iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

as a product of Kent, I endorse the ancient protest by the laying downe of agriculture wayste upon the publik streete.

Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

someone should show up to one of these protests wearing a box labelled ‘baclava’? a flash-mob event, with handmade head coverings?

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Gavin Simpson @gsimpson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

So I did tell the editor where to shove it — politely of course

Dear Professor Bee,

Thank you for your email, and again for the time that you, the handling editor, and the reviewers have devoted to my manuscript, "Method: Using generalized additive models in the livestock animal sciences". I am very grateful for the constructive review of the paper and was pleased that it was accepted for publication in animal – open space.

I have considered the requested changes to remove first-person formulations such as “I show”, “I describe”, and similar expressions. I respectfully disagree with this stylistic requirement and am not willing to revise the manuscript throughout to adopt an impersonal style. The use of first-person, active prose is a deliberate authorial choice, and there is substantial contemporary guidance encouraging clearer, more direct scientific writing of this kind, including Brennan (2024, *PNAS*, doi:10.1073/pnas.2316966121) and guidance from Nature advocating active rather than passive scientific prose (https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/effective-writing-13815989/).

I would therefore be very happy for the manuscript to remain with animal – open space and proceed to publication, subject to normal copy-editing, provided that the requirement to convert first-person formulations throughout the manuscript to an impersonal style is withdrawn.

If the journal considers this stylistic change to be a condition of publication, please treat this email as my formal request that the manuscript not proceed to publication.

As I signed the publishing agreement following acceptance, I would be grateful if, in that event, you could confirm in writing that the manuscript will not be published by animal – open space and that, pursuant to the “Reversion of Rights” provision in the agreement, all rights granted under the exclusive publishing and distribution licence have reverted to me. I would also appreciate confirmation that I am free to submit the manuscript for consideration by another journal.

I regret that we have reach…

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Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 07/09/2026

TIL that for a period of six years, prostitution was accidentally legal in Rhode Island.

The story goes back at least to the late 1970s, when an organization called COYOTE (for Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) started trying to protect the rights of sex workers by challenging laws against prostitution. (The organizer of COYOTE, Margo St. James, proudly identified herself as a former prostitute.) COYOTE initiated a lawsuit in federal court charging that the Rhode Island law under which prostitution was prosecuted was too broad and vague to be constitutional. In fact, the law at that time reflected repugnance against any “indecent acts” of a sexual nature, whether or not any money changed hands, and indeed whether or not the participants were married to each other.42 As the federal lawsuit was in progress in 1980, the state legislature amended the law, largely out of concern that some neighborhoods suffered from very visible outdoor marketplaces of streetwalking prostitutes and curb-crawling customers. The new legislation inadvertently defined prostitution to involve outdoor solicitation. By all accounts, hardly anyone noticed this, with the notable exception of Judge Raymond Pettine, who was overseeing the COYOTE lawsuit. He noted that the change in the Rhode Island law made the federal lawsuit moot and remarked in his opinion, “It seems evident that the statute is now directed at suppressing specifically that type of sexual activity commonly regarded as ‘prostitution.’ More significant for present purposes, the amendments appear to have decriminalized the sexual act itself, even when undertaken for remuneration.”

However, from 1980 to 2003, police, prosecutors, and the courts essentially continued to combat indoor prostitution under the old rules (although sometimes the charge was “loitering with intent to commit an indecent act”). But in 2003, prosecutors brought charges involving four brothels in which women had made offers of sex for money to undercover policemen. The lawyer representing the brothels, Michael Kiselica, did not dispute the claim, but argued successfully that this was not illegal in Rhode Island. The judge concurred with this interpretation, citing the text of the law together with the COYOTE case. Kiselica subsequently had cases against other brothels dismissed. Indoor prostitution was henceforth acknowledged to be legal in Rhode Island, until 2009, when a new law was passed, succinctly defining that “a person is guilty of prostitution when such person engages, or agrees, or offers to engage in sexual conduct with another person in return for a fee.”44 In 2003, immediately after the ruling about the implications of the 1980 legislation as written, police and prosecutors attempted to prosecute brothels for other charges, such as offering massages without a license.45 (“Happy endings” might be legal, but relaxing beginnings couldn’t be offered legally by an unlicensed masseuse.) To be on the safe side, brothels changed the names of the services they offered, and soon “spas” offering “table showers” were legally providing sexual services.

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Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 14/09/2026

This came up often enough that I dedicated an overly long footnote to it (www.the100.ci/2024/04/13/i...)

