iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

“Books are the quiet decoration of the mind.” - Jonathan Swift

David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

“Give me freedom or give me the rope. For I shall not take the shackles that subjugate the poor to uphold the rich.” #TalkLikeAPirateDay

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Loss of artistic and cultural icon: Peter Max, whose colorful, psychedelic pop art expressed the optimism of the “flower power” movement of the 1960s and graced everything from postage stamps to a cruise ship, has died at 88.

Peter Max as photographed in his studio for Life magazine in 1969

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Reposted by David C. Spencer Hickman

Wet Tribe @wettribe.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

“Headin' out to San Francisco for the Labor Day weekend show… Yes, it's been quite a summer, rent-a-cars and westbound trains… Come Monday, it'll be all right.” Happy Labor Day, everyone! #LaborDayWeekend #KeepThePartyGoing #BubblesUp youtu.be/XKGw_hrlaOY

youtu.be

Come Monday - Jimmy Buffett

YouTube video by Margaritaville

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Reposted by David C. Spencer Hickman

Wet Tribe @wettribe.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Post-summer water quality monitoring is crucial because dropping water levels, lingering summer heat, and agricultural or stormwater runoff frequently trigger severe pollution and harmful algal blooms (HABs). #WetTribe #TidetotheOcean #Research #WaterTesting #Kayaking #Camping #Saturday

A group of researchers in kayaks paddling across Florida Bay toward the Florida Everglades

Kayaks pulled ashore for a field research campsite on a shell island

Camping under the stars by the water's edge

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Paddleboards are highly effective, low-impact tools for conducting ecological research in sensitive aquatic habitats. They offer unique advantages over motorized boats or traditional canoes for scientists studying wildlife and water quality.

surfer in a black tee and a wooden paddleboard and a tribal pattern towel

Wood paddleboard and paddle on a wall rack

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” -Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

"I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most." — Margaret Atwood

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Reposted by David C. Spencer Hickman

Wet Tribe @wettribe.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Redefining "harm" under the Endangered Species Act to exclude habitat destruction and mandating “economic toll” threaten vulnerable species like the Florida manatee by prioritizing development over ecosystem preservation. #WetTribe #TidetotheOcean #ManateeMonday

A manatee's snout peeking out of the water to breathe in an estuary with kayakers observing from a distance.

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Today was Earth Overshoot Day this year; for the rest of the year, humanity operates at an ecological deficit, consuming resources 73% faster than nature can renew them. The calculation formula: (World Biocapacity ÷ World Ecological Footprint) × 365. #EarthOvershootDay

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Experienced surfers use rip currents as a natural conveyor belt to paddle out to the lineup quickly and save energy. Instead of fighting breaking waves, they let the offshore current pull them past the impact zone. #CitizenScience #Research #RipCurrent #Surfing

Eco-friendly green dye placed in the water at the shore to illustrate the location and action of the water in a rip current

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Sailing: When the wind doesn’t blow, it suck!

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Nesting Notes: 3 of 4 sea turtle clutches to hatch on Florida’s Anna Maria Island became disoriented by artificial light. At least 21 hatchlings were recovered, and 10 hatchlings were found dead on Gulf Drive. Tragically, this was avoidable. #TurtleTuesday #LightPollution

Sea turtle hatchling crawling toward a street light

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

This lone mangrove tree set against the Miami skyline was always a poignant and haunting reminder to me that the area was once covered by mangrove forest. #MangroveMonday

A lone mangrove tree set against the Miami skyline

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I have always considered myself a keen observer of the absurdities of life. My weathered journal became a unique blend of scientific observations and sketches, with the philosophical and narrative elements of a man lost.

Scribbled handwriting in a field journal in low light

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. -Thomas Paine, The Crisis

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

When I was a kid, “you’ll live” was the diagnosis, Mercurochrome was the treatment. #FridayFeeling

A kid with a scraped shin sitting on a skateboard

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

"The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.” –President Obama, 2015 #ObamaPresidentialCenter

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." -Arthur Schopenhauer

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

The numbers are in for April 2026: It tied for the third-warmest April globally, with ocean heat near record highs, signaling a rising baseline for future extremes. Bleaching and mortality events are now anticipated annually. #ClimateChange #CoralBleaching

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

These coexisting mangrove-coral habitats are categorized into 4 types: Lagoon, Inlet, Edge, and Canopy, located in the Caribbean and South Pacific. I have documented them in Florida as well. #WetlandWednesday #Mangroves #Coral

A researcher wearing a wetsuit, snorkeling in the mangroves

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

When beach sand temperatures exceed 35C or 95F, it becomes lethal to sea turtle embryos. Sustained heat above this threshold cooks the eggs, leading to high mortality rates, stunted development, and weaker hatchlings. #TurtleTuesday

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I have always considered myself a keen observer of life's absurdities. On the long journey, my weathered journal became a unique blend of scientific observations, sketches, and a philosophical narrative of a man lost across the world. #ThrowbackThursday

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Goldman Sachs estimates that global data center electricity demand could rise by 220% by 2030 to about 1,350 terawatt-hours, with AI infrastructure as a major driver. Such growth raises sustainability questions and will intensify scrutiny from regulators and communities.

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

I like my country the way I like my scotch, neat, no ice. #NoKingsDay

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

In America, we have no kings, and power belongs to the people. Thomas Jefferson famously stated, "I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves." So, today, we show up together, and we say, loud and clear: “No Kings!” #NoKingsDay

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Mangroves buffer coastal waters against ocean acidification, effectively increasing rather than lowering the pH of nearby ocean waters.

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

The massive expansion of data centers, powered primarily by fracked gas, could account for 10% of the economy-wide emissions and 44% of the emissions allowable to meet the 2035 climate target. Fossil-fueled data centers serving AI threaten to sabotage the country’s already faltering climate goals.

AI Data Center pollution and power usage

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Blessed Lent, Ramadan Mubarak, and Shabbat Shalom to those who celebrate.

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Data centers carry a massive environmental burden, responsible for roughly 1% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. These facilities consume immense amounts of water, with estimates suggesting AI demand could withdraw up to 6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. #TechnologyTuesday

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.” —Declaration of Independence

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Creativity is the one skill AI can't replicate, making inventive thinkers essential in the job market. Quick, consistent innovation gives humans an edge, so fostering creativity and problem-solving will be key to staying competitive. The future will favor those who innovate and adapt.

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

This week, I received a notification in my news feed that a Michigan man whose three young sons vanished without a trace has been charged with their murders. A story I have been following for nearly 15 years. www.linkedin.com/pulse/did-yo...

linkedin.com

Did you ever have a role that had a lasting impression on you?

Over a decade ago, when I was a media consultant, I took a role as the Public Relations Director for a small film project on the NBCUniversal backlot. The project was a streaming, and rolling, awarene...

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

In the Ojibwe and Cree cultures, “Leadership” didn’t mean “Power”, it meant “Caring”. ― Tanya Talaga. True leadership is not about titles or positions; it's about how you treat people. Respect is earned through actions, empathy, and integrity. Caring leaders elevate us all. #WednesdayWisdom

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Coral restoration is made more difficult if not impossible given rising temperatures and acidity. There is no guarantee that corals restored from past populations will be able to survive the harsher conditions of the future. #FridayFieldUpdate

Examining a coral fragment damaged by a ghost net

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David C. Spencer Hickman @david-spencer-h.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

“Plankton, a shimmering phosphorescence on the sea, and the spinning planets and an expanding universe, all bound together by the elastic string of time. It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again.” ― John Steinbeck, ‘The Log from the Sea of Cortez’

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