iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gaz @gazchap.com · 24/09/2026

Exercise 9 (turning) done and dusted. Obviously have turned *before* but this formalised the procedures and made sure I was aware of elements like balancing with the rudder, maintaining vertical speed etc. Next is slow flying and stalls... 😬

010

Gaz @gazchap.com · 24/09/2026

Well, today's "today I learned" is that one of the characters (played by Harry Shearer) in This Is Spinal Tap wears a Shrewsbury Town football shirt while going through an airport metal detector with a foil-wrapped cucumber stuffed down his trousers.

Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls in "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), holding his arms out for a 'patdown' by an airport security agent. He is wearing a blue and orange Shrewsbury Town FC football shirt.

041

Gaz @gazchap.com · 23/09/2026

Just came across this in my archive of old Instagram stuff. April 2016, I was apparently fed up.

010

Gaz @gazchap.com · 23/09/2026

Also, not at all concerning response from me Googling to check that I'd remembered the correct phrase:

A screenshot of Google, with the search "leonardo device activated" in the search box. The AI Overview in the response starts with the phrase:

"The Leonardo device has been activated and is ready to assist you."

020

Gaz @gazchap.com · 22/09/2026

Ripley wasn’t sure what the noise was when I turned in the aircon. Turning on aircon… in nearly October. Madness.

A photo of Ripley, my British Blue shorthair cat. She is sat on my bed, looking up at the ceiling.

000

Gaz @gazchap.com · 21/09/2026

YouTube just recommended a video to me of a twat in a balaclava riding around on an illegal electric bike goading the police for not being able to chase him. First thing he said to the cop on the camera was 'Alright buddy?' and I'm guessing it wasn't meant to sound *exactly* like Colin Skittles.

Daniel Cook as Colin Skittles in Toast of London.

"Alright, buddy!"

000

Gaz @gazchap.com · 20/09/2026

I really want to get my hands on an old (1992-ish) Shrewsbury Town shirt, the one with WSJ as the sponsor. It’s the one I always associate with them from when I was a kid, but finding one in my size is apparently impossible.

022

Gaz @gazchap.com · 20/09/2026

Must be a fucking chore trying to heat the houses at the end of this road.

A Street View screen capture of the entrance to a cul-de-sac in Shrewsbury, just off Portland Crescent, called Reynaulds Close.

050

Gaz @gazchap.com · 18/09/2026

Well, this is an absurdly cryptic spam email.

A screenshot of an email with the subject line "keep in mind", from a truncated email address, "susa...@clearexpandlab.co"

The email reads:

Gareth,

Would Nan rather hear from us closer to the next quarter?

Our partners pay for a second office across nan, so timing is the whole question.

Either answer is fine.

Thanks,
Susan Miles
Head of Capital Solutions

P.S. A reply to this email is enough and that is the end of it.

130

Gaz @gazchap.com · 17/09/2026

Taken delivery of this today, which (ZX80/81 and Z88 excluded) completes my collection of Sinclair home computers!

A photo of a Sinclair ZX Spectrum +3, with a Spectrum-inspired mechanical keyboard in the background.

1013611

Gaz @gazchap.com · 17/09/2026

Although there's also this one, which is another of my favourite photos of me, but for *very* different reasons.

A photo of me in a suit, leaning awkwardly against a brick wall that is twice my height.

I look like I'm the target of a firing squad. My hands are awkwardly by my trouser pockets.

My right leg is bent as I'm leaning, but you can't really tell it's bent so it looks like it's about two feet shorter than my left leg.

My left leg is also bent, but not as much, and my left foot is angled out at 90 degrees. My feet are so big that it looks like I've broken my ankle and my leg and foot are bent out in an inhuman manner.

010

Gaz @gazchap.com · 17/09/2026

A picture of me all dressed up? It'd have to be this one, which is still one of my favourite photos of me.

A photo of me in a Pac-Man themed suit and tie, holding a pint glass of strawberry and lime cider. I'm mid-dance, although you can't really tell. Photo from my wedding reception ten years ago. Then, now-ex, wife just visible on my right, cropped out of the shot.

160

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

I REQUIRE SUSTENANCE.

A wide-angled photo taken from my point of view lying in bed. A cat is lying on my chest staring directly into my face.

