iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This week’s Scriptnotes with Aaron Sorkin is one of my favorites. In the bonus segment, we discuss his never-made Houdini musical.

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Steph Cherrywell @stephcherrywell.com · 20/08/2026

I just finished Wolf's Belly by @johnaugust.bsky.social and Simon Estrada. It's amazing, a must read! I can picture this turned into a really killer animated film some day.

The cover of Wolf's Belly by John August and Simon Estrada. Red Riding Hood, but kinda spooky. It's very cool!

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

No matter how many times I encounter it, I always forget what a huge difference color correction makes.

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Ken Tremendous @kentremendous.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Nithya now ~7K behind for L.A. Mayor. At this rate she should pass Pratt tomorrow or Monday.

L.A. Mayor vote totals. Nithya Raman is now about 7K votes behind SPencer Pratt for 2nd place, after being 21K behind him yesterday.

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Maynard Collector @maynardbrewer.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

@johnaugust.bsky.social heating the pan up in oven before reheating pizza in it is amazing. How I’ve never done this before I have no idea.

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 16/05/2026

1. Hey folks: My pal (and recent Oscar nominee!) Pamela Ribon is making a documentary on Texas' UIL One Act Play competition, where teens compete statewide for theatrical glory. She's hoping for donations for post-production work and @scalzifamily.foundation is matching funds. www.oneactfilm.com

A photo of a bunch of students up on a stage, looking like they are about to take a bow, while the words "ONE ACT" float above them.

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I’m getting so much Substack spam. First from politicians, now from investment gurus. Substack needs to add a button beyond “unsubscribe."

Unsubscribe screen from Substack with a new button labeled "Unsubscribe and Report as spam."

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Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Some people say we don’t build beautiful things anymore and, like, lol. Motherfuckers, we built this:

A graph from Our World In Data showing a precipitous drop in child mortality starting in the late 1800s going from an average of 48% to global rate of 27% in 1950 to the 2020 infant mortality rate of 4%, with some countries having a rate as low as 0.3%

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Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

no one is doing it like jd vance, a loser across three continents in a single weekend

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Maybe go outside and look at actual birds? Just for a few minutes. birdigogame.com will still be there.

birdigogame.com

Birdigo | A cute deckbuilder word game about migrating birds

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Jacob Sager Weinstein @jacobsw.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

This is my favorite download of 2026.

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

WGA folks, check your email for details about the 2026 MBA.

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

It’s wild we use Roman numerals for anything. “It’s a number, but you have to think about it!"

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Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

I keep thinking about the politically agnostic people in Minneapolis who were radicalized by ICE’s presence and began actively protesting them. I wonder if putting ICE in transient places, where Americans from all over can see their aggressive (and often illegal) actions, may just backfire.

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

This week’s Scriptnotes has Drew Goddard talking about Project Hail Mary. I love the movie (10/10) and our conversation about turning beats into actual scenes. Premium episode out now. Regular episode tomorrow.

Screenshot from podcast player with episode description reading:

John welcomes back Drew Goddard (Project Hail Mary, High Potential) to ask, how do you turn the beats of your story into full scenes? Using Drew's script for The Martian, we look at how he translates moments in a book into scenes in a movie, the freedom Drew finds in a beat sheet, how beats are approached in a TV writers room, and his advice to a staff writer struggling with a draft. We also dig into Drew's process for adapting Project Hail Mary, choosing what to cut, and his eloquent defense of double-spacing in a screenplay. He's even kind enough to help answer listener questions on how to recharge your brain and how to indicate you wrote the
most on a co-written script. In our bonus segment for premium members, Drew shares his outlook on the current TV landscape, including the big mistake he sees young writers make in their spec pilots.

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Joe Baxter-Webb @indiegameclinic.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Birdigo is good, and I’ve nearly completed all of the challenges in it, I think… but also it’s made me loathe the letter J.

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

The “shield” is intolerable here as well. “Parents tried to shield their children from water. Instead they died of dehydration.” That’s what the @nytimes.com headline here says. Both “shield” and “instead” appallingly reinforce anti-vax attitudes and frames.

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Joe Baxter-Webb @indiegameclinic.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

This game is a banger. I am enjoying the inherent ridiculousness of trying to win a word game by replacing my entire deck with wildcards.

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post malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

v early in Mamdani’s term in office but hard to escape conclusion that he’s causing a lot of snowfall

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Birdigo, our acclaimed Wordle-meets-Balatro game, is out today on the App Store! No ads. Just pudgy birds. @gameteam6.com apps.apple.com/us/app/birdi...

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Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Melrose and La Brea is just a river right now.

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Liam Johnson @liamjohnsontype.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Done. This might be my new favourite book on writing. Maybe only tied with @stephenking.bsky.social’s. Very honest, very straightforward, and very practical. It’s about the job and not about dreaming of the job title. Thanks @johnaugust.bsky.social and @clmazin.bsky.social

Scriptnotes book by John August and Craig Mazin

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Jenna Avery @jennaavery.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Just played a(nother) fun game of Swoop with our family, thanks to @johnaugust.bsky.social mentioning it on Scriptnotes. It’s a quick, easy card game, ages 7+ (officially) for 3-8 players, though you can expand up to 12 if you buy an extra deck. It’s a little like Uno. Recommended.

