iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 9h

Dear companies advertising home delivery: My dog does not understand doorbells (we disconnected ours in 2019 to maintain sanity). He *definitely* does not understand that ones in YouTube ads aren't even real. Stop putting them there. Furious barking does not make me want to buy your product.

Big white fluffy dog looking very offended.

It was because I pushed the fluff tuft on the top of his head into a mini-mohawk to make him look silly, but it applies here as well.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I know the sports families sign all sorts of "I won't sue the school district if I get hurt while playing." Does this also cover agreeing not to sue the school district if players are stolen by the fae? Or do we need to add a special notice for that? Seems like this could be a lot of paperwork

Grassy field with ring of mushrooms in the middle of it.

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Reposted by C. W. Maurer

Good Game Lobby @goodgamelobby.com · 01/10/2026

This October, we are playing: TOEM 2 Step back into the shoes of a curious photographer and set off on a brand-new adventure all about uncovering hidden details, helping friends along the way, and documenting the world’s little wonders in TOEM 2, the sequel to the acclaimed TOEM.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We keep planting scarlet runner beans in the garden because they are low maintenance and the flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. We get like one side-dish's worth of actual beans from them. But I do love getting to where we can start shelling the dried beans. They're just so pretty. 🌱

Scarlet runner beans in dried bean pods next to a small plastic container with some beans that have already been shelled.

The beans are a pretty purple-pink color with black splotches all over.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

School bus demolition derby night at the fair. I'll be rooting for the fancy bug-friends.

Yellow school bus lined up to await its demolition derby debut. A praying mantis and ladybugs are painted on the side.

Yellow school bus lined up to await its demolition derby debut. Painted on the side is the grim reaper, but with...a hammer?

I guess its sponsored by a roofing company.

Yellow school bus lined up to await its demolition derby debut. There's some sort of lion monster painted on the side.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Proposal: Spite stamps Because I don't *want* to waste my cute little Goodnight Moon stamps on sending in root canal bill payments. I want to use those to send fun things to friends. Can't we get some more passive aggressive (or blatantly aggressive) stamp options out here?

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Kid has a birthday party this weekend, which means it's time for the annual "I know the full recipe is just an unnecessary amount of cake, but how did I adjust it last year...?" Going with 3/4 this time, with plans to have some leftover cupcakes to freeze for emergency cake days. So we'll see.

Printout of King Arthur chocolate stout cake recipe with notes on ingredient adjustments in pencil.

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Good Game Lobby @goodgamelobby.com · 10/09/2026

Join the Good Game Lobby Gaming Club on Discord! We nominate games, vote on them, and play a new game every month. Join us for co-op sessions, streams, and discussions along the way. Find the Discord link in our bio and all the details at goodgamelobby.com.

goodgamelobby.com

Good Game Lobby - Indie Game Reviews + Weekly Newsletter + Gaming Club

A curation of indie game reviews, a weekly video game newsletter, and a Discord Gaming Club.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Finished @emilytesh.net 's The Incandescent, and don't think I've ever seen the experience of being a teacher of teens put into words so well. I lost track of how many times I chuckled or sighed resignedly or teared up a bit while thinking "Yup. That's exactly how that goes." 10/10. Very good book.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Fighting off imposter syndrome? I wish you the confidence-in-creativity of the 4/5ish year old kid of a friend who drew me some pictures today. A couple minutes later she came back and asked to see them again. "I want to draw smiley faces on them, because I did a REALLY good job."

Two pieces of notebook paper with kid drawings. Back one is partly covered and shows part of a house with a smiley face in the corner. Front page is two rows of alternating "bowties" and sunflowers.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

This guy lives in a gap under bushes in front of a house on our street, and I've always thought him a fun little guy, there to say hello. However, now that we've watched Widow's Bay and @dropout.tv's recent Game Changer episode, he suddenly seems more...unnerving.

Small yard statue of a sailor or fisherman in a yellow raincoat, one hand on a ship's wheel, the other shading his eyes, the better to see you with, my dear, as you walk the sidewalk below. "HELLO" is written across the raincoat in all caps, shouting silently into the void.

