iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Stolen from a Facebook pal, who reminded me of this quote.

“Have you ever seen a man shot by a firing-squad? No, of course not; the spectators are hand-picked and it’s like a private party, you need an invitation. The result is that you’ve gleaned your ideas about it from books and pictures. A post, a blindfolded man, some soldiers in the offing. But the real thing isn’t a bit like that. Do you know that the firing-squad stands only a yard and a half from the condemned man? Do you know that if the victim took two steps forward his chest would touch the rifles? Do you know that, at this short range, the soldiers concentrate their fire on the region of the heart and their big bullets make a hole into which you could thrust your fist? No, you didn’t know all that; those are things that are never spoken of."

Albert Camus, The Plague

John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Name a film with a female director: The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), a documentary about the Los Angeles punk rock scene, directed by Penelope Spheeris.

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), a documentary about the Los Angeles punk rock scene, directed by Penelope Spheeris.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This was my first choice, tbh, but I mean it's just a rumour. I got no proof, is what I'm saying.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This 2019 quote from AOC is making the rounds. Here's an alt-text version. It was true then, and twice as true now. Repubs are distancing themselves from Trump mainly because of gas prices, not his racism, cruelty and crimes. They seem fine with those, and the next MAGA despot will exploit that.

AOC on Trump in 2019:

"As horrific as this president is, he is a symptom of much deeper problems. Even foreign influence plays on [national] wounds that we refuse to address: income inequality, racism, corruption, a willingness to excuse bigotry," she tweeted. "He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached, or voted out in 2020. But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him; the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified+reanimated."

Source:

https://www.newsweek.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-supports-impeachment-reality-votes-senate-1375737

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

That would be this one. Who knew art was funny? (Besides @theauthorguy.bsky.social, I mean?)

Cover for Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Here's what it looks like on Twitter on a laptop web browser logged into Twitter. The user labeled it "sensitive content". A lot of their posts are similarly labeled, it seems.

Screencap of post from "Lotso Fight For HK" on Twitter showing a content warning screen:

Content warning: Sensitive content
The author labeled this post as containing sensitive content.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Giant Inflatable Shanghai coffee cat obviously needs more coffee. As do I.

Giant inflatable orange cat in Shanghai outside of a cat-themed cafe. September 2026.

Signage for a cat-themed cafe in Shanghai. September 2026.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Yes, I’ve seen it, and ok, I’ll bite. I took the liberty of reading it so you don't have to, and as expected, it’s basically an apologetic that affirms the govt’s false narrative of the 2019 protests and pretends that GovHK’s concept of “national security” is the same as every other country. 1/8

Screencap of South China Morning Post column by Chow Chung-yan:

Why Hong Kong's economic future still hinges on national security

Whether under British rule or modern superpower competition, Hong Kong's value as a strategic gateway makes it a vital security asset

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

This is a public service announcement. With club sandwiches.

Meme with a photo of a club sandwich, and the text:

If by "clubbing" you mean eating club sandwiches, then yes, I love clubbing

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

No -- not where I lived, anyway. I confess that my knowledge of Dick Turpin and the whole highwayman concept/tradition derives mainly from Python's Dennis Moore sketch, Adam Ant music videos and this film (which I have on DVD).

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I'm not convinced the current govt could manage something like this without ruining it, but I do think that stuff like this is what makes Hong Kong more interesting as a tourism draw than Coldplay concerts, sporting events and ... [checks notes] the Festival of Flipping Connoisseurs.

Screenshot of SCMP article from September 3, 2026:

HEADLINE

Hong Kong’s first high-end expo with yachts and supercars to launch in November

DECK

SCMP learns inaugural Festival of Connoisseurs to receive some of HK$100 million set aside for MICE sector under 2026-27 budget

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

True story: Dolly Parton ate lunch in my house in the late 60s. Source: my mom, who was not prone to making up celebrity stories. Background: My dad worked for Monument Records in the 60s, and one day he brought Dolly (who signed with Monument in 1965) over to the house for lunch. 1/2

Cutout of Dolly Parton behind a wooden rack of Dollywood pamphlets at a rest stop somewhere in Tennessee, c. 2014. Photo by me.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

best star trek crew, wrong answers only

Cast from the TV show Ark II (1976)

Terry Lester as Jonah
Jean Marie Hon as Ruth
José Flores as Samuel
Moochie (chimpanzee) as Adam

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

No cheating. Share the last photo of the sky from your camera roll (if you feel like it) (Actually the last one is me covered in blood after crashing my bike yesterday, so I ain't sharing that. So I cheated. But you could probably use insufferable cuteness on your feed, so you don't mind, do you?)

