iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I've done my civic duty. (Specifically, I voted in an advance poll for my local government). I know two elections at once is a bit much for most people, but I hope my fellow BCers will join me at the polls for both of them. #BCPoli

Close up of an 'I Voted' sticker on a grey coat.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Coincidentally, I'm wearing my new shirt today.

Close-up photo of a heathered grey t-shirt. White text reads 'Nasty since 1867' - the 'a' in 'nasty' has been replaced with a maple leaf. The shirt is Todd Maffin merchandise.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I am the primary political news source for a few people in my life. ...and yeah, this is definitely how it feels to talk about it as well. #BCPoli

The 'Charlie Day Conspiracy meme'. A scene from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in which an unhinged-looking Charlie Day (as Charlie Kelly) stands in front of a bulletin board covered in overlapping pieces of paper, all connected by red lines.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The fact that I keep a file folder of stats jokes is how you know I'm fun at parties.

Comic depicting two people standing beside the projection of a line graph. The graph contains a blue series labelled 'flint hand axe' and a red series labelled 'bronze axe head'. The pictures do not correspond to the labels, which appear to have been switched. The x-axis is labelled 'Y', and vice versa.

The comic is titled 'Gavin failed the archeological statistics course...'. One of the people says "I'd be willing to overlook the fact that you mislabeled the axes, if you hadn't also mislabeled the axes." The other figure is, presumably, Gavin.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Sharing this photo of Lake Ontario from a long-ago Kingston winter today for no reason in particular.

A winter sunset over Lake Ontario with bare trees silhouetted against the sky. There is snow on the rocky shoreline and ice hangs from at least one tree branch. A bridge stretches between two outcroppings.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

It's giving images-cdn.bridgemanimages.com/api/1.0/imag...

Black and white World War 2-era comic from Punch Magazine (credit to bridgeman images). It shows a child with a cap labelled 'Belgium' holding a thin stick, standing in front of a gate labeled 'no thoroughfare'). The child is menaced by a man with a club, whose cap is labelled 'Germany'. Three large sausages hang from the man's pocket. The comic is captioned 'bravo, Belgium!'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Tonight's trade news had me shouting for the rest of household to come read Carney's statement. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 #ElbowsUp #BuyCanadian #CNDPoli

A #BuyCanadian riff on the WW2-era British motivational poster, which reads 'keep calm and check labels.'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I sent customer care a message about this. If I do not find their response satisfactory, I'll cancel my Triangle Rewards membership and ask them to delete my personal information (as is my right under PIPEDA).

Screenshot of the details from a 'contact us' email I sent to Canadian Tire. The text reads: 'I read in the news today that Canadian Tire is deploying an AI-driven customer intelligence platform called Mosaic. Supposedly (per the article) this will lead to some targetted price reductions. However, to me, it sounds like surveillance pricing. As a Triangle Rewards member, I'm also uncomfortable with my personal information being fed into an AI tool. Is there any way to opt out? I do not consent to my personal information being used by AI tools or for the purposes of surveillance pricing.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

An American YouTuber discovers our housing market. Full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNas...

A screenshot from YouTuber Tyler Bucket's video 'American Reacts to Canada's UNPRECEDENTED Immigration U-Turn.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

How interesting! Apparently I post in such a way that the program isn't sure I'm alive (which, honestly, same). Mostly because I post a lot about a shifting array of topics. b.mino.mobi/palm

A radar chart showing results from the vaguely witchy Bluesky postsona personality test. The headline result is 'The Migrating Clock: The same hours every year, and a different bird each season.'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Me, thinking Twilight Struggle was an appropriate Valentine's Day game, like...

White text on a solid pink background. It reads 'im no relationship expert but have you tried asking him whether soviet control of eastern europe prevented more wars or perpetuated oppression.'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Agreed. Also... Me, who currently isn't crossing the border in any kind of vehicle:

Two panel screenshot of the titular character from the TV show Loki sitting at a table. The text reads "Yes, very sad. Anyway"

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I found this chart interesting, too. It suggests (to me, at least) the TBA folks might have a tougher time forcing her out than I would have expected. Of course, this isn't quite the same question as to whether she should continue to lead the UCP, but...

Stacked bar chart showing results for the question 'Agree or disagree: Premier Danielle Smith should resign.' ('Not sure' represented a third option). The results are divided into 'Total' (49% Agree, 43% Disagree), 'UCP' (19% Agree, 75% Disagree), and 'NDP' (85% Agree, 12% Disagree). The source is listed as Angus Reid.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Reply with 🤓 and I'll give you a letter to list your 4 favourite characters! I got K ~ Kai’oh Michiru (Sailor Neptune) - Sailor Moon Katara - Avatar the Last Airbender Kamurai Jin - Tokyo Debunkers Kermit the Frog - The Muppets

Image of Sailor Neptune from the end of her transformation sequence from the 90s-era anime.

