iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

“accompanying faith in future technological salvation provides another crutch: a way of postponing difficult choices today by placing hope in solutions that may arrive tomorrow” - @kevinclimate.bsky.social

theguardian.com

Scientists who put faith in technology less likely to take climate action

‘Techno-optimism’ may lead to reliance on unproven solutions at expense of societal changes needed

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The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 08/10/2026

Hundreds of infuriated parents and staff members descended on Portland Public Schools’ headquarters Tuesday night to protest far-reaching proposals to close up to 14 schools, shift grade configurations and programs and redraw attendance boundaries. www.oregonlive.com/education/20...

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Eric Harris Bernstein @ehbinmn.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

They started texting with a 16-year-old. After two years, they offered to sell him a gun. They consider that "stopping a terrorist attack." And they are calling it heroic. What an absolute embarrassment.

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

stating that Israel is engaged in an ongoing genocide against Palestinian people is a basic fact. It's uncontroversial. It's true.

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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Note that the very scariest numbers (75%+ declines) are likely taxa- and region-specific, but as someone living in a region facing extremely steep bird declines likely due to steep insect declines (due to agricultural pesticides and climate change) it's absolutely apocalyptic

news.osu.edu

Hotspots of accelerated bird decline linked to agricultural activity

Though previous research has shown that bird populations are declining across North America, a new study is the first to show that the pace of loss has picked up speed since the mid-1980s in three reg...

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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I don't think doom is a good science communication strategy (it tends to cause us to freeze and lose hope, not motivate action) so I avoid it when I'm speaking on habitat loss, climate change, etc. but insect declines are so dire it's unavoidable. This article is old, it's gotten worse since

theguardian.com

The insect apocalypse: ‘Our world will grind to a halt without them’

Insects have declined by 75% in the past 50 years – and the consequences may soon be catastrophic. Biologist Dave Goulson reveals the vital services they perform

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RadiantHostility (he/him) @radianthostility.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

: ( Oh well, Not the first time I've taken a childhood favorite out behind the shed with tears in my eyes and a glock in hand.

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Ghost Coast. @spectralthrum.eurosky.social · 07/10/2026

It's exhausting to see people act as if the US armed forces, or agencies such as the FBI & CIA, were noble prior to Trump, & that they will be again afterwards. There's a valourisation of institutions in the US that wilfully elides decades of harm being meted out at home & overseas.

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Molly White @molly.wiki · 06/10/2026

“While OpenAI admits to agents behaving ‘unpredictably’, they must also acknowledge their responsibility to monitor and prevent these risks,” Wikimedia said. “AI companies are not doing enough to secure their systems and protect the public from the harm they cause.” arstechnica.com/security/202...

arstechnica.com

OpenAI agents tried to hack Wikipedia tools and flooded it with traffic

The reports of OpenAI agents harming third-party sites keep coming.

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Max Granger @maxgranger.info · 06/10/2026

Happening now! Border Patrol amassing forces after land defenders re-established a tree sit on the Mexican side of the border in La Noria, Sonora, this morning, stopping wall construction the day after DHS killed the Grandmother Tree.

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Please find 5 minutes today to draft your response to this drastic change in NIH Peer review. The deadline is October 13. I pasted my own response below as an example--please share widely 🧪

I am an NIH-funded scientist who has run a lab for 34 years. I have served on literally dozens of NIH peer-review study sections, most recently this past June. I also have served in Council for both NIGMS and for CSR. I thus am very familiar with the current review process from both the prospective of an applicant and a reviewer. I strongly oppose the proposed changes. While NIH peer review is not perfect, it is the best system thus far devised, and is the envy of colleagues in other countries. Three experts in the field spend hours reviewing each proposal, using their knowledge of important issues to rank proposals by signficance, feasibility and impact. Then they present their opinions to a panel of 20 or more expert sin the broader field, and a spirited discussion ensues. Thus each proposal is put through very stringent process, and the resulting ranking has substantial value in times when funding is limited. Having review many times, I know that the proposed binning would provide equal "scores" to proposals that were greet with substanailly different degrees of enthusiasm. Further, grants binned just bowl and just above the 25% cutoff would be subsequently viewed as if the enthusiasm for them quite divergent, certainly not an accurate summary. The current fine-grained system avoids these issues. Removing it will make the task of NIH Program officers more difficult. Binning also allows non-scientific issues to take on disproportionate weight in funding, an issue that will be accentuated if political appointees are making the ultimate decisions. Please retain the current system.

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Earlier this year the scientific community successfully fought back on dramatic changes in Federal funding proposed by the Trump Administration.Now another RFI is proposing substantial changes that would damage peer review. This letter from SDB President Helen McNeill lays out the issue clearly 1/n

Dear SDB Members,

I am writing you now to ask everyone to respond to a proposed change to the way that grant review information at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is communicated to grant applicants, institutions, and NIH program staff. This is your opportunity to provide feedback on the process that selects our grants for funding.

