iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 20h

Bram Stoker's Dracula is the GOAT

Close-up of Winona Ryder as a pale, dark-haired woman, Mina, in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992, Coppola), wearing a high-collared black-and-white striped Victorian dress and staring wide-eyed off camera. Subtitles read: “Then we cut off her head, and drove a stake through her heart.”

Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 03/10/2026

Old-timey horse-race announcer voice: "Rust has the lead! Perl, apparently unaware it’s supposed to be obsolete, is keeping it honest."

Screenshot from ongoing sw development showing two test lanes running in parallel for Rust and Perl. The log says Perl has passed release-identity and configuration-trust checks while Rust is further along with no failures. A later status reads: “Rust has the lead; Perl is keeping it honest. Both have to cross the same safety finish line.” A chat bubble adds, “it’s like a race between old school and the new hotness.”

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/10/2026

Hell yes, 2026 needs more fancy four-finger rings. (Balenciaga SS27: www.vogue.com/fashion-show... )

A model on the Balenciaga Spring 2027 runway in an all-white look: a dramatically sculpted button-down shirt cinched and flared at the waist, loose white trousers, and black square-toed sandals. She wears gold jewelry, including an elaborate four-finger ring on her right hand. A tangled red-and-orange sculptural installation rises behind her.

Close-up of the model’s right hand beneath the oversized white shirt cuff, wearing an elaborate gold four-finger ring. A heavy chain stretches across the fingers with numerous large, highly polished gold spheres dangling below it.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 27/09/2026

Obsessed with Santa Fe Stoneworks Spydercos: petrified dinosaur bone, Fordite, and pyrite (two with mother-of-pearl marquetry), from a little lockback to a quite excessive serrated Police model. (Look up Fordite if you are unfamiliar)

Three closed Santa Fe Stoneworks–customized Spyderco folding knives arranged vertically on a wood tabletop. Each has polished metal bolsters and decorative stone or composite inlays: the top is gray and cream with branching fossil-like patterns, the middle has vivid layered red, black, white, and blue Fordite, and the bottom has mottled dark stone with a fan-shaped iridescent mother-of-pearl inlay.

The same three Santa Fe Stoneworks Spydercos opened on a wood tabletop. From top to bottom: a compact plain-edge knife with gray fossil-patterned scales; a larger plain-edge knife with glossy red, black, white, and blue Fordite scales; and a long Spyderco Police with a partially serrated blade, mottled dark stone scales, and a geometric mother-of-pearl inlay.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 26/09/2026

Leni (Crystal Castles vs GoodBooks) youtube.com/watch?v=evBn...

Album cover for GoodBooks’ “Control Freaks (The Remixes).” A lone woman in a red-orange dress stands with her back to the viewer in a barren, rolling landscape beneath a dark green sky. Her figure is repeated in overlapping red, yellow, blue, and black silhouettes, creating a ghosted, color-shift effect. A large retro-futuristic console or machine sits to her left, connected by dangling cables. White serif text at the top reads “GoodBooks / Control Freaks / (The Remixes).”

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 24/09/2026

Absolutely fascinated by this BTS view from Burberry SS27 runway in London. What kinda looks like ‘a camera’ is really an entire coordinated system of support, remote focus, wireless monitoring, and lighting--all built around making a portrait.

Behind the scenes at Burberry’s Spring 2027 show in London: a camera operator wearing an Easyrig films a model against a pale backdrop with a heavily built-out cinema camera, onboard light, remote-focus hardware, and wireless monitoring. Another crew member watches the live feed on a handheld monitor in the foreground.

Model walking the Burberry Spring 2027 runway in a dark brown belted trench over an olive shirt with small pink floral details, gray shorts, brown socks, and black lace-up shoes. The runway is bright white against a warm wood-paneled backdrop with dark structural lines.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 23/09/2026

My partner affectionately calls my coffee drinks “cappuccin-joes,” and I love it and her to death

A blue ceramic mug holding a cappuccino with swan-shaped latte art, sitting on a dark, glossy stone countertop reflecting trees and daylight.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 18/09/2026

So... I bought a big-ass battery for my remote Mac mini. Then I discovered that battery backup, clean shutdown, automatic restart, and actually being able to get back to work are four different problems. So I fixed those other three. josephhall.org/blog/remote-...

