iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The few words she spoke has me utterly convinced that it was unmistakably her: “Darling”, she said, “there’s leftover chicken in the fridge that needs to be eaten.” 3/3

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A dazzling tunnel of light unfolded in front of me, and inside of it I could just barely make out the unmistakable silhouette of my beloved departed mother, gauzily framed before the brilliant glare. 2/3

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Yes, I know I’m a skeptic… and you may think this was only a dream. But this compelling vision has shaken me to the core: I’m reassessing everything. 1/3

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Oh, fer chrissakes… These people have their skepticism completely unmoored from any critical thinking skills whatsoever.

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FDR famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” But it seems to me that that’s plenty. 13/13

Liberalism, secularism, pluralism… they all represent change, and challenge deeply held assumptions that a very large number of White Americans were taught to believe before they were capable of questioning them. 12/13

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The contempt that Trump supporters have for liberals? They make a big show of laughing at us, but at the root of their hatred is fear. 11/13

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Especially if they are shared by your peers, and spoonfed to you by your leaders and media. And even if acknowledged, is it even possible to use reason to shake people out of their fear of Black people? Their fear of immigrants? Homophobia and transphobia? 10/13

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But when I think of common fears that are manipulated by demagogues and which govern the behavior of millions of people, I despair. Because you can’t even begin to address a problem unless you see it as a problem, and many fears are easily rationalized and defended. 9/13

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I can manage my exposure to things that trigger my fear, so it typically doesn’t interfere with my life. I acknowledge my fear and its irrationality, and can take steps to counter it. 8/13

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Bonkers, right? For all my attempts to be a rational person, I’m vulnerable to this ludicrous meshugaas. 7/13

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That’s not even the worst of it: I once experienced acrophobia when just READING about people at great heights: there’s a passage in Michael Chabon’s “The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” that takes place on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. 6/13

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My rational faculties simply couldn’t overcome whatever was activating those far more ancient structures in my brain that were convinced that I was in mortal peril. 5/13

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No matter how much I tried to convince myself that there was absolutely nothing for me to be fearful of… it wasn’t working. At a certain point I had to avert my eyes. 4/13

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This was driven home when I was watching the movie “Vanilla Sky” the other day. Its final scene takes place on the roof of a very, very tall Manhattan skyscraper. Even though I was sitting at home, safely at ground level… I felt anxiety just looking at the screen. 3/13

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But one day I was in a high rise building and noticed that I felt tremendous anxiety, panic even. Weirdly (and conveniently) this doesn’t apply to flying, which I can handle. Does that make sense? Not at all. Which is the point of this little essay: fear is not reasonable. 2/13

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 07/08/2026

“The frightening things we do sometimes when we’re afraid to be afraid.” - Dr. Praetorius from ‘People Will Talk’ (J. Mankiewicz, 1951) I have a fear of heights. I don’t know when it arrived, but I didn’t always have it. I didn’t have it as a child. I didn’t have it in college. 1/13

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If DOGE ever goes looking for waste, inefficiency, and fraud again, it won't need to look any further than its own back yard.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 07/08/2026

DOGE was apparently riddled with waste, inefficiency, and/or fraud.

The Washington Post headline:
‘
Elon Musk's DOGE made big errors in claims of government savings, GAO finds
The government watchdog found that billions of dollars in DOGE's public tally could not be verified and that some claimed cuts never happened.
August 6 at 7:00 AM 2026

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 29/07/2026

I see the war on public health as being part of a larger effort against science and reason. When truth only comes from Fearless Leader and his aligned allies and outlets, and facts don’t matter, the Leader’s power is absolute.

𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 20/07/2026

Pro Tip for consultants: Under-promise and over-deliver. Your clients will love you and be genuinely concerned when you file for bankruptcy.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 20/07/2026

I was sure we’d have permanent science outposts on the Moon by now. Or been to Mars. Or have at least one self-sustaining biosphere at a Lagrange point. And no Nazis. I was certain that we’d have no Nazis by now.

𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 20/07/2026

57 years ago I was at Camp Chingachgook on Lake George with a mass of campers and counselors gathered before a little B&W TV, enthralled by a blurry picture and Walter Cronkite's narration.

A vintage ‘60s-era television set displaying a smeary, low contrast, black-and-white image of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the moon with the lunar lander close behind them.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 14/07/2026

Wait… this implies that The Deep State isn’t a real thing.

𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 14/07/2026

I can’t put my finger on who that description reminds me of.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 14/07/2026

With the Reflecting Pool being drained, I’m sure we’ll see that 350-foot gash Real Soon Now. I mean, how could you hide something that size?

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 12/07/2026

Lindsey Graham never met a principle that he didn’t abandon.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 12/07/2026

Lindsey Graham never met a principle that he didn’t abandon.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 09/07/2026

Is the Islamic Republic of Japan in the room with us now?

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 07/07/2026

While I don’t know if Mitch McConnell is alive or dead, if he could stretch the rules beyond the breaking point and rig the system by putting a highly partisan GOP thumb on the scale of American politics from beyond the grave, that would be completely on-brand for him.

𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 05/07/2026

“Nothings more American than fire!” The British eyeing the White House and Capitol: “Yass…”

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 30/06/2026

Why stop there? He should leave the White House! The country! We clearly don't deserve him: no one does!

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 30/06/2026

And in a sane world, Donald Trump wouldn't appoint their successors.

If you do that, you'll double the attendance.

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He also won the hand of Anne Bancroft, and they were married for 41 years, until her death. If that's not winning at life, I don't know what is.

He has a Hugo and a Nebula (SciFi awards) for "Young Frankenstein." He was a recipient of Kennedy Center Honors in 2009 (thanks, Obama!), has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, won an AFI Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, and a British Film Institute Fellowship.

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The guy's a winner: he's one of fewer than 30 people to have achieved the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) - he has earned 1 Oscar, 3 Grammys, 4 Emmys, and 3 Tonys. He also was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2023.

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𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕒 @malacandra.me · 26/06/2026

Happy Birthday to Mel Brooks! 100 down, 1900 to go… He's a centenarian - or is that centurion? Mazel Tov, Mel.

Mel Brooks, dressed in ancient Roman armor, lays on a couch reading "Variety" and smiling at the camera.

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I have long assumed that “Democrats in disarray” is the very first writing assignment for journalism students.