iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I have to find another source of exciting entertainment besides American football. There are more teams I hate than I can cheer for. I haven’t known an autumn without football since around 1970, though.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I ended up selling 18 books at the #KansasBookFestival yesterday. Considering my subject matter is not terribly popular with the masses, I’m pretty happy. Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, USA.

Me, older white man with gray hair, beard, and glasses, wearing blue flannel shirt with bright green t-shirt underneath, sitting at table with black tablecloth. On the table are copies of my books: Kaufman Field Guide to Insects; Bugwatching; Insectpedia; and Wasps. All this under a tent in a parking lot. Other people and tables in background.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today is World Wasp Day, so here’s the newest species from our yard in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. This is an ichneumon wasp, Charops annulipes. You might recognize the banded cocoon it emerged from, more than the wasp itself. #bugsky #WorldWaspDay #bugwatching #insects #wasps

White cocoon with black bands and spots, attached to a long silken thread. Below is the small, very slender wasp that emerged from the cocoon. Wasp is mostly black, with white “feet.”

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I will have a table in the exhibit hall for #entsoc2026 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, November 8-11. Let me know if you are likely to buy one (or more) so that I know how many copies to order ahead of time. I will also happily sign books you already own. Thanks! #booksky #bugsky

Books, from left to right: Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America; Insectpedia; Bugwatching; Wasps. Hardwood floor background.

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Reposted by Eric R. Eaton

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Reposting this would be very helpful. We're having a tough month at Skype a Scientist between much of my energy being devoted to Academy of Natural Sciences stuff. I need help!!

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Anyone else get an email from Blogger saying that as part of their “maintenance,” some videos in their blog will be permanently deleted?!? They say that twenty-one (21) of mine will be removed. WTH?!?

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This has been a banner year for Cloudless Sulphur butterflies here in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, where they are late summer and fall visitors. Solid yellow male on left, female on right. #bugsky #bugwatching #butterflies #insects

Big, all-yellow butterfly on a pink zinnia flower, in the sun.

Big, yellow butterfly with pink streaks, and blotches circling white spots. Taking nectar from a pink zinnia flower in the sun.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Wonderful reminder that you can be creative with your *previous* artworks.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Here's the link to my presentation about wasps at The Linda Hall on Saturday. This talk gets more accurate, informative, and entertaining each time, as I learn more.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIDH... #bugsky #bugwatching #wasps #insects #entomology

youtube.com

Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect

YouTube video by The Linda Hall

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

CEOs are rightly held in contempt for contributing to the wealth gap and other awful conditions, but it feels like we are letting the rest of the boardroom, and the faceless majority shareholders, off the hook. How do we change that?

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Me, talking about wasps to a rapt audience at The Linda Hall Library this morning in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. I can’t tell you what an emotional boost I get from being around intelligent, enthusiastic, and diverse people. It doesn’t happen frequently enough. #bugsky

Myself, an older white man at a podium, facing an audience (their backs to the camera), with a slide projected behind me, featuring images of three tiny wasps, under the header “Reasons to LOVE wasps: Diversity!” Bottom center text lists these bullet points: “Solitary, Tiny, Can’t sting you, Ecologically important, Free pest control.”

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Reposted by Eric R. Eaton

iNaturalist @inaturalist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

When you share your butterfly photos on iNaturalist, each one becomes a piece of information scientists can use to better understand and protect butterflies. Find a butterfly near you, take a photo (your phone camera is great), and share it on iNaturalist.

Colorful butterfly cutouts scattered across a grid-paper background. Text reads: "The easiest thing you can do to protect your local butterflies: 1) Go find butterflies near you. 2) Take photos (do your best, smartphone cameras are great, too!). 3) Share your photos on iNaturalist. September 12, 2026 — Butterfly Big Day."

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

1/2 In my fantasy football life, I’m quarterback for the New York Jets. That’s how this works, right?

