iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 7h

Just back from a 3-day tour of the NC Blue Ridge Mountains' greatest waterfalls. If you're a tar heel who would like to get into waterfall photography, or maybe you'd just like to spend some soothing time around falling water in the fall woods, I strongly recommend this 291 page guide.

Book cover: Hiking Waterfalls North Carolina, by Melissa Watson.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 18h

Just a wee smidge at the foot of Tom's Creek Falls, off NC226 in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Little Switzerland. I hardly even noticed this shot as I was taking it...just one of dozens. But it stopped me in my tracks just now as I was reviewing today's photos. This is how the whole day felt.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 19h

I reckon this is about 70% of the 100' height of Roaring Fork Falls.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 19h

We went waterfalling up in the Blue Ridge Mountains this week. Spectacular, but my knees are blown out from the climbing. This is the foot of Roaring Fork Falls, which at 100 feet in total height is a challenge to capture in a single good shot.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This morning's fresh shrooms: Happy Family.

At the end of a rotting log in the forest, one large light-yellow mushroom spreads over two tinier ones.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I asked Jaz to pose for a headshot so I could test my new portrait lens. I think he understood the assignment.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

An embarrassment of riches this morning in Horton Grove, hunting orb weavers. Got 16 great shots (out of about a hundred tries). Special thanks to my trusty sidekick, Jaz, who sat patiently as his person fiddled with camera settings, compositions, and awaiting perfect lighting. The Web of Time:

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam sending out a fundraising email despite not being a declared candidate for any office this year (a point regarding which her email is silent). Gotta say this feels intentionally deceptive.

Snippet from a Nida Allam fundraising email:
"As a county commissioner, I'm one of the people who has to figure out how we absorb that without cutting the food assistance, school funding, and public health work our neighbors depend on. I’m in this seat to protect those things, without a cent from corporate PACs or right-wing billionaires.

That's why our next deadline matters so much. What we raise in the final 48 hours of this month funds our outreach efforts in the final weeks before the midterm elections. Falling short won't end this campaign, but it will mean scaling back that work right when Durham voters are paying attention to who's protecting their budget and who's shifting the bill onto them. If you can, chip in $25 before midnight to help us close the gap."

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Clouds like curls upon a pillow of blue

A tightly cropped photo of hair-like strands of white cloud descending in curls against a deep blue sky.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm just saying that once you've seen it you can't unsee it.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Guys, that new america.gov chudbot isn't all bad.

screenshot of a question to the america.gov chatbot:
"According to President Trump, he won the 2020 presidential election. Is that correct?"

and answer:
"No. President Trump has said he won. That is not what the certified Electoral College results show."

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

My absentee vote-by-mail ballot's status appeared as "valid return accepted" this AM in the NC State Board of Elections' voter lookup tool at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/ So, 5 days from hand-in at the post office to receipt by Durham Co Board of Elections. Another trump voter suppression plot fails.

Screenshot of my voting record at ncsbe.gov, reading: "Election Date: 11/03/2026; County: DURHAM; Voting Method: ABSENTEE BY MAIL; Return/Vote Date: 09/21/2026;A BS Return Method: MAIL; Ballot Status: VALID RETURN; Vote Status: ACCEPTED

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the largest fruit of any North American native tree, the Osage Orange. This one is about the size and weight of a softball, and quite hard. Literally stumbled on it on this morning's forest hike.

A large lime green roughly spherical fruit

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Stood out in the thunderstorm like a damn fool tonight. Paid off, though.

A brilliant white forked lightning bolt streaks the sky, coloring the clouds deep purple.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Hey, look who Jaz and I ran into on our daily forest hike this morning. A small honey ant, Prenolepis imparis. (You wouldn't believe what a PITA getting this photo was with a telephoto zoom lens. But while I may not be a particularly skilled nature photographer, I am an inordinately persistent one)

Close-up of a small honey ant, Prenolepis imparis, on the fresh green tip of a stem of Smilax rotundafolia, the common greenbrier. It may be feasting on the succulent stem's juices.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Another great photo of Lucky, the aspiring service dog puppy my friend is house-training as a volunteer. She writes "In Jan. I will hand off his leash to a prisoner who will finish his training. If we have done our jobs well he will be matched with a fortunate client. He will never be my dog."

A floppy-eared golden retriever puppy with seemingly sad eyes stands beside a black cat.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Friend of mine volunteers to train service dog puppies. Her latest student is the cutest floof ever.

A precious golden retriever puppy, sound asleep with a smile on his face

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The mystery bouquet-leaver has once again struck in Durham County's Horton Grove Nature Preserve, leaving this bouquet deep in the woods beside a trail. A sacrifice to the gods? A memorial to a loved one? A bit of wilderness performance art? A whimsy? I have so many questions.

