iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Got talking to a colleague about foundational texts, those works of art that got their claws into your early and melded you into who you are. Mine would be "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Discworld" and "Fleetway Comics of the late 80's and 90s"(More as vibes than full memories those last ones!)

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Bex is WEAK on crime @bextraordinary.bsky.social · 18h

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Terry Pratchett's "Reaper Man" and AI. He was so ahead of his time in so many ways - or maybe squarely in his time but so many missed the very obvious signposts of where we were heading. Gonna be spoilers in this thread for a 25-year old book.

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Sebas @ohlookbirdies.bsky.social · 25/09/2023

As a society, we need to move past the concept of "guilty pleasures" tbh. The world can really use some more joy, and if you get that from bubblegum pop or 80s power ballads, then that's only lovely and to be encouraged

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Things that feel like writing (but aren't) 1. Favouriting submission skeets for later 2. Research aka doom scrolling 3. Researching films set on Arrakis aka Dunescrolling 4.Researching satellites aka Moon scrolling 5. Researching weaving aka Loom scrolling 6. Researching Fungi aka Shroomscrolling

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REwadent Evil @ewacat.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

oh listen this is an uplifting one for anyone who needs cheering www.reddit.com/r/BORUpdates...

reddit.com

From the BORUpdates community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the BORUpdates community

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Anna H @athenepallas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

One thing that I think would change politics/policy discourse for the better is if young people & their interests were treated with the same concern and respect as pensioners.

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Caleb Dume @thacalebdume.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

MAKE ART! MAKE BAD ART! BAD ART IS BETTER THAN AI ART! YOUR WORST IS STILL BETTER THAN THE SLOP!

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Poocharé @poochare.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Someone should make a film in 2.76:1 (Ultra Panavision 70), but the actual image printed on it 4:3. Start at the beginning of the film at the left side of the field and imperceptibly slide rightward, to be at the right edge by the end of the credits. That way the film is its own progress meter.

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Jane @localnotail.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Come on down to the Council House for International Day of Birmingham, see the Re-Union Jack ♥️ #OneBrum Goldship have repurposed dozens of dirty & torn polyester flags removed from Birmingham's lamp posts to create a huge Union Jack, adorned with the names of people who have called Birmingham home

Photo of artwork description
GOLDSHIP Re-Union Jack 2026

Repurposed polyester flags/Mixed media.

Re-Union Jack is an ongoing community art project conceived by GoldShip, the creative duo of textile sculptor Clare Elisabeth and event producer Sam Shipman.

Repurposing dozens of dirty and torn polyester flags removed from Birmingham's lamp posts, Clare and Sam, alongside countless contributors from the wider community, pieced them together to create a huge Union Jack.

The flag was then transformed over several months by countless more contributors into a visual celebration of the people and stories that have helped shape the West Midlands. Across its surface are the names of influential Midlanders, spanning from the Anglo-Saxon Beorma, after whom Birmingham takes its name, through to the present day. Each has a connection to migration, immigration or the positive influence of people who have made the West Midlands their home.

Together, these names reflect the region's extraordinary history as a vibrant melting pot of cultures, ideas, talent and communities - and the positive contribution that migration has made to its identity.

The flag has since been signed in black by many of the people whose names feature upon it as a collective endorsement of its message of unity, inclusion and community.

Photo of huge Union (Jack) Flag on lighting truss in the hall of the Council House.
It's glorious and bears many names upon it of the people of Birmingham
Each has a connection to migration, immigration or the positive influence of people who have made the West Midlands their home.

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Antlers Teeth Claws @gravewriter71.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Oh man. @hundredsofbeavers.bsky.social has preorders up for a furry beaver slipcase! Too cute. Side note: if you haven't seen this goddamn brilliant film yet, fix that.

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JasPhoenixWrites @jasphoenix.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Verifying a word I’ve used 500 times because I looked at it for too long and now it doesn't look real. 🫤😂

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

So this is what gets the government to comment? Not the terrorising of RNLI, attempts to sink people at sea, radicalised communities but a few folk making it to shore unaccomoanied?BBC News - Home Secretary hits out at 'unacceptable' migrant landings in Kent - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Home Secretary hits out at 'unacceptable' migrant landings in Kent

Usually brought ashore by Border Security Command or the RNLI, these are the first uncontrolled landings since 2025.

