iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

1/19 Eleven years after a church picnic in New York killed a thousand people, a company picnic in Chicago killed 844 more. The ship never left the wharf. She rolled over while the band was playing, in twenty feet of water, six metres from the bank. The SS Eastland. A 🧵. #maritimehistory

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Dr Rebecca Tyson @tyguson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

1. #MedievalSky, grab a lifejacket and a seasickness bag, we’re casting off on a thread about the Norman invasion fleet in 1066! 960 years ago, the Normans landed at Pevensey and established a base at the Roman shore fort which was already succumbing to erosion from the sea on its south side. 1/20

Photograph of Pevensey Castle with an information board in the foreground showing an artists impression of how the view may have looked in 1066 when the sea came almost up to the walls.

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David Rothkopf @djrothkopf.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Trump, empowered by SCOTUS, entered office convinced he could do insider trading, sell pardons and favors, take bribes, steal and openly flout the law. Now, with the prospect of investigations looming, he is growing ever more fearful that he miscalculated.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Many years ago, I wrote down this bit of a speech Obama gave to an audience in Silicon Valley. Because it absolutely NAILED the difference between government and business.

The final thing I’ll say is that government will never run the way Silicon Valley runs because, by definition, democracy is messy. This is a big, diverse country with a lot of interests and a lot of disparate points of view. And part of government’s job, by the way, is dealing with problems that nobody else wants to deal with.

So sometimes I talk to CEOs, they come in and they start telling me about leadership, and here’s how we do things. And I say, well, if all I was doing was making a widget or producing an app, and I didn’t have to worry about whether poor people could afford the widget, or I didn’t have to worry about whether the app had some unintended consequences then I think those suggestions are terrific.

That's not, by the way, to say that there aren't huge efficiencies and improvements that have to be made.

But the reason I say this is sometimes we get, I think, in the scientific community, the tech community, the entrepreneurial community, the sense of we just have to blow up the system, or create this parallel society and culture because government is inherently wrecked.

No, it's not inherently wrecked; it's just government has to care for, for example, veterans who come home. That's not on your balance sheet, that's on our collective balance sheet, because we have a sacred duty to take care of those veterans. And that's hard and it's messy, and we're building up legacy systems that we can't just blow up.

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John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

After my parents were visiting set for the first time, I asked my dad what he thought. He said “I didnt realize, it’s like you’re building a house, and once an hour good looking people run in and put on a play for five minutes. Then they leave and you go back to construction.”

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The original post is paywalled but Zack does a good job of summarizing his findings here.

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History and Heritage Yorkshire @handhyorkshire.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Feast days etc usually gives me an excuse, if one is needed, for posting a Pieter Brueghel (usually the Elder) painting. Shrove Tuesday is no exception. The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1559. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. The

This image is The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, an oil-on-panel painting by the Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, completed in 1559. The painting is a panorama of contemporary life in the 16th-century Southern Netherlands, specifically depicting the transition from Shrove Tuesday (Carnival) to Lent. The scene is divided into two halves; the left side represents a lively inn filled with revelry, while the right side shows a church depicting religious observance and fasting. It contains nearly 200 distinct characters engaged in various activities, representing a battle between the hedonistic Carnival and the abstinent Lent.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up. Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵

old couple (Robert and his wife Inga), dressed in smart clothes. both look unassuming and like they could be anybodies' grandparents.

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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down." data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l... Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't. Recommended, in an extreme way.

data4democracy.substack.com

The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls

On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Oh go on then. I have a decent bottle of Port handy.

Tv with title sequence for star trek 2 wrath if khan

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Jess Nevins @jessnevins.bsky.social · 21/12/2023

The accepted wisdom is that Hugo Gernsback invented sf fandom in the Science Fiction League & in the pages of AMAZING STORIES, and that (per Wikipedia) “a wide variety of Western modern organized fannish subcultures originated with science fiction fandom.” LIES! ALL LIES! 1/

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Ok, I'll try it, seems like it could be fun: One like, one take (anywhere from cold to hot) on the criminal legal system...

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

I see the Washington Post "Editorial Board" Is trying to beat the Biden's Health drum again. I wonder if this is them defensively trying to justify forcing him from the presidential race a year ago or if it is a Republican psyop to split the Dems. Maybe both?

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

I would normally say "Happy Birthday America" but it really isnt happy so I will just say this. Remember what makes you who you are, America, through 249 years. The Declaration of Independence, The Preamble to the Constitution, The Gettysburg Address, The Letter from Birmingham Jail. Find renewal.