I think he's wearing green boots or waders of some sort, but he's buried in the ground up to his knees (trying to escape the grave, perhaps?) so it's hard to tell what's really going on there.

Is very fun and cute for neighborhood children to see as they walk past.

But recent entertainment choices have thrown a bit more of an ominous tone on an innocent (?) New England fisherman statue.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

This counts as prep for my Evolution of Science Fiction Soundtracks WorldCon panel, right? Panel is virtual and starts 6PM PT/9PM ET #LAWorldCon

Screenshot from The Empire Strikes Back, showing Darth Vader in his meditation chamber, about to do some employee hierarchy restructuring.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Haven't been to a (non-youth,) baseball game in...many years. I'd forgotten how fun sports crowd dynamics are, even for my introverted little self. Going to have to make sure I don't wait 15-20 or whatever years before I go again. Go Red Sox! [Just don't tell my Yankee fan family 😬]

Photo of the Boston Red Sox playing the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park, taken from the seats pretty much behind the center fielder.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The sound design for this game is just so well done. I'm very excited to get to hear more about it.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Putting school supplies into Kid's backpack today. Me (Opening backpack that's been in a closet since June):"Oh! Why is this pocket full of pinecones?" Him (Matter-of-fact):"That's just from Earth Day" Ah. So he carried them around for 2 months before shoving them in a closet. Of course. Good.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Went to Bar Harbor Oceanarium today and got to learn about their lobster hatchery program Keeping them from eating each other is a challenge, so when they outgrow the baby tank, they get little PVC apartments Looking at photos, couldn't help imagining some lobster rendition of the Cell Block Tango

There are several pieces of pvc pipe in a tank with mesh fastened over the edge.

Inside each mesh/pvc apartment is a very small lobster. Because if they weren't separated, they would all eat each other.

Tank lighting is blue-ish and comes from behind them, creating silhouettes within their little homes, making for very dramatic contrast of little lobster shapes in front of the mesh.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Did you know Maine has a peat bog with pitcher plants? I didn't, but we got to go there today, and it was very cool.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I don't often share Tunesday posts here, but Big Walk is one of those games where I've been running around to everyone I know who's ever played a game, going "Gather your friends! You have to play this!" I've had such a fun time playing it and watching other people discover it. Check it out.

Thumbnail of Big Walk game cover art, which has cropped out most of the title, but shows one of the characters (a cute little cartoony ant-person) sitting on a semi-realistic rock overlooking a beach with a mountain in the background.

Text at the bottom says:
Tunesday 8.11.26 -Big Walk OST by aksfx
Tunesdays With Maurer
Patreon.com/christenamaurer

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The writer's study for the week while I'm up in Maine on vacation with the family. It's a rough life, but it would have been rude not to join them, ya know?

A desk in the corner of a room, with a window on each wall at the corner. Beyond the window, the tops of trees are visible.

View of what's beyond one of the windows next to the desk. A deck overlooks a forest, and water from the harbor is visible in the distance. There are fun picturesque sailboats out there, but you'll have to trust me because my phone camera doesn't zoom well.

View from other part of the deck, still overlooking the forest, with harbor and mountains visible in the distance

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

We gave 9 y.o. an old Bluetooth speaker so that he can play music from his mp3 player in his room. Hadn't considered that he's a bit hyped up on vacation energy and loves math rock, so he's been running around the house blasting Angine de Poitrine since 7:30 this morning.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Very excited to have the first half of my novelette out on Escape Pod this week! (Keep eyes and ears out for the second half next week) Check it out! Hope you enjoy!

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

New Tunesday Chat post is up! This month, I interviewed Travis Taylor, dev and composer of Chronos Trials RPG & founder of Harmonic Harbour, a platform to help audio freelancers find collaborators and projects. If you are or know a composer who'd like to be featured in a future post, let me know!

