iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

"Teamwork makes the dream work. I'm the dream, you're the work." #gamequotes #caseoftheresplendentruby

First #pheno game was a session of The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which I haven't played for some years. I told the stories of how my life was saved by the ticking of my pocketwatch, and how I raised the Siege of Gibraltar by inventing the repeating loom.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Cathy Foley on basic evidence literacy for public servants. Once upon a time I did public health advice at the NHMRC. The NHMRC had a very rigorous framework for evidence translation. It may still do. My naivety at the time was: I thought that was how government did evidence. It is not.

themandarin.com.au

Evidence in age of enshittification: Cathy Foley's survival guide

Former chief scientist Cathy Foley has six questions for policymakers struggling to make sense of the evidence around them.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Today's work-from-cafe is Pulp in Gold Creek. I'm outside listening to rain on corrugated iron. Pretty magical, honestly, but I suppose they can't put that on every time.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hey bluesky - any recommendations for chill/upbeat/happy/anti-doom feeds? Also: charity, community action? "There are times when the sage must withdraw from the world; sometimes nothing can be done."

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Sam Weller @samwellerauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This is the most remarkable story Ray Bradbury ever shared with me. He told it to me late one night, sitting in his den of antiquities and mementos. Take five minutes to read this. It’s pure magic. #Writing #Living #Creativity #RayBradbury #BookSky

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Wrote and deleted a long set of posts about this headline (article is paywalled) about an ex in the dim, dark and distant who tried to manage my social life because she thought I couldn't. Figured in the end the article probably isn't about me. I still have the community. The ex is long gone.

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Stacey Mason @stcymsn.bsky.social · 15/10/2024

Formal affordances are the elements that pull a player toward certain actions, they “cry out” for the player to take those actions. Material affordances are the actions a system actually allows the player to take. Agency occurs when the two are in balance. (Mateas 2001)

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Heroism *sucks* for individuals. It's burning your soul in a pyre of social commitment. It does you damage. It's not a role you should take on, long term. We need heroes, because social change doesn't happen without them. But we need to look after them, too. And we need to let them fucking rest.

macleayargus.com.au

Hero to zero: rural emergency workers' heavy burden

Rural first responders face added mental health risks due to isolation, hero worship, misogyny, judgement and expectations to...

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"All these songs are older than I am." "Yeah, they stopped making good mu-" "Dad."

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Movie night with the kids. "All of these movies are older than me." "Yeah, they stopped making good movies when you were born." "..." "I can't prove a causal link, but the circumstantial evidence is pretty clear." "Dad."

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Liz Argall @lizargall.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

New comic :-) www.patreon.com/lizargall/po... If you like my stuff and want to access it easily, I highly recommend you subscribe to my Patreon, there's even a free level!

patreon.com

New comic, the village of folks | Liz Argall

New comic, I'm not quite sure what to say about it. The comic came together fast, but based on the experiences and observances of many over

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today's work-from-cafe is Little Oink in Cook. The Taro Latte is the best and weirdest thing I have drunk this week. I think. It's certainly the most remarkable.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Hey. Take a moment to reach out to that friend you've been meaning to reach out to. You'll thank me, I promise.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Reminds me of one of my favourite Le Guin quotes: '"The art begins and ends in naming," he said, which is indeed true, although there may be a good deal between the beginning and the end.' (Darkrose and Diamond, 1999)

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Happy Bi Day of Visibility, to all the visible bi folk out there. And, importantly, to the invisible bi folk. May you exist happily and without unwanted drama. May doing so help everyone do the same.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

More work-from-cafe adventures - Two Before Ten in Aranda. I think I will host my next summit here.

Cafe layout - a large central table, with counters and bar seating around it.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

So on the numbers cited, mutual obligation doesn't seem to do anything. I'm pretty vocal at how hostile, anti-human and counter-productive the systems were to me. The social and economic pressures pushing people back into the workforce are already immense - making it harder is pointless and cruel.

themandarin.com.au

Does mutual obligation work? Leigh turns evaluation lens to employment activity

At what stage does compliance undermine opportunity? The statistician will see you now. And the news, as always, is mixed.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The flip side of yesterday's thoughts about community exclusion is that small local groups can harbour a lot of bad behaviour, through ignorance or malice. The only real power a small social group has to deal with non-criminal bad actors is exclusion. ...and nerds especially struggle with that.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Wrestling with the idea of policy imaginaries today: how to change our thinking about the future? I'm starting to think community-level interpersonal connections are where we insulate people from the horrors of global capitalism.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I'd like to say Planescape: Torment but it's probably Defender of the Crown.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Reading an article on AI doomerism, and this quote struck me: 'OpenAI researcher Dan Selsam said all-powerful AIs could trigger “runaway industrialisation that makes the planet inhospitable to humans".' Right, sure, but: quite powerful human intelligences have already done that.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Holy shit. I knew it was bad, but...

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I have two networking modes: * I have no idea what to talk to you about * OMG this shit is amazing! Not sure either is productive but the second is way more fun.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Junior offspring is nearly at the end of the Percy Jackson series, and is casting about for other reads. I've discovered my library has rather less 'young readers' content than I thought. But: it turns out JO was serious about reading The Odyssey so we'll see how that goes.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

What nice thing has someone said to you recently?

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Well this is some good (interesting) shit.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Yeah, look: one of my unspoken dog-training maxims is that if you treat your dog as if they had ADHD you won't go far wrong.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Back at work after my retreat and: My mind is clear, I'm keen to get on with shit and I'm interested and enthusiastic about next steps. Fuck's sake. Rest and respite works after all, after all this time. Who knew!?

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I'm slowly making my way through all of the Fifth Doctor episodes of Doctor Who, and there's some flashes of real genius in there.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Doing The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus over at @mythicread.bsky.social , for folk what liked my mythic reads.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I bought a copy of Doctor Faustus a million years ago as a prop for a roleplaying game. I always intended to read it. It's been on the shelves for decades. Having decided that now is the time, do you think I can find the blasted thing?

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Two of my dog training mantras are: "I'm here to train you, not your dog" and "Dogs don't speak English." Except I have a border collie in my class who I swear follows every word I say, and is waiting for her handler will catch up. "Oh, we're doing 'round the cone'! You should have said!"

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Sharing the ancient texts with the eldest: The Matrix (1999).

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

And, look, A Psalm for the Wild-Built will always be my favourite Chambers, but To Be Taught If Fortunate is a beautiful, beautiful piece.

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

My retreat was good. I read: The Book of Taliesin Theogeny & Works and Days/Hesiod + Elegies/Theognis To Be Taught if Fortunate/Becky Chambers (reread) Ceremony/Wesley Enoch & Georgia Curran Out Law/Jim Butcher (novella)

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I don't think I will play this, because I like the idea of text adventures much more than I like text adventures, but I am so glad this thing exists.

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Tansy Rayner Roberts @tansyrr.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The Season of Dragons, a cozy romantic fantasy reimagining of Pride & Prejudice in a serpentine world, features Regency vibes, Jane Austen in-jokes, & a snarky heroine trying her best to be good even when she can’t stop speaking her mind. www.kickstarter.com/projects/tan...

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: The Season of Dragons

Deluxe Special Edition Hardback - Cozy Regency Romantasy

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Stu B @functionary.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I've arranged a retreat for myself, a few days in a cabin on the Murrumbidgee. Just the thought of it makes me feel serene. I've packed a pile of books, heavy on myths and legends, with some history and sci-fi. My guitar and my classical guitar manual. Simple meals of my favourite foods.

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