iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 18/02/2026

I didn’t expect this quote repost to do this (and it’s still getting traction). Over 6000 likes - wild. Thanks @gbrockell.bsky.social for the original post - these flights seem to really strike a righteous nerve. It’s given me something to push with my political representatives

A repost about ICE flights and holding crews responsible. It’s has gotten over 6000 likes and almost 2000 reshares.

011

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 26/11/2025

Pecan pie is done. Next up, apple pie.

A freshly baked pecan pie. The pecans are nicely browned and there is a sugary crust on the top of the pie.

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 07/09/2025

A little Saturday night weekend action, academia edition

An email from the journal Peacebuilding saying my paper is accepted

030

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 08/05/2025

Nice, made it to the 1K mark! Thanks everyone for following, nice little milestone in the post-Twitter rebuild.

030

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 02/05/2025

Off to meet some great colleagues, give some book talks, inspire some PhD students, and take in the majesty (of New Zealand’s nature) and terror (of Australia’s fauna).

The airplane that will take me as far as Singapore before I have to catch yet another overnight flight from there to Auckland.

040

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 02/03/2025

Break from normally scheduled content to say I made chili today and it was good.

Chili with noodles and habanero hot sauce

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 14/02/2025

I hate this framing because it can’t even be chalked up to naïveté anymore. OBVIOUSLY Trump and Musk are going to ruin the Department of Defense. They’e arsonists. A reporter that presents this behavior as anything other than purposeful destruction is being derelict in their duty to the public.

Economist article titled ‘Will Donald Trump and Elon Musk wreck or reform the Pentagon?’

We all know the fucking answer, so why even ask the question?

130

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 11/02/2025

I just…it’s so galactically stupid. My country is being run by the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel stupid people.

The house resolution to rename Greenland Red, White, and Blueland. I can’t believe this isn’t a parody.

010

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 11/02/2025

Just the most cowardly pack of feckless assholes our tech oligarchs are.

Screen grab from GoogleMaps showing the Gulf of Mexico co-labeled the Gulf of America. So fucking stupid.

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 06/02/2025

It’s a small thing, but I managed to update my handle to my personal domain. I’m now the Bluesky equivalent of verified. It’s the small successes.

010

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 01/02/2025

A whole agency, which has existed in law since 1961 is now gone as far as the internet is concerned. And before some bumblefuck replied with a “DURRR, who needs development aid”, it’s not just about USAID. It’s coming for Social Security, it’s coming for Postal Service, it’s coming for everything.

The usaid.gov website is currently completely down. The whole agency, the world’s biggest national aid agency, no longer exists on the internet.

021

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 30/01/2025

There isn’t a hell hot enough to receive him when departs this mortal coil. (Or cold enough, if you’re partial to Dante)

Donald Trump giving a press conference where he spouted a bunch of racist, misogynistic, ableist filth about the DC plane crash being the result of anyone other than white men working in air traffic control.

030

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 24/01/2025

The problem is when I see Scholz or Habeck and some one says “they’ve got that dog in ‘em” this is the dog I see: well behaved, institutional, nice. It’s a alrge dog, and could mess you up if so motivated, but it really doesn’t want to.

A photo of a yellow lab dog, a nice animal that would be bad at contemporary politics.

000

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 30/12/2024

As far as Dutch cities go I have to say, Rotterdam > Amsterdam

A view of flat bottom bots docked among skyscrapers in Rotterdam

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 24/12/2024

“You will be visited by three spirits.” The three spirits:

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 characters.

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 23/12/2024

End of the year, and all the academic and research work is done. Since I don’t have my bike for a few weeks it’ll have to be running in the winter forests of Ostwestfalen to stay reasonably fit against the onslaught of holiday food.

A view of my trail running shoes and clothes. They are mostly hues of grey and blue.

A forest trail with wet leaves on the ground. It’s pretty but a little spooky.

Another forest trail with wet leaves on the ground. It’s pretty but a little spooky.

A stand if tress with the sun setting behind them, and red-brown leaves making the bright green moss at the base of the trees pop. Deeper in the forest there are probably wintery eldritch terrors, so I kept running past this area.

151

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 05/11/2024

Inside of you is one Homer, what's your Homer?

Homer Simpson standing in the rafters of Moe’s Bar about to tell everyone what the secret ingredient in a Flaming Moe is.