040

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

Ack! It was all going so well until the last part of the explanation. Rimmer is indeed left alone for 600 years waiting for the crew to rescue him, and he does clone himself and create a civilisation full of clones... but they imprison him and take power, he doesn't execute them. Final score: 6-9!

15. In "Rimmerworld," Rimmer is stranded alone on a hostile planet after abandoning Starbug. Exactly how many years does Rimmer spend completely by himself on this planet before Lister and the others manage to rescue him?

A. 50 years

B. 100 years

C. 300 years

D. 600 years
Correct! Rimmer spent 600 agonizing years alone, during which he cloned himself, established a strict bureaucratic society of Rimmers, and executed almost all of them.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

At last, another correct one! 6-8. It's a shame it didn't mention the names of the scientists involved in creating Legion -- I would be surprised if it got all of them correct. Just one more question to go!

14. In the episode "Legion," the crew is captured by a mysterious space station owner named Legion. What is Legion's true biological/technological nature?

A. An evolved hologram who can manipulate physical matter using hard-light projectors.

B. A rogue mechanoid who disassembled other robots to absorb their parts.

C. A symbiotic gestalt entity formed by a group of advanced scientists whose minds have merged into one.
Correct! Legion is a collective consciousness created by a group of brilliant scientists who pooled their minds together, possessing the combined talents and memories of everyone in the group.

D. A human-GELF hybrid created during the Great War.

110

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

Torn on this one. There is a 'gunfight' showdown, but it's not how the crew beat the Four Horsemen. It's also not in the saloon, but on the street outside. Kryten doesn't have sped-up reflexes either. Yeah, too much wrong -- gonna have to give it to the humans. 5-8.

13. In "Gunmen of the Apocalypse," the crew enters a virtual reality simulation of the Wild West town Laredo to defeat the Four Horsemen.
What game of chance or skill do they ultimately play against the Horsemen in the saloon to win?

A. A high-stakes game of Russian roulette

B. Five-card draw poker

C. A classic high noon gunfight showdown
Correct! They take on the Horsemen in a classic western shootout in the dusty streets of Laredo, utilizing Kryten's speeded-up reflexes.

D. A saloon arm-wrestling tournament

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

And to think it all started out so well for the AI! This brings the score to 5-7 to the humans. It's not *entirely* inaccurate. Where it goes wrong is stating that the Psirens have a straw-like proboscis. They don't, it's a literal straw they hold in their claws.

12. In the Series 6 opener "Psirens," how do the telepathic shape-shifting Psirens physically extract nutrients or brain matter from their human prey once they've been lured in?

A. By driving a retractable straw-like proboscis out of their temples/foreheads into the victim's head.
Correct! Psirens use a sharp, fleshy proboscis that stabs directly into the victim's temple to suck out their brains.

B. By digesting them slowly inside an acidic stomach pouch.

C. By absorbing them through their skin contact.

D. By using micro-nanobots to harvest organic tissue.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

Another one that's mostly correct but needs to be given to the humans, the score is now 5-6. It should be Dr. Lanstrom (Hildegarde was her first name) and she's already dead by this point, so can't be threatened. And the crew are threatened with death, not beinmg made to do something unpleasant.

11. In "Quarantine," Rimmer goes completely unhinged during a holo-virus outbreak and turns his quarters into a bizarre dollhouse environment.
What is the name of his infamous gingham-wearing hand puppet companion?

A. Captain Flaps

B. Skippy the Bear

C. General Pout

D. Mr. Flibble
Correct! "Mr. Flibble is very cross," Rimmer warns, famously threatening to make Dr. Hildegarde and the crew do something unpleasant if they don't comply.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

It's harsh, but I'm going to have to give this one to the humans, and level the score at 5-5. This is all completely correct, apart from the "shared 4 year hallucination". The hallucation does not last four years, more like 40 minutes.

10. In the mind-bending episode "Back to Reality," the crew encounters a creature that ejects a hallucinogenic neurotoxin, making them believe they were actually playing a total immersion video game for four years.
What is the name of this creature?

A. A Polymorph

B. A Despair Squid
Correct! The Despair Squid uses its ink to induce mass suicidal depression via an elaborate 4-year shared hallucination where the crew thinks they are boring civilian office workers.