The proposed change means that individuals, institutes and NIH staff will no longer receive the final overall impact score or percentile score that reflects the scientific opinion of a panel of experts. Currently, three reviewers provide their detailed opinion of a grant, and then the entire panel asks questions, can examine figures, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a grant, and then members all independently score. The final overall impact score reflects this discussion and careful consideration of the entire scientific panel.

The proposed change is to now simply divide the scored grants into three categories: Scored applications would be grouped into three broad categories - “Most Competitive (top 25%),” “Competitive (26%-50%),” and “Not Discussed”. The motivation for the change is that decisions would now focus on the comments of reviewers, not the score of the grant to determine which grants to support. However, the current mechanism allows for scores and comments to be considered. Thus, removing the score component from NIH staff makes selection of which grants to fund more burdensome for NIH staff.

The loss of detailed scores will also make it more difficult for researchers to assess how competitive an application was and determine whether to revise and resubmit it. An application ranked top 2% and one ranked 24th% would receive the same label, even if the scientific panel viewed them quite differently. Meanwhile, applications ranked 25th%and 26th% would be placed in different categories because of a tiny difference that NIH itself says should not be treated as meaningful. The proposal would erase potentially important differences while creating arbitrary new dividing lines.

This is a dramatic loss of transparency in the scientific review process. Under the new plan, principal investigator(s), applicant institutions, NIH program staff, ICO leadership, and the relevant NIH Advisory Council will no longer have access to the final overall score.

NIH is explicitly asking for input on this particular question.

This is a Request for Information (RFI), not simply an announcement of a policy that has already been finalized. NIH says comments will be used to inform the final recommendation, including implementation and communication.

Please comment here: https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=6a2b1c22c3fcfda46e0badd2

Deadline for response receipt is October 13, 2026, 11:59 PM ET.

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Catherynne M. Valente @catvalente.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I don’t care where you started out on the political spectrum If your kid comes out as trans & you don’t become a rainbow-clad, parade-cheering ally & rock-solid supportive girl/boy/enby dad/mom? You were never a parent at all You were a doll collector furious they didn’t stay in their packaging.

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Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 03/10/2026

Many people assumed both of Florida’s Senate seats would stay deeply red for the foreseeable future. But Angie Nixon’s people-powered campaign is proving why we need to keep up the fight!

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tamara nopper @tamaranopper.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Ta-Nehisi Coates said, ”I‘ve been very, very careful to tell people what I am qualified to talk about and what I’m not qualified to talk about.” ”No one person should be the oracle or be the articulator…be skeptical of people who attempt to appoint themselves as that. I don‘t want that job at all.”

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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I’ll also add that most of the heat should be directed at USA Today, but the journalists who participated in this breach of ethics also made a choice. Organizations are made up of people. We can’t absolve the people who do harm on the behalf of an organization.

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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A lot of people in the comments are mentioning that USA Today is owned by Gannett. One of my big concerns is that *every* Gannett-owned newsroom might have access to my interview now. I will never interview with any of them again.

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Julian 📀 @clandestinetime.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

rape culture is jumping at the chance to fill gaps in public information with a narrative that is the most flattering for a rapist. and then scolding people angry about the rape for, allegedly, filling information gaps in about the anonymous victim. I hate it here god I’m so sorry

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daniel? @danielgoulden.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"We cannot go along with any plan that further cements the elite power to avoid accountability for their actions, and must actively fight to take the power they have accrued away from them to prevent it from snowballing even further." www.powermapmag.com/p/if-we-had-...

powermapmag.com

If We Had Learned From The Iraq War Things Would Be Less Stupid Right Now

Hasan Panics, AI Threats, Financial Bubbles… We Already Did This!

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Jay Edidin @edidin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In retrospect, I feel like a lot of places saw giving campus groups permission to do the Clothesline Project and Vagina Monologues and Take Back the Night as a small price for avoiding systemic change. What we needed--need--was a massive reckoning.

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The Spectre Of Communism 👻 @cyberstalin.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I saw this video a while ago and it haunted me. It's a woman detailing about how her sister committed suicide over massive gambling debts and the carnage that left behind. Very sincerely, thank you Lula for banning betting.

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Andy Lewis @andylewis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Every time someone links to this film, I have to repost it. It's one of the most significant bits of British 20th century art. Everything about it is incredible. Groundbreaking music production by Daphne Oram. Amazing camera work by Wolfgang Suschitzky (who later filmed Get Carter).-

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Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

chat is this good?

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🗽LOLGOP🗽 @lolgop.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

And @katelynburns.com put a fine point on it, pointing out how taking on data centers aggressively, especially Musk's especially filthy ones. This could help them defang the trans-hate gambit Elon used in 2024 and 2026, which he uses to undo democracy and make Democrats scared to show solidarity.

burnsnotice.com

The Data Center Guy Wants This Election to be About Trans People

Elon Musk obviously hates trans people, but let's not pretend he has nothing to gain personally from a Republican win this fall

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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 26/09/2026

My top 4 Crow Full Moon shots tonight. P L E N T Y of video to edit someday! 🪶 🐦‍⬛

a crow flies in front of the moon, greyish sky, the crow is flapping their wings down

two crows fly in front and near the moon, in the middle and the bottom left, a snowy egret is out of focus below the moon, greyish sky

a crow flies in front of the moon, dark sky, the crow is flapping their wings up but not fully extended

a crow flies in front of the moon, dark purple sky, the crow is in full cruise mode

