iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

D. Merrill @terebifunhouse.bsky.social · 10h

they really caught this guy demonstrating concern for human lives, which is something Republicans are 100% against

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 16h

There's a shit-ton of actual anti-Semitism in the world today, but Netanyahu's fraudulent misuse of the term devalues it dangerously. Hamas is anti-Semitic and murderous. Netanyahu is a cynical, murderous shitheel. Mamdani is an American politician with a perverse impulse to tell blunt truths.

281189199

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Jennie @unabridgedopinions.com · 10h

When you have a tiring week and it’s only Tuesday, and then you get @biggreenbooks.bsky.social’s book post! Things are much better now.

A stack of books
Orbital by
SAMANTHA HARVEY

Ripeness by
Sarah Moss

10 MINUTES and 38 SECONDS in this STRANGE WORLD by
ELIF SHAFAK

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS by
MARLON JAMES

172

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Emily @suika.bsky.social · 10h

"Japanese volleyball player Rui Takahashi came out as gay on Tuesday, saying he wanted to help others struggling with their sexuality in a country where openly LGBTQ+ athletes are extremely rare."

japantimes.co.jp

Japanese volleyball player comes out as gay in rare case

Takahashi said his brother Ran, who is a hugely popular star with Japan’s national volleyball team, helped him come to terms with his sexuality.

117255

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Craig Calcaterra @craigcalcaterra.bsky.social · 16h

I'm not saying that a guy who sprints to the front to defend every rapist and attack every victim is himself a rapist because I have no information upon which to base such a claim. But I would bet a million bucks that this guy would risk his life to keep any of us from seeing his hard drive.

13670115

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 20h

A cash-strapped rural police force struggles to deal with Red Diesel gangs. Until its chief inspector realises can get the Met Police to deal with the problem... ...if he pretends they're Iranian. A new six part comedy starring Toby Jones.

641211352

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Andrew Hickey @andrewhickey.500songs.com · 24/09/2026

DVDs aren't low-tech. They're just things you can actually own, that won't disappear overnight, that don't require a monthly subscription, that won't suddenly get reedited, that won't start putting adverts in the middle and that won't sell your data to the worst people in the world.

92144777

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Dr Robert Bohan @robertbohan.bsky.social · 16h

The lurch to the far right by the Torys has been fed by roubles for sometime. Again, surprising how little examination goes into where funding for UK parties comes from these days!* [Until the UK media decided to take down Farage recently - when it suddenly became a thing!]:

bbc.com

FinCEN Files: Tory donor Lubov Chernukhin linked to $8m Putin ally funding

Leaked files show Lubov Chernukhin's husband was secretly funded by a Russian oligarch.

2106

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy @helenmccarthy51.bsky.social · 16h

I'm bringing my picture-packed #StudioGhibli session to the Bridgwater Arts Centre in Somerset for #SeedTalks on 18 November. It's an early evening session, and you can book tickets now - if you use this link they know you booked through me! tinyurl.com/wsp7dtns

tinyurl.com

The Art History of Studio Ghibli

044

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 17h

"Letting the hiss become the room you sit it" - that's close to a poem defining this culture.

000

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 17h

#SomethingBeautiful - a major show devoted to the dream design duo Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell at London's Fashion + Textile Museum 2 Oct-11 Apr 2027. I'm going - wearing my only Birtwell piece, of course. Check out her fab interview in Monday's Guardian. fashiontextilemuseum.org/exhibitionsd...

fashiontextilemuseum.org

Ossie Clark + Celia Birtwell - Fashion and Textile Museum

Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell Exhibition - Discover the iconic duo whose visionary designs and prints shaped 1960s and early 1970s fashion.

000

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 17h

Free tickets to see me and the fab Michael Leader of Ghibliotheque sharing a stage at the #BFI - not something that happens every day! Booking opens on Thursday 1 Oct at 10 a.m.

086

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 23h

The Free Press bravely challenging the orthodox belief that film criticism should involve watching the film.

A headline from Bari Weiss’s The Free [sic] Press:

“Hold Your Applause for the New Gaza Documentary

There may yet be hard truths in 'NAZA,' including evidence of Israel's systemic failures. But the reporting around it treats flimsy claims as proof of criminality.”

First line: “i haven't seen the film,”

161486241

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 17h

Occitan folk music - always worth a listen!

001

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

D. Merrill @terebifunhouse.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

this magazine is a very mid 1990s snapshot of kind of what the field was like at the time: a lot of forgettable properties getting inexplicably hyped because nobody knew what the next big thing was going to be. I didn't buy any of these magazines at the time. $4.50 for a glorified fanzine?