C. A Psiren

D. A GELF mutant

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

This one is entirely correct, so AI takes the lead again at 5-4.

9. In "The Inquisitor," an eccentric robotic enforcement entity goes through human history erasing anyone whose life was deemed a net waste of space. What is the fundamental philosophical criterion the Inquisitor uses to judge a person's worth?

A. Whether the positive contributions of your life outweigh the wasted potential and negative impacts.
Correct! The Inquisitor operates on a mathematical balance sheet of existence: if you cannot justify your life and prove you made the world better than if you'd never existed, you are erased.

B. Whether you accepted a formal religious doctrine before death.

C. The total number of offspring you left behind.

D. Whether you achieved the rank of officer or higher in your career.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

And the score equalises at 4-4. "White Hole" does see Holly get an IQ upgrade to 12,000 (12,368 to be precise) but at this point of the show, Holly is very much a "she", not a "he". The name "Hilly" is only in "Parallel Universe" in series 2, and the title text scroll at the start of series 3.

8. In "White Hole," Holly receives an IQ upgrade that brings his intelligence up to 12,000 IQ, but it causes his processing power to drain the ship's batteries. When he briefly assumes a female persona before dropping back down, what name does he call himself?

A. Queeog

B. Hilly
Correct! Holly refers to himself as Hilly during his super-intelligent female phase, explaining that he's a bit tired of being a bald man with a moustache.

C. Norma

D. Queen

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

It's got this one *properly* wrong. Caligula was on the opposing side in the wax war. Incidentally, Gandhi doesn't organise a hunger strike, either. 4-3. The humans are catching up!

7. In the waxworld episode "Meltdown," Rimmer becomes commander-in-chief of the good historical figures against the evil ones. Whom does Rimmer appoint as his personal second-in-command / chief of staff?

A. Mahatma Gandhi
Incorrect. Gandhi is recruited, but he ends up organizing a hunger strike rather than serving as Rimmer's right-hand military strategist.

B. Joan of Arc
Incorrect. Joan of Arc is part of the army, but not his second-in-command.

C. Caligula
Correct! Rimmer bizarrely chooses the infamous, sadistic Roman emperor Caligula as his second-in-command, demonstrating his total incompetence at judging character.

D. Abraham Lincoln
Incorrect. Lincoln is there, but Rimmer prefers the chaotic energy of a mad emperor.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

4-2 with this wildly incorrect question. Firstly, Kryten is a Series 4000 mechanoid, not Series 4. Also, there's no such thing as a 'Service Mechanoid Act' and it doesn't state a 14 year lifespan.

6. In "The Last Day," Kryten faces his pre-programmed "activation limit" or operational lifespan. According to the Service Mechanoid Act, exactly how many years is a Series 4 mechanoid permitted to function before compulsory deactivation?

A. 7 years

B. 14 years
Correct! Series 4 mechanoids have a statutory operational lifespan of 14 years before their silicon chips are scheduled to be wiped and recycled.

C. 21 years
Incorrect. The statutory limit is lower.

D. 50 years
Incorrect. Far too long for corporate Jupiter Mining standards.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

I'll give this to the AI, even though the guitar is the *only* thing Rimmer tries to make Lister burn. He doesn't force him to burn it either, other than perhaps a bit of guilt tripping. Still, it's correct enough that I can give it to the AI. 4-1.

5. Stranded on a freezing ice planet in the episode "Marooned," Rimmer and Lister argue over what items to burn for heat. Which of Lister's prized personal items does Rimmer demand be fed to the fire first?

A. His collection of vintage comic books

B. A rare photograph of Kochanski

C. His acoustic guitar
Correct! Rimmer argues that survival trumps art and forces Lister to burn his guitar piece by piece, leading to an emotional rendition of "She's Out of My Life."

D. His leather jacket signed by Elvis Presley

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

Ah, here's where it might start to go off the rails. Rimmer goes back to try and persuade himself to go into stasis, it's nothing to do with Yvonne McGruder (who isn't called 'Smuggy' at any point in the show, either) It does at least get the year right, though. 3-1 to the AI.