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Ken Tremendous @kentremendous.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

The concept of “lying under oath” is up for grabs right now. All the Trump SCOTUS judges did it about Roe. Kennedy did it to get his post. If one of these fuckers isn’t prosecuted it will be crystal clear that there are zero repercussions for doing so, and everyone will lie forever.

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krat @kwholesaler.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

No son, they are not "magically delicious." The workers made them delicious. This is a slogan meant to mystify the social conditions of labor

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Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

turns out when Bezos suggested "democracy dies in darkness" it was a goal, not a slogan

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gameteam6 @gameteam6.com · 18/12/2025

Birdigo is *50%* off during the Steam Winter Sale, now until Jan 5th! store.steampowered.com/app/3264170/ This Wordle-meets-Balatro cozy word game was created by @johnaugust.bsky.social & @toboggan.work and plays great on a Steam Deck ❄️

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I grew up in Boulder. My Scout Explorer post met in this exact building at NCAR, home to the most science-y science nerds in the Rockies. What a stupid timeline we’re in.

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rish1.bsky.social @rish1.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

@johnaugust.bsky.social arrived earlier in the month. Saving to read it over the festive break (and read the bonus chapter too!) looks awesome and so clean inside. Lots of white space!

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Rob Reiner was funny and gregarious, just like you’d expect. Michele Reiner always insisted on one conversation at a time around a dinner table so everyone could participate. Such a tragedy. All my sympathy to their family.

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

The Scriptnotes book outsold this!

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John August @johnaugust.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Excited to see Scriptnotes on the USA Today bestsellers list, along with the D&D Player’s Handbook!

Screenshot of the USA today list from numbers 100 through 150. Scriptnotes is at number 149. D and D handbook at 123

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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 10/12/2025

Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.

There has never been a President that has worked as hard as me! My hours are the longest, and my results are among the best. I’ve stopped Eight Wars, saving many millions of lives in the process, created the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country, brought Business back into the United States at levels never seen before, rebuilt our Military, created the Largest Tax Cuts and Regulation Cuts, EVER, closed our open and very dangerous Southern Border, when previous Administrations were unable to do so, and created an “aura” around the United States of America that has led every Country in the World to respect us more than ever before. In addition to all of that, I go out of my way to do long, thorough, and very boring Medical Examinations at the Great Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, seen and supervised by top doctors, all of whom have given me PERFECT Marks — Some have even said they have never seen such Strong Results. I do these Tests because I owe it to our Country. In addition to the Medical, I have done something that no other President has done, on three separate occasions, the last one being recently, by taking what is known as a Cognitive Examination, something which few people would be able to do very well, including those working at The New York Times, and I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts, most of whom I do not know. I have been told that few people have been able to “ace” this Examination and, in fact,

most do very poorly, which is why many other Presidents have decided not to take it at all. Despite all of this, the time and work involved, The New York Times, and some others, like to pretend that I am “slowing up,” am maybe not as sharp as I once was, or am in poor physical health, knowing that it is not true, and knowing that I work very hard, probably harder than I have ever worked before. I will know when I am “slowing up,” but it’s not now! After all of the work I have done with Medical Exams, Cognitive Exams, and everything else, I actually believe it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean “THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.” They are true Enemies of the People, and we should do something about it. They have inaccurately reported on all of my Election Results and, in fact, were forced to apologize on much of what they wrote. The best thing that could happen to this Country would be if The New York Times would cease publication because they are a horrible, biased, and untruthful “source” of information. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

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Chris Hill @chrishillwrites.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

@johnaugust.bsky.social @clmazin.bsky.social the best birthday present ever for this Sadge! ✍️ 💻 🎈 #scriptsky @blcklstd.bsky.social

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Rusty Foster @rusty.todayintabs.com · 10/12/2025

Number 6 is a big one

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Anthony Bushman @anthonybushman.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

It’s here. It’s orange. And it’s glorious! The greatest ever podcast now in book form. Can’t wait to read it! @johnaugust.bsky.social @clmazin.bsky.social #scriptnotes #scriptsky

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Jordan Mechner @jmechner.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Instant add to my 2025 holiday gift list for tech/creatively oriented folks: the great new Scriptnotes book by @johnaugust.bsky.social and @clmazin.bsky.social, hosts of the best screenwriting podcast going (AND top screenwriters themselves- a rare combo!) You can pick it up at scriptnotesbook.com

scriptnotesbook.com

Scriptnotes

The ultimate guide to writing a great screenplay and building a screenwriting career. By John August and Craig Mazin.

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Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

I see he’s moved on from the couch

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Louis Peitzman @louispeitzman.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

If you liked reading this, please share it around! I’m really hoping to be able to do more Jeopardy! stories in 2026.

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Ryan Rumsey @ryanrumsey.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Happy Scriptnotes release day @johnaugust.bsky.social & @clmazin.bsky.social! Thrilled to finally have this in my hands. Congrats to you both.

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Richard Barrett @richardrbarrett.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

it’s here! I’ve been listening to @johnaugust.bsky.social and @clmazin.bsky.social’s #ScriptNotesPodcast since I started actively seeking out podcasts during the pandemic to stave off boredom while running in the next door schoolyard. I’ve listened to most of the run by now; excited for the book!

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