Blue line illustration of a remote recovery-test setup with a MacBook, Chromebook, Mac mini, large display, keyboard, mouse, and small fan.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 17/09/2026

and, some days, you're preparing for a talk, and you run across a picture of yourself from 23 years ago, hahaha... I look like a monchhichi. "Students buck DMCA threat" - CNET www.cnet.com/tech/tech-in...

Joseph Hall in 2003, with a shaved head and beard, seated indoors holding an open laptop toward the camera. The screen displays his “N.Q.D. (Not Quite A Blog)” website during the Diebold voting-machine document controversy.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 01/09/2026

Prince Jammy "Throne of Blood" youtu.be/Xy9SRCjLlKQ

Bright yellow vintage Prince Jammy Dub Kamikaze cover art. A man in a green shirt and blue jeans performs a flying kick across the image, with a red comic-style impact burst behind his shoe. Below him are an illustrated tiger and a blue-green dragon breathing fire. “PRINCE JAMMY” runs vertically at left, “PRESENTS” across the top, and “DUB KAMIKAZE” appears along the right and bottom.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 01/09/2026

Dayumn. Yoshiokubo just delivered a total fucking mic drop with its Tokyo Spring 2027 collection. www.vogue.com/fashion-show...

A runway model walks forward in an all-cream, technical layered outfit in front of a white yurt-like set with a bright orange, blue, and multicolor painted door. The look features a sculptural hood draped over the head, a long translucent cream coat with snap closures, oversized mesh-textured sleeves, and loose matching trousers with gathered knee panels. The model wears gray athletic sneakers. The overall effect is futuristic, soft, and utilitarian.

A runway model walks toward the camera in a dramatic all-black look with a high structured collar and oversized technical outerwear. The top has a sporty, weatherproof feel with visible snaps, zippers, and a strap detail crossing the waist. The lower half expands into voluminous black textured layers that resemble shredded fabric or petals, creating a long, sculptural skirt-like silhouette. The model wears dark sneakers. Behind them is a white yurt-inspired backdrop with vivid orange and blue trim and a painted central door.

A runway model walks forward wearing a warm earth-toned layered look. A short-sleeve open shirt in tan and black mixed patterns, including zigzags and openwork lace-like panels, is worn over a sheer brown top with circular dot-like prints. The outfit is paired with loose olive-green trousers and black sneakers. The runway backdrop is a white tent or yurt structure with a brightly painted orange door framed by blue and multicolor decorative details. The styling feels lighter and more relaxed than the darker technical looks around it.

A runway model walks toward the camera in a layered, technical outfit combining translucent and utilitarian elements. The look includes a sheer hood or bucket-style veil that drapes over the head and shoulders with almost hair-thin fringe around the neck, a gray and charcoal layered top with short mesh sleeves, and a gray waist pouch worn across the midsection. The pants are loose olive cargo trousers with oversized pocket details, paired with gray sneakers. The model is set against a white yurt-like runway backdrop with a vivid orange painted door and blue decorative trim, giving the look a futuristic outdoors-meets-performance feel.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 31/08/2026

travel pro tip: do some research and buy local wine and food duty free *on your way into* a new destination. Palate reconnaissance: pre-game the tastes you’ll want to seek out—or avoid—for the rest of the trip.

A hand holds a bottle of Crasto Superior Douro 2023 red wine beside a hotel window in Lisbon. A location sticker reads “Bairro Alto, Lisboa, Portugal,” with neighboring buildings visible outside.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 30/08/2026

Some days the AIs are just moving crap from one file to another.