4. In "Stasis Leak," the crew finds a temporary stasis leak on board. What year does Rimmer attempt to travel back to, and what crucial piece of information does he hope to confirm or alter concerning his past?

A. 2066, to pass his celestial navigation exam
Incorrect. The year is not 2066, though his exam failures are a lifelong trauma.

B. 2077, to see if Yvonne McGruder actually fancied him back
Correct! Rimmer goes back to a past date to find out if "Smuggy" McGruder-the woman he loved-ever had feelings for him, only to be bitterly disappointed.

C. 2180, to warn his parents about the Red Dwarf accident

D. 2050, to prevent his brothers from bullying him

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

Holy shit, it's not looking good for the humans so far. Question 3, and this is correct too! 3-0.

3. In the episode "Queeg," Holly is demoted and replaced by a backup computer named Queeg 500. What is the ultimate twist revealed at the end of the chess match between Queeg and Holly?

A. Queeg never actually existed and was a persona manufactured by Holly to teach the crew a lesson.
Correct! Holly admits that he created Queeg out of thin air because the crew had stopped respecting him and took him for granted.

B. Queeg was a disguised Simulant infiltration unit.

C. Queeg beat Holly and took permanent command of the ship.

D. Queeg was actually an ancient Al sent by the Nova 5.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

Question 2, and it's another one that's correct! It even gets Lister's two kids' names correct! AI 2 - 0 Humans...

2. In the episode "Future Echoes," as Red Dwarf accelerates past the speed of light, the crew begins experiencing premonitions. What specific vision does Lister see of his own future in the mess hall before it actually happens?

A. Rimmer accidentally blowing up the galley with a toaster

B. Himself being court-martialed by Holly

C. The Cat wearing a tuxedo and eating a fancy meal

D. Holding twin babies that he hasn't had yet
Correct! Lister sees a vision of himself holding twin baby boys (Jim and Bexley), which spurs his determination to survive and return to Earth.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 16/09/2026

As with the Blackadder one earlier, let's try a Red Dwarf themed AI quiz, shall we? Limited to series 1-6, as that's the era of Red Dwarf I'm most familiar with. Question 1 gets the AI off to a good start, with a correct question and answer. 1-0 to AI.

1. Before the catastrophic radiation leak wipes out the entire crew of the Red Dwarf, what is Dave Lister's exact official job rank and title?

A. Second Technician

B. Third Technician
Correct! Lister is famously a Third Technician, ranking just below second and first technicians, and essentially serving as the ship's lowest-ranking human crew member.

C. Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

D. Junior Vending Machine Repairman

110

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

I would have been intensely disappointed if it had got any element of this wrong, given how much of the Internet talks about how amazing this scene is. Still, it’s all correct. 5-5. In the words of the Black Knight, “alright, we’ll call it a draw.”

10. How does the iconic and critically acclaimed final scene of Blackadder Goes Forth visually conclude after Edmund, George, Baldrick, and Darling go over the top?

A. A slow-motion fade into a silent, sunlit field of red poppies
Correct! The series ends with the characters disappearing into the smoke of no-man's-land, transitioning into a poignant, silent shot of a poppy-covered field.

B. A comedic reset showing them back in Mrs.
Miggins' shop

C. A title card announcing a fifth series set in
WWII

D. General Melchett riding in to save them at the last second

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

I was prepared to give this to the AI until the text after the correct answer, even though the question is slightly misleading. But Baldrick never uses this “exact hyperbolic comparison”, let alone uses it frequently. It’s said once, by Blackadder. 5-4 to the humies, on to the last question!

9. Which of the following is a classic recurring catchphrase or description Baldrick uses when pitching one of his supposedly brilliant "cunning plans"?

A. As sharp as a marble rolling down a hill

B. As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed
Professor of Cunning at Oxford University Correct! Baldrick frequently uses this exact hyperbolic comparison to describe how clever his plans are.

C. Smooth as a well-oiled turnip

D. Clever enough to fool a blind badger

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

Ooof. Another wrong’un. There’s no “Giant” in the name. He isn’t shot with a pea-shooter, and he isn’t cooked with wild rice and orange juice! The hint also says that he “had eyes like shiny buttons” which, AFAIK, isn’t something said at any point in the episode. 4-4.