000

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 11/10/2024

Something I did on Twitter was fashion posts for academics. Well, academic men. Fashion is a hobby of mine, and it’s fun to share tips on how to look more splendid.* So I’ll start that back up here. First BlueSky fashion post: workshop dinner. *many men of academia lack splendor clothing-wise

Me on a rooftop terrace in Florence, Italy in tan Venetian loafers, ecru jeans, a green button down, and grey check jacket. I am holding a glass of wine with the city roofs in the background.

100

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 09/10/2024

It was a good book event when everyone was so deep in discussion about the content that the only two photos I managed to take were a view from the post-talk reception and the food at the group dinner. So many thanks to the team at the University of Amsterdam for making it happen!

View of Amsterdam from Blue Amsterdam cafe

A Rijstafel, a selection of Indonesian food shared around a table

110

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 21/09/2024

Via @bbcnews-world-rss.bsky.social as a North Carolinian this bit stood out. I can *categorically* guarantee that this Republican Voter’s willingness to vote for Trump but not Robinson is based on exactly one thing, and it’s not Robinson’s loud mouth. (Spoiler: It’s because Robinson is black)

“One Republican voter, who did not want to be named, said he would not vote for Robinson, who he said “had a loud mouth.”

But he has no problems voting for Trump.”

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 14/09/2024

Do we really need economists to use their methods to tell us that wildfire smoke is bad for our health? I mean, I knew this without even needing the quantitative analysis.

010

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 07/09/2024

Really cool getting messages from colleagues at APSA with photos of my book, Urban Refugees and Digital Technology, displayed at the McGill-Queens UP stand! For those interested here’s the link to the open access version: repository.library.carleton.ca/concern/work...

The book Urban Refugees and Digital Technology on display at the APSA conference at McGill-Queens University Press’s stand.

000

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 21/07/2024

Fucking David Ignatius just sort of skips over how the 1968 election actually went for the Democrats.

Washington Post opinion piece in which David Ignatius pontificates about how Johnson dropping out in ‘68 made everyone like him. He doesn’t say how the election actually turned out for the Democrats.

A picture of the 1968 electoral map in which Republican Richard Nixon absolutely destroyed Democrat Hubert Humphrey after Johnson dropped out.

001

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 26/02/2024

Can’t believe I have this in my hands. Four years of work, and very happy to have the author’s copies of Urban Refugees and Digital Technology in hard copy! Thanks to McGill-Queens UP for being an amazing partner in this project. More to come soon! www.mqup.ca/urban-refuge...

061

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 12/02/2024

It’s live! My copies are in the mail, and while I’ll be doing more formal promotion starting next month and through 2025, if you’re too amped to wait you can order my book! This is for anyone working in refugee studies, urban studies, or tech and society - very excited! www.mqup.ca/urban-refuge...

An email letting me know the author’s copies of my book Urban Refugees and Digital Technology are in the being posted to me.

010

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 07/02/2024

Planning the next few weeks of data collection with colleagues at the University of Ghana. It’s such a pleasure to work with great people on research projects.

110

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 06/02/2024

A few impressions of the University of Ghana campus and an excellent bowl of waakye.

A view down the main campus promenade at the University of Ghana

A bowl of waakje with spaghetti and an egg

El-Elyon Exquisite Cookery on the University of Ghana campus. A good place for food.

020

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 03/02/2024

Doing some fieldwork in Ghana the next few weeks. Feels good to be out of the office and doing research with amazing colleagues at the University of Ghana.

Black Star independence monument in Accra

030

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 13/01/2024

My new book Urban Refugees and Digital Technology is coming out in March through McGill Queens University Press. Very excited to see this project coming to fruition!

Catalogue copy for my book Urban Refugees and Digital Technology

040

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 08/11/2023

There’s a lot to be worried about in the US, but when I opened the WaPo app this morning I granted myself a little “Fuck yeah” when I saw the landing page.

Landing page of the Washington Post this morning that says Dems took the VA General Assembly and Ohio voted to protect abortion rights

000

Charles Martin-Shields @charlesmartinshields.com · 23/09/2023

It’s finally, FINALLY, best weather. Busting out the down vest for this morning’s walk to the bakery.

A screen grab from my weather app showing that it’s crisp and cool out

010