iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Well, I'm sure they get plenty! But the first time I got a dead squirrel in my yard I called 311 and that's what they said to do about it. Also in the waste disposal guide. www.minneapolismn.gov/resident-ser...

Dead animals
Disposal method: Other
What to do: Not accepted by Solid Waste & Recycling or at the South Transfer Station. You cannot put a dead deer or other animal in your garbage or organics cart. Compost facilities cannot take dead animals without approval from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Animal Control will pick up animals that have been killed on the City streets (e.g. squirrel, bird, rabbit, racoon, turkey). Contact Animal Control for more information

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Did really like the Tenement Museum! Glad I prioritized that! And plenty of options for a return visit. The interactive elements in the Wong's garment workshop were set up SO cleverly. Coulda spent more time!

Exterior view of the Tenement Museum in Manhattan. There's a modern store/museum entrance on the ground floor, and above that four stories of red brick apartments with sandstone trim, and a black fire escape.

Interior at the Tenement Museum, of an apartment set up like a garment workshop, with industrial sewing machines down the center of the room. An altar is set up against one wall, and a table in the corner has some kids' toys.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Y'all deeply underestimate how much I like looking at trains. And turnstiles, and benches, and -signs-.

Me, a smiling white person with short gray hair & glasses, smiling somewhat sweatily for a selfie inside a 1960s-ish era subway car with smooth grey bench seats, light greyish-teal walls, fluorescent bar lights, and a lot of tubular steel all over the place as handles, poles, overhead grabbers, and an industrial fan overhead.

Close view of a hand-painted enamel sign, with a serif capital "A" in white on a royal blue background. The letter is slightly depressed into the background, and some brush-wobbles can be seen on the horizontal crossbar.

Close view of a black sans-serif letter "U" hand painted on a white background. The broad brushstrokes of the white paint can be seen engrained with dirt, but they're also painted over an older sign, with slightly smaller sans-serif letters HUD

Close view of a hand-painted sign with the tip of a sharply painted red arrow against a dirty white background. The pencil strokes outlining the arrow can be seen through and outside the translucent red paint, including crossing lines protruding a few millimeters beyond the arrow tip.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I went to the Cloisters this morning. I'm not that into Xtian devotional art, but damn, the architectual lighting there is good and -subtle-.

Diagram of a reconstruction of a Spanish chapel from around ~1200, showing which architectural elements (few) are original.

The reconstructed ca. 1200 Spanish chapel, with all the original elements verrrrry subtly highlighted by architectural lighting.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Tiny sampling of NYC activities thus far:

Pencil sketches in a lined notebook, of 12th century French or Spanish Pyrenees ironwork. Both images are of a long metal strap pierced with holes and studded with spikes. One has a wider end that opens like a backwards "C" with teeth, and is pierced with rectangular holes. The other has a wider end that is an enclosed oblong, with a seven-pointed leafy pattern in the middle, radiating out from a central spike. It is pierced with wide diamond-shaped holes.

Photograph of the actual 12th century ironwork attached to an oak door. The ironwork straps described in the other photo are here, as well as several others with different designs on the wider (furthest from hinges) end.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This ("Pickleball on the Parkway") strikes me as an extremely weird use of riverfront infrastructure, but I'm reassured to find it's just a one-day event. Seems to have occurred last year, too?

Looking east on the River Road in Minneapolis, behind the downtown post office. As far as the eye can see, the entire street is blocked off with plastic barriers every 20 feet or so, and between the barriers, white lines have been painted to make pickleball courts. One corner of the court bears a logoish "Pickleball on the Parkway" label.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Pollinators are big fans of stiff goldenrod, apparently. This is mostly bees, bumble and other, but also a weird little beetle of some kind.

The head of a stalk of stiff goldenrod. The stalk splits into several branches about three inches down, and then spreads out in a explosion of small, closely-set, yellow flowers. There are about a dozen bees visible among the flowers.
A concrete sidewalk is in the background.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Last pics I think - the other half of my sampling of the political stuff in Creative Activities: the doll clothes & the pull tabs got me.

A cross stitch of the blue bunny hat Liam Ramos was wearing when he was taken by ICE, above the words, "what you did for the least of these, You did for me. Matthew 25:40"
There is also a stitched QR code in the center, but I don't know what it goes to (I don't scan random QR codes.)

