iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

My latest column is up, after a rewrite following Trump's decision yesterday. Now, by Executive Order, the government has renamed AI as Super Intelligence and the industry will not be regulated, except by itself. Which has always worked out well historically...

techfinitive.com

View from the Valley: AI pleads for regulation on its terms, Trump obliges

AI companies are getting vocal about the need to slow down and get regulated, writes Iain Thomson from San Francisco, and they got exactly what they were after

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

We had a lot of fun on this, and the title refers to Google's Project Suncatcher - a "datacenter" that has just four TPU chips. Each TPU will require 1.3m2 of radiators to cool it. Keeping things chilled in space is very hard and, barring new technology, big datacenters in space are unsupportable.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Angel Island is on fire. Better a controlled burn than one out of control.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The expo is being torn down, the local hotels and bars are counting their earnings, Usher is probably thinking "I'm never doing that again," and another Dreamforce is in the bag. The Trailblazers need to tone it down. We get it, you love the platform. www.techfinitive.com/features/dre...

techfinitive.com

Dreamforce 2026: The five key takeaways

Fresh from the San Francisco event, Iain Thomson shares five big takeaways from Salesforce's annual conference, which has just closed its doors

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Woke up to a Nixle alert for San Francisco - a mountain lion has been spotted near 44th and Ulloa. The cat distribution system is a thing, but please don't do "Who's a big growly kitty then? Do you want snuggles and food?" That would be followed by "Aaaagh!" Plus, think of the litter box issues.

sfgate.com

Mountain lion sighted again in SF this time in Outer Sunset

Animal control officers are on the scene.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

On this day in 1991 @billybragg.bsky.social released Sexuality, one of his best known songs and remarkably sex positive for the time. The video is also a joy; damn I miss Kirsty MacColl.

youtube.com

Billy Bragg – Sexuality (Official Video)

YouTube video by Billy Bragg

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Dumbest quote from Dreamforce so far from Siemens: "If you love what you do, you'll be good at it "

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Gwen Stefani opening for Dreamforce. I wonder how much these celebs hate tech events. "Smile and think of the paycheck."

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The Dreamforce WiFi password lacks imagination.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Dreamforce registration sums up the privacy/usability debate rather nicely. On the one hand, simply glancing at a tablet gets you signed in, more quickly than I've ever had at the Moscone. On the other hand, a single glance gets you IDed instantly.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

People who use this line from noted British priest Thomas Fuller never use the full quote: "Charity begins at home, but should not end there."

Always use the full quote: "Charity begins at home, but should not end there."

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This has to be seen. Reece Shearsmith as Bagman is an inspired choice.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

My wife just said tomartoes. My work here is nearly done. Petrol next.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Skunk sighted in our back yard. Having been sprayed once several years ago I'm staying inside for the moment.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A superb Formula 1 qualifying in Monza. A record for the pole sitter, who broke his duck. And also for Lance Stroll, who became the first F1 driver to be knocked out in the first period 100 times.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The London Underground needs to do this. I went to a few Circle Line parties back in the day - tremendous fun.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The second best thing about donating blood - having the medic tell you to avoid exercise for the next 24 hours. Seriously folks, please donate. There's a chronic shortage in the US, particularly for O- and AB-. Your body replaces it quickly, and it takes 30 minutes tops for a bag of whole blood.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

If you ever want to implant an earworm on someone of a certain age just say "Badger, badger, badger..."

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The view of CAL FIRE's San Benito-Monterey Unit driving to help with the Timber fire yesterday. good luck to them all.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Time for an end of the world party.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Even @cern.bsky.social couldn't image the size of the tiny violin I'm playing right now.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The @eff.org punches so far above its weight and it was marvelous to talk to Cindy as she hands over the belt to the next generation. “The idea that the Big Tech companies are going to stand up for us against the government seems laughable.” Very true. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

techfinitive.com

Exclusive interview with Cindy Cohn: "The idea that the Big Tech companies are going to stand up for us against the government seems laughable"

We interview Cindy Cohn, outgoing director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a key player in why we have encryption today

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The Moscone Center is gearing up for this weekend's Pokemon shindig and it seems they are expecting a flood on people. Might be a good time to avoid the place, the security staff are on edge already.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Superb snark from @bvig.bsky.social on the Meta settlement. Meta made $15.8bn in profits last quarter. The proposed $18bn settlement, spread over 10 years, is back-of-the-couch money for it to kill US lawsuits.

