iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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The Rare Woman (Tokenius femala) HABITAT: 30+ years with a weekly opinion column. CALL: “Hillary the Hawk, Donald the Dove.” DISTINGUISHING FEATURE: Wants to take Thanksgiving off each year, so she lets her cranky conservative brother lecture her readers.

buff.ly

A Field Guide to Legacy Media Pundits in the United States

The Family Values Pundit (Divorcio moralisticus) HABITAT: New York Times bestseller list and a weekly column. DISTINCTIVE CALL: “As a man with a deeply unhap...

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Mike Ginn @shutupmikeginn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

porn is so deeply misogynistic. i just watched a video with dozens of performers going at it, and they literally hadn’t bothered to hire a single woman.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

When Apple tech support said I needed to log out of my AppleID on my iPad, I knew that it would not help solve my issue and it and it would leave my iPad regenerating photo thumbnails for days after I logged back in. Right on both counts.

Screenshot of Apple Photos on an iPad with blank thumbnails for the photos. Don't worry, I only have about 250,000 photos. That won't take long, right?

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I meant to post this yesterday, so before I begin tonight's journal entry… Yesterday, I hit 2,700 consecutive days of journal entries. I find that @dayoneapp.com has really helped me to journal consistently. #journal #journaling

Screen capture: Current Streak; 2,700. Logest streak: 2.700, with days filled in for the 13th through the 17th.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18/09/2026

i am genuinely bewildered by people who say that the rise of white nationalism in the republican party is a response to the "woke left." like, did the woke left cause pat buchanan's 1992 presidential campaign? is the woke left why steve king had a long career in congress?

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Joseph Rezek @rezekjoe.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

BREAKING: Boston University's English department (my dept) recently voted to approve new learning outcomes for the English major, including an anti-AI provision that requires students to “craft and revise writing that is sustained, original, and generated without the assistance of AI."

bu.edu

New Learning Outcomes Announced | English

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

It's slightly battered, but I could not resist this 1872 edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson. #Booksky #oldBooks

Four volumes, each representing two books of eight. The binding is a little chipped, but the books are in pretty good shape.

The great man, Samuel Johnson, engraving by F. Finden.

Johnson's birthplace, Market Place, Litchfield, engraving by F. Finden.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I have finally caught up with entering my book purchases into my collection database. I last updated it in March. At least it was March of this year. #books

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ContempraInn 🌹 @contemprainn.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

60 years ago #StarTrek The Original Series Premiered on NBC

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/08/2026

macabre = “muh-KAHB” Worcestershire = “WOOSS-ter-sheer” omnipotent = “ahm-NI-puh-tunt” reticent = “RET-uh-sunt” epitome = “ih-PIT-uh-mee” myriad = "MEER-ee-ud" Never make fun of someone if they mispronounce a word. It means they learned it by reading.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I recently made another stab at a work in progress. Today, I looked to see when I started plotting the thing. October 2017. Just about nine years ago. I'm like a writing machine, one that is unplugged, cobwebbed, and bears an "out of order" sign that's showing some age.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I heard @charliejane.bsky.social read from this at @laworldcon.bsky.social. And now I have to wait until May. What she read was fucking brilliant.

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The Trandalorian @charliejaneanders.com · 02/09/2026

I guess it's not a secret anymore! <3 A magical social worker and a time-traveling vampire have to team up to protect the timeline from reckless time travelers.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Okay, done with @laworldcon.bsky.social (I live in driving distance) Now it's time to tally up the book purchases…once I tally up the purchases from the three weeks before that (when I was in Europe). #books

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Can I sneak in a few books to @charliejane.bsky.social ‘a reading at @laworldcon.bsky.social Monday at 12:30?

Yes! I had a moment to grab some books! Four incredible books by an incredible writer. All the Birds in the Sky, Never Say You Can’t Survive, Even Greater Mistakes, The City in the Middle of the Night.