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Stan Oklobdzija @stano.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

"Masked security forces captured an opposition leader in the coastal province of New Jersey as regime officials continue their months-long crack-down against pro-democracy elements in the embattled United States. The arrest comes as the regime issued calls for summary detentions without trial."

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

1804. Oceans are now Battlefields. In the South China Sea a British convoy worth almost £1bn today is spotted by the French. It should be a massacre. Instead, Commodore Nathanial Dance is about to defeat a French battle squadron using some paint and the most overplayed hand in #navalHistory. /1 🧵

watercolour of a battle between british and french sailing ships.

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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

More free time? Yes. More peace of mind? Oh my, no. Estimates for violent mortality among pre-agricultural hunter-gathers, as Azar Gat notes in War in Human Civilization, were *extremely* high, in the range of 15-25% (higher for males, lower for females). 1/

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

This passage from one of Abraham Lincoln's early speeches is passing through my mind often in these terrible times. From the Speech at the Lyceum on January 27, 1838:

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

The only thing better than Duke basketball having a heart-breaking loss is being there to see it in person. WOW!

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Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

what booker is doing very well is making clear the difference between moral persuasion and legislative power. Democrats have the ability to harness the former, if not the latter, and while it's taken longer than I would have preferred, I'm happy to see it happening.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 31/03/2025

I keep hearing pundits saying that various Trump crimes & follies "aren't landing with the American people." I can't believe we're still talking like this. The US information system is broken, just as it was broken throughout the election. People *aren't hearing about what he's doing*.

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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

I noted the plaintiff in the case against the military transgender ban that just resulted in a nationwide injunction against it, out of WA state, is Commander Emily Shilling, a Navy fighter and test pilot who transitioned while in the service. glaad.org/transgender-...

glaad.org

Transgender Military Service Member: “I am proof that we are qualified to serve” | GLAAD

Commander Emily Shilling, a U.S. Naval aviator who is also an out transgender woman, is already serving in the military, already making our country safer and stronger, already well qualified. "I have ...

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

This is a hell of an article that cuts through the BS that the traditional political press reports now. Its well worth the read.

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Drew McWeeny @drewmcweeny.com · 27/02/2025

Oh, man, not Gene Hackman. 2025 can just fuck right off. Okay. Let me tell you a little bit about Gene Hackman...

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Did you see all the lights come on? This is my new power system for Capitol City! If you come look in this transparent window you can see the imprisoned Efreet supplying the power. No I think it is quite comfortable. What if it gets out? Well... uh... Thats what we have battle mages for, right?

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Another dataset I like is from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, which has maps of the US that show we fixed the acid rain problem by implementing stricter emission controls on power plants. nadp.slh.wisc.edu/maps-data/nt...

Map of the United States displaying hydrogen ion wet deposition levels from measurements taken in 1985 by the Central Analytical Laboratory. The map uses a color gradient from green (low deposition) to red (high deposition) to show varying levels of H+ deposition (kg/ha). The highest deposition levels are concentrated in the northeastern U.S., while the western U.S. has the lowest levels. Black dots indicate measurement locations. The map is sourced from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network

Map showing hydrogen ion wet deposition measurements across the United States and parts of Canada, indicating values in kg/ha for 2022. The color gradient represents different concentration levels, with a scale on the right. Sites not pictured are listed at the bottom. The map is mostly green, indicating that H+ deposition is no longer a environment issue that it once was.

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Kuo is excellent in general and this is a good layout of the responses to our current criminal government.

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Nina Jankowicz @ninajankowicz.com · 05/02/2025

This morning I woke up to news that the richest man in the world— the unelected oligarch tearing down our government—retweeted a grifter’s lies about me. Here are the facts, since I know weirdos from Twitter stalk me here (maybe find another hobby?): 🧵

Grifter Mike Benz shares falsehoods about Nina Jankowicz's work.
In one screenshot, he falsely claims she runs "an internet censorship project in london." In the second screenshot, Benz, who obsessively checks Jankowicz's bluesky feed, posted a screenshot of her reaction to USAID's illegal shutdown by Elon Musk. Both screenshots are posted with the commentary "Update: The Censorship Squad is crashing out over losing the USAID taxpayer gravy train that funds their censorship work." Elon Musk retweets Benz, writing "How the tables have turned."

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Hakeem Jeffries @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

House Republicans are celebrating pardons issued to a bloodthirsty mob that violently assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021. What happened to backing the Blue? Far right extremists have become the party of lawlessness and disorder. Don’t ever lecture America again. About anything.