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Reposted by Eric R. Eaton

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/09/2026

This is one of the objections I have when people talk about how useful LLMs can be for literature searches or for any kind of search, really. Even beyond the biases that inevitably (and, in some cases, intentionally) show up, part of a good literature search is seeing information *in context.*

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

College football (USA) lost all credibility with conference realignment, and somehow things are still getting *worse*. Complete train wreck.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Wondering if I got a fake Avast pop-up on my Dell Inspiron 15 laptop last night, and by clicking “move to quarantine” actually introduced malware. Startup tonight took forever, and I am running a full Avast virus scan now. Help?!

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

They claim that they are still committed to public education, in this statement announcing the closure of the public part of the museum. The average person will hear “We value a vault of dead organisms over educating living people.”

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I’m heartbroken. This man’s writings changed me forever. If you are not familiar with Wendell Berry, I urge you to run to the nearest library or bookstore and obtain one of his works.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The Biden(s) administration is still going strong at our place. Bidens is a genus of plants that includes Spanish Needles, shown here as a tall, spindly weed with fern-like leaflets. The seeds are indeed stabby little things.

Spindly, fern-like plant in flowerbed in front of our house, next to a orange, red, and blue yard sign featuring the Statue of Liberty with the words “Resist, defend democracy, fight fascism.”

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Please follow my partner for more content like this. She is a way better photographer than I am.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Walked down to what I call the “moth church” this morning. Did not disappoint! This might be the first Laurel Sphinx, Sphinx kalmiae, that I’ve ever seen. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #insects #mothing #moths

Large, torpedo-shaped moth with beautiful wood grain appearance, resting head up on brick wall.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Another unique and wonderful artist.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The “Lake America” thing is still trending here? The quicker we ignore distractions like this, the better. No?

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I can’t imagine what it must be like there, or Gaza, or elsewhere with “conflict.” It’s all I can do to persist here in the U.S. right now, especially knowing that we are the cause of so much suffering everywhere.

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Reposted by Eric R. Eaton

Liz N @thizizlizreally.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

At this rate, Mitch is the only vegetable that has not yet been recalled! 😅

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

You know that Buy Me a Coffee app? They need one for us geezers called “Pay My Medicare Premium.”

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

1/ I’m a tad traumatized after witnessing two pit bulls attack a much smaller dog, being walked by an elderly couple, in the street right in front of our house this afternoon. The older man was desperately trying to separate all the dogs, and his partner was yelling for help….

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The lack of trad media reporting on this is unconscionable.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I have zero problems with people putting payment links in their bios here. Some of us are not made for a conventional job or workplace, but we still deserve a life free of constant financial stress. I might even add that “buy me a coffee” app myself.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I mean, ideally, this is *exactly* the outcome I want, because war is, um, bad, but still….

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

(U.S.) Americans are expected to make up the difference between minimum wage and a living wage by: taking multiple jobs, gambling, filing lawsuits, and accruing credit card debt (not necessarily in that order).

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Blocked the “Being Liberal” account for excessive use of AI-generated content.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Drama at our wooden backyard fence today. A female grass-carrier wasp, Isodontia auripes, arrives at the abandoned carpenter bee hole that she is using as her nest, carrying a long piece of grass. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. #bugsky #bugwatching #insects #wasps

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I got Wordle in two. Second time that’s happened, and I’ve only been playing for about three months. My starter word does help a little, but only gave me two letters (one in the correct place) today. It is good for recalling your vocabulary for sure.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

It isn’t “farmer bailouts,” it’s corporate industrial agriculture “relief,” but all of it is welfare for the wealthy, yes. God forbid that a majority shareholder should lose a penny.

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Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Given how our patriarchal society treats women, I’m supposed to believe that a “biological male,” whatever *that* is, would transition just to play women’s sports? R-i-i-i-ght.

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Reposted by Eric R. Eaton

kelly jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The now-required, Bible-infused reading list that public school students in Texas will study isn't going to stop at Texas. This is the roadmap. You should care because your kids and schools are next. buttondown.com/wellsourced/...