Tiny Codex status screenshot showing ‘2 files changed’ with 88 lines added and 88 lines removed.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 15/08/2026

Key takeaways from JP Aumasson (@veorq) at Black Hat Asia on realistic PQC migration: Symmetric ciphers like AES are safe, but public key encryption faces Harvest Now, Decrypt Later risks today. Prioritize TLS and KEMs over signatures. youtu.be/_M0of-6aLpk 1/3

Conference presenter at Black Hat Asia 2026 introduces an agenda slide titled "Post-quantum cryptography" listing: What is PQC?; NIST standards and deadlines; performance trade-offs; regional PQC initiatives; PQ HTTPS adoption, accompanied by a white cat image.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 01/08/2026

Fully expected my blog to choke on Knuth up-arrow power towers, but somehow the typography didn't turn into a complete dumpster fire.

A close-up screenshot of inline blog text on a mint-green background. It highlights a mathematical power tower rendered as a base number 3 with four progressively smaller, ascending superscript 3s followed by an ellipsis, demonstrating precise inline mathematical typesetting.

A light mint-green webpage screenshot explaining Knuth up-arrow notation with mathematical equations and bullet points. Text describes single, double, triple, and quadruple arrows. In the third bullet, an inline mathematical power tower shows the number 3 raised to stacked superscript 3s trailing into an ellipsis, typesetting cleanly across line spacing.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 27/07/2026

"Cleo (Soft Riot Remix)" by Keluar youtube.com/watch?v=wMsG...

A square, atmospheric, macro photograph with a moody and dark tone. The image shows a close-up, translucent texture resembling organic cellular structures, frozen ice fissures, or delicate spiderweb-like veins against a muted gray and dark olive background. Deep shadows diagonally sweep across the right side, creating a high-contrast, mysterious ambiance.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 04/07/2026

checking in from the beach for a long weekend

A sun-drenched, elevated view of an Ocean City, MD beach. Golden, textured sand, patterned with sweeping tire tracks, stretches toward a calm, deep blue ocean under a clear sky. On the left, people play beach volleyball near light blue storage boxes. Below, a paved boardwalk bustles with pedestrians strolling past white streetlamps and a potted palm tree. A pier extends into the water in the distance, capturing a vibrant, relaxed summer atmosphere.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/07/2026

Audrey Fall - "Mitau" Full Album youtube.com/watch?v=5CIo...

An album cover displaying a valley landscape. A narrow stream winds through the center of the valley floor, which consists of sparse green and brown vegetation interspersed with dark rocks and stumps. Steep hillsides rise on both the left and right, densely populated with coniferous trees. A dense layer of fog heavily obscures the upper sections of the trees and the background landscape. The text "A U D R E Y F A L L" is horizontally centered in the upper third of the image, positioned directly above the text "M I T A U". The image utilizes a desaturated color palette dominated by greens, earth tones, and grays under diffused lighting conditions.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 01/07/2026

"Doom & Gloom" by Blood Orchid youtube.com/watch?v=Nk39...

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 29/06/2026

Policymakers often face a false choice: preserve security for everyone or break encryption to catch criminals. But law enforcement operates in an era of unprecedented data availability; see the attached chart from our new policy briefs on alternatives to breaking encryption.

A nfographic titled "Data access policy proposals and their impact on the open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet."

The top section is a green box with a thumbs-up icon, labeled "Does not interfere with the technical foundations of the Internet. Enables effective investigations without weakening encryption." It lists five numbered items: 1) User reporting, 2) Undercover investigation techniques, 3) Voluntary cooperation, 4) Analysis of metadata, and 5) Forensics on seized devices.

The bottom section is a red box with a thumbs-down icon, labeled "Interferes with the technical foundations of the Internet. Creates systemic risks that can be exploited." It lists three numbered items: 6) Remote forensic software, 7) Client-side scanning, and 8) Mandated backdoors.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 20/06/2026

Sigh, custom instructions like the following seem like a red flag, but very much needed

Custom Gemini instruction screenshot: "Whenever I upload files, documents, or images, your very first sentence must explicitly confirm whether you were able to successfully parse and read the contents of those attachments. If you encounter any errors, cannot read the text, or the file is unsupported, you must halt and inform me immediately before attempting to answer the prompt."

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 19/06/2026

"I Want To Be You" by Your Funeral (1982) Post Punk - USA youtube.com/watch?v=tq5l...

