iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This is the first time I've thought maybe I need more loading screens in my life (ideally charming ones to slow down impulsive checking of time wasting sites).

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

What is language for if not to set social traps for our friends, families, and coworkers? Also relevant, the best comedy skit of all time: youtu.be/Dd7FixvoKBw?...

youtu.be

Substitute Teacher - Key & Peele

YouTube video by Comedy Central

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Agreed on not using Rogue. Hm, I'm still calibrating on Out of Control vs. Insufficiently Secured. It's surprising how much the AIs hack into the wild, but "out of control" still gives more Terminator vibes than I'm comfortable with. But that's clearly the intended goal. Thanks for sharing it!

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Would you be able to share some of your audiobook setup? I had Claude start on something similar a month ago but ran into some barriers. Either way - excellent article!

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Do gestures count? She would've given the finger after the boat tips in Kiss the Girl. Interrupted prince kisses are probably usually followed by cussing.

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Average is a very vibes based concept. Not sure how many of us fully outgrow that. Now I'll have to poll my kids...

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

That kind of caveat should be shown every time anyone opens any social media feed. But good luck on spreading the bad news of the cults.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Love the meme. Regarding your comments on the piece, I think Caulfield & Masley's points seem pretty compelling on why data centers are such focus point. Pessimistically, I agree it's a lot of NIMBYism. Optimistically, opportunity for energy and transparency pushes in regulations.

mikecaulfield.substack.com

Note on Masley’s “I think the data center backlash is mostly about data centers”

Three related points

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The Anthropic settlement was about the pirated training data, right? But 2 is quite transformative - the data isn't literally stored, just mathematically related, and intended for other purposes. 3 is messy but I bet will be mostly fair use once they dial up the safeguards a bit more.

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Excellent news! And maybe now it's a slow burn backstory for the new James Bond. Though it'd be weird seeing Jack Lowden without Gary Oldman... maybe he should be Q.

(not pictured) Also me in the trolley-making sweatshop. And me dispassionately taking this photo of the trolley massacres.

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Parallel - some people predicted the Great Recession. I don't think that meant they would forecast at all reliably about our politics & economics even 10 years beyond it. And we have a lot more data about those fields. Big systems & futures are too messy.

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's a great reminder for intellectual humility and respect for the unknowns. I was AI skeptical in a Roger Schank way and didn't see this coming (still skeptical of singularity situations). Seems like good reasons to distrust the level of certainty coming from rationalist groups.

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Compelling. On the other hand, Grok really leaned into the anime girl angle for a while there and it was... not great.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's a competitive category! (American bittern, according to Google Images) www.buzzfeed.com/fatbirdfeed/...

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Right! I'm particularly worried about face to face losses (tho I also often prefer a self-checkout). I find AI useful for a lot but am particularly worried when its mediating real human connections. Even the perception/uncertainty of this is caustic (did my friend write this or was it AI?).

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'm curious the digital/human phone preference split (if the digital assistants are competent), especially for youth. My guess: people hate digital assistants... but hate awkward phone calls too, so it'll be close to 50/50. Naturally the solution will be to have our assistants call for us. 😅

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

This is my new favorite term for AI. I just wish we had a bit more clarity on this elemental's stat block.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I also love @jesawyer.bsky.social's Pentiment for giving a grounded feel to rhythms of hard life but also celebrations, etc. in early 1500s Europe.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I bet you'd enjoy Bernard Suits' philosophical approach to play in The Grasshopper (quick, whimsical read), arguing that leisure/play is an end to itself. And, of course, C. Thi Nguyen's philosophy of play.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I suspect this is a pretty modern outlook, of the default need for all time to be productive. Plenty of need to be productive or starve, but also probably more required nothing time due to exhaustion, lighting being so expensive, etc.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Is it really a Masley creation if it doesn't even show many prompts it takes to use as much energy as the car's fuel per distance driven? Though seriously, I appreciate how games/sims are great test cases. Thanks for sharing.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Doesn't ostracizing typically lead to more culty behavior ("see how they oppress us!") and lack of healthy social nets to exit to?

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Plenty of concerns at the macro level, but I'm seeing more small personal wins: 1) built a combined QR code generator & link shortener for my end of lecture surveys (saves a couple minutes/class), and 2) successfully updated my Canvas dates (in a test environment) and proofread everything.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Excellent slides - thanks! I appreciate the reframing of the concerns into their positive forms.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Must be photoshopped (kidding). Or maybe from Avatar.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Overboard! by them works well on mobile too. Clever games with excellent writers. (80 Days is better but I suspect all of their games are worthwhile)

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

California got him on tax evasion when the shooting charges didn't stick.

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Awesome! I'm working on a Pentiment related (or at least inspired) project, and illuminated manuscripts are such a cool form of media to explore in games! I think there's lots of potential for illuminated manuscript as character sheet, for example.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Fascinating! "The complaint reads, at times, as an unintelligible collection of words and claims." (occasionally relatable when grading) "The same qualities that make these tools useful make them dangerous to the careless and available to the dishonest." (very relatable)

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Love this list. I've found Structured Academic Controversies helpful to plan and efficiently run in-class debates. Planning on doing more of those this year. I hope you share how your weekly debates go! thediscussionproject.org/blog/what-is...

thediscussionproject.org

What is the Structured Academic Controversy? - The Discussion Project

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Awesome. I'm also excited for the potential to update text interface games to use action menus! I'm thinking early King's Quest type games. Quest for Glory had some impressive fan updates in the past.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I have my students track their device time for a week in some of my classes. I've had a few students happy with their current numbers but usually they want to make some changes. That's just on quantity though, not even getting into the sleep deprivation side.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

:D I mean, bees are famous for doing one particular thing people don't like. Or maybe the bumbling flight is just hard to figure out evolutionarily.

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Inspirational quotes have potential for chaos... Charles Darwin had some bangers in his letters: “All this is very annoying.” “I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything.” “I hate a Barnacle as no man ever did before.” “I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate Bees.”

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David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

It's versatile. Probably A but could be B.

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

@bb.usefairuse.com Great write-up. But... could a copycat murder who committed a crime based on a Patterson book be sued for copyright infringement (public performance or derivative work)? (kidding) Copyright is a big hammer, I think there's societal appetite to whack more stuff with it (alas).

David McHugh @davidmchugh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I'm skeptical that things change that quickly; people underestimate inertia, not to mention all the more complicated factors. I'm particularly curious what % of middle managers have the social capital to be firing-resistant.