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Watching the 9 y.o. try to figure out the claw machine shop game in Link's Awakening, and it's just like being back there again myself, but with better graphics. As a kid who was good at puzzles, not being able to figure it out immediately was absolutely infuriating to me at the time 😂

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

If there's one thing I hate more than having to rush out to the hardware store for a single item mid-house-project, it's having to do so twice in one day. Fortunately, the hardware store cats showed up (and/or snuggled in) to support me in my time of grief.

Brown and black cat sitting on hardware store floor, wondering if we were going to pick up one of its toys to play with it or just stand there doing nothing useful all day.

Gray, black, and white cat in loaf position on hardware store floor, being scritched a little behind the ears. A rare moment, indeed, as this one is usually hiding back on one of the employees' desks.

Same brown and black cat as before, this time curled up sleeping in a cozy cat bed, front paws extended to best display toe beans.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Green bean season had a rough start in the garden this year, but it's getting into gear now. Cute but unhelpful bunnies didn't leave enough plants for us to be able to toss bags at passersby just to get rid of them like we have in the past, but we should have plenty for us and some sharing. 🌱

Cattle panel arbor with green beans hanging from it.

Pinkish-purple flower of rattlesnake bean plant against a backdrop of the greenery (and more pretty purple on some stems) of the elderberry plant.

Plastic container containing standard "green" green beans and rattlesnake beans (same size, but have some purple/brown stripey patterns)

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Pros of homeownership: getting to do lots of cool projects. Cons of homeownership: finding out what cool projects previous owners tried to do and didn't think ahead on.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Yesterday: Me: "I really need to get to deep cleaning the rug. Maybe I'll do that this week" Helpful dog: Throws up on several spots on said rug. Me: Now has a clear First Thing Monday Morning priority, at least (Doggo is fine. He just sometimes eats a bit too fast)

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I've been following this game for years. In passing, when I first saw the gorgeous embroidered character art, but much more closely since being emotionally gut-punched by the demo last summer. I am so excited to see it finally out in the wild!

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Appa doesnt always get to go on long car rides with us, but when he does, he basically gets to sleep the whole time while being within convenient reach of scritches.

Big white fluffy dog sleeping with face all scrunched up, as seen looking back between driver and passenger seats.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Strawberries are nearing the end of their harvest for this year, but black raspberries are eager to jump in to fill the spot for the next bunch of weeks.

On left, plastic Tupperware half full of ripe black raspberries. On right, Tupperware full of ripe strawberries.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

If you like excellent music, shop management games, and a storyline that touches on the importance of conscious choice, community bonding, and the challenges of doing and appreciating art in the modern era, go buy this now.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Three weeks after the last strawberry update, and they're still going strong in the garden We've made jam, syrup (for strawberry cardamom iced tea and strawberry lemonade), the amazing Serious Eats strawberry ice cream (link below), and now strawberry shortcake. And have frozen a ton. 🍓 success.

White bowl containing shortcake biscuit topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

Garden photo. Hand is holding aside some leaves and presenting a bunch of eight strawberries at various stages of ripeness. Some vivid red, some still small and green.

8 jars of strawberry jam set on a cutting board to cool.

Plastic dish full of bright red strawberries.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

So begins the 2026 season of trying to get as many strawberries as possible before the robins and catbirds grab the fruit tax they claim for eating all the garden bugs.

Nearly-ripe strawberry bright red against a background of bright green leaves

Unripe strawberry that some sort of garden critter has been snacking on.

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Reposted by C. W. Maurer

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 14/05/2026

Results Age xkcd.com/3245/

Comic: Implications of the age of the posts you see when you Google an error message. [Grayed out error code with unreadable post. Post date of 3 years ago is enlarged with a text bubble. Table with three columns for age of post, what it means, and probability of a fix. 2 hours ago: There’s an infrastructure outage; very high–just wait. 5 days ago: A recent update broke something big; high, but you might have to wait for a patch. 3 months ago: A new product isn’t working for some users; decent chance of a solution in the replies. 2 years ago: You’ve run into an edge case; low, but maybe the replies can help with troubleshooting. 13 years ago: You’re the only person with this problem; very low–post is likely not relevant. 24 years ago: Oh god how is the internet this old; maybe whoever posted this message has kids who can help you.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

[I'm in this picture and I don't like it.]

