iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tired: the information economy Wired: the class action settlement micropayment economy

Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

This weekend I volunteered at a conference about art where the care and attention paid to human experience, the dignity and joy of making stuff with your own two hands, and conversations with complicated people fed my stony soul. Flee this AI horseshit, make things, and be with people. It's good!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Lo, mark ye the changing of seasons (e-commerce edition):

Two marketing email subject lines that arrived, one after another, in my inbox today, September 10, the beginning of Commercial Fall. They read "Flannel Projects Are Back" and "Darkness. On demand. Finally."

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Texting with @skleinedler.bsky.social and he responded to me whining about something linguistics adjacent with, "you could kill two wugs with one bowl by..." and this is now my new go-to proverb.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Pro tip! The less you post about "Lake America," the less written evidence of its use there is, and the less likely any reputable dictionary company will enter it into their dictionaries. ONLY *YOU* CAN PREVENT BAD LEXICOGRAPHY

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Ken Tremendous @kentremendous.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I'm renaming Lake Ontario "The Kennedy Center." Then I'm renaming the (current) Kennedy Center "Trump Lake." Then I'm tearing down Trump Lake and building The Ontario Center for American Lakes. Then I'm flooding it and renaming it Lake White House. Then I'm renaming the movie "The Lake House" "Ontar

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Come for the dictionary nerd talk, stay for the EXPLOSIONS!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

"Brace yourself for Hrishi’s puns, a verbs-based murder mystery twist, bisexuals unionising, and Kory Stamper trolling everyone."

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I spent the weekend at an educational community outreach event my tribe holds every year, acting as a rep for the language council, and this may be the year I finally write a blog post on how to be a good settler-neighbor, language revitalization edition.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

To be clear: I'm the one who made this shitty little basket. I'd never call another basketmaker's work shitty! Only my baskets are shitty little baskets (TM). Accept no substitutions!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Sometimes the thing you need the most is to make a shitty little basket.

A slat corn basket (which is NOT a 17th-century slang term for a prostitute, but instead it's a basket that is made from wood slats and is shaped like an ear of corn) on a blue table. It's an okay basket.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

And now we have a Tomato Warning.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Just misread a weather warning on my phone as "Fish Flood Warning" and, given how the actual weather has been, didn't even blink.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The cat has exited the bag: I'll be the keynote speaker for @acesediting.bsky.social VCON26 in September! Silly slides, trenchant commentary, and heartfelt encouragement guaranteed. Register today: aceseditors.org/conferences/...

aceseditors.org

ACES VCON26

Join ACES VCON26, the virtual conference for editors. Explore sessions, networking, and professional development from Sept. 16-18, 2026.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I do love the idea of a group of anointed language keepers from all the Indo-European languages meeting under cover of darkness at some forsaken crossroads to consult a copy of Pokorny.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Possibly the best way to end the FAQ on your new AI search function.

A note from the new AI search (ughhhhh) FAQ at Merriam-Webster.com:

"The Usual Caveat
Like any chatbot, Merriam-Webster AI may sometimes make mistakes. Please verify all important information using Merrian-Webster.com."

Don't visit merrian-webster.com (with the n) unless you want your computer to become so infected with malware that the only recourse you have is to set it on fire in a containment unit.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Many thanks to the morning risers of the Colour Society of Australia (!) who attended my zoom talk, asked good questions, and laughed (I presume) at my dumb jokes. 💜

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Had to scroll down to make sure there was no Plague of Locusts Watch.

A bunch of Natural Weather Service alerts for my address: tornado watch, flood watch, air quality alert. I feel like I'm living in Blade Runner 2049.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Raymond "Bud" Groceries, southpaw and back-up pitcher for the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics

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Rivka @rivka-otter.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Imagine having the self-confidence to assume that you’ve thought more deeply about word choice than a professional lexicographer.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

After the release of my first book, "Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries," I got an email from a random dude that just said, "Don't you mean 'Word _For_ Word'?" I don't, didn't, and evermore won't, my guy!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Sallie Mae: Hey. Hey! Kory! Open a CD with us! Savings account? Money market account? Me: ... what? SM: We're getting into BANKING! Give us your money, we'll give you INTEREST! Me: How about you just cut my student loan interest rates instead. SM: DIFFERENT COMPANY, NO CAN DO, WE DO BANKING NOW!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

KIDS AND PEOPLE: Color Impact 2026 is starting now! I'm up first. Don't be late! But if you are, the joke slides are a little later. iscc.org/event-6690357

iscc.org

Color Council - Color Impact 2026: Defining Color

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Introduced friends (and their toddler) to one of the modern classics last night. @skleinedler.bsky.social @ivacheung.com

My coffee table: a stack of canning funnels, which are an easy toddler toy if you don't have anything else, and a copy of Angry Jelly Donut, the best children's book there is. You have not lived until you've heard a toddler yell "ANG-EE JEL OHNUT!"

