iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 18/09/2026

Testing the new thumbs up emoji

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 13/09/2026

Two layers into reseasoning the blue steel wok I noticed ridges forming. Perhaps a bit too much oil. Does this mean abort and start over? #cooking #kitchen #wok

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 06/09/2026

These two things are incompatible. My bet is nature wins, every time.

ACT unveils election climate policy, vows to scrap net zero target and repeal Zero Carbon Act

Why this El Niño is different from all the others

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 05/09/2026

Now add one with a toque and it’ll be “Hose, Eh!”

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 01/09/2026

Without the insta walls.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 16/08/2026

I pay for Microsoft 365. Why do I need a button that is on the main window of the screen I use regularly prompting me to upgrade? Did Copilot design this shitty UX?

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 07/08/2026

No, Meta. I won’t give you full contact access. If it weren’t for these parent-child coordination groups for sports I wouldn’t be here.

WhatsApp demanding full contact access with no option to dismiss.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 19/07/2026

Get out the RAM expansion board!

HP Compaq 270183-001 Memory Expansion Board

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 15/06/2026

Great start to the @hbomax.bsky.social subscription here in New Zealand. (Tried private window, checked browser and network ad blockers.)

Couldn't Play Content. Please try again. Error code 1300999

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 15/06/2026

Can we stop idolizing politicians and get back to evaluating policy impact and proposals?

Post that says "Who else agrees that President Obama was one the coolest presidents we ever had?"

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I haven‘t solved doom scrolling news and socials, but the mix of quality time is way up. A year ago I found myself wasting hours scrolling YouTube shorts. Thankfully a combination of settings to make the Home Screen more usable by deleting everything and only exposing my channel subscriptions.

YouTube home page without the algorithm.

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🎧 Curating my list of favourite artists recently got more powerful on Deezer. They now have flow channels that draw on genre and artist overlaps.

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📚 Building reading lists with StoryGraph. Started logging what I am reading and building a reading list. Soon it’s going to wire in to my Kobo reader. Paired up with Overdrive/Libby I am getting in great reads without paying a dime thanks to the library - tax dollars doing good!

StoryGraph showing my current read, reading pile, and recommendations.

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🍿 Building watch lists with Letterboxd. When I hear about movies or a director or actor I look them up and add them to a watch list. I only add movies that are crowd rated 3.5/5 or better. Then I can filter down by what is available to rent or on streaming.

Letterboxd watchlist with movie posters.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 12/06/2026

Fun day to watch the kid play in goal. Do footballs come in glow in the fog colours?

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 06/06/2026

Never knew Adobe could get more slippery, and here we are selling "3 year terms" for consumer product. After 3 years, the product stops working.

How does the 3-year term licence work?
The licence enables you to use Premiere Elements for a full 3-year term. It’s a one-time purchase with no additional fees. The licence is non-renewing — it expires 3 years after redemption. When your 3-year term licence expires, Premiere Elements will no longer be accessible. However, you’ll still be able to access your media catalogue in the Elements Organizer indefinitely.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 22/05/2026

Still a few bugs in the system to work out.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 28/04/2026

Now waiting on my lasagna recipe in poem form to tell me how to add the service.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 25/03/2026

Thanks Bibi-Trump. And this is before we pay road usage charges for diesel.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 14/03/2026

Be a tourist in your town. Share a photo.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 10/03/2026

iOS 26.3 isn’t ready for prime time. 😅

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 06/03/2026

Were you on an icon extraction streak at the time?

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 01/03/2026

Not sure why but I’ve got a lot of pizza pics in my feed. Preparing for my contribution.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 27/02/2026

Very nervously downloading a 1TB snapshot from Backblaze. Part of me wants to find an old school download manager to ensure this transfer doesn't fail mid-send rather than let the browser run it.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 27/02/2026

The downside of an 18+ show for a band whose fans are parents-aged with credit cards is that the mosh pit was not very lively. The band, however, was pretty good for a come back.

Yellowcard, the band, on stage in Auckland.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 23/02/2026

Ugh. The immigration with racist undertones begins. Welcome to election year.

Handwritten photocopied flyer suggesting that the European population of NZ is in decline and that someone is not seeing the fruits of their labours.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 23/02/2026

$2000 fine for an unhoused person. Has anyone seriously thought about even the most fundamental ability to pay? Let alone root causes and prevention.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 22/02/2026

I… don’t know. Do babies do something in the trees?

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 22/02/2026

Oldest is training for being part of a rescue crew on the west coast of NZ. This is what a gentle day looks like. Very bumpy.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 21/02/2026

A 2x16GB DDR5 kit. From $257 to $805 in less than 6 months.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 12/02/2026

Never feel bad about shipping something to get started if this is how some of the largest tech companies produce services.

A plain text page that says "Sorry, that didn't work.
Please go back to m365.cloud.microsoft and try again.
Thanks."

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 08/02/2026

Not a sports ball guy, but very much appreciating the teamwork of Auckland FC watching Nice vs Monaco.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 01/02/2026

I'm expecting the issue continues to appear in 24 hours, much like it has for the past 24 hours. I asked to escalate but there was an unwillingness to do that without waiting.

I understsand. To further assist you, I’ll send you an email tomorrow to check whether the issue has been resolved. If the issue persists, I’ll consult your case with my supervisor for further assistance and explore the possibility of escalating it on your behalf.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 01/02/2026

This advice from Microsoft support live chat is unlikely to fix it.

As advised by our engineers, we highly recommend allowing the account to rest for the next 24 hours before trying again. During this time, please refrain from attempting to access the account.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 01/02/2026

On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that I can find someone in @microsoft.com support to look into why I can't access my Microsoft account app privacy settings? (Multiple browsers, devices tested, it's not a single device issue)

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 31/01/2026

A hazy beach in Tel Aviv today.

Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 19/01/2026

This visual felt like a good reflection on how bad it is.

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 18/01/2026

Indoor cycling might be the unlock to consistent cardio for me. A week in and I’m crushing the goals. I might even be able to raise it. Keep this up and I might reattempt Crossfit this year. 🤔

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Colin Bowern @colinbowern.com · 13/01/2026

Maybe. You can disconnect the control side if that something TR wants. I’m day one in so lots to learn still.