iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Tonight at 8pm EST/ 7 CST, @slhuang.com and I will be interviewing Flights of Foundry guest of honor John Zhu @chineselore.bsky.social about his Chinese Lore podcast retellings of classic Chinese literature. It should be a lot of fun! www.accelevents.com/e/flights-of...

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Well, let’s see if this works! I needed to prune my coffee plants because they were trying to burrow into my ceiling again. Dipped the trimmings in root compound and planted them. My farm is growing…

Small cutting from a coffee plant held between my fingers. It’s very cute.

Three cuttings planted in a small container, nestled in a half milk jug with water

A makeshift greenhouse made from half a milk jug and a gallon Ziplock bag. My previous success is behind it under the window. Also my desk is a disaster.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think I’m actually going to get fruit from my coffee tree this year. I wonder if that counts as the first New Hampshire coffee crop? Surely someone with a name like Eliezer and a coal-heated greenhouse did it first and wrote an unreadable monograph about it.

A branch of a coffee plant with several green fruits, sticking through Venetian blinds

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Quick and easy, and they have coffee and Oreos!

Me (middle aged bearded dude) in a Hawaiian shirt and a name tag, in front of some doors with the Red Cross symbol.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

I’m not saying I procrastinate writing by making my own notebooks, but isn‘t that nifty? I made the book cloth from an old pair of jeans!

The Coptic-bound spine of a denim-bound journal. It’s about 100 pages thick.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I keep seeing this graph being passed around. I'm cutting out the Takes, because the point I want to make is that there is no information in this graph. It's pure Take-bait. To get anything except your own preconceptions out of it, you'd need to know a LOT of important things.

"How each generation spends on food" graph that shows that Gen Z has larger percentages for Restaurants and Delivery than, progressively, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers, Interwar Generation

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Just look at this magnificent grump patiently waiting for a turn.

A grumpy bluebird, fluffed up and perching on my porch roof, waiting a turn at the feeder.

A pair of birds at a green wire suet feeder hung by suction cups from a window; partly obscured by blinds so that I don't startle them.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I'm curious: the first time you saw this screen, ever, which way did you go? (After the cave, if you went in the cave)

The opening screen of Legend of Zelda, with a cave and exits west, north, and east. Link has three hearts, and nothing else.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I keep a suet feeder in my office window during the winter. I can see it pretty clearly from my desk, but I thought it would be fun to try setting up a webcam to try to get some snapshots of the birds that land. (Mostly chickadees, but some woodpeckers and bluebirds)

Black-capped chickadee at a green mesh suet feeder in foreground, taken through window blinds; snow-covered woods and stream in background.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Beware though: it can lead to hobbies like making your own…

Notebook with brown cloth boards and exposed spine bound with a Coptic stitch in rainbow thread.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Fraid so. Also, it’s really expensive.

Legend of Zelda screenshot of a shop selling a key, a ring, and meat. Caption “Boy this is really expensive!”

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Indoors! In my office, in fact. Mostly for fun, and in hopes to one day taste a fresh coffee cherry, but I do roast coffee, so I might one day get a cup! The biggest problem has been humidity - it gets so dry in winter that the plants really struggle.

Two potted coffee plants on a shelf in front of windows

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

I admit I’m not up on fashion, but are people generally wearing pants that AREN’T easy to pull on? Has the world gone over to skintight leather trousers while I wasn’t looking?

LL Bean ad for “unbeatably easy pull-on chinos”

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

I have a sign on the back of my office door that only I can see. “You can do anything, but not everything.” It’s a useful reminder when I start thinking about the roads not traveled.

Two sets of cups: one has a single cup filled; the other four cups with just dregs.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Saying hi to the neighbor on our walk.

Red tailed hawk on a low tree limb. Looks a little skeptical of having its picture taken.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

My Readercon schedule! Should be a fun time. That reading will be from my work in progress, BTW. Be the first people to hear it!

Friday, July 18, 2025 18:00
• Writers Without Internal
Monologues
Salon G/H, Duration: 60 mins
Saturday, July 19, 2025 10:00
• Worldbuilding Office Hours
Salon I/J, Duration: 60 mins
Sunday, July 20, 2025 10:30
• Reading: John P. Murphy
Envision / Enliven, Duration: 30 mins

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

This is deranged. The govt is arguing it needs to detain a man they’re seeking to deport… because he might leave the country? Can these people even hear themselves speak? How do you argue that sober? www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/n...