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REwadent Evil @ewacat.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

this is REALLY neat

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chiller @chiller.eurosky.social · 23/09/2026

Might have done a bit of a rant at my MP. It's quite a nice feeling actually. Give it a go.

It has been promoted and pushed and egged and funded and nurtured by social media, where the racism, the hate. the disdain for our country's values is open and constant - and which remains unregulated to the cost of us all; and by the British media, also entirely unregulated (I suppose we could crowd fund some dentures for Ofcom but I remain unconvinced that it would know what to do with them), including those parts of it which are most trusted by the British public (link to BBC article below, where the thugs are referred to as if they are ordinary protesters, and a life-threatening criminal act in the channel aqainst RNLI staff is relegated to a brief mention in paragraph 15).

We used to hear "both sides" from the news. and even then, that was an absurd position, where only one side ever provided facts, and the other only ever provided feelings. We don't hear that any more. Now we only hear one side. it is the racist. hateful side. and it is framed, always, as "legitimate concerns".

They are not legitimate. We saw no village-wide protest from Piddington, when they had 2,600 mostly white young men in those barracks, and endured crimes, including rape, associated with those men. But 1200 brown men? Suddenly that's "legitimate concerns". It isn't. It's racism.

We cannot predicate the human rights of a person upon the strong feelings of a group that hates them.

That is not how human rights work ir this country, or it didn't used to be. We have done precisely this to trans people in this country - handed their harmless lives directly to the tiny, well- connected, well-funded group that hates them most. We are now normalising racism in precisely the same way. This is going to destroy our society.

What we need from the government urgently is:-
• Press regulation, sharp-eared enough to identify a dogwhistle and bold enough to call it what it is: with the good of our inclusive society at it's core and meaningful punishments
• Social media regulation: frankly X should be shut down. and the embarrassing fact that we don't want to annoy the chief nazi because he owns Starlink needs to be faced, because X's continued influence or our society must end. Facebook isn't much better: regulate them or end them.

• We need clear, unequivocal statements from our PM. and from our MPs, about the fact that this is racism and terrorism. It is not "legitimate concerns".
• We need these Blackshirts and their leaders proscribed as terrorists, and sentenced accordingly
• And we need a concerted public information campaign to offset the colossal, constant untruths the press and social media have propagated: our society has hardly any crime. Refugees aren't disproportionately criminal. And tell people what benefits refugees get because it's shockingly low and people believe utter nonsense they read on Facebook. Educate people! We used to have incredibly effective public information films on prime time TV - I'm old enough to remember when drink driving went from "a bit of a laugh, ho ho ho evervone does it," to "nobody does that now" virtually overniqht, because of such a campaign.

I realise government is hard, and that our current qovernment is tasked with undoing 20 years of utter incompetence. But that must start from the basis of British values. "Respect and dignity" isn't an idea. It's an action, taken every day, it's the courage to stand up against hate, every day, and to call it what it is and to say the uncomfortable thing and sometimes, yes, the unpopular thing.

I hope that our government has this courage. I have not seen it yet,
Yours faithfully,

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Don't use the previous email, use this to contact Andy Burnham.

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Something that all couples need to discuss before it gets too serious.

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REwadent Evil @ewacat.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

if you ever struggle with names when worldbuilding just remember there's a whole massive mountain range called The Rockies

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Despite what my waistline may tell you, I used to do #Triathlons and would be keen to do one with my son next year. Anyone know of any that will let a 44 year old and an 8 year take part at the same time?

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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Thousands of university jobs lost too, and barely a peep either.

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I would love to ask a prominent BBC journalist to give me an example of an illegitimate concern. Is seems to me that it has become a question not of fact, logic, or ethics but of volume. If a big enough proportion of a village was anxious about Bigfoot or Chemtrails, BBC would cover it in a way...

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Toby Earle 🇺🇦 @tobyontv.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

*rubs temples* why am i reading about MPs scrutinising Eurovision track record instead of them taking action against far-right and fascist groups that are harrassing the RNLI, the public, & shutting down infrastructure www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

UK's 'dismal' Eurovision song choices to be examined by MPs

It comes after the UK's entry Look Mum No Computer came last in May's final, scoring just one point.