In psychology, I sometimes encounter the misconception that when effects are heterogeneous, the average effect is wrong in some meaningful way. It is true that the average effect may not apply to any single individual; just like no single individual in a sample with an average of M = 100 may actually precisely score 100, even if the distribution is perfectly normal. But the average effect is still the average of the effects; nobody (I hope) says that the mean is wrong just because it does not always reflect anybody’s actual value. Maybe people are confused because in psychology, the implicit assumption is that the coefficient we estimate is indeed the effect for every single person; when they see evidence that this is not the case, their brain short-circuits. Maybe this has to do with statistical training focusing on factorial experiments, in which researchers can control the distribution of the factors. In case of interactions, the average effect of one factor will be a feature of the distribution of the other factor, which is a feature of the design and can be arbitrarily chosen by the experimenter. In the causal inference literature, the default assumption is that effects vary between individuals.

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Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 14/09/2026

Did you know that there’s only a single letter separating an “idionomic clinical workflow” from an “idiotnomic clinical workflow”? I haven’t managed to write my screed about cluster analysis yet, here’s another blog post in the meantime: www.the100.ci/2024/10/28/i...

the100.ci

Idiographic Approaches in Psychology: Hold your horses

There have been persistent calls spurring psychologists to do more “idiographic” research, starting even before Peter Molenaar’s “Manifesto on Psychology as Idiographic Science”, which is already 20 y...

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Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 14/09/2026

Okay before I do write my screed about cluster analysis, please send me your favorite *positive* examples that illustrate the utility of the method!

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

It’s an intentional dehumanisation of a ‘peculiar’ minority, that lays the groundwork for massive expansions. 1930s Europe.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The commodification of human lives by corporate propaganda.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Right-wing religious propaganda. Decades of allowing the concentration of media ownership into a few hands. Allowing the promotion of nonsense, as if it were akin to medical advice, but not demanding it meet the same criteria.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This is not a sensible way to think about politics or human rights. Culture is the variable, but its a multi-factor one.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

These laws can be used to extend the removal of rights by just modifying the wording of a few paragraphs. And there are hundreds more of these being proposed or already in the works across the US.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Reframe the issue. It’s not about trans anything. This is the debasing of US Citizenship.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I think its time to shift the language in this discussion. US Citizens have seen a lot of very specific legal rights taken away from them by US legislatures and US courts.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

US Citizens have been denied all manner of legal and medical rights across the US. The speed and scale is terrifying.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The sheer number of ‘anti-trans’ bills that have been introduced across the US in the last 12 months alone is staggering. The time, effort, and resources put in to destroying the lives of 1% of the US population by another 1% is literally unprecedented.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

So when a Dem says they agree with any of this, they are taking a position that is against what trans people ALREADY HAD just 5 years ago. That's why trans people won't accept it. It's not about progress, it's about preventing a managed decline in civil rights agreed to by Democrats.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

So when libs say, you need to do incremental progress like gay marriage, it completely ignores the rollbacks that have happened in 5 years. It is every aspect of trans life from where we use the bathroom, how we are addressed, what our IDs say, to even censorship on discussions about our existence.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

5 years ago, there were over 100 multidisciplinary gender clinics for trans youth. Today, there are less than 31 (as of July 2026). bsky.app/profile/esqu...

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

Again, 5 years ago, none of these policies existed. 15 states require the forced outing of trans students 16 states ban medicaid coverage of gender affirming care 14 states have "Don't say trans" laws banning discussion of trans people's identities. 29 states have banned participation in sports.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026

Cis people do not understand how much trans people's rights have regressed in just 5 years. 5 years ago, there were none of these restrictions. 19 states banned legal recognition 21 states have bathroom bans 8 states ban gender marker changes on DLs 25 ban gender affirming care for trans youth

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Because the target market is ‘freedom of religion’ extremists

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Fox is not known for their reality-based reporting for nothing. At all.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The parents of this child seem to be struggling with this ancient wisdom.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

As if FOX Entertainment is going to lead with “catholic family in custody dispute with DCF, after child rescued from regular beatings”

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Vanity Testosterone would be an amazing name for a queer ska/punk band or a burlesque/drag performer.

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Loki Cassandra Harlequin Maelorin @maelorin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Being FOX Entertainment, news isn’t their business anyway.

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P&R Industries @prindustries.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"The [school staff member] socially transitioned [the child]," is not a thing that happens. The student already socially transitioned. We just did our jobs affirming and respecting our students.