Black-and-white album cover for "YOUR FUNERAL" (gothic font, dagger cross). Three band members pose on a metal fire escape by a brick wall. The foreground figure, in heavy eye makeup and a trench coat, stares intensely. Two others stand behind with dark hair and somber expressions. Stark lighting and grainy texture evoke a raw, moody post-punk vibe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq5l1NuL2XE

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 19/06/2026

adorne thyself (a/k/a what objects do you want to attach to your person and drag through 4D spacetime with you, subtlety leaving an imprint in the spin foam)

A close-up of a fair-skinned right hand and wrist under warm indoor lighting. The ring finger wears a wide silver and gold band with a dark, undulating mountain pattern. Peeking from a textured, dark purple sleeve is a beaded bracelet featuring vibrant turquoise, amber, and black stones, secured by a silver skull toggle clasp. The soft focus background shows a neutral-toned, paneled interior door.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 07/06/2026

The math immediately collapses. Those four equations boil down to just two. One shows the complex field has zero divergence in a vacuum, and the other links its spatial curl to its time derivative.

The text introduces a duality transformation and defines a complex-valued vector field combining the electric and magnetic fields. The four previous equations are reduced to two equations using divergence and curl operators

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 07/06/2026

Maxwell's equations form the foundation of classical physics, but writing them out the standard way takes a lot of effort. You have four separate equations juggling electric fields, magnetic fields, divergences, and curls.

Photograph of a textbook page showing the standard formulation of Maxwell's equations. Four equations define the electric and magnetic fields using vector calculus, alongside charge and current density. (the speed of light is set to 1.)

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 06/06/2026

"Surtur Barbaar Maritime" by Ruins of Beverast youtube.com/watch?v=4HY1...

Album cover for Ruins of Beverast's 2017 album, Exuvia. A dark, atmospheric scene dominated by deep blacks and muted, ochre-toned textures. An indistinct, spectral silhouette emerges from a dense, smoky void, suggesting a crumbling stone structure or decaying monument. The lighting is low and abyssal, casting deep shadows that obscure finer details, evoking a sense of ancient, oppressive decay. The overall texture is gritty and weathered, as if the image itself is fading into an encroaching, textured gloom.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 31/05/2026

I was hoping to get some sleep on a plane flight tomorrow but Baez and Muniain just arrived

$A vertical, high-angle shot of a book titled 'GAUGE FIELDS, KNOTS AND GRAVITY' in red, bold, serif font on a white cover. A textured, beige-colored physical knot is centered, intertwined with thin, black, squiggly lines. Below, the Einstein field equation 'R_{μν} - 1/2 g_{μν}R = 8πκ T_{μν}' is printed in crisp, black, mathematical serif type. The book rests on a rich, dark red, intricately patterned carpet, with warm ambient lighting casting soft, gentle shadows.$

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 30/05/2026

UI flows that force a user to hard-close the app just to escape a marketing upsell are textbook deceptive patterns. A mandatory promotional screen with zero exit paths is hostile UX, Duolingo.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 30/05/2026

"Midnight Sprite" by riff raff youtube.com/watch?v=bn3s...

"RiFF RAFF" in neon text crowns a surreal golden scene. Center: A glowing portrait of a smirking man in a blue-and-gold pharaoh headdress, wearing a gold chain with a glittering Cheshire cat pendant and a coiled snake. Symmetrically flanking him, six identical, smooth-skinned blue alien women in heels pose beneath tractor beams from green UFOs. Bottom text: "THE GOLDEN ALiEN".

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 17/05/2026

Btw, a potentially helpful custom Gemini instruction for creating accessible alt-text

Whenever I say 'Vivid alt', immediately generate an accessible alt-text for the attached image(s). The description must capture mood, texture, lighting, and key physical details to provide a rich experience for visually impaired users. The output should be concise, strictly under 500 characters per image, prioritizing the most crucial visual information, and formatted as plain text. Do not include extraneous conversational text.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 17/05/2026

I believe it's time to dance!!! … "FROZEN" by LOVE OBJECT (Single) youtube.com/watch?v=IYNY...

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 16/05/2026

At the Google EMEA Fraud Summit, Timo Wagenblatt brought the perfect Swiss analogy to defense-in-depth. Securing the Internet takes complementary layers of protection, much like Swiss cheese, where each slice covers the holes of the last.