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

On this Weird and Embarrassing day in the US we also get to remember one of the greatest Americans. Martin Luther King Jr's mission of racial equality remains unfinished today more than 60 years after his "I Have a Dream" speech. Of course Republicans only know one King line but there is much more.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 16/01/2025

one thing i’m stuck on is this idea that “masculine” energy means license to act like a chud in public, as opposed to more traditional notions of public masculinity, such as those that put a premium on the performance of integrity, honesty, honor and generosity.

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e.w. niedermeyer @niedermeyer.online · 16/01/2025

this is what long-time Elon watchers call "The Realization": when Elon stumbles into your area of expertise, and you realize everyone just gives the guy the benefit of the doubt because he talks about complicated things people don't pay attention to

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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 12/01/2025

some kid on reddit asked what kind of job they should get if they want to help the world—it made me think hard about what I’d tell young people now? maybe learn a trade, a thing you do with your hands, something that humans will actually be needed for for awhile. hopefully union.

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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 09/01/2025

as LA is burning, a swath of the country is recovering from an ice storm, Alabama is preparing for up to 6” of snow and I’m praying for the TX power grid, a reminder: we don’t need climate action just for future generations, we need it now. the climate crisis is here, all around us

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Meet the destroyer HMS Glowworm. In April 1940 she was forced to fight the German Heavy Cruiser Admiral Hipper, ten times her size, and Hipper's destroyer escorts. Her extraordinary last stand earned her captain the first Victoria Cross of WW2. In part because THE GERMANS nominated him for one /1 🧵

side view of a British destroyer, with two funnels, at sea.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Something I try to explain to tech peeps/investors is the danger of seeing yourself as the outcome, rather than the enabler. It leads to creating 'value' that isn't valuable to the user. It just complicates their journey to the outcome you are meant to deliver. Facebook is speed-running that. /1

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hilzoy @hilzoy.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

This is something I have to convince my students is wrong at the beginning of every intro class. It presupposes that all moral problems are easy, and that the speaker is at no risk of making a mistake him- or herself. (If so, why are they taking an ethics course? Quaeritur.)

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Siobhán McElduff @siobhanmcelduff.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

More people should read Cicero's Letters. There has never been a better way to see the utter thickness of rich men who have fallen upwards all their lives by virtue of birth. All while Cicero - the master of compromise- is trying to point out that there is no compromising with chaos and malice.

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Connie Schultz @connieschultz.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

New York Times Editor’s note: “Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29, 2024. Roughly a year before he entered hospice care, he wrote his final New York Times Opinion essay. In it, he looked back on the Capitol riot and explained why he was so worried about American democracy.” www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Jimmy Carter: I Fear for Our Democracy (Gift Article)

Even established democracies can fall to military juntas and despots. We can’t let that happen here.

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Lisbeth Whitney @theironhen.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

An interesting Op Ed about Dems becoming the Opposition party by @jamellebouie.net . This goes along with @jbf1755.bsky.social's talk yesterday on History Matters...and so does coffee. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/o... History Matters Video www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQv-...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Now Is Not the Time for Surrender (Gift Article)

What do Democrats need to do? Act like an opposition party.

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Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Last night, my football dreams came true. A play I’ve yelling about online for about a decade happened in an actual NFL game—the first fair catch kick since 1978. Here’s everything there is to know about this impossibly rare play, the NFL’s vestigial tailbone: open.substack.com/pub/rodgersh...

open.substack.com

Everything you need to know about the fair catch kick, football's vestigial tailbone

Thursday night, the Chargers made history by converting on a play that hadn't been successful in FORTY SIX YEARS

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 20/12/2024

A fun cycle in US politics: 1. Dems adopt RW policies that hurt vulnerable populations in order to blunt RW attacks. 2. RW attacks anyway, successfully associating Dems with far-left policy. 3. Dems end up with worst of both worlds: political cost of leftist policy; real-world damage of RW policy.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 21/10/2023

Spare some love today for Collingwood. The other Admiral at Trafalgar. Proud northerner. Hater of flogging. Legit brilliant commander and Nelson's trusted right hand. First into battle on Royal Sovereign. Took charge after Nelson was sniped and saved the British Fleet. Here's HIS Trafalgar... /1 🧵

Painting of a middle-aged Collingwood in blue admirals jacket, resting his had on his chin.

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DoctorB @doctorb.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

A nice thread from an actual screenwriter that reminds us of their process and to be kind to them.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Finnish museum director to me last year: "Not many people realise that we have the largest historical collection of Russian armour outside of Russia. Not by Russian choice, of course."

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