iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Watching tape-delayed MLB playoffs with my spouse, who is using first person plural to refer to the Tampa Bay Rays. We have never played the slightest bit of attention to the Rays. “We have a runner of second,” he says. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is alive and well here in Seattle. #Yankees

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Saving bean seeds from plants grown from seeds my spouse got from his guitar teacher who got them from his mother who has grown them for decades - because #gardening

Bowl of white bean seeds and a few long dried pods awaiting seeding

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

For the record, the Athens airport is not where you want to top off your English-language book stash before a long flight. The book I bought there, “The Little Greek Guesthouse” by Lizzie Lee, was my least favorite summer read by far.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Bingo 3 ways! Thanks, @spl.org, for making summer reading fun for grown-ups too. I found “skin & bones” by Renée Watson on a SPL curated list for the “PNW Black, Indigenous, or POC Author” and I learned so much about Black Portland through Watson’s lyrical prose. Highly recommend. #Booksky

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Food from the garden is so colorful! Much thanks to the food processor. Pink: beet goat cheese dip; right: pesto.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Do you need an odd integer, handcrafted just for you? You know you do. Happily, @micahwalter.com introduced me to brooklynintegers.com this week, a mere 14 years after it came into existence. Infinity is on its side. Alas, its even counterpart, Mission Integers, no longer exists.

brooklynintegers.com

Brooklyn Integers | Integers as a service

Hella-beautiful hand-crafted artisanal integers, as a service.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

it’s been a while since I walked through Times Square. Still lots of giant screens and people, but the vibe seems weirder. Multiple gorillas, an Elmo, the side effects of multiple cannabis dispensaries, and whatever this is. (“Hot Dog - The Second Serving”)

Giant hot dog with flag bunting and bonus statue

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Recommendation: watch a World Cup game go to penalty kicks while waiting for a flight to board with dozens of strangers yelling in multiple languages. Also, congratulations to Paraguay.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Upgrading identity infrastructure without users noticing is a daunting task. Great read from the team that recently launched multi-Region replication for Amazon Cognito about how they layered techniques to validate behavior between old and new systems: aws.amazon.com/blogs/securi... #AWS

aws.amazon.com

Amazon Cognito unlocks advanced capabilities with next-generation infrastructure | Amazon Web Services

Amazon Cognito recently introduced high-throughput performance for demanding workloads, customer-managed keys for full control over data encryption at rest, and multi- Region replication for business ...

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Minnesota! You may think today’s top sports story is the Knicks, but I give you Washburn Ultimate’s Gx team (from Minneapolis), now national high school champions - upsetting #1 seed South Eugene. Defense forcing turnovers, patient offense, great win. ultiworld.com/video/196565...

ultiworld.com

[Showcase] Girls Final - Ultiworld

Watch live coverage of [Showcase] Girls Final at High School National Invite 2026 on June 13, 2026 @ 10:00 PM EDT.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Vital discovery: a tiny bit of pomade makes me look slightly less frumpy while I continue procrastinating making a haircut appointment

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I started an audiobook and kept expecting a character to be dead. Why, you may ask, #booksky? Living characters aren’t rare! Answer: Xe Sands has 500+ audiobook credits. In 2025 I listened to a book in which she read letters a character wrote before death. www.podiumentertainment.com/performers/2...

podiumentertainment.com

Xe Sands | Podium Entertainment

Xe Sands is an award-winning narrator known for intimate and engaging delivery of over 500 audiobooks, specializing in authentic delivery of first person POV, horror, memoir, and romance. She has been...

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

It’s tempting to dismiss AI chatbots’ sycophantic tendencies as a silly irritant - until you read @myra.bsky.social ’s research in how it makes people less equipped to navigate interpersonal challenges.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Someday I will read the book before the book club meeting. If you also missed the meeting, don’t miss this book, #booksky: Black. Single. Mother. by @jamilahlemieux.bsky.social which conveys the impact of the long claws of the Moynihan Report and shares compelling testimony from a variety of moms.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

So true. Seen in Corner Juice, Charlottesville, VA. #cooksky

Drawing of avocado with the message “not yet; not yet; not yet; eat me now; too late”

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

youth embracing self-expression (Phipps conservatory, Pittsburgh)

Brightly colored needles of new growth contrast with the dark needles of the rest of the tree

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

A truly memorable COVID-era performance, right up there with Seattle Girls’ Choir’s ”No Time” www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSgu...

youtube.com

No Time - Seattle Girls Choir (Virtual Choir)

YouTube video by Seattle Girls Choir

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Hey Northwest gardeners! Is your overwintered kale starting to bolt? The florets are food and delicious sauteed with some garlic and lemon. #cooksky nwedible.com/when-how-har...

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

“The cost of building the thing has collapsed toward zero. But most successful software products were never gated by the difficulty of building the thing.” -JA Westenberg, on why vibe coding isn’t sufficient to build a successful software product. www.joanwestenberg.com/the-hacker-n...

joanwestenberg.com

The Hacker News tarpit

This newsletter is free to read, and it’ll stay that way. But if you want more - extra posts each month, no sponsored CTAs, access to the community, and a direct line to ask me things - paid subscript...

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Talk about women’s history month! Hannah Hidalgo with 10 steals to record a triple-double in Notre Dame’s win yesterday is already historic.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This is an awesome resource! It can be a fun outing to wander around UW when the cherry trees are blooming but very very crowded. I can attest that the option to wander around Mt. Baker is a delightful and less crowded alternative.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

This photo of coach Mark Few in the second half of Gonzaga’s loss to Texas yesterday is a classic for the moment. In the print version of the Seattle Times but not online for some reason. Credit: Amanda Loman, AP. #MarchMadness www.idahostatejournal.com/sports/natio...

idahostatejournal.com

NCAA Texas Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Texas, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Menu planning for next week, and now I *must* make this frittata recipe from Becky Selengut’s “Misunderstood Vegetables” because it calls for me to “lovingly chuck the sliced fennel, onion, and potatoes out the baking sheet.” #cooksky

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

You know rising gas prices are making an impression when the typically monosyllabic teenager reports that the tank of gas she got was “hella expensive.”