Michael Drescher, the acting U.S. attorney in Vermont, who argued on behalf of the Trump administration, said that immigration officials had solid legal reason to detain Mr. Mahdawi as they considered his deportation case. Mr. Drescher noted that Mr. Mahdawi is not a U.S. citizen and has access to resources that would enable him to leave the country. “His detention is not illegal,” Mr. Drescher said.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

I came so close to going back to bed.

Front yard with a mailbox and crabapple tree, sporting an even layer of fresh snow, which is bullshit.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Counterpoint: anything that inspires a turn of phrase like this can’t be 100% devoid of social, economic, and moral value (as I previously thought)

Personalrobotjesus says, “What in the beatboxing puppy is this”

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

If you go to your own profile and find the post, it's the top option under the three dots in the lower right.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 06/11/2024

I don’t know why, but this ad is the funniest fucking thing right now.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 11/10/2024

Yeah, my first instinct was to go check stock price too. Number go down...

Tesla stock for the last week, trading around 240 until Oct 11, where it drops sharply to 220, down 30 points off its high of 250. He sure showed us, yessir.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 10/10/2024

Reskeet with a tweet you still think about.

IF THE ZOO BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE ANIMALS I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL (dril of course)

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 25/09/2024

They feel oddly like click wrap licenses.

Scallop edge bronze coin reading 1.00 Payable in cash on pay day when due to employee to whom issued. INCLE-SCHIERLOH CO DAYTON. O. In MDSE only - non-transferable

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 18/09/2024

That’s some background image you got there, “professional book marketer” I suppose if you can market that you can market anything…

Obviously AI generated book cover for BUICK AL OK by garbled-text, “professhow boook marketer”

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 10/09/2024

This site sure goes places sometimes.

Thread goes from,
"Which is better, a torso love doll or a full-size love doll?”
To,
there was ice cream in ancient rome?

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 03/09/2024

I’m apparently quite picky about my greens? I think it’s a bit far to the side, though, because when I see it all together that dividing line feels wrong.

A green to blue gradient showing that I seem to perceive much more of the spectrum as “blue” than as “green

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 19/08/2024

It’s Monday, have a view from a castle.

Overview of Oban bay from Dunollie castle showing a wide expanse of calm water and a succession of green islands off into the distance. A few sailboats here and there, and small buildings nestled into the trees.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 16/08/2024

Back from Scotland and awake too early. Have a sunset!

Gold and blue photo of the sun setting over the boats and islands of Oban bay

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 10/07/2024

As one of those NH voters, I couldn’t have even identified that as his pitch. He just seemed like yet one more vanity candidate out of the 20 on the ballot. Vermin Supreme had better name recognition.

NH dem primary ballot with 20 candidates listed

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 10/04/2024

The cat is skeptical of my dancing.

Tuxedo cat on the sofa is skeptical of my dancing.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 18/03/2024

I’ve been inspired by the whole AI art thing to finally learn how to draw for my own damn self. I suck at it, but it’s fun.

Poorly shaded pencil drawings of boxes and a rock. I screwed up the dimensions on one of them and flagged it with “oops”.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2024

I salute the Community Notes folks over at the other place.

Twitter post from NYC Mayor Eric Adams saying “We call New York City the Port-Au-Prince of America.” before offering support to the people of Haiti. Community notes adds context, “Not one person has ever said this before Eric Adams”.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 05/10/2023

Yeah, check out the "Publisher". Sold by "Greenway Trading, Llc" (link under "buy now" button)

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 13/09/2023

@johannawinant.bsky.social I considered a longer response, but I felt that this gave the recent lengthy WVU University Relations letter to alumni the thoughtful consideration it was due.

A screenshot of an email window, just prior to pressing "send":
To the WVU Board of Governors, President Gordon Gee, and WVU University relations,

Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

Sincerely,

John P Murphy
WVU Class of 2001

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 07/08/2023

On the instructions for a model kit: “The picture is for reference only. The actual object shall prevail.” I quite like that. All projects should have that label.

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John P. Murphy @johnpmurphy.bsky.social · 05/08/2023

And it’s nifty looking, with big flakes that slightly iridesce!

Sachet of uneven brown flakes catching the light

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