iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

You don't have to be a total bellend to park your giant truck is a compact cars space... Oh wait. Yes you do.

A giant white pickup truck in a parking spot reserved for a compact car.

johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Is it wrong that I quietly judge people with "only God can judge me" tattoos? I can't judge you? Wrong. I'm doing it right now!

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I finished "On Muscle" by @bonnietsui.bsky.social. It's part memoir, part meditation. The memoir is about her relationship with her father and his constant push for her to develop strength through physical activity. The meditation is about the science and history of strength training. 1/4

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Earlier this month, I finished "Beyond Wellness" by Liz Buchar, at the recommendation of @maklelan.bsky.social. Buchar takes us on a tour of modern "wellness" practices, and shows how they are frequently derived from religious practices. She also participates in the practices she write about. 1/

The cover of "Beyond Wellness" by Liz Buchar. It has green and orange lettering of the title, with "be well" in green, while the remaining title is in orange.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

In April, I read "Means of Control" by @byrontau.bsky.social. How can I sum this book up? Is it a detailed account of how we've all been reduced to a set of data points to be collected and sold by Silicon Valley scumbags? Check. It is proof that we're living in a dystopian nightmare? Check. 1/

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

In March, I read Pico Iyer's "Aflame, Learning from Silence." This little volume is a collection of experiences from Iyer's over one hundred retreats to a Benedictine hermitage in Big Sur, CA. As you can realize from the title, it's about his retreat into the silence of the natural world 1/

The cover of Pico Iyer's "Aflame -- Learning from Silence. It is an orange background with a yellow circle at the center. The circle is radiating lines.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

In February, I read "All The Beauty In The World" by Patrick Bringley. It's a memoir about confronting the death of Mr. Bringley's brother, leaving his job in the face of that loss, and becoming a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He sought out the Met because it contained a 1/

The cover of "All the Beauty in the World" by Patrick Bringley. It shows a man at the top of a staircase in a grand hall. He is studying a large canvas, with his back to us. He is engrossed in the art.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Today I went into a gas station to buy a Coke Zero. They were selling "erotic whipped cream." Who walks into a gas station and goes, "I'll take $20 on pump 7, a vape cartridge, a can of Monster Energy, and oh, yeah, that EROTIC WHIPPED CREAM"?

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

In January, I read "Night Vision -- Seeing Ourselves Through Dark Moods" by Mariana Alessandri. In it, Prof. Alessandri recounts six stories of six philosophers each who contended with anger, suffering, grief, depression, and anxiety. Through those stories, we see that dark moods make us human. 1/

The cover of "Night Vision" by Mariana Alessandri. The cover has dark blue circles on a background of light pink and orange. It's like seeing a black hole at sunset.

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Reposted by @johntk.bsky.social

David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

We. Are. The. Shithole. Nation.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Five classes you took in college: New religious movements Islam Justice Philosophy in Latin America Ethics and Economics

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

So my LG washing machine died. I call a guy. A dude named Kevin comes out. Older dude; nice guy. Does some stuff to the machine, says it's either the clutch or the board. He says he doesn't want to guess, so he advises calling the LG service number on the side of the machine. So I do.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

Recently, I finished Brett Popplewell's book, "Outsider," a biography of Dag Aabye, a man who...well, it's hard to explain. Born to unknown parents in Norway during WWII, he was adopted by a wealthy family who were sympathetic to Nazism. Dag ran away to become the founding father of freeskiing. 1/

The cover of Outsider by Brett Popplewell. It shows a lone figure running on a mountain ridge with mountains and trees in the background.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Today, I finished "Stronger - The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives" by Michael Joseph Gross. The book started in a place I enjoyed: a summary of the understanding of human muscle way back in ancient Greece. 1/4

The cover of "Stronger" by Michael Joseph Gross.

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Today, I finished Renata Salecl's "A Passion For Ignorance." It's a decent if slightly flawed read. It does a nice job in clarifying why some people choose not to know things. For example, people have a hard time confronting death, so choose not to acknowledge when they have a fatal disease. 1/4

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Today, I finished "7½ Lessons About the Brain" by @lisafeldmanbarrett.bsky.social. It's a fun little primer about the 3lbs of goo between our ears. (I'm using "goo" in the most technical of senses.) 1/4

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I just finished "The Burnout Society" by Byung-Chul Han. Han is a Koren-born philosopher living in Germany. His thesis is that by people turning themselves into non-stop achievers, we're burning ourselves out. Capitalism has turned us into people Hell-bent on self exploitation. 1/

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

I just finished reading Edith Hall's "Facing Down the Furies." I recommend this one. First, I never cease to be amazed at the emotional sophistication of ancient peoples. Ancient texts can plumb the depths of the human heart and soul. Next, it emphasizes how 1/ @edithmayhall.bsky.social

Book cover for "Facing Down the Furies."

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

I just finished Brent Nongbri's "Before Religion," routinely recommended by @maklelan.bsky.social. I'm an old religious studies/philosophy major. Nongbri articulated thoughts I've had rolling around my brain for some time. "Religion" is a created category, ofter intertwined with claims involving 1/

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johntk.bsky.social @johntk.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Shit. Morty now follows me. It feels like a lot of pressure to be entertaining. I'll earn those nickles for her pickles.

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