iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

(yes, this "everybody" is approximate. Introvert Georg who lives in a cave and only ever speaks to two people may not count. "College men" is not the same group as "all people". Etc. But the odds are very high that I am not an exception and neither are you)

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Thread. And corollary: everybody knows and trusts at least one rapist. I think this is one of the factors that makes it difficult to take productive actions against rape. :(

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IMO everyone should learn how to get around both with and without GPS. They're different skillsets and it's useful to have both. (both for getting around and for applying to other situations in life)

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Having a map available for backup is useful. Being able to detect when something has gone wrong is useful. So is the emotional maturity to stop and think when you've detected it. Being able to handle detours and overshoots and get yourself back on course is useful.

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Learning areas and routes is a skill that can be developed. I don't learn them well if someone/something else is navigating for me, especially if that navigation is as step-by-step as GPS is. I think that's true for a lot of people.

I also have built up an understanding, both general and specific, of meta-hazards. Train lines and rivers can be a source of unexpected obstacles. Rush hour and late December cause congestion. It is easy to accidentally end up in Harvard Square. Etc.

People used to give each other directions. These directions could use common landmarks (my parents still give directions that start with going to my high school) and general vibes / advice ("this is where traffic gets backed up. You want to be in the left lane").

For another instance, when driving to my parents' home in another state I write down the highways in between, but I know how to get to highways from my home and from highways to their home, so I don't bother writing down the ends.

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For instance, I recently took a trip where my plan was "get on I-90 westbound. Drive for 120 miles. The rest stop a little before that is [...]. Get off there and turn on GPS for the last steps". I had glanced at the last steps and could have written them down instead of using GPS.

If I'm driving long distance, I assemble the bones of the trip in my head or in notes. This is usually highways (sometimes with exit numbers and miles), but can also include landmarks, warnings, and invariants.

Sometimes I'll write out specific instructions for myself. This works better if I look at a map to get the gist of it and general spatial intuition. I usually don't need to read the notes after writing them, but if I need to I can pull over.

I have a rough map in my head and often look specifically at a map before I go somewhere. I perceive a bunch of understandings and invariants like "It's northeast of here", "if I hit the river I've gone too far", and the rough amount of density I expect.

Driving to common destinations is often easier. The roads are set up to funnel people to the local airport and sometimes there are signs specifically for it. The same is true for downtown.

First, yeah, driving to places you already know how to get to is part of it. The grocery store has not moved since last week. If there's a situation and I have to veer off the default route, I know the area well enough to go around on the fly.

Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

As someone who did a lot of driving without access to GPS and still doesn't use it often, I have several answers to this.

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When I do a batch of digital chores I feel like I've been put in charge of collecting six digit codes.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My indie bookstore's website lets me see pending pre-orders. It's been a huge help for that problem for me. Also its sibling problem of fretting that I forgot to preorder a book I wanted. Thanks, @portersqbooks.bsky.social !

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I've noticed non-AI digital calendaring also trying to flatten my language about places. If I'm planning with a friend, we might agree to meet at "the same park as always" or "Kim's house". In human language, those are both valid and useful. Calendar software suggests street addresses.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

One thing that I kept remembering while reading this thread is that when there's a cultural context of sexual harassment and rape, the public stories are milder and much fewer than the stories that are not made public.

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

Elizabeth Bear @matociquala.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Happy Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov Saves The World day to all who celebrate.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Whoa! I think I was making the same assumption you did.

evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Reposted by Kim Wallmark

A world of always-on cameras and microphones on peoples' bodies is a very serious privacy and security problem for the people wearing them and for everyone around them.

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

🌬Breeze @cool-summer-breeze.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I hate the way things get turned up to a million like this. Last I heard, there was some evidence that components of menstrual blood helped with healing and there was interest in scientifically exploring that. That's meaningful, but it's not Ultimate 24-Hour Healing Potion.

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

Senator Ed Markey @markey.senate.gov · 23/09/2026

I am deeply concerned by reports of ICE’s operation in New Bedford and surrounding communities. Masked agents disappearing our neighbors and refusing to release any information stokes fear and threatens our communities. We must abolish ICE now.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

That is "my last scrap of patience with your behavior is about to disappear from the rearview mirror" level wording. Wow.

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 22/09/2026

The very cool thing about this is that there are some kinds of brain cells we weren't able to grow before because we didn't understand they were different, and now that we've figured out that they are different, we can grow them.

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CZEdwards @czedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

But even better: by being vaccinated against the communicables, we are doing a good deed every single day by being vaccinated, because taking ourselves out of a transmission chain means we protect the 5% of people who cannot be vaccinated — infants, immunocompromised people, folks with allergies.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Taking care of your children is as easy as taking care of your livestock: pat them on the head once a day.

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I’ll take this a step further and say, I believe we should be able to support an average-sized family on a single income at what we determine to be the minimum wage. A lot of Boomers got this. But for whatever reason, we’re considered ridiculous for proposing it.

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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The Converse ad is vile. And it’s especially vile, *uniquely* vile because there have been at least 22 lynchings of Black people across the US since March 2025. A fact that has been largely unreported and hidden from the national conversation. Extreme TW for this report on lynchings from 2020-2025

drive.google.com

Crimson Report_DIGITAL.pdf

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

Boston Public Health Commission @publichealth.boston.gov · 16/09/2026

Free vaccine clinics are back! Get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines for free at one of our upcoming clinics. No appointment necessary, walk-ins welcome. Getting vaccinated is a great way to protect yourself and your community. Find upcoming clinics at boston.gov/vaccine-clinics.

boston.gov

Vaccines

Vaccines help prevent serious illnesses like measles, chickenpox, whooping cough, polio, and more. With vaccine preventable illnesses on the rise, it is more important than ever to stay protected. Getting vaccinated is much safer than getting the disease, as it lowers the risk of your child being hospitalized or having long-term health problems.

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Reposted by Kim Wallmark

Dilek Sayedahmed @dileksayedahmed.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I truly, deeply, sincerely do think the guy flipping burgers at McDonalds should be able to afford rent, bills, and groceries with his paycheck alone. That's kind of the whole point of having a job and I can't believe this is considered a radical position.🤷🏽‍♀️

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Aw, darn. I'm glad it gave you some new info, at least.

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Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Yes! Or a combination, so people have fun with words and still communicate clearly. "Vicious (4)" and "fiendish (3)" would be fine.

Kim Wallmark @kimwallmark.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Yay! I'm so glad this worked out!

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18/09/2026

Reposted by Kim Wallmark

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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Michelson's in Lexington. 🤞 that they have something useful for you.

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Also using tampons is a skill that can take time and comfort with one's body to learn. A lot of pubescent kids aren't there yet and shouldn't be forced to be.

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(I know a local shoe store that has been okay for me w/r/t in-person trying-on shoes. They can't always find shoes for me, but they're reasonable about it. I can give you the rec if you'd like)

Sympathy from a different corner of the unusual feet club. Shoe shopping is absolutely no fun.