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pelicanjoe.bsky.social @pelicanjoe.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

As a social worker who currently works for a foster/adoption agency, let me dispel the myth that CYS takes kids just for fun or whatever. It’s a very hard process and you need a lot of evidence. Also, at least in my state, they make sure everything is done so the kid can have visits with family.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 15/09/2026

And of course the actual child at the center of all of it is deprived of a voice of what they want. They're treated as property of the parents and not a human being who has volition and can articulate that they have been abused by their parents.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 15/09/2026

This is where the right thrives. They love situations where the other party cannot respond publicly. It's why they target schools and make wild accusations against teachers and administrators. Privacy laws prevent them from adequately responding or setting the record straight.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 15/09/2026

Every time one of these stories comes out, it's shown that the parents were actually abusive. There is an asymmetry where the parents are given a platform by Christian nationalist orgs and Fox News while the state cannot discuss any details due to privacy. So the narrative is set by the parents.

Screenshot of a Fox News post on X reporting on a Massachusetts family whose daughter was placed in state custody over gender transition disputes, with an embedded Fox News broadcast segment titled "Gender Treatment Lawsuit."

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

'Reading for pleasure – from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel – is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, say researchers.' Just make sure it's not reading English (instead of science) at university, say ministers.

eurekalert.org

Reading for pleasure has benefits at all ages – from improving health and wellbeing to staving off dementia – say scientists

Reading for pleasure – from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel – is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, ...

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 15/09/2026

I wrote back to an author-scam AI slop e-mail to tell them to go away and the bot replied that it would never contact me again and then a few days later the person replied at a completely different literacy level, offended I accused them of using AI and saying I should be nicer & give them a chance.

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John Moxin @johnmoxin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Ordered two from my local indie, one for me and another for my woefully underfunded public library.

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Tim Schofield 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇪🇺🌍 @chiefoldmist.eurosky.social · 15/09/2026

Got my copy in the post this morning, from @bookshop.org here in the UK. Looking forward to it.

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Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Even if you think you won’t have time to read it right away, the first week (days!) of sales determine if we make the bestseller lists, which sadly determines a whole lot else about the fate of any book. Grab your copy now. naomiklein.org/end-times-fa... @astra.bsky.social

naomiklein.org

End Times Fascism – Naomi Klein

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Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today is the day! A journey that Astra and I started as an essay in The Guardian is now officially out in the world. End Times Fascism – And the Fight for the Living World is in bookstores now. If you are inclined, please buy one from an indie bookseller or borrow it from your local library.

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 15/09/2026

Whenever democracy is undermined, rights inevitably are too. On this International Day of Democracy, we remind people around the world that voting is important for electing representatives, but promoting and protecting democracy is an everyday endeavor.

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Waldo Jaquith @waldo.net · 15/09/2026

Please admire this slop-guide to the U.S. government that my kid received in his ninth grade government class. “Watergsstate Impreachment Imeachment bolity Precedent”

A sort of map of US government, with lots of arrows and words. It’s labelled “SIMPLIFIED CONCEPT MAP: U.S. GOVERNMENT.”

Close up of the diagram:

Example: Watergate Impeachment Key 2473 - Watergsstate Impreachment
Imeachment bolitiy Precedent
Legislative Checks
Executive
Veto
No
Executive Cheeks
Example:
Washington's 2-Ter-in Precedent
Example 3: Impeachment Precedent Key 2016 - Declares political inconinitional comnoladunt precedions hutsite avothov Uncostitutional: Bleachmens on the divisience of the Barizon Precedent

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

If you want to understand what's what re generative AI, follow @doctorow.pluralistic.net and read his book The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI, along with Enshitification. No one is doing a better job of analysis and critical thinking on the subject.

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JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I reckon the dollar might be keeping its status as global currency for a while longer. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

giftarticle.ft.com

How Poland lost $230mn trying to buy Venezuelan oil with crypto

An attempt to use digital currencies for a bold oil trade became one of Poland’s biggest scandals

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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I have listened to and read lots and lots of What AI will Mean for College and the one big thing that gets skips all the time is TEACHING. Information provided is not teaching. 8/

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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Amidst all the well-deserved commendation of Mamdani’s public interest tech crews, I hope we’ll also acknwldg the folks who’ve been advocating for + doing this work (eg, @beta.nyc, the municipal service design teams, the build-your-own-tools advocates, etc) for decades + were ahead of their time.

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Though of course if we meet France in the final it will blow open the issue of who owns Calais.

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