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

The Seattle Public Library is here for you, indeed. #booksky

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Hats off to the fan shown on the ACC men’s basketball tourney broadcast wearing the “Breathe if you hate Duke” t-shirt. Wish it had worked.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

“People, these are nothing but trouble.” - but, if an indulgent dessert helps blunt frightening global news for you too, I’d say these are the right kind of trouble. A mash up of a reese’s cup and a Rice Krispie treat. #bakesky smittenkitchen.com/2008/10/pean...

smittenkitchen.com

peanut butter crispy bars

People, these things are nothing but trouble, so whatever you do, don’t do this:

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Testing your immunity for measles is a good idea. I had a titer done before enrolling in graduate school years ago because I couldn't find complete childhood immunization records. Sure enough, it turned out I needed a top-up on MMR.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

March #booksky already! Physical - Last: Greenwood by Michael Christie. 4 stars despite leaning on coincidental plot points Current: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. Ironic, no? Next: Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger. Overdue for some nonfiction.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Do your coworkers have better things to do than listen to you vent about minor annoyances like grammar errors in business document drafts? Great news! There is an AI chatbot nearby that will be infinitely patient with your venting. Now I know how to use AI chat effectively at work!

Response from AI chatbot to venting about a grammatical error. "Ha, glad I could be a safe space for that! Grammar grievances are very valid -- especially when the same mistakes show up quarter after quarter. Feel free to vent anytime. :)"

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Such joy for women's sports in Seattle! Hilary Knight's iconic goal, sure - she's our local Seattle Torrent captain. But 9 weeks of women's sports bumping baseball on ESPN really gets us going, here in the only city with all 3 pro women's franchises. www.seattletimes.com/sports/women...

Snip from article in the Seattle Times about ESPN plans to run a show called "Women's Sports Sundays" instead of baseball for 9 weeks. The highlighted sentence reads "Seattle is home to three professional women's teams, making it the only city to have all three major professional women's leagues."

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Yes, Boston readers. You should read “Inflation” which is “sincerely about inflation and not at all a dig about anything...deflating“ to truly appreciate the #Seahawks win. www.kuow.org/stories/seat... #booksky

kuow.org

Seattle Public Library intercepts Boston readers after Super Bowl bet

The real winners of Super Bowl LX are the Boston readers who will now be exposed to some Seattle culture.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Friday treat: the Seattle and Boston public libraries placed a Super Bowl bet. The #Seahawks won (yay!) so Seattle librarians curated this book list for New England Patriots fans. #booksky seattle.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/disp...

One of the books on the books list curated by Seattle librarians for Boston Patriots fans - “Comeuppance Served Cold”

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

“Nothing tastes as good as getting your lick back.” Marshawn Lynch and Nike cap off the #Seahawks win in style. Bitter is an acquired taste, indeed. Nice one, Hawks.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

“I know you guys are really proud of your lobster out there, but I think everyone knows our Dungeness crab is what is really world class. And just like the Seahawks, they dominate from the first snap.” - Katie Wilson, comedian #Seattle #Seahawks www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

seattletimes.com

Seattle, Boston mayors make tasty bet on the Super Bowl

Such bets are common between mayors of competing sports teams and often revolve around local staples. These like-minded mayors made their wager in person.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

I am reading a fascinating book about fungi, "Entangled Life" by Merlin Sheldrake. One theme is that fungi are insufficiently studied and understood. I am also 3 days behind on Spelling Bee. Proof of his point? Spelling Bee did not accept "hypha" or "hyphae" on Monday's puzzle. #booksky

Cover: "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make our Worlds, Change our Minds, & Shape our Futures" by Merlin Sheldrake

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

"Experts fear that Americans are losing their ability to distinguish between fact and fiction... The audience for fact checks is far outstripped by interest in false and misleading posts... leaving the digital sewage to flow directly to users." Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/t...

nytimes.com

Chaos in Minneapolis Exposes an Internet at War With Truth

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

What about these protestors? Do you like that they had guns, sir? (Michigan state house, April ‘21)

Armed protestors at Michigan state house in April 2021

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Reposted by Karen Haberkorn

Noah Frank @noahafrank.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Pretty much everything has gone to hell since Seattle didn’t give the ball to Marshawn against the Pats in 2015. Maybe we can break this spell in two weeks.

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Access troubleshooting in #AWS is getting easier! Starting this week, AWS services are rolling out a change to access denied error messages that includes the policy which denied the request, making it easier to identify and update permissions when needed. aws.amazon.com/about-aws/wh...

Amazon Cloudfront console with an access denied error showing the policy which contains the permissions which deny the request

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Karen Haberkorn @khaberkorn.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

One more irresistible sign from today’s #FreeAmericaWalkout protest in #Seattle for all of the #security folks out there.

Protester carrying sign that says “Metastasized security theater is killing us”

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Reposted by Karen Haberkorn

MadGreek 🧿 @madgreek2024.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Seattle, are you ready? Free America Walkout & March. January 20, 2026 - Walkout at 2pm Rally at Seattle Central College. Staging for march all along Broadway. Time: 3pm March to Downtown Seattle. Speakers and music planned Supporting Democracy and Human Rights.

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