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Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

💯%.. this 🧵, and a reminder, you need not watch one segment or one minute of these malfeasants to know, exactly, what they are up to. Give them no oxygen, whatsoever

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Jana H-S (she, like a knife) @jana-aych-ess.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

my prescription is simple, says the doctor. you must kill and eat the great clown pagliacci

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Abolish ICE @milpool.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Wish people understood how brutal ICE is in Austin lately beyond the shooting. You don't see as much viral footage because Texas State Troopers (being the state capital puts a bunch of Greg Abbott's faithful piggies here) are quietly pulling brown drivers over and then calling ICE to come get them

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Dr Charlie Gardner @charliejgardner.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This year has been brutal, and like most people you probably want to do more about climate change. But what, and how? Great news – I’ve written just the book for you! It’s called What One Person Can Do and it’s a clear and simple how-to guide, a roadmap to help you make influential changes...

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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 22/09/2026

I think if you're concerned about planetary boundaries you might consider not doing partnerships with the tech companies that are helping to breach those boundaries - partnerships that very explicitly and directly serve to distract and greenwash from the harms being caused by those companies

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Sturnus plebeian (they/them) @dropinthrbukcet.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

“welcome back,” to me and anyone else who had to go listen again

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Colin Spacetwinks @spacetwinks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

really is a motherfucker knowing that if dem leadership/seniority signaled that trans rights were worth standing up for, every single person scolding and berating about how this sacrifice just HAS to happen would 180 overnight to "we draw the line here. abandoning people in need would be cruel"

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 20/09/2026

Fully electric aviation has some major challenges (mostly: batteries are heavy and don't get lighter as they get used up) but I love the idea of decreasing aircraft emissions through a hybrid approach, perhaps as a step toward new, clever solutions for fully electric air transport in the future.

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Mike Wiser @drmikewiser.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

When the Bird’s at the door And you’re missing Lenore Nevermoré

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secondlina // Lord of Crows @secondlina.com · 21/08/2026

I love when fantasy series have a dude called something like Stephen the All-Seeing, Keeper of the Demon Sword, hero of the Volcano Age. But in some tiny village, he's known as Bees Steve, that weird guy who loves beekeeping. The more uppercase titles the legend has, the funnier the contrast is.

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LiLBazula 👻 🎃 @lilbazza.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Dan's bang on, here. I've seen almost no international criticism, outcry or expressions of solidarity over Erdoğan's latest brutal crackdown on Turkey's LGBTQ community

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Oh this is interesting! Climate scientist @leahstokes.bsky.social shows that candidates who talk about climate change *get a bump in preference from voters*. "Common knowledge" is that climate is a losing issue, but this survey shows the opposite is true: voters care. mailchi.mp/9af4ccd3280e...

mailchi.mp

Climate action comes in waves

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Dave Kamper @dskamper.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Solidarity to a comrade. May her friends and family remember the fond things, and draw inspiration from her commitment to those around her.

Snippet from piece: “Rose Friedman was an editor to the end. She said she wanted the second line of her obituary to acknowledge her role as a shop steward for SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents NPR's editorial workers. She wanted the line to say that her "proudest achievement" was helping convince NPR to increase its paid parental leave.”

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Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The media outlets that are breaking all of these Irregular incidents into separate headlines and making it sound like all of these companies are making Terminator film-like strides are participating in the political project of AI, just as many are participating in Trumpian fascism.

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Micah @rincewind.run · 18/09/2026

the problem for Dem consultants is that they haven't properly internalized that tech - not the rank and file, but the guys at the top - has completely turned against them and should now be treated as an implacable political enemy you can't win them back by playing nice on policy and you shouldn't

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Sturnus plebeian (they/them) @dropinthrbukcet.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

perhaps you shouldn’t be replying to Lara then.

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🎃 Imani Gandy Corn 🎃 @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 17/09/2026

Advocating against Talarico's new rightward tack on trans kids in sports and gender affirming care is not advocating for Paxton. It's advocating against Talarico's new rightward tack on trans kids in sports and gender affirming care.

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Atkinson @maddavenport.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Serano is both cogent and fierce, here as elsewhere.

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Americans do not understand that the United States is currently a dual state, in which the 'immigration system' (& spending via OMB, etc.) is operating as a lawless totalitarian prerogative state, alongside more normal processes of the normative state in other areas of law & policy.

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Bullwark @bullwark.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The only constant on this website is moderations undying resentment that a community that they feel is inferior to them are some of the most influential and respected people on their poorly coded website

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caylen @caylen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

the comms and optics of this thread are dreadful, as is the decision but I also want to point out that clarifying One Simple Trick To Making Death Threats Legal On Our Platform is both legally stupid & setting your moderation to fail against the ill conceived criteria you laid out

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shaunt @shaunvids.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

vegeta blowing up the bug planet

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Sunny Moraine @dynamicsymmetry.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I need Hell to exist so Andrew Wakefield can go there

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