iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The voice work is also really great. There is something so wonderful and comfortable about hearing @deebradleybaker.bsky.social in SW content. I also laughed out loud when @vicmmic.bsky.social sarcastically says “Wizard.” regarding working with the Republic military. Perfect delivery, no notes.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Playing #ZeroCompany and there are some bugs that I hope get smoothed out over time, but I’m enjoying the game far too much to care. The A-plot supports diverse enemies and makes enough sense. The individual character stories are more nuanced than expected and the bonds are an amazing addition.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

I had the exact same impression when my wife and I were playing them against each other. It definitely felt like having to balance a fun jumpstart experience with the set being where Commander card designs went just led to occasional blowouts or disappointing games with rare pulls (shrines).

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

After automating simple tasks, If the other uses for the technology (information organization/dispersion, marketing, data analysis) are where humans normally spin the results that always feels fundamentally at odds with creating models that would consistently give accurate or useful information.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

An absolutely perfect custom frame by @64hrvrd.bsky.social for the original art and limited giclée print of “Fancy Lad” by one of my favorite artists, @hookieduke.bsky.social. Absolutely gorgeous work by multiple talented and creative people. We are so pleased with how it turned out!

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

It is crazy how often I have a conversation with my wife, like we did about how much more joyful and authentic New Years at the London Eye seemed than NYE in NYC (with limited subscription streaming availability), and then two weeks later @hankgreen.bsky.social posts a video about the same thing.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

youtube.com/shorts/tLVtN... Watching the smooth confidence of painting the highlights is mind-blowing. Art doesn’t just take the time to turn paint and canvas into an image. It takes the years learning how to apply dozens of mastered techniques. That is why AI art is hollow and sucks. #mtglorwyn

youtube.com

From the desk of Jesper Ejsing, a new tree is born. #MTGLorwyn

YouTube video by Magic: The Gathering

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Been listening to “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young a lot this week. Seems like a good time to remember what those lyrics are about and how everything old is eventually new again.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

“The bear keeps reminding everyone they were President of the Bear-merican Psychology Association despite doing ethically questionable research in the 70s.”

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

We suffer on this earth from birth until dearth.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

All I read was “endless milkshake”.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Pullman pan? Or are you just eyeballing perfect loaf level?

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Every deck can be its own “will they/won’t they” story.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

It’s gonna be like that sometimes. Happy Wednesday.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

I had no idea how exhausting it would be to have to live through “Trying everything hoping something will make the ultimate bullshit machine profitable.”

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Finally found the source and I guess it’s only been going on for like 5 days. Wild. bsky.app/profile/sams...

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

@tychobrahe.bsky.social Have you seen what’s going on with #over/under? Looks like it’s a Mothership based massive text-based dystopian RPG happening on a discord server that has picked up steam the past few months. Seems like something you’d find interesting.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

I’ve been play-testing a pretty janky Bracket 3 version of this deck with Mask of the Schemer, which is like a .50 equipment that goes nuts when gold-fishing. I doubt it’s worth it for cEDH but I’ll mention it and let those of you that that know stuff about the format tell me.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

If the character singing the song Piano Man started calling everyone in the bar out for their social posturing it would become a very effective 5 minute cut of The Iceman Cometh.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

I agree, but liked the joke. Though they did sort of include “gains Hero” in Final Fantasy.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Leonardo - Mutant Turtle Ninja Hero Donatello - Mutant Turtle Ninja Hero Michelangelo - Mutant Turtle Ninja Hero Raphael - Mutant Turtle Ninja

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Serious people doing their serious jobs in their corporate business offices within the past year or two had serious conversations that likely spanned multiple meetings about how long the type lines for these cards could reasonably be.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

A Legends of the Hidden Temple card where it’s nearly impossible to actually meet the conditions to produce the payoff.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

“I was the Blightsteel the whole time!”