Meta's terms for settling the lawsuit, with added snark.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Today I have been mostly listening to Jolene at 33prm. A very sad day, she was a superb singer, a true philanthropist who helped millions of readers, and had a savage wit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=doz1...

youtube.com

Jolene at 33 rpm

YouTube video by Tom Berry

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Australian friends will understand my joy to finding our local California supermarket is now stocking Timtams. A bit steep at $4 but worth it once in a while.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

It says a lot about how dry it is in California this summer that getting 0.02 inches of rain is a headline. Hopefully the Big Sur firefighters will get a little help.

sfgate.com

4,000-foot-deep marine layer brings wet weather to Bay Area

Measurable drizzle was recorded in multiple Bay Area locations by Friday morning.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

And we're live for the next three hours. This is going to be fun.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I was very happy with this headline, and strongly suspect he's right on FSD. Dan O'Dowd is a very interesting chap, makes some good points, and I'm jealous that he has three of the original Tesla Roadsters. I'd like one please :)

techfinitive.com

Meet Dan O'Dowd, Elon Musk’s least favourite billionaire

We interview the safe-coding guru on his crusade for safe autonomous vehicles: they will come, he says, but it won't be Tesla in the driving seat

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Was at JPL 14 years ago for the Curiosity landing - it was a great night. When the first pictures came in I broke the cardinal rule and clapped at a press confernece. After it was finished at around 1am a couple of French journos bought out a bottle of champagne and we toasted the rover's success.

theregister.com

Curiosity landing live from NASA's JPL: How the drama unfolded

Curiosity Mars mission: Constantly updated as it happened

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Someone will have to explain to Nigel Farage what this is all about. Geezer.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I've seen a lot of Tesla stickers decrying Elon Musk but this one, spotted on today's hike, really takes the biscuit.

Tesla bumper sticker "This car identifies as a Rivian."

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

That @greatdismal.bsky.social has given his approval means a lot. Please don't let this be bad.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I'd heard rumors that JCD was in trouble but it's now been confirmed. One of the first-generation tech journalists has gone 404, and we're all a little poorer for it. One of the benefits of working at PC Magazine was getting an advance look at his column before everyone else. Never dull reading.

mailchi.mp

RIP JCD. No Agenda Newsletter.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

A smart move. Scrapping the digital ID scheme to pay for lower home energy bills brings a big benefit for UK citizens and gets rid of an insecure boondoggle no one really wants.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Dear @hntdove.bsky.social, you are an utter wanker :) Loved Three Miles Down but you've got to give us a sequel. You can't just end on that.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

It's been 50 years since the first successful landing on Mars. Mankind will get there, one day. It does make sense not to have humanity's eggs in one basket but anyone born on Mars is going to find Earth's gravity impossible to deal with. But it's likely there is life there. Roll David Bowie.

space.com

Did Viking 1 find life on Mars 50 years ago? Here's why the debate continues

"Viking more likely than not found autotrophic microbial life on Mars, roughly 1,000 cells per gram."

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

While I've heard good things about The Odyssey, I'd pay more money to see this.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

James Dolan, meet the Streisand Effect. Wired's a lot better than most at accuracy and must be relishing the discovery phase of this.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Twelve men sit in a meeting room.

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Iain Thomson @iainthomson.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Was interviewing someone in a downtown cafe and they have the footie on. Took all my resolve not to check the phone when I heard the roars. Get in there England, the hopium is strong.

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