2192

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Bruno Dias @brunodias.dev · 28/09/2026

What is happening is not that AI-generated cultural goods are replacing human-made cultural goods; what is happening is that capital is flowing out of the production of cultural goods *entirely,* making us all poorer for it.

2786246

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This thread is so important because it gets at the AI industry’s central failure of imagination. While I’ve met exceptions to the rule in Silicon Valley, most human beings do not reduce their sense of being alive to a stream of successive task completions, and find it a truly alienating vision.

28632

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If you know someone who plans to vote Reform and go back to "the good old days", ask them if they mean "the good old days" before the NHS existed.

250

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Sunderland Lollipops @sunderlandlolly.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Scrapping winter fuel payment is wrong, but REAL SCANDAL is that UK state pension is one of WORST in Europe!! MINIMUM wage is £22k but pension is ONLY HALF THAT at £11.5k! 1m elderly living in poverty! Judge a country by how it treats it's vulnerable! #GMB www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

theguardian.com

Nearly 1m UK pensioners living in deprivation, official figures show

Separate report suggests number of people living in poverty aged between 60 and pension age has tripled under Tories

31477179

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I find it really weird that people who can't stand seeing a woman shopping in a niqab are often perfectly comfortable with a gang of guys in balaclavas threatening RNLI volunteers or black NHS staff.

1164

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Money is flowing out of the #NHS to private providers to plug gaps in the service created by spending cuts over the past 2 decades. Think how much worse things would be in a for-profit system where insurers decide what treatments are allowed, as in the USA.

041

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy @helenmccarthy51.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Sword and sorcery fiction wanted, paying semi-pro rates (4 cents a word USD.) #AI policy unknown so be sure to ask. As ever, read all details carefully - if you're union, ask them to advise on contracts or any concerns. duotrope.com/magazine/swo...

duotrope.com

Swords Against!

Swords Against! magazine is looking for kickass sword & sorcery fiction.

053

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Small businesses have so many challenges these days, it's great to hear about one that actually helps them survive! Fandom is a valuable and growing part of the economy, and the more opportunities fandom creates, the better for everyone.

1102

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Sadiah Qureshi 🦈 @sadiahqureshi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I still can’t believe this is true. If you’re curious, the paperback is out. A huge thanks to everyone who’s been in touch with kind words and congratulations. I’m deeply moved and honoured that my words are helping so many readers think about how to build a just future for all life on earth.

511035

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy @helenmccarthy51.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Local bookshops under threat, in Japan as elsewhere: valued as a place to hang out and explore books, neglected as a place to shop. Resales, personally curated rental shelves, all-nighters and new distribution models may help keep them going. mainichi.jp/english/arti...

mainichi.jp

Editorial: In defense of Japan's dwindling neighborhood bookstores - The Mainichi

On Nov. 1, a bookstore will return to Gintengai, a shopping arcade in central Matsuyama, western Japan, for the first time in 4 1/2 years. The Honmaru

0174

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Big Finish Insider @bigfinish.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Flash Doctor Who Sale! ⚡Destiny of the Doctor: The Complete Adventure is ten years old! Click bgfn.sh/dotd26 to get 25% off the series using the code DOCTORS. Offers expire at 23:59 (UK time) on 01 October 2026.

3256

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Colin Smith @colinsmith.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

John Lennon, by Brian Duffy, 1965.

0212

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Happy Monday butterflies! The week is already the usual mix of delight, breathtaking kindness, cupidity, hypocrisy and horror, so let's jazz the hell out of it. Make something good this week: however small, it matters.

150

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 27/09/2026

The before and after it's even more haunting.

3027991581

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Aussiecon5 @aussiecon5.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Pitt Rivers museum is a museum of Anthropology in the U.K. "digital heritage researcher Chanel Coromandel, master weaver Hamuera Manihera & cultural interpretation expert Paora Tibble have been selected as the inaugural Te Māori Fellows at Pitt Rivers Museum, " www.facebook.com/share/p/1GBL...

facebook.com

Facebook

083

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

horror Ewacui @ewacat.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

the rare point where a news story actually feels Tolkienian

Farmer who called 999 saw 'large group of hooded and masked men' near RAF Fairford, she tells BBC

35710

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Brexit Dividend that charming rogue BoJo promised has yet to materialise. The Brexit losses are growing. #FollowTheMoney - Brexit did not benefit the British people, economy or society, but it did a lot for some politicians.