If you do not own these books you should. No you cannot have my copies.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

My husband just texted me, offering salmon or sardines as part of dinner tonight. Predictive text offered “I am not a fan of sardines.” Predictive text doesn’t know me. Some AI overlord.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Pretend your kink is self-sacrifice.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I don't wish to disrespect Welsh speakers, but there are likely more people who speak Esperanto, so all I want to ask is, "kie estas nia versio de 'Stelmilitoj'?"

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Dave Min @daveminca.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

There is ALWAYS money in the budget for Trump's pet projects. But there's never money for healthcare, groceries, or utilities. This is what happens when the Epstein Elite are in control. When we reclaim our country, we'll fund the priorities that matter to real Americans.

usatoday.com

Horse statues restored to shiny gold in latest Trump project

President Donald Trump unveiled the new refurbishments to D.C.'s Arts of War and the Arts of Peace statues this week.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Today is the first anniversary of the death of Tom Lehrer. It is a sobering thought that one year ago today, Mozart had already been dead for 233 years. (h/t to Tom Lehrer)

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Feliĉan Esperanto-Tagon! Hodiaŭ estas la datreveno de la tago en 1887 kiam L. L. Zamenhof eldonis la Unuan Libron, kio enkondukis Esperanton. Happy Esperanto Day! Today is the anniversary of the day in 1887 when L. L. Zamenhof published the Unua Libro, which introduced Esperanto.

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The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 24/07/2026

“We shot in a hotel room, and I was worried about her tripping on wires and cords," the celebrity photographer Emily Shur said, about shooting Jane Goodall. "I was, like, Please, please, be careful! She said something, like, ‘Honey, I live in the jungle.’ ” newyorkermag.visitlink.me/0TkHGB

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Ruin a book by adding a word: Lord of the Trouser Flies Lady Windermere's Fan Mail

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Keith Gow @keithgow.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

It makes me so angry/sad that indie publishers like Bona will have to work harder to sift AI out of their overwhelming submissions pile. It's hard enough out there. AI slop is a disease.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

I live in an affluent Southern California city and yet calls to three upscale supermarkets (all in the adjacent wealthier city) showed that none of them carry fresh duck breast. When I was in France, if the artisanal butchers were closed, I could pick it up at any supermarket. #firstWorldProblems

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I have long said that when Republicans win big their advice to Democrats is to capitulate to Republicans, and that when Democrats win big the Republican advice to Democrats is to show unity by capitulating to Republicans.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Old tech. Some cleaning turned up this long unused telephone line and jack. The jack is a splitter, so that one cable could go to a computer (yes, for a dial-up modem) with another cable going to a phone.

Coiled up telephone cables with RJ11 plugs at the ends going into a jack with three ports (there's a plug in the center of the other side of the jack).

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Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · 09/07/2026

Mitch McConnell hasn’t been seen or heard from in 25 days in the hospital. Yet he still has a job, still getting paid, and getting unlimited world class healthcare. The man who voted against a living wage, against universal healthcare, and against guaranteed paid leave, is now getting all three.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I was mistaken. Two Cooper's hawks. That explains all the cries. They spent the afternoon flying across the patio and perching in various trees. #birds #backyardBirding #BirdSky #Birdsday

Two Cooper's hawks (Astur cooperii) perched in a tree. The lower one has its mouth open giving its call.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

A Cooper's hawk has taken up residence near my backyard. The previous chatter of a squirrel has been replaced by the squawks of a hawk (maybe the squirrel just moved, sure). #birds #BirdsDay

A Cooper's hawk (Astur cooperii) perched on a eucalyptus branch (one of these is a Southern California native species). The hawk has a sharp curved beak, large eyes, and feathers that are a mix of white and light brown.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

I was recently listening to The Who’s “My Generation,” and I had the thought “just what generation were they members of?” Except for Keith Moon (boomer) they’re members of the Silent Generation (incredibly loud members). (That “Tommy” originally started in 1917 was probably a tip-off.)

