iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Agreed. But we may all need to adjust our thinking when the Epstein files are finally released to the public. Others describe some pretty horrible things.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Not just the worst president in history, but possibly the worst American citizen in history.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

CNN: We're fine. We'll just sneak in while he's napping.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Researching a trip to Australia next year covering Brisbane to Melbourne. Which got me thinking... just how big is Australia? Answer below. Two coasts. Same scale.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Africa is big. That's the post. Because apparently some people never learned about map projections, never had a globe in their house, and don't even understand that north isn't always up.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

If your goal was to kill the USPS forever, this is exactly how to do it.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I'll be fixing that in my fictional story. Étudiez L'univers Trébuchait !

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

My brain works 24x7. At 2 AM, I'll get out of bed to write myself a note like this one. When the book publishes next year, you'll see something like this text in a chapter set at the ELT. In reality, ELT stands for Extremely Large Telescope, certainly one of the dumbest names in science history.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The white side reflects the sunlight. The black side absorbs it, creating a tiny pressure differential. It only works in a partial vacuum that allows for the vane pressure but without the air friction that would otherwise stop it from spinning. In other words, magic.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

My simple radiometer + sunshine remind me daily that we live in a magical universe.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

In case you missed it, the audiobook for Second Ascent (book 2 in the series) is out! I'm listening to it myself. Narrator Anna Caputo did a great job. rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

rbmediaglobal.com

RBmedia | Second Ascent

Listen to the audiobook Second Ascent, written by Douglas Phillips, narrated by Anna Caputo.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I love to find original sources, and this is a good one. A biography of Isaac Newton, written by his friend, William Stukely, not long after Newton's death (1727). This is where we get the story of the falling apple! (No, it didn't bonk Newton on the head, but the rest is true.)

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I'm done with Google. Complicit toadies pushing unwanted AI and authoritarian garbage into our lives.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I'm done with @google. Complicit toadies pushing unwanted AI and authoritarian garbage into our lives.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

A year after the world's first space elevator ascent, a new megastructure is taking shape high above the equator. But for all its wonders, there's trouble brewing on this colossal ring of carbon. The people who roam its high frontier come in two distinct forms, but only one of them can Sense Beyond.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Second Ascent audiobook publishes today! Pick up your copy wherever audiobooks are sold.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

State level indictments against specific individuals could suddenly make them more cooperative.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

It's a great time to buy or lease an electric vehicle. Stop sending your money to these companies.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Just four days left until my Second Ascent audiobook releases! I can't wait to hear it. Audiobooks are way more fun than most people realize. In some ways even better than a movie because they tell the whole story. August 25, wherever audiobooks are sold. rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

We should not expect the courts to be fast enough to prevent ballot seizures. We may have to protect ballot counting centers with our bodies.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I keep saying this: now is a good time to be sure your investments are safe. The economic collapse is right around the corner.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Due to a production error (I screwed up), the paperback edition of First Ascent had no page numbers! It was perfectly readable; you just didn't know where you were. Our production team (me) has since resolved this issue, but if you own a rare copy without page numbers, you are now a millionaire.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Anna Caputo is a great narrator (she did First Ascent). It's fun to listen to every slight emphasis and pause that makes the delivery of this story so much fun. I'll have more to say in my next email newsletter. If you're not already subscribed, head to douglasphillipsbooks.com right now!

douglasphillipsbooks.com

DouglasPhillipsBooks

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Second Ascent Audiobook is now available for pre-order! I haven't listened to the whole book yet, but the audio sample is fantastic! rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

rbmediaglobal.com

RBmedia | Second Ascent

Listen to the audiobook Second Ascent, written by Douglas Phillips, narrated by Anna Caputo.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

How many blue state citizens are ready to secede from this mess?

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Me too. Its not fun to live in America anymore.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

For Europe? Does he not understand the governments of Europe?

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Fantastic, but if use is declining, Blue Sky better figure out their issues. For one, they only allow 300 characters. Just not enough.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Sorry, I neglected to mention that Salish and Tacoma/Tahoma are the original names used by the Coastal Salish tribes who lived in the area when Europeans arrived. This post has more to do with what we've used as labels on our maps.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

It's the same idea as calling Lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior, etc., the Great Lakes. They still retain their individual names. In Seattle's case, Puget Sound officially is the portion of the Salish Sea south of Whidbey Island. And there you have it!

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

In 2010, Washington state and British Columbia officially agreed the geographic name of the entire inlet from the Pacific Ocean is the Salish Sea, a term in use since 1980. BUT the names of all the bays, sounds, and straits STILL APPLY.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Dept. of Learn Something New Every Day: We've always called the saltwater side of Seattle, Puget Sound. More recently, the name Salish Sea came up. A rename? Like renaming Mt. Rainier to Tahoma or Tacoma? Actually, no.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Gas prices are artificially low because they're flooding the US market with oil from strategic reserves. Watch out. Good time to buy an EV.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Here's a virtual walkthrough of what will one day be the world's largest telescope, under construction in Chile. #ExtremelyLargeTelescope www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ0...

youtube.com

ELT Explorer - Teaser

YouTube video by European Southern Observatory (ESO)

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

La edición en español de Quantum Space (Espacio Cuántico) casi há alcanzado el top 10 de ciencia ficción dura en España. Si lo consigue, me pondré en contacto con mi traductor y pondré en marcha el segundo libro. #LibrosEspañol www.amazon.es/dp/B0GTNJJ2YQ

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Some might say a first draft is a slog. But with a solid outline in hand, I say it's pure joy. I get to describe fantastic settings and hear characters speak words that currently exist only as wisps and possibilities. Super fun. Tomorrow, I begin writing Third Ascent. #ascendingcarbonseries

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The sketch for my next sci-fi book is complete! I have a 30-page outline with enough detail to allow a ghost writer to take over. I won't do that (and I also won't submit my outline to AI) because THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS! Why would anyone not want to write the story they just dreamed up?

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Musk says stupid things all the time, but he has no access to the hundreds of state level voting systems. Experts who analyze voting data have not identified any significant irregularities in 2024 voting data.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

They did not cheat, no matter what idiotic things they say. Trump and Musk had no access to state voting systems. No ability to rig anything. Musk certainly swayed a lot of idiots by pouring money into the campaign, but that's not cheating.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

They didn't steal it. Idiots voted for Trump who won by 89 electoral votes. Musk would have had to rig at least 6 or 7 big states. Not possible.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Congratulations! Been there and I know how good it feels.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Trump won in 2024 by 86 electoral votes. Pennsylvania has 19 votes. This fiction that Musk (as horrible as he is) could rig multiple state results is absurd.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I so want the actual text used to generate this AI... or sorry, the photo caption.

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

(redacted to avoid spoiling the story)

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

My detailed outline for Book 3 of #AscendingCarbon Series is nearly complete, but how do I know if I've honed it to perfection? I use a pass/fail grading system. Once the check marks are filled in (or marked not applicable), then I'm ready! I take a deep breath and start writing Chapter 1!

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Douglas Phillips @dpscifi.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I'm a Plotter, which means I don't start writing until I know (and love) the whole story I want to tell. Pantsers are the opposite - they get an idea and start writing (which I will never understand).

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