8. In Blackadder Goes Forth, what is the name of General Melchett's beloved carrier pigeon that Captain Blackadder accidentally shoots with a pea-shooter and eats?

A. Flying Freddy

B. Major Feather

C. General Coo-Coo

D. Giant Speckled Jim
Correct! Blackadder shoots "Giant Speckled Jim" with a pea-shooter, cooks it with wild rice and a sauce made from orange-juice, and feeds it to Melchett and Darling.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

I misunderstood the question here and answered it incorrectly, but yes, generally speaking this question and answer is accurate. 3-4, AI takes the lead!

7. What specific administrative responsibility does Captain Kevin Darling hold at General Melchett's headquarters in Blackadder Goes Forth?

A. Managing the army filing system and paperwork
Correct! Darling takes immense pride in his meticulous administrative duties, paperwork, and keeping the headquarters running far away from the front line trenches.

B. Chief Artillery Officer

C. Official Military Chef

D. Head of Military Intelligence
Incorrect. General Melchett handles the grand (and disastrous) intelligence/strategy, while
Darling handles the bureaucracy.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

This one surprised me, and is correct. Given the hallucinations we’ve already seen, I expected some part of this to be wrong as three characters (including Blackadder) claim to be the Scarlet Pimpernel in this episode. It was Lord Topper, though. 3-3! It’s caught up!

6. In the Blackadder the Third episode "Nob and Nobility", who turns out to be the real, obnoxious Scarlet Pimpernel causing havoc for the French revolutionaries?

A. Edmund Blackadder

B. The Prince Regent

C. Lord Topper
Correct! Lord Topper is revealed to be the obnoxious, boasting real Scarlet Pimpernel, much to Edmund's disgust.

D. Baldrick

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

This one is entirely correct, and has a correct hint too. 3-2.

5. Actor Hugh Laurie played multiple iconic roles across the various series of Blackadder. Which of the following prominent regular characters was not played by Hugh Laurie?

A. Prince George

B. Lieutenant George

C. Lord Melchett
Correct! Lord Melchett was played by Stephen Fry, not Hugh Laurie.

D. Lord Percy (guest appearance/variant) / Simon
Partridge

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

I’m going to have to mark this one as wrong, sorry AI. The question itself, and the answer, is actually correct. It’s the hint it gives this time that lets it down (see second image) The dictionary was already completed, Blackadder was definitely not *helping* Johnson complete it. 3-1.

4. In the episode "Ink and Incapability" (Blackadder the Third), what object does Baldrick accidentally throw into the fire, destroying Dr. Samuel Johnson's life work?

A. A box containing Edmund's life savings

B. The only manuscript of Johnson's new dictionary
Correct! Baldrick burns the single complete manuscript of Dr. Johnson's monumental English dictionary, mistaking it for waste paper to start a fire.

C. The Prince Regent's secret diary

D. A rare first-edition copy of Shakespeare

Edmund had spent the night before helping Dr. Johnson complete this monumental literary project before disaster struck.

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

Back to being hilariously wrong again. It isn’t Edmund that uses this name, it’s not the episode that Lord Whiteadder appears in, nor is the alias used to rescue anyone. And the bit after the correct answer is ridiculously nonsensical and also wrong — it never comes up again. 2-1 to humans.

3. In the classic Blackadder II episode "Bells", what female alias does Edmund adopt to rescue his friends Lord Percy and Lord Melchett from Lord Whiteadder?

A. Bob
Correct! Edmund disguises himself as a young
"lad" named Bob, who later becomes his regular (and frequently confused) manservant/friend in subsequent episodes.

B. Matilda

C. Kate

D. Gertrude

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

Question 2, and it has at least got this one completely correct. Phew. 1-1.

2. In Blackadder Il, what official royal title or position does the sycophantic Lord Melchett hold in Queen Elizabeth I's court?

A. Master of the Horse

B. Keeper of the Royal Seal

C. Archbishop of Canterbury

D. Lord Chamberlain
Correct! Lord Melchett serves as the devoted and obsequious Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth

100

Gaz @gazchap.com · 15/09/2026

Oh dear. Not off to a good start. Edmund does not claim to be Richard’s fourth son at any point. Also, I’m pretty sure Richard would take umbrage at being described as cowardly, he is anything but!