021

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

They’re just close friends.

32722145

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

warriorseamstress.bsky.social @warriorseamstress.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Better news on Ukrainian advances #SlavaUkraini 👍👏👇

074

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Kevin @kevinlikesmaps.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

US media largely is not covering a story about Russia blockading a Ukrainian city and starving them to death. They have to eat weeds and dogs. Ukraine can't evacuate them or get humanitarian aid to them. This is what occupation looks like. This is why Ukraine cannot give up.

bbc.com

Oleshky: Eating garden weeds to survive in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water

The BBC has spoken to residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky who say they are being "constantly shelled".

25728

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Dune tribute band name. Or, being from the Netherlands, possibly a pisstake.

060

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Women in a Crow Boat at New Year Sunrise. Ukiyo-e woodblock print. About 1800, Japan. Artist Utagawa Toyokuni I

Surging through churning, frothing waves, a fantastical pleasure boat anchored by a monumental, jet-black crow figurehead carves its path into the early morning light. Atop the horizon, the deep crimson orb of the first sunrise of the New Year (hatsuhinode) rises above low clouds and distant mountain peaks. Standing poised aboard the decorated hull, an elegant woman in a mauve, plum-blossom-patterned kimono holds aloft a shallow porcelain dish containing a potted New Year arrangement, while her companion in a coral-red shibori garment sits attentively at her side. The stark contrast between the crow’s light-absorbing black feathers, the crisp spray of white water, and the soft pastel robes creates a vivid sensory landscape, evoking the biting chill of an early morning sea breeze infused with the faint scent of salt and spring buds.
Designed around 1800 by master woodblock printmaker Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825), this polychrome print (nishiki-e) fuses Edo-period bijinga (pictures of beautiful women) with auspicious New Year mythology and mitate (playful poetic allusion). The crow boat (karasu-bune) draws upon sacred Shinto lore—wherein the crow is venerated as a divine sun-messenger and guide—blended with the popular urban custom of gathering to witness the first sunrise (hatsuhinode) for health and good fortune. The potted plant held aloft, traditionally fukujusō (pheasant's eye) or dwarf pine, serves as a harbinger of wealth, resilience, and longevity. The intricate carving of the wave patterns and the flawless registration of delicate pigments reflect the peak of Edo-period monozukuri (artisanal mastery), requiring a seamless synthesis between artist, block-cutter, and printer.

110426

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

The Film Canary @thefilmcanary.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I guess the turn of phrase "Going Postal" never made it to Russia.

061

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

hookland.bsky.social @hookland.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

As we've just had the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, known in Hookland as the Corn Maiden Moon, it seems appropriate share some of the folklore of the Heading the Corn. #FolkloreSunday

Full moon closest to the autumn equinox – Heading the Corn Part of the cultus in St. Urith in the county, but clearly also part of much older harvest festival traditions, the heading of the corn is the name for the ritual of the first sheath of corn cut being bound and taken to the nearest church so that the spirit of the saint could live in it to the next harvest. The sheath is traditionally taken on a cart, crowded with reapers, often wearing masks made of sack, shouting: ‘Hooky! Hooky! while the cart is led by an extravagantly dressed couple referred to as the Lord and Lady of the Harvest. Before the procession gets to the church to deliver the sheath, they will be met at a crossroad by a figure personifying death who will let them pass only after the shedding of blood (usually done by the nicking of the hands of the Lord and Lady of the Harvest). When the sheath has been delivered and a thanksgiving mass given, a usually somewhat riotous harvest supper is then held.

223343

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Steve Rosenberg @bbcstever.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

“What should I do if I need my motherland, but she doesn’t need me?” Superheroes, special operations and “shaping the mindset of children.” An extended edition of #ReadingRussia

youtu.be

Superheroes, "special operations" and “shaping the mindset of Russian children.”

YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg

1020745

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

warriorseamstress.bsky.social @warriorseamstress.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Good morning. Let's begin this 🌞 Sunday with some more seamstressing: Frida Kahlo saque-back in action during Whitby Steampunk Weekend 👇

041

Reposted by Helen McCarthy

Strict Algorithm LLC @wsstalkback.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Mai Kuraki has won or, (further cemented her win) Of the Guinness award for the most songs contributed to an anime series with her 30th song (ending 76) currently on air. This was originally 21 songs when she first got the award in 2017.

2188

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It was a support for an American steerable helical transmitter. So, alien tech in a way.

050