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

My Dad was a freelance concert photographer for a few years in St. Louis in the late 70s. During COVID I finally started digitally converting a bunch of his slides. This is my favorite shot of Springsteen of his and until now probably only a handful of people had ever seen it.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Saw this before seeing what it was in response to and thought you were trying to summon every Pizza Hut in the Multiverse.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Never Susanoo. Terrible dinner party reputation.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

What’s something that you look forward to having any excuse to talk about and don’t often get to?

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I had to read this a dozen times before recognizing it contained homographs and not that you were preparing to engage in some sort of full-time tabletop kayfabe performance art.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Also, they should keep hiring you and pay you double your rate because you’re awesome.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Maybe it’s obvious but I was really just trying to refine my thoughts to say after years of adapting the majority of world mythologies as new planes there might just be significant design and business convenience when it comes to design time and effort to instead use popular licensed worlds instead.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I thought about Aetherdrift while writing the reply and how it and Dragonstorm do seem to undermine any sort of real conscious business decision to not hire consultants. I said “hat set” because it was convenient short hand for that trend towards those tropes, ie “pulp detective”, “western”, etc.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

To be clear, I would rather Wizards focus on making story rich products while paying writers and cultural consultants. I’m just aware businesses readily try to make money with popular “lower risk” IPs instead of doing work that takes more time and effort that might result in unpopular original IP.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Something I’ve been puzzling on is if a potential business benefit of the “hat sets” (other than their product and IP tie ins) was for set themes that don’t require thoughtful, respectful consideration for cultures and mythologies. UB might do the same but with already popular story-rich IPs.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

At one point in Atlanta Rosewater talked about how excited the team is that (paraphrasing) partners with existing lore-rich worlds are coming to them looking to make UB sets. There have to be a lot of time (and maybe cost) reducing benefits of already socially vetted content that’s ready to go.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

It really seems like a lot of people initially reject some IP until they have time to adjust to it. I was sitting in a Q&A with Rosewater at MagicCon ATL while people in the room were simultaneously saying they wanted less UB content and clamoring for more information about the Hobbit release.

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Reposted by Benjamin Kraudel

Paul F. Tompkins @pftompkins.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Hey if you missed last week’s Varietopia, you can still get the archived livestream. YOU DESERVE THIS bit.ly/vstream92125

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Reposted by Benjamin Kraudel

Josiah “Jo” Cameron ➡️ MagicCon ATL @josiahcameron.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Another post this MISSING painted AP is a Nyxborn Unicorn AP with a Rainbow Signature. If you see it or hear about it please return it. I really appreciate the folks who have reposted and shared and a big thanks to the folks who have stopped by to give me support ❤️

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Please don’t be offended if it’s made clear elsewhere, but do you thread in training the supporting muscles in your workouts? Have you been doing wrist curls, lower weight fat bar deadlift, etc.? Might be something to consider after recovery if you’ve mostly been pushing larger weight lifts.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

To further the food analogy, how does society incentivize an informational prepared meal model to replace real news or educational media so that people actually want to “eat healthy”?

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

@hankgreen.bsky.social Saw your new video and I’ve been puzzling for a while if it’s possible for society to better reward “trusted sources” to counter market forces purchasing and exploiting credibility that took years to build, thus eroding trust in what folks haven’t independently verified.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

I love someone making a cardboard standee that looks that standoffish and like it has no interest in taking selfies with people.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Super excited for the Durham show next week!

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I would like to petition @samreich.bsky.social for more content where a married couple who are both intensely charming and have recently had a child are made to strugglehump their way through interviewing each other while likely intensely sleep deprived.

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Benjamin Kraudel @bpkraudel.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Very excited to try out new cleaning supplies from #goodstore. Feels silly but I was unprepared for how potent the still very pleasant smell of this box was going to be, even having seeing @hankgreen.bsky.social react to it. Immediately makes it clear that I’ve been paying a lot for mostly water.

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