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 21/06/2026

‘Father’ and ‘dad’ are synonyms. ‘Figure’ and ‘bod’ are synonyms. But, a ‘father figure’ and a ‘dad bod’ aren’t exactly the same thing…

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I know we all have long, long lists of reforms needed (at least after Trump, though sooner would be better). This @nytimes.com article on Charles Kushner is a reminder that our ambassadors should be trained diplomats, not members of the president's circle. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/20/w...

nytimes.com

The Unquiet American: Charles Kushner Brings Trump Diplomacy to France

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King Algamemnon @adamrothman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

The only acceptable use of Claude

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Michael Okun @michael-okun.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I’ve officially resigned as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. It used to be a reputable journal, but became a case study in how forced automation destroys academic integrity. 👇

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Today I have made my 2,600th consecutive journal entry. The last time I missed a journal entry was April 27, 2019. I've maintained this consistency because @dayoneapp.com makes it easier. It syncs across devices, so it's always with me (looking at you, journal I mislaid for a week).

Screen shot from Day One, noting that my current streak is at 2,600 days, as is my longest streak. My current streak became my longest long ago.

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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 08/06/2026

"I first left legacy media when a new, disturbing consensus emerged in the press: that I was bad at my job. So I did what any rational journalism-averse person would do. I blamed everything on woke. On cancel. On not listening enough to diverse voices, like fascists."

buff.ly

The Press Has Finally Been Freed from Journalism

“The truth is, at best, inconvenient and, at worst, a threat to my bottom line. I have always believed it is the job of the news to write a rough draft of hi...

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Human Rights Campaign @hrc.org · 07/06/2026

This Pride Month, LET’S GET FREE.

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ACLU @aclu.org · 07/06/2026

There are currently more bills attacking trans youth’s right to play sports across the U.S. than there are trans youth in school sports.

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I read a good @newyorker.com piece on a book about "Lady Chatterley's Lover," which pointed out that D.H. Lawrence wasn't so much writing about sex as writing about honesty about sex. If there's one thing conservatives hate more than sex, it's honesty. Shame protects the established order.

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Dave Min @daveminca.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Enjoyed spending the afternoon at UCI talking with voters about the issues they care most about. I’m always grateful for the chance to hear directly from the people I represent and take those conversations back to Washington. Orange County, polls close in less than one hour!

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Dan Savage @dansavage.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Stories like this one will only become more common if we turn back the clock on gay marriage. No one wins when gay people get shoved back into closets. For my fuil remarks on this topic, listen to this weeks Savage.Love/Lovecast

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

I feel seen by this Harper's article. (Like Katie Thornton, I was in Brno). Esperantist gay-rights advocates? Nekredeble! Yes, I'm president of that group, though I prefer the term LGBT-rights (esperante, GLATaj rajtoj). harpers.org/archive/2026...

Text from Katie Thornton's article:

And most of today's Esperanto adherents are neither naïve nor even particularly batty. They include European social democrats and elder anarchists, Chinese Communists, Central African youth pacifists, and Ukrainian-independence advocates. There are Esperantist gay-rights advocates, Bible translators, lawyers, and Go players. Why, against all evidence to the contrary, would this motley group-many of whom are no strangers to global conflict-still believe that the widespread adoption of a century-and-a-half-old invented language might yet overpower the world's divisions, particularly as the global order, by any reasonable account, appears to be rapidly disintegrating?

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John Dumas @johndumas.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I want to quibble about something on a tv show (yeah, I know "old man yells at cloud"). On the 6th episode of the 2nd season of "A Man on the Inside," we learn that Professor Cole won an award for a paper on James Joyce. Later he talks about a paper on Lord Byron. Excuse me?

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Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

oh hey I did another one of these things www.dailykos.com/stories/2026...

dailykos.com

A momentous victory!

A cartoon by Tom Tomorrow.

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Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Looking at what he's done to the People's House (without Congressional approval, of course), I feel equal parts rage & embarrassment for our country. The Midterms can't come soon enough... #Register&VOTE 🌊

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