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

<steps to lectern> <organizes notes> <clears throat> "AFFORDABILITY" PREDATES THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BY 250 YEARS, YOU ACCURSED APPLEHEAD DOLL IN AN ILL-FITTING SUIT <straightens tie> <leaves lectern>

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

And I don't like pompous dipshits, but we are both going to have to get used to disappointment, Lou.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Pro tip! If you really liked one part of a book, you can just tell the author that without mentioning the parts of the book you didn't care for.

The opening two paragraphs of a three-paragraph note from a reader who really liked the last paragraph of my book. The email begins:
"I slogged through your book, True Color, because I love color, love thinking about color, love color matching. Didn't realize it was about dictionaries and all that technical stuff. I just loved reading about describing color."

Okay, then! Glad it was a character-building experience for you!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

So you know how Google search now sucks because of AI? I've found a workaround (that is not changing your default search engine--though you should absolutely change your default search engine). It uses browser settings and udm=14 (more on which at udm14.com). I'll post step-by-steps below.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

When my kids were little, we lived at the private boarding school where Herr Maestro taught. It was fancy; we were not. It was a tension. And little kids, you know--they just _yell_ things, sometimes private things, right there in the dining hall. Embarrassing for all! We devised a solution. 1/2

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

POCKET FRIENDS! If you want to hear _actual color experts_ share how they talk about color in their industry, you should register for COLOR IMPACT 2026: a virtual symposium about defining color! June 24, 12pm-5pm ET! I'll be keynoting, whatever, but look at this lineup: iscc.org/Color-Impact/

iscc.org

Color Impact

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Good morning, True Color is going to be translated into RUSSIAN (!), so let me preemptively apologize to the translator for all the talk about "blue" and just "blue." Простите, Russian translator!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Hot parenting take: your goal is to parent in such a way that you are simultaneously owned by and proud of your adult child's roast of you.

A highlight from the Stamper family chat: I have posted a selfie of me smiling next to a picture of Mrs. Potato Head. My caption is "Separated at birth???"

My eldest, Ansa, replies:
"lolll"
and then
"This is funny but there are virtually no similarities"

VIRTUALLY.

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Steve K 🎃 @skleinedler.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

More etymological discussion - re Ukrainian tryzub - between me (in blue) and @korystamper.bsky.social (in gray)

Steve (in blue) “Learned that Ukrainian word for trident is tryzub and I’m like oh, three-tooth, and then I look at trident closely and HEY”

Kory (in gray) AAHHHHHH OMG

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Niko Stratis @nikostratis.com · 20/05/2026

Real question: the fuck do you guys think the word meant before

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Noah Webster's Dictionary Online - 1806, 1828 @nwdictionary.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Kory Stamper, a dictionary person herself, sets out to remind readers that every definition in a dictionary is a creative interpretation that was once written and frequently revised by ordinary, fallible humans. spectrumculture.com/2026/05/10/t...

spectrumculture.com

True Color: by Kory Stamper - Spectrum Culture

In True Color, Stamper livens a niche subject with diligent attention to detail and a lighthearted, humorous style that keeps the reader engaged.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

<dips toe into discourse> - Yes, "lawfare" is a word. - Yes, it's modeled on "warfare." - Its definition (from Cambridge Dictionaries) is "the use of legal action to cause problems for an opponent." - The important phrase there is "to cause problems for an opponent." - I am not a lawyer.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

See? This bouquet and this light skews the color to green. I love this wall color!

A red glass vase of white peonies, bright pink roses, and deep red roses in front of a split color wall, the bottom half being white with a white chair rail, and the top half painted the color thermal by Behr.

A close up of one peony, one pink rose, and one red rose in front of the magic color changing wall. It's so good, y'all!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

One of my favorite things about scam book marketing emails is the writers say things like, "I can get you on *these* podcasts to boost sales!" and then name three or four podcasts I've already been on. Gotta train that AI better. Fact-check your scams! Human-in-the-loop that shit!

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

For those who wanted to know about the paint color, it's Thermal from Behr. I pulled out my colorimeter and this is what matches: Miramichi from Benjamin Moore (little darker) Cascades from Sherwin-Williams (darker) Night Watch from PPG (almost exact) Sequoia Glade from Valspar (lighter).

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

IT'S FLOWER GARDEN TIME, MOTHERFUCKERS

A red glass vase of flowers on a wooden chest in front of a blue-green wall. The flowers are tall grass stalks (copper-shouldered sedge), long drooping purple cascades of flowers (false indigo), clusters of yellow umbrel flowers (golden alexanders), and red and yellow columbine.

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Erin Keane @erinkeane.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I would like a personal apology from every man who called the station or emailed me personally to gripe about my voice during my time on public radio but never did the same to Ira Glass.

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Bree (half of Kit Rocha) @mostlybree.kitrocha.com · 12/05/2026

this is an actual Bluesky Rule: if you have ever so much as exchanged a single like, you are required to hold up the book in the shop and say "hey my friend wrote this"

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