A collection entitled "Surge Protectors", with stickers and pamphlets from metro surge, know your rights cards, and about 30 whistles (mostly flat 3D printed ones) carefully arrayed. The frame repeats "Abolish ICE"

Doll clothes, sized for American Girl dolls, displayed on small clotheslines. At left, a purple skirt with an embroidered showy lady slipper and the words "Push through the ice" with a green knit sweater and a tiny whistle. Second from left, a rebel loon shirts with jeans and a red "Norwegian resistance" knit hat and red mittens. Between these is a tiny "ICE out of Minneapolis" snow emergency sign. Second from the right, a tiny black trenchcoat with a shoulder patch bearing the initials "GB", and all the way at right, a tiny ICE thug outfit complete with facemask, plate carrier, and tiny teargas canister. These are by Audrey Kaseno from Minneapolis, and won a First Premium blue ribbon.

A Rebel Loon framed mixed-media artwork with the title "A Loon Dives into a Dive Bar and Orders ICE Out". The loon is entirely made up of torn and folded pulltabs, and is rising above water and towards a star - both water and star made of meat raffle tickets.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

And now, half of a small sampling of the political stuff in Creative Activities: more than one "Come Back With A Warrant" cross-stitches, more than one doll of MPR'S Sam Strooza valiantly reporting in her bathrobe and slippers.

An adorable cartoony cross-stitch of a house with cute trees, colorful balloons, and hearts. Between the hearts it says "Come back with a warrant".

A cross-stitched wreath of blue and purple flowers with green foliage, presented in an embroidery hoop covered in lavender gingham. In the center it says "Come back with a warrant."

A small crocheted doll of a woman in a bathrobe and slippers, holding a phone.

A knit (I think) doll with yarn hair, a separately knit bathrobe, and slippers, holding a toy phone. The photo taken of reporter Strooza is reproduced next to the doll.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Less-political faves from Creative Activities: quilt fulla ticks, Prince beaded collar, tiny crochet Olivia Miles, hand-embroidered Mpls map, collection of patterns from the insides of security envelopes, Joan of Arc quilt.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Favorite copyright-nerd thing at the Fair: this 10th-grader's painting.

A photorealistic acrylic painting of a banana duct taped to a white wall, a reference to the conceptual artwork "Comedian" by Maurizio Cattelan which is an -actual- banana duct taped to a wall. The 10th grade artist is identified as Yuqin Cao from Eden Prairie High School, and unlike the conceptual rotting banana, the student's painting is priced at a reasonable $6,000.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Thingies acquired at the Fair (some free, some boughten): Nut roll, native seeds, carabiner, law-dork pencil, MPR patches, horticultural society bag (reupped membership), MNVotes laser loon pin, Quran.

Thingies laid out atop green Horticultural Society bag. In more detail, nut roll, small envelope of seeds, red keychain carabiner that says "I ♥ beltloops", a pencil from the Mn judicial branch that has two erasers like as if it were a gavel, two embroidered patches - one with a microphone rising above a lake and forest, with the letters MPR, and one with a boombox rising above a slightly different landscape for The Current. The MN Votes button has an image of a loon shooting a red laser from its eyes, and finally, the Quran is a paperback English translation with gold patterned decorations.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Favorite thing at the Eco-experience building. Picking up my bike; photos from Creative Activities once I'm home w/more bandwidth.

A sign from an exhibit, with a photo of a fairly charismatic raccoon, and the text "Raccoons AND batteries are very special. But ONLY raccoons go in the trash. Don't trash your batteries!"

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Unlike Sweet Martha's cookies, the inevitable leftovers of these will taste good.

Waxed paper bag of Tom Thumb mini donuts, held in my hand.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Nerdfair in progress - Creative Activities for a lecture on fiber from native plants, Ed bldg for legislative surveys & K12 art. But may have hit my lifetime Fair nerdery peak by literally spitting in a test tube at the UMN Research bldg.

A wide plastic test tube held in my hand, containing around 13 ml of clear-ish liquid (both spit and saline.)

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This will be a MN State Fair thread. N bike lot still had good amount of space, but Fair itself already teeming at 9:50.

A road bike with red drop handlebars locked to a rack in a bike corral, with a bike check ticket ziptied to the handlebars.

A street at the MN state fair, packed curb to curb with pedestrians. The sky is very blue, the fried pickle stand in the foreground is very green, and the skyride cables run overhead.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Woo hoo I got mail from @reforest-kelley.bsky.social /Will Burrows Art! There are suspiciously extras of a couple things I don't remember ordering extras of... :) But maybe I did. Either way, good gifts.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Also good, but I didn't get the makers' name, this card wallet made of goalie pads. (I don't care what team it represents, I just like that it's colorful and recycled! He had a LOT in Oilers colors.)

A card wallet with two visible front slots, and one bill pocket behind that's not visible. Each of the three leather layers of the front of the wallet is a different color/texture: streaky white with red splashes, over blue with a thin curving white stripe, over solid red. The stitching is yellow.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I'm not Canadian, but was in Edmonton a few months ago and ended up at an amazing craft fair. Best of several good purchases: #CelebrateCanada

A large beaded pin, made up of many small seed beads meticulously attached to a fabric and leather backing. It is an adaptation of a Richard Scarry illustration, of a pig in a pink dress driving a car shaped like a pickle.
It's on a backing card that says "Feathered Away".