Jin Kamurai (yes, I mildly cheated by following the Japanese practice of listing the last name first - don't at me). Specifically, this is his 'Icebound Tyrant' card from the Tokyo Debunkers mobile game.

Kermit the frog. It's not easy being green!

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Don't talk to me and my assorted hobby doom piles ever again!

Image of a goblin in patchwork robes examining a colourful objust through a small magnifying glass. They are standing in front of a large chest of drawers, one of which is labelled 'sparkly trash'. The text reads 'I don't 'waste' money on crafts. I invest in the dopamine of potential and the security of the hoard.' Image credit to StuartShawCreations.com

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I would indeed much rather make my own terrible decisions. (Also, that metaphor goes so hard.)

Screenshot of a social media thread.

First post: "We know that Facebook is brainscorching your parents and tiktok is brainscorching your cousins, but some of you refuse to admit that you got your brain scorched here. However unlike those sites there isn't an algorithm here you just make bad choices."

Second post: "That's all we ever wanted. To arrive at Hell as a result of our own dubious navigation skills instead of as a result of Satan owning all the road companies."

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Okay, first of all... poomang.com/en/t/smooth_...

'Smooth Mole' test results from 'Smooth Animal Test X Poomang'. Drawing of a cartoon mole surrounded by various personality traits listed in bubbles.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Not me calling my partner at work to suggest he do the rest of his shift from home.

Screenshot of a post from 604 NOW (604 being Vancouver's area code). Image of a snow-dusted Vancouver street scene. The text reads 'DEAR VANCOUVER It's only a few cm of snow Please don't embarass yourself.'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

The phrase 'sumptuous bedrot' will now live rent-free in my head. Thank you, @theoatmeal.bsky.social.

Screenshot of an exchange on Threads. User 'thebloggess' writes 'I'm having a very bad mental health day and I need someone to tell me to get out of bed. The Oatmeal replies with a comic showing a woman in bed holding a hair dryer while a small horned character says 'ARISE, Jenny! WAKE from your sumptuous bedrot. Do it or I, the BedRot goblin Shally make unpleasant sounds with my Mouth! LALALALA THIP THIP THOP THIPT THOP SLOP.'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

'Pull a Carney', ha! Love that for our fellow 'red and white' NATO allies.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Post a pic you took, no context, to bring some zen to the feed.

Looking out at the Pacific ocean framed by trees. A hilly coastline is visible in the distance. The sun os visible through cloud cover.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

No one: ... Metro Vancouver real estate listings: Bring your renovation ideas to this cozy heritage home in a wilderness setting. Full of natural light. Perfect for first-time home buyers or those seeking redevelopment opportunities.

A dilapidated shack with a strip of fabric hanging part way down the empty door frame. It appears to be fenced in and there are some bushes in the background. The text reads 'at this rate, this might be the house I live in after graduating:'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

The dumpster fire in me recognizes the dumpster fire in you.

Cartoon image of a red dumpster spouting flames. Black text on a pink background reads: May the dumpster fire within you burn brighter than the dumpster fire around you. Image credit to Theinkroad.com

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Reskeet this with your home river. Mine is the mighty Fraser

White water rapids between tree-libed rocky shores with mountains in the background. Photo credit to Brock Endean.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Here are the figures in question, in the event anyone is interested. Being from a 2023 presentation, they're missing the most recent election. The 'NDP' trend-line includes previous left-wing parties (hence the asterisk). Trying to fit this much history on one slide was an interesting challenge!

Two line graphs on a blue background showing popular vote share by party in British Columbia. The first is labelled '1903-1950', showing the Conservatives (blue), Liberals (red), Lib-Con Coalition (purple), and NDP (orange). The second figure is labelled '1950 - Present' (though 'present' here means c. 2023) with added lines for the SoCreds (light blue) and the Greens (guess).

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

I've been thinking something similar, though less articulately. Less charitably, also - because for 'people', I would have written 'privileged twits'.

User 'thecoreyrichardson' writes "The fact that Jake Paul thought he could go toe to toe with Anthony Joshua and got his ass whooped so thoroughly is an apt encapsulation of how a lot of people think DEI works vs. how it actually works. A white guy who has created a career out of exploiting his clear advantage over his opponents assumes that, based on his manufactured record, his accomplishments are 'merit based' and feels like he's entitled to challenge an overqualified Black person for his status that he actually earned."