Snoozing elderly Maltese on her bed, recently.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

What’s everyone’s favorite dumb action movie (laudatory) Dunno about "everyone", but for me, this is a pretty strong candidate.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

What's your favorite Bible verse? Wrong answers only. Burton 25:17-19 [Full verse in the alt text]

Kurt Russell as Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China (1986) broadcasting on the CB:

17 "When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues,

18 You just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that:

19 "'Have ya paid your dues, Jack?'

"Yessir, the check is in the mail."

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Really not sure, but it was probably this. This is the first one I specifically remember buying, anyway. NOTE: I bought it probably circa 1990, which is when I first got a CD player.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

One of the more annoying recent trends in digital news is a Headline News recap thing where the headline summarises two or three top stories, thus unintentionally making them sound connected when they're not. Which is not good journalism. Sometimes, however, they're grimly amusing. Like this.

Screencap from Google search result for a YouTube video from ABC News with a double headline:

Voluntary Egg Recall; Trump Threatens 'Massive Attack' on Iran ...

President Donald Trump warns of a possible major escalation, telling Axios he is considering a "massive attack" on Iran as the war widens; ...

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Oreo China did a "hot chicken wings" Oreo back in 2018 (see pic below), so this looks like a co-branding variant of that. Anyway, KFC has put out weirder things than this (see: KFC fire logs, sunscreen, edible nail polish, etc). NOTE: The green Oreos in this pic are wasabi flavored. No lie.

Wasabi Oreos (top) and Hot Chicken Wing Oreos, released in China in 2018.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

There is none more metal than Thor. All metal is Thor. Thor is all the metal. And so are his dogs. Which are also metal. But not as metal as Thor. This is impossible. For there is none more metal than Thor. Which we covered earlier. This concludes my TED Talk. I will not be taking questions.

Album cover for "Keep The Dogs Away" by Thor, featuring Jon Mikl Thor shirtless in an alley with several Dobermans on leads. It is so metal you cannot believe how metal it is. THOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Best Bond villain. Wrong answers only.

Eartha Kitt as Catwoman in the TV show Batman (1967).

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

This is a paid ad from SCMP on Facebook. The article it links to is just a news story. But it's interesting SCMP is paying money to boost this particular story. Maybe they just think it's good clickbait? I dunno.

Screenshot of Facebook ad from South China Morning Post promoting its news article of HK deputy finance chief Michael Wong complaining about economist Stephen Roach's most recent claim that Hong Kong is "over" as an international financial hub.

Headline:

Hong Kong official slams ‘bias against China’ after new article by Stephen Roach

Standfirst reads:

US economist writes that ‘Hong Kong of old is over’ but deputy finance chief, without naming specific critics, defends city’s international appeal

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

It's me, only nobody thinks it's cute when I do this.

Meme with four pictures of pandas in humorous poses. Caption says:

When you're new to the gym and you're not sure how any of the equipment works.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Honestly, if anyone desires a serious Harry Potter alternative, Ursula K Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea is right there. It was Harry Potter before Harry Potter was Harry Potter. It's about a wizard's school and everything. It's also better written, IMO. 1/2

Cover for A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) by Ursula K Le Guin.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

They did that already, except it was directed by Jeffrey Lau, starred Stephen Chow, and was based on an entirely different epic text with different mythical creatures, but otherwise, yeah, this will do just fine.

Box cover art for the film A Chinese Odyssey, Parts 1 and 2 (1995), starring Stephen Chow and directed by Jeffrey Lau.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Post the first album you ever bought. 💿🎶 Honestly not sure, but it was probably this.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

I was gonna make a joke like "How big is Chili size – like XXXL or what?", but then I looked it up and it turns out it's the L.A. name for an open-faced burger topped with chili con carne, cheese and onions. It looks like this and now I am SO hungry, you guys.

This is a Chili Size – an open-faced burger topped with chili con carne, cheese and onions. the top half of the bun is cut in two and placed on both sides of the dish.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

One of these two, depending on how my day is going.

Rod Serling sitting in a diner booth smoking a cigarette.

Chris Tucker as Ruby Rohd in The Fifth Element (1997).

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

"Elmbook and Luck Win, two independent bookstores, were reportedly disqualified from taking part in this year’s book fair." Elmbook is also shutting down ops. We went there yesterday. Place was packed. We bought some books. Are they seditious books? We have no way of knowing. Don't care anyway.

Front door of Elmbook book store in Mong Kok, which will close next month after 29 years and is having a clearance sale. Photo taken July 18, 2026.

I met one of the founders when I first came to HK, so this one is personal for me.

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John Carpenter's dEF0G 🌁 @defrog.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

I dunno about the worst, but I remember intensely disliking The Rookie (1990), mainly because the opening action sequence was so bonkers stupid and unbelievable ("oh come on, no one would do that in that situation!") that it threw me right out of the film. And it got worse from there. 1/2

Video box cover for The Rookie (1990) starring Clint Eastwood (who also directed) and Charlie Sheen, plus lots of stuff exploding.

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