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Should anyone else also be running super late on nominnations, my subterranean sci-fi novelette, "Riftwork" is eligible! Published July 2025 as part of the Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls Who Invent and Imagine anthology. Because we need more neurospicy female rep in SFF.

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alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

at every event, someone (usually a woman, usually a parent) asks me how I do it. this is why I'm very, very clear that i have a career for the same reason most men with kids do: my spouse keeps me and my children alive.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Free spoon has been acquired! It's a fun spoon. Certainly worth trying weird pizza soup for. The pizza soup is...not an abomination? Without the weird pepperoni chunks, it would be an entirely acceptable pre-packaged tomato soup. If we were more of a soup household, I'd try their other flavors 🤷‍♀️

Soup spoon held over a bowl of pizza soup. The spoon has "happy spoon * happy you" etched into the spoon-bowl around a smiling spoon.

Spoons within spoons within spoons.

The convex side of the spoon bowl, which has a smiley face etched in the metal. Behind it is the same bowl as the other photo, now empty of soup

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Dredge is also on sale on Steam til 3/18! 🎣 I don't get anything for telling you that except the satisfaction that someone else might suffer the same scare I did from what looked like an innocent [spoiler] but was really a murderous [spoilerspoiler] 🐙 store.steampowered.com/app/1562430/...

store.steampowered.com

Save 60% on DREDGE on Steam

DREDGE is a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. Sell your catch, upgrade your boat, and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets. Explore a mysterious archipelago and discov...

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Reposted by C. W. Maurer

NE Ohio Regional Sewer District @neorsd.org · 12/03/2026

good night, sewers. good night, streams. good night, operations and maintenance teams. good night, settling tanks. good night, stream banks. good night, engineers, scientists, crews, managers, inspectors, analysts too. a good night for us means serving with care. good night, sewers, everywhere.

overlooking a series of circular water filled tanks of a sewage treatment plant at night.

lights line a long brick building on the horizon as a blue-black sky is stark behind a veil of thin puffy clouds in the distance.

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

New Tunesdays With Maurer is up! The Dredge OST by David Mason Writers: Need music to embody a sense of sneakily ominous isolation? For the odd little town where...something's not quite right. Gamers: Need a fishing game where some of the fish might just be eldritch abominations? Look up Dredge

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

9 y.o. seems to find it physically painful to leave a store with a single dollar of spending money left in his pocket, so we don't go to Target except in emergencies. Like forgetting about a friend's birthday party that is tomorrow I think I know where all his savings will be going this year...

Shadow the Hedgehog Batmobile from DC/Sonic crossover series.

DC/Sonic crossover series toys: Cyborg Tails on left. Shadow the Bat-Hedgehog in center. Super Knuckles on right.

Action figures from DC/Sonic crossover series.
From left to right:
Sonic-Flash, Flash, Wonder-Amy, Wonder Woman, Silver Lantern, Green Lantern

Action figures from DC/Sonic crossover series.
From left to right:
Sonic-Flash, Shadow the Bat-Hedgehog, Silver Lantern

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

There *is* some good in the world, and I will be getting a free spoon after all (a light green one!) Would apologize for calling the soup an abomination, but the jury is still out on that (waiting to eat it with the spoon. Because it seemed appropriate).

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Thoughts on a New Hampshire afternoon. Slushy snow in December is annoying. Slushy snow in March, when you already have a 3-4' wall of snow surrounding the driveway and it just slides off the shovel in big clumps when you try to throw it on top of those walls? That's just rude. At least it's 50*?

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C. W. Maurer @cwmaurerwrites.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Purchased this abomination at Aldi, partly because I was intrigued by the offer of a free spoon with purchase. Turns out they're pretty nice spoons. But it requires a Walmart receipt for the offer 😭 I have sent them a sad email, so we will see what happens.

Pouch of "Pizza Soup" with a picture of a slice of pizza on the front. Advertises "pepperoni, tomato, and cheese" and "11g protein" and has a "craveable creations" sticker on it.

I have many questions.

And I want the spoon they promised me.

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