A photograph of Timo Wagenblatt presenting on stage at the Google EMEA Fraud Summit. The large screen behind him displays a "Defense in Depth" slide featuring the Swiss cheese model: multiple slices of Swiss cheese lined up sequentially. Colored arrows representing threats pass through some holes but are stopped by subsequent solid layers. Text on the slide reads, "True security is a network of complementary practices each covering the imperfections of the other."

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 10/05/2026

Beyond the fun styling, Anderson's intricate knit and lace pieces are genuinely remarkable. The craftsmanship speaks for itself. Full collection: www.vogue.com/fashion-show... 2/2

A model with voluminous dark curly hair walks the runway wearing a form-fitting, short-sleeved dark grey crochet midi dress. The dress has a V-neckline, varying open-knit geometric patterns, textured bobbles across the midsection, and a knee-high side slit.

A runway model wearing a striking two-piece set made entirely of sheer, intricate silver and black lace. The outfit includes a long-sleeved button-down shirt tucked into matching loose, wide-leg trousers, paired with chunky black platform heels.

A model walks the runway in a long-sleeved, vibrant royal blue crochet dress. The garment features a deep V-neckline, dropped shoulders with bell sleeves, and a tight knit bodice that transitions into large, open-knit circular cutouts near the hemline.

A model on a runway wearing a black halter-neck crochet dress. The bodice and upper skirt feature intricate open-knit patterns and raised bobble textures, which abruptly transition into a dramatic, floor-length skirt made entirely of long, flowing black fringe.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 10/05/2026

Browsing designer collections, I am completely captivated by these disco ball motorcycle helmets from Frederick Anderson's Resort 2024 runway. (To distract myself from the upcoming workweek, thinking orthogonally from work is best.) 1/2

A fashion model on a runway wearing a silver disco-ball motorcycle helmet and dark shades. She is wearing a matching dark grey structured set consisting of a long-sleeved top with chest pockets, worn partially unbuttoned, tucked into wide-leg trousers featuring cargo-style pockets.

A fashion model walks the runway wearing a sparkly silver disco-ball motorcycle helmet with a dark visor. She is dressed in a cropped, grey knit sweater featuring raised bobble details and wide lace-patterned sleeves, paired with dark micro-shorts, black thigh-high socks, and black patent leather boots.

A runway model wearing a silver disco-ball motorcycle helmet and dark sunglasses. She models a black and white abstract-striped tailored jacket, cinched at the waist with a matching fabric belt, over matching shorts. The look is finished with grey thigh-high socks and black patent leather boots.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 09/05/2026

Living on the East Coast means my radio-controlled atomic wall clock is completely deaf to the atomic (WWVB) signal from Colorado. In the attached video, I am using my smartphone to force the clock to sync to exact Internet time via a clever hardware hack. 1/4

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/05/2026

Upgraded my navy GR1 with the greatest state flag in the country. Proud to represent Maryland wherever this bag travels.

A close-up shot of a blue GoRuck GR1 backpack resting on a black chair. Centered near the top is a rectangular morale patch featuring the bold yellow, black, red, and white geometric patterns of the Maryland state flag. The bottom of the backpack has rows of black webbing with a black carabiner clipped to it.

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 28/04/2026

Draugveil - "Knight Without a Name" youtube.com/watch?v=GhdS...

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 25/04/2026

Oh snap. We did have Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato and their wall of chocolate

Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato's chocolate wall

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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 21/04/2026

Meet Grizzly Batter. A sourdough discard blueberry pancake bear forged on the cast iron. He looks tough, but he's about to lose a one-sided fight with some maple syrup.

A close-up photograph of eight sourdough discard pancakes cooking on a black cast-iron griddle over a gas range. The pancakes are creatively arranged to form a large bear shape. Blueberries are placed on the batter to create eyes on the head and paws on the limbs. The edges of the pancakes are just beginning to set. To the left, a white ceramic pot is partially visible, and to the top right, a blue kitchen pot can be seen. The background is a slightly blurred kitchen counter and stovetop. The lighting is warm.

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