for July is "The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog": @biologycarly.bsky.social's fun new book showing how silly science can lead to serious discoveries. Publishers Weekly called it "pop science at its finest" and they're right! newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/cur015-sal...

newsletter.readcurious.xyz

Silly science is serious business in July's book of the month

We're reading Carly Anne York's "The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog".

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 27/06/2025

Had a great conversation with @karenhao.bsky.social about her book EMPIRE OF AI, OpenAI, its true costs, and end-of-the-world thinking for this month's @readcurious.xyz live Q&A. I'll be sharing our chat soon in our free email newsletter. Sign up if you're interested! newsletter.readcurious.xyz

Author Karen Hao, wearing a camel jacket and black top, talks animatedly via video call with Curious Reading Club host Bobbie Johnson.

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 13/06/2025

I think presale for October starts in 1 min!

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David Gura @davidgura.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Sen. Alex Padilla, who was just forcibly removed from a DHS press conference, is the ranking member of Judiciary’s subcommittee on immigration, citizenship, and border safety, which has “oversight of federal agencies with citizenship, asylum, refugee, and immigration enforcement responsibilities.”

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Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

📣ATTENTION YOUNG WRITERS!📣 Henry Lien will be holding a free youth writing workshop hosted at @Chapter510 in partnership with the Locus Awards and @sistahscifi on Sunday, June 22nd in Oakland. RSVP now here or through the link in our bio! tinyurl.com/3fcz9yt7 See you there! #kidlit

HENRY LIEN next to his book peasprout chen and text overlay

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 11/06/2025

All these other Facebook products constantly trying to trick me into using it, blech

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 07/06/2025

First task on arriving in any hotel room is to turn on the TV and immediately turn off motion smoothing

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 07/06/2025

Mainstream media keeps laundering these “philosophers of the alt right” or “big thinkers of Silicon Valley”… And then you watch them on video and immediately see they are total chuds you wouldn’t want to spend 2 minutes alone with. Why can’t people see how utterly weird these dudes are?

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Bobbie @bobbie.net · 05/06/2025

Request for advice: a family member of mine in the UK, a lefty in his younger days, has been Farage-pilled. Constant stream of anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant posts and right wing talking points, angry responses to my comments and questions. Any tips, suggestions or guides to constructively engage?

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