iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I have used and loved Slack everywhere I’ve worked for the past decade. I still don’t understand the difference between these two tiles.

The Slack interface shows two tiles. One reads “Catch up” and the other reads “Threads.”

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Me: "Is it adage or addage?" Google AI: "Can I offer a third option?"

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Tired of doomscrolling? Exhausted by the AI-ification of everything? Escape it all with a month-long vacation to novel-land! The 28th-annual #NaNoWriMo kicks off November 1, and we’ll be writing charmingly terrible first drafts together. Come join us! nano2.org/posts/2026/t...

nano2.org

The Noveling Season is (Almost) Here!

On behalf of all the NaNo 2.0 volunteers, I’m so happy to welcome you to the start of the 28th-annual novel writing season. Let the countdown to NaNoWriMo commence!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Exterminator insists these are terrestrial mice. I’m dubious.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Update: Nothing on the footage. Whatever is leaving pellets down there is likely supernatural in origin.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

You know something has gone very wrong as a homeowner when one of your to-do list items is "Check wildlife camera footage from crawlspace." (I'll report back.)

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Working in software design has given me the gift of getting annoyed at things that are invisible to most people. Example: I spent 10 minutes this morning shaking my fist at the fact that "Odd" and "Even" appear above "Custom" in this print dialog.

A print dialog showing a drop-down menu that has a stacked list of options that goes, top to bottom: All, Current, Odd, Even, Custom.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

How much money could they possibly be making from these scams? It feels too niche to be worth the time. But maybe AI is making it easy to do at scale? So weird.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Does anyone else get weird book publicity scam emails all the time? Here's a screenshot of an email I got today generously offering me “permanent” placement in a Goodreads community called Around the Year in 52 Books. The next screenshot is the first pinned post in that community. 😂

An email that reads…You are probably wondering three things. Is this real? What do I want from you? And what is the catch? Let me answer all three.

It is real. The link above is the group. Look around. It has been active since 2016.

I want to add your book to our permanent recommendation lists so members find it when they plan those weeks. That is it.

There is no catch. If you want in, say the word and I will walk you through the next step. If you have questions, ask. I will answer honestly.

Either way, thank you for writing a book that stayed with me.

A message board post that reads…

Multiple authors have received emails purporting to be from Mods or members of GR groups, including this one. They include flattering comments about their book and an offer to "feature" the book in the group. After a response or two, they ask for money. These emails are always illegitimate and a scam. This group never has "featured" authors and no group on GR requests money from authors. GR has been notified but because these emails come from multiple sources, and are almost certainly generated by AI, they are very difficult to trace.

If you have questions, you may ask in this thread. Because there is no more direct messaging on GR, we can't respond any other way. But any email an author receives from a name in this group is unauthorized spam.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

You know what's nice? A cosmic crisp apple. #apple

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I love novel revision and I'm terrible at novel revision. For the NaNo 2.0 blog, I shared the 3 biggest mistakes I (repeatedly) make when trying to finish my fiction. nano2.org/posts/2026/m...

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

This sounds like such a satisfying (and comprehensive) approach! If you were going to set a revision goal that spanned one ambitious month, how much would you try to tackle?

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Thank you! If you were going to set a month-long revision goal, how many chapters do you think you might try to tackle?

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Thanks, Lisa! If you were going to bring a revision project into to NaNoWriMo, how many hours do you think you might try to do in a month?

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Question for the book writers out there! When you set goals for yourself on a manuscript revision project, how do you measure your progress? Chapters completed? Words revised? Hours spent?

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Shifting into that key phase of novel revision where I zealously protect my most creative writing window (8 AM to 10 AM), and then spend it watching videos of veterinarians removing barnacles from sea turtles.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Thank you, Tommy Tutone, for your longstanding contributions to American letters and commerce. And congratulations graduates! 🎓

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I was passed up (again) as Harvard’s commencement speaker, so I'm sharing here the life lesson I would have shared there. If you are shopping at an American grocery store and don’t have a rewards number, the local area code followed by 867-5309 will work every time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTd...

youtube.com

Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny (Official Video)

YouTube video by TommyTutoneVEVO

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

It also sounds like the administration is being forced to push more and more cases onto inexperienced junior lawyers, whose work is being eviscerated in court. My friend's take: The administration will never be able to rebuild their lost legal capacity.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

This connects to some hopeful news I heard from a friend who works in social justice law. It sounds like attrition from heroic lawyers stepping down instead of doing unethical work has left the administration so understaffed that they increasingly lack bandwidth to appeal rulings against them.

apnews.com

Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges

The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion threatening federal funding to the nation’s schools and colle...