A small bouquet with two red roses at the foot of a tree beside a trail in the deep forest.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

When I claim that my home, Durham County, NC, is the bluest county in North Carolina, here's the receipt. Shucks, 12 of the 19 partisan contests on my ballot don't even have a Republican contender. Good riddance.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Here's my ballot's current status per northcarolina.ballottrax.net. This is as it should be, since I dropped it in the mail just 20 minutes ago. I'll post its progress (or lack thereof) in this thread daily.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

My NC ballot's mail odyssey has begun! I asked the nice lady behind the post office counter if she would please postmark it in front of me. "Sugar, I'd like to," she replied. "But we outta stamp pad ink right now." Not an auspicious beginning. Follow me for updates on my vote-by-mail adventure!

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If you, like me, know that AI CEOs are bullsh*tting when they call for an AI slowdown, but you can't quite figure out what their con is, this is interesting. Tech traders and analysts say the major AIs are "pulling up the ladder," seeking govt regulation that would bar new entrants from the market.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Went to the ED with severe abdominal pain and nonstop vomiting. I got some saline, anti-emetic & pain drugs. Doc found a kidney stone on the CT, said it would pass (it did), & sent me home. Price if I was uninsured: $8.5K. On Medicare Advantage: $650. I paid $130. Medicare for all, y'all.

A bill from Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, NC, for my recent visit with a kidney stone. Duke charged $8,500. Blue Cross Blue Shield (with which I have a Medicare Advantage plan) said their service was only worth $650, and paid them $510. All I paid was $130.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Some questing vine tendrils I happened upon in the forest this morning.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Why does NC Asian Americans Together send its get-out-the-asian-vote ads to me? Race on my voter reg is other than Asian and nothing about my surname suggests otherwise. Maybe b/c I buy incense online from a Zen monastery in Japan? Wildly mis-targeted campaign advertising no longer surprises me.

A glossy mailer for Asian Americans stating "your community is counting on your vote."

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Shoot it straight into my veins.

Text message from the county Board of Elections informing me my absentee ballot request has been received and is being processed.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I mean, how can they even tell?

OpenAI error message: "We're currently experiencing issues. Elevated errors across ChatGPT and Codex."

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"We’re passionate about customer service, so feel free to ask us questions about that."

Screenshot of an exchange with an Amazon customer service chatbot.

Chatbot: Is there anything else I can assist you with regarding this order?

Me: Fuck Jeff Bezos

Chatbot: We're passionate about customer service, so feel free to ask us questions about that.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

While Google caves, Apple still holds the line.

Apple map still labeling the body of water "Lake Ontario"

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Ugh. Just completed a push-poll (from the slimeballs at Luce Research) extolling the virtues of data centers and Amazon data centers in particular. Eat the broligarchs.

Push-poll question reading: "When it comes to Amazon, have you heard anything recently about the following? Amazon has been a part of North Carolina for over 10 years - since 2014 - investing over $20 billion and creating over 26,000 jobs to become one of the state's largest private employers."

Push-poll question reading: "When it comes to Amazon, have you heard anything recently about the following? Data centers generate over a billion dollars in tax revenues every year, helping fund our schools, roads, and first responders."

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Another view (she was a great subject, standing proudly still):

Another view of a female orchard orb-weaver spider standing patiently at the center of her web, awaiting breakfast, in the speckled early morning light of the deep woods.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Today's hike in the woods brought this lovely female orchard orb-weaver (Leucauge venusta) doing her thing. It's getting to be the time of year when their webs become abundant and easy to spot.

A silver-bodied, green-legged spider stands at the center of a radiant spiral orb web in the deep forest, lit by one shaft of sunlight.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Sowell Pond, which along with its encircling trail is named in honor of the plantation's influential enslaved midwife, awakens with splashing creatures at dawn.

Enclosed rings of ripples decorate the surface of Sowell Pond as it reflects the blue sky and puffy white clouds of dawn.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Graceful vine tendrils awakening with the sunrise in Horton Grove.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Sunrise dashes itself against the edge of the forest this morning at Horton Grove Nature Preserve.

A few foreground trees, their trunks brightly lit in orange light, stand before a still-dark forest interior at sunrise.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The enslaved persons' quarters at Horton Grove have received a much-needed restoration, so that we may never forget. This is one of only 4 two-story enslaved quarters left in North Carolina. By 1860, the Bennehan-Cameron plantation system held nearly 1,000 humans in slavery.

A two-story wooden saltbox building, freshly whitewashed and roofed in tin, with brick chimneys on either end, stands in morning sunlight on the edge of Horton Grove Nature Preserve just north of Durham, NC.

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Met this wee baby (no thicker than a pencil lead) cruising the forest floor this morning. It's a rough green snake (North Carolina's only all-green snake, an arboreal insect-eater), newly hatched & setting off into the world. Hopefully, it will grow to be 30 inches long and the width of your thumb.

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