The business card of the beader who made the pig in a pickle car pin:
Marisa McKinney, Indigenous Designer and Instructor
Creating beadwork & fashion design inspired by life & connection
featheredaway@gmail.com
Instagram handle: featheredaway
The card also has a portrait of the artist, but I cropped that off bc I don't know if she wants her face all over BSky.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

She doesn't usually try to co-occupy with the laptop (that's usually the bigger guy), but she was feeling icky yesterday with a vaccine reaction, so I had a couple hours of this:

Small dilute calico cat on a lap, spanning hip-to-hip between human and laptop on lap desk.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Somehow I had missed the news that @hclib.bsky.social has limited-edition Prince library cards.

A glossy plastic card featuring a photo of Prince playing a light wood electric guitar. He's in a metallic purple jacket with a spiky epaulette on his right shoulder. A bar at the bottom of the card says Hennepin County Library, and at the side the photo is credited to Nancy Bundt, 1985.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Fraudulent "Monarch Trail" at Eastman Nature Center only contained these.

A common swallowtail butterfly in a tree with wings spread. Mostly yellow with black striations, mostly-black wing edges, and four iridescent blue spots above two small orange spots near the center of the tail.

A swallowtail butterfly on a tall plant (possibly a milkweed), with wings folded. Body is cream-colored with thin black racing stripes. Undersides of wings are a light yellow, with more black stripes, and blue-grey and orange patches along the edges.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Filed my comment on the fed OMB proposal the would undo a TON of federal grantmaking, including well beyond research. Here's a particularly personal excerpt: I love helping researchers; I don't want MORE grant complexity to help them with.

On a more personal level, I'm an attorney and I consult regularly with researchers funded through federal grants. They take painstaking care to make the most effective and efficient use of grant funds, because the vast majority of researchers are primarily motivated by desires to improve knowledge for the benefit of the world. They already struggle with the complex requirements of federal grants in ways that take time from their research - including meeting with me! I would indeed like to have less of this kind of work, because it would mean researchers have more time to focus on their actual research! This proposal increases the complexity of grantmaking processes, decreases the long-term reliability of federal grants, and creates more administrative and political barriers to using grant funds for basic research activities like attending conferences. It will slow scientific progress and encourage global research benefits to accrue outside the United States.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

My favorite rebel loon design is the one they do at Dozoles Creations at 42nd & Cedar. www.dozoles.com

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Put up cat shelves, it is 1000% worth it.

A smallish shorthaired dilute calico car lying on a wall shelf, with her tail hanging down. She's mostly lying on her side, so the pink and black speckled pads of her feet are visible at the edge of the shelf.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Hopped away from my foot on a trail today:

A leopard frog sitting in the grass. It is pale green, with irregular black spots, and some racing stripe highlights running from eyes to butt.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I thought I had mis-seen a "sparkling protein drink" at Costco yesterday, but this prompted me to check, and apparently my eyes actually were working. My brain just couldn't accept.

Nutrition & ingredients info for a sparkling protein drink that comes in fruit punch, "citrus frost", and blue raspberry lemonade flavors. It's 130 cals/can, with almost no other significant nutritional value except 30g of protein. Ingredients star with carbonated water and whey protein isolate. Next is bovine collagen peptides, L-malic acid, citric acid (from cassava), phosphoric acid, natural flavors, sucralose, sodium benzoate, and finally potassium sorbate. There is an allergy warning that it contains milk, presumably from the whey protein isolate.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Rounding things out with not-quite-a-caturday.

A largish chihuahua lying on his side on a couch, with his toes pressed against my leg. I am skritching his undercarriage.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Ope! Briefly achieved the increasingly rare double stack! (Inevitably Little tries to snuggle Big harder, and he gets annoyed & wanders off. (They're almost the exact same size now, but the calico was a kitten when she arrived.))

Two cats relaxing on my outstretched legs! Dilute calico faces away from my knees to shins, grey tuxedo is curled up on my thighs & stomach with his head towards me.)

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I have a Bitty Kitty Brigade graduate!

Looking down at the head of a small dilute calico sitting on my lap. She is mostly grey with long white eyebrows, and her eyes are half-closed in relaxation.

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N Sims @copyrightlibn.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Weeks ago, found this o-ring of unknown origin on the kitchen floor. Almost threw it out a couple times, but left it on a shelf bc maaaybe I'd figure it out someday? Today, the water bottle I haven't used in a while started leaking on my bike!