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

You bet! We’re so glad it was helpful!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Sending raucous cheers and high-fives to anyone sprinting towards The End on a big November writing project today. Need a pep talk? I got you: nano2.org/posts/2025/a... Hit your goal? The NaNo 2.0 validator is standing by to shower you with badges and certificates: nano2.org/validator/ 📚🎉🏆

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Way to take the second path!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Good to see the kids’ section of our local bookstore still carries the classics.

Book cover featuring a large fireball with the title “What do we know about spontaneous human combustion?”

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Any other parents living in a fever dream of Italian brainrot music right now?

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I helped write the new NaNo 2.0 newsletter! It comes with a free gift for you from our grumpy office leprechaun. sh1.sendinblue.com/adv2nuoholpf... Also from me: How to save an ailing writing project by leveraging the mighty power of physics: nano2.org/posts/2025/a...

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Scientists: We discovered a new 1.5" crustacean off the coast of Chile! Popular Mechanics headline writer: www.popularmechanics.com/science/anim...

popularmechanics.com

A New Predator Has Emerged From the Deepest, Darkest Part of the Ocean

What else is hiding down there?

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Handpainted sign by www.analogsigns.com

Handpainted sign that reads "Novels written while you wait"

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Also, I wrote a Week One pep talk that will be going out to NaNo 2.0 newsletter subscribers in a few hours. If you'd like to get it, you can subscribe here: nano2.org/subscribe/

nano2.org

Subscribe | NaNo 2.0

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Wishing a wildly productive first day of NaNoWriMo to everyone writing! If you'd like some company, NaNo 2.0 volunteers will be hosting word sprints today starting at noon Pacific: bsky.app/profile/nano...

bsky.app

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

The latest NaNo 2.0 newsletter has some of my writing in it! If you love stories of jewel thieves absconding with office microwaves, this one is for you. Read the harrowing tale here: sh1.sendinblue.com/acoxmioholpf...

sh1.sendinblue.com

Art thieves stole our microwave

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Totally in awe of the mood boards authors are creating for books they're writing next month. As someone who struggles to visualize my scenes ("Phil was an older man with reddish hair and two eyeballs"), it is really inspiring to see stuff like this.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

That's a really healthy way of looking at change. And that makes my day to hear NaNoWriMo had such a positive impact on you. It changed the way I saw my potential too. Please let me know if you have ideas on things we should add or do next to make the project more useful!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Agree. The era of having a central place where the world's writers gather sadly feels like it's over for now. But people are starting to find support in smaller communities, which is awesome. I hope NaNo 2.0 can be one of those communities, and also provide a map to help writers find the others.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

I helped write the first NaNo 2.0 newsletter that just went out! It's here: sh1.sendinblue.com/ackpx6oholpf... We want these to feel like a writing buddy who lives in your inbox, cheers you on, and makes way too many jokes about imaginary Norwegian history museums. Subscribe: nano2.org/subscribe

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO EMAIL YOU ABOUT THIS VERY MATTER!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Thank you so much for these incredibly kind words! ❤️

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Aw thank you! And I was just thinking about Debbie’s comics yesterday! 🤣

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Spotted in a window in Fort Bragg, CA.

“Make more art” is screenprinted on a piece of sheet music.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Hi! Chris Baty here! I think at this point there are maybe 3 "NaNoWriMo 2" projects floating around. 😂 I'm part of the volunteer team working on www.nano2.org. We're a static resource site for kids, teens, and adults doing the challenge. If you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it!

nano2.org

NaNo 2.0

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Oh that's so wonderful to hear, Lauren! Please tell your students we're cheering them on! We're working on a blog post now with tips from teachers on doing NaNoWriMo with their students. If you'd be up for sharing any nuggets of advice for the article, please send 'em my way!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Thanks, Mari! We did get them spayed, neutered, and chipped and I think you're probably right about food insecurity. Great advice!

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Newbie cat parent with a question. We adopted two strays a few months ago—a mom and her orange tabby son. Every time they see us they act like they haven't eaten in weeks, so we've been feeding them 3 times a day. That's too much, right? We want to dial it back, but we fear their hangry wrath.

Orange tabby kitten sprawled across a chair smiles up at the camera.

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Chris Baty @chrisbaty.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

That feels like a cinematic way to write. Love it, Chris. And so agree that the second draft is where all my cool high concepts go to die. 🤣

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