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Actual footage of me trying to run a midterm review session today while attempting to stave off an allergic reaction.

A tabby cat stands at the lecturn in a classroom as students look on. A green chalkboard can be seen in the background.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

“Burnaby just basically handed the keys to the city over to developers and said, 'You go to it, you build anything you want.'… The results are these ugly monstrosities.” - Kathy Corrigan, self-proclaimed NIMBY Pictured below: one of the 'ugly monstrosities' in question. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

A black and white multiplex home in the 4200-block of Graveley St in Burnaby, B.C., on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Given the linear progression of time, I'd be fascinated to discover what the WSJ thinks the alternative is. (Not being a subscriber means I will be left forever to wonder, however).

Screenshot of a Wall Street Journal headline, which reads 'Opinion | Is Gen Z Unemployable?'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

I wonder what this Roman would think if they knew that millennia later, people still mourn the death of their beloved dog with them.

A two-panel meme, titled 'Romans and their Dogs'. The first panel shows a black-haired Roman soldier and a white dog, and reads 'Welcome to your new family'. The second panel, labeled '15 years later' shows a grey-haired Roman soldier and a tombstone inscribed in Latin. A translation of the text reads 'I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place.'

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Though she's bigger now, Moo Deng remains a legend.

A two-panel Memezar meme featuring pictures of Moo Deng. The first panel, labelled 'If you can't handle me at my' shows Moo Deng biting her keeper's knee. The second panel, labelled 'Then you don't deserve me at my' shows Moo Deng adorably accepting chin scritches.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Oh, I don't know... *Gestures vaguely at everything*

Screenshot of a headline from yesterday's Globe and Mail, which reads "Canadian lifespans are no longer increasing. Here are some possible reasons why."

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

What, exactly, do you think I have planned, Dashmart?

Screenshot from an online order titled 'Complement your Cart'. Pictured are listings for a 'Designer Vase' and two different types of bouquets.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Every issue in the universe is either 'spiders' or 'not spiders'.

Screenshot of a post from user drefvalentine, describing an online apartment maintenance issue portal, which shows a dropdown for location type ('unit' selected), issue location ('hallway' selected) and problem (options: other x 4, spiders). The post reads "a comprehensive list of possible apartment maintenance issues, according to the online portal: you either have spiders or its something else."

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

TFW even the National Post finds your breathless conservative hot take a bit much.

Screenshot of a headline from the National Post. The main text reads "Terry Glavin: A better response to B.C.'s Cowichan land ruling - calm down!" The subheading reads "Both Crown title and Aboriginal title can underlie private property without the world coming to an end."

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

...okay, that's a new one. I was expecting Jessica Rabbit.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

IDK why, but I find this sort of liminal imagery oddly comforting

A brown and white cow with yellow ear tags stands on a slightly-collapsed, rusted out trampoline in the middle of a field. Three white cows can be seen in the background. White text reads 'everything ends'.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

It's my first #Caturday without our sweet little menace to society. (Seen here in happier times "helping" me edit.) Currently having all the feelings and following all the #cat accounts. Cuddle your kitties for me today, as I sit here wishing I could stroke her soft fur one more time.

A small black cat sits on a white spiral-bound book. There is a bookshelf in the background.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

If you see this, I implore you to post from your device without context

A pale woman with black and white eye-makeup and grey lipstick. She wears a black and white wig with black feathers on top. There are red maple leaves and a butterfly in the foreground.

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Moo Deng *does* have Miss Piggy energy, though, I have to say...

Two panel comic by Zoodraws featuring Moo Deng wearing a cute pink hairbow.

Caption on the first panel: The scientific name for the Hippopotamus is Hippopotamus amphibius, or "the river horse"
Moo Deng: COOL! So then little pygmy hippos like me must be 'the river pony <3'

Caption on the second panel: Pygmy Hippopotamuses are known as Choeropsis liberiensis, meaning 'resembling a hog'
Moo Deng: HEY FUCKERS!

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Mad (Social) Scientist 🇨🇦 @jemburch.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

People keep sending me this today. (To be clear, I'm one of the awkward baby scholars, not the cool one up front.)

Screenshot of a post by user 'inonibird' featuring a black and white drawing of a plague doctor followed by three smaller plague doctors in the manner of a mother duck and her ducklings. It is labeled 'Plague Doc with Plague Doclings'. User 'secifosseluce' responds 'leave me and my three PhD students alone'

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