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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Masked thugs have put lives directly at risk here. Beyond shameful.

RNLI suspends services in Portsmouth over anti-migrant protests". The standfirst beneath reads: "Volunteers were abused physically and online since bringing 120 migrants ashore earlier this month". Below are buttons showing 4,076 comments. The article's lead photo, taken from above, shows an orange and navy RNLI all-weather lifeboat moored alongside a floating pontoon. A large group of people is gathered on the lifeboat's deck wrapped in foil for warmth

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I'm going to submit 3 this year. Hold me to it.

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The Failing Writers Podcast @failingwriters.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Hip hip... HOORAAAYYY.... Our £500 Annual Flash Fiction Competition is GO! Thank you to @scrivenerapp.bsky.social The theme this year is 'birthday’. Listen to the pod for the little phrase you have to include! Can't wait to read your stories! #flashfiction #writingcompetition #shortstorywriter

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Good argument for #UBI and introduced me to a great new band. Sterling stuff for a Thursday morning.

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I've been playing with TWINE today, Got a whole work presentation on it.

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Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Just a reminder as the new academic year kicks off - the UK government has deliberately, ruthlessly, throttled the recruitment of international students, solely to pander to racists, and the resultant 25%+ fall in numbers can and will only accelerate some universities into bankruptcy.

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Zachary Gillan @megapolisomancy.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

We have to resist the death cult targeting trans people, not for dumb “first they came for…” reasons, but because trans people deserve not to be targeted by the death cult

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Mattie Lee 🎶 @mattielee.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

And now you're singing it, too. 🤣

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

We did this and halfway through I thought it was meant to be a hippo so I changed to drawing a hippo instead.

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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

If you feel like donating to the RNLI, here’s a link. I just have. Their minimum donation is £2: I think it might be nice for them to receive a lot of donations this week, even if they’re mostly very modest. Just so they know a lot of people out here appreciate their work. rnli.org/support-us/g...

rnli.org

Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea

Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.

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Rhys Howell @ghop56.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

If you're not you should be listening to @failingwriters.bsky.social , and I believed that even before they said nice things about my poetry.

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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Every podcast I don’t listen to is called “Achieving the Limit with Duff and Ween” and gets sold for 300 million dollars while every podcast I do listen to is called “The Movie Toilet” and begs me to buy a t shirt so they can eat food

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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 09/09/2026

RNLI volunteers put themselves in harm’s way to save lives. They should never face abuse or threats for doing so. That includes the crews based on the Thames, who respond to hundreds of incidents every year. They deserve to be thanked, not attacked.

bbc.co.uk

Abuse of RNLI volunteers 'wholly unacceptable', chief says

Peter Sparkes says there has been "deliberate misinformation" spread about the charity.

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Glennyrodge @glennyrodge.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

if you’re against the RNLI, yeah, you’re one of the bad guys

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Nick Pettigrew @nick-pettigrew.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I just think that risking your life at a moment's notice to save people you've never met in exchange for no money is a better expression of patriotism than dressing up like a Poundshop paramilitary and intimidating families with kids trying to get onto a ferry.

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Tim Clare @timclare.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I haven't posted about this in a while, but I made 2 free creative writing courses: the Couch to 80k Writing Boot Camp & the 100 Day Writing Challenge. Each session, you listen to a short podcast & do a 10 minute exercise. The timer is included in the episode. www.timclarepoet.co.uk/couchto80kwr...

timclarepoet.co.uk

Free 8 Week Writing Course by Podcast - The Couch to 80k Writing Boot Camp

The Couch to 80k Writing Boot Camp is a free writing course by podcast. Want to write a novel? Low on motivation? 8 weeks of daily 10 min exercises.

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Charles Fourier @charlesfourier.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Bill Bryson’s words seem appropriate to post right now

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Lily Lachance 🏳️‍⚧️🚀✍️ @lilylachance.com · 08/09/2026

A tip for all the aspiring and/or newbie short-form writers: when you're submitting your writing to a magazine, make sure your file formatting, subject line, and email content follow *every* guideline to the letter. An editor recently told me that 70% of submitters fail at that earliest stage.

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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I am the very model of a modern day typographer A font take on the tune “Modern Major General” by Gilbert & Sullivan #typography #fonts #graphicdesign

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