iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark Alves @markalves.com · 25/09/2026

Is this the support ticket’s way of ignoring requests either way? No, it's still not resolved. Yes, it’s still not resolved.

Interface says Issue still not resolved with a slider next to it defaulting to the answer No

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 02/08/2026

I’m just the messenger

It’s candy corn season says the grocery store display

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 13/06/2026

The storm passed through…

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 09/06/2026

With the new episode added, now the list ends at episode 9 instead of 8. That supports the 75-episode limit cap theory. And Tom‘s got Just A Job To Do.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 04/06/2026

There must be some misunderstanding Anyway, I checked the rss feed link on the site and it only goes as far back as # 8 Invisible Touch. Maybe there is a 75-episode cap setting that needs to be adjusted?

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 04/06/2026

Same with Overcast — goes back to # 8 but no earlier. Sounds like a feed issue?

Overcast list of episodes going back to number 8

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 28/05/2026

Foggy morning in Georgetown this morning on the way to work. No, that isn’t me rowing.

Washington Harbor with the Kennedy Center floating on fog

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 20/05/2026

You’re absolutely right. Those quotes are made up. Would you like me to make up some more?

NY Times: Book on Truth in the Age of
A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I.
Steven Rosenbaum, author of "The Future of Truth," said he had started his own investigation atter The New York Times asked about the fake quotes.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 04/05/2026

Busting out the Star Tours tee for Star Wars Day #Maythe4th

Me in my Star Tours tee from an old ride at Disney World

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 17/04/2026

Beautiful night in DC. Enjoyed The Two Georges exhibit at the Library of Congress. King George and Washington lived parallel lives in many ways.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 19/02/2026

It’s Ash Wednesday so I’ve got my #ashtag to kick off Lent

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 01/01/2026

Happy new year! Hope it’s a great 2026!

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 22/09/2025

OpenAI offering keyword suggestions like an SEO tool, including the expired dates that appear in both

I started typing Here is a list of and OpenAI suggested books you should read in 2024

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 01/09/2025

Happy Yes Day! It’s 9/01/25 (US) and I’m listening to one of my all-time favorite albums. Blasted the heck out of this in my youth. Already loved classic progressive Yes but my friends and I embraced the new sound of 80s and the original intense Owner of a Lonely Heart video on MTV.

Back cover with song list
1) OWNER OF A LONELY HEART
2) HOLD ON
3) IT CAN HAPPEN
4) CHANGES
5) CINEMA
6) LEAVE IT
7) OUR SONG
8) CITY OF LOVE
9) HEARTS

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 12/07/2025

Two fake news posts in a row lol 🫎

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 15/06/2025

We joined in the #nokings rally in Arlington, Virginia today. Well organized and lots of support.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 09/06/2025

Great show tonight by Tajmo (Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo”)

Band on stage with Taj Mahal on left seated, and Keb Mo standing in jeans and hat

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/06/2025

Washington problems: Walk from Metro to office interrupted by a motorcade

At the front is a marked police SUV with emergency lights activated.
• Following it are several black SUVs — typical of government or official escorts, potentially Secret Service or VIP protection vehicles.
• A few marked and unmarked police or security vehicles are visible in the convoy.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 17/05/2025

Reminds me of Bill Safire’s rules for writing.

Great Rules of Writing
Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end
of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least,
avoid cliches like the plague.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/05/2025

It’s May the 4th so of course we had to see The Empire Strikes Back

Me and Sam in front of Empire poster before the show at AFI Silver

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/05/2025

Fabulous #SEOweek presentation to help us focus on information retrieval rather than bickering over labels.

This slide visually addresses the debate between GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), essentially downplaying the idea that they’re fundamentally different.

Breakdown:
• Title: “The Whole GEO vs SEO debate”
• This frames the discussion as perhaps more sensationalized than substantive.
• Top box (pink):
“In Information retrieval there is a new field – called Generation Information Retrieval but it’s just another facet of information retrieval as a whole.”

• This suggests that GEO is simply a subdomain within traditional information retrieval—not a radical departure.
• Middle box (orange):
“It makes sense to appreciate that this is also a new facet of SEO.”

• GEO can be viewed as an extension or evolution of SEO, focused on generative systems like AI chatbots.
• Bottom box (yellow):
“Let’s not waste our time on cyclical debates which make no difference to progress.”

• A call to avoid unproductive semantic debates and instead focus on adapting SEO to modern contexts like AI-generated answers.

This slide leans toward integration over distinction, suggesting GEO doesn’t replace SEO—it just adds nuance to it.

The image humorously highlights a common sentiment in the SEO industry: that many “new” AI-focused optimization guidelines are just repackaged best practices SEO pros have already been following.

Key elements in the image:
• Left side: A parody phrase, “Keep Calm and GVPKLBlahSEO On…”, poking fun at complex or jargon-heavy SEO updates.
• Right side:
• A LinkedIn post by Dawn Anderson, responding to another post with:
“Ahhh. So everything we already do (aside from the llms.txt)? SEO is not going away then any time soon.”
• The original post by Danny Goodwin, summarizing AI optimization tips like:
• Clean HTML/markdown
• Allowing AI crawlers
• Fast content return
• Semantic markup
• The new llms.txt file
• Checking AI visibility

This all reinforces that while AI may shift the tools or priorities, the core principles of good SEO still apply

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 19/04/2025

Our Holy Week tradition includes watching Jesus Christ Superstar. This year was the John Legend/NBC version. Might not be for everyone but works for us.

Jesus Christ Superstar DVD title screen on TV

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 12/04/2025

We are not posting exclusively on X, they said exclusively on X. Here are their social channels that don’t mention this. www.ssa.gov/socialmedia/

So @SocialSecurity on X quote tweets the Wired scoop about all SSA comms moving to Twitter exclusively and says

“This is false. Social Security will continue to communicate through any and all mediums.”
but only posts this on X.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 27/03/2025

Indigo-ogle — the color that’s a ranking factor was all along hidden in plain sight

Number on door 6E3282 shown as hex color purple

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 14/03/2025

Happy Pi Day from your pal, Mark πlves, and this guy here 🥧

Tom Selleck with a pi symbol where his moustache should be. You know, Magnum P.i.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/03/2025

Got our #ashtag on for Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent

#ashtag selfie of me and Elizabeth outside St. Ann’s

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 24/02/2025

I saw Nickel Boys and The Substance this weekend — still have whiplash. Couldn’t be two more differently imaginative movies.

Here is the alt text for the movie posters in the image:
1. Nickel Boys: A movie poster showing two young Black men wearing blue prison-style uniforms, looking up towards the camera. The perspective is from above, framed by what appears to be a small, enclosed room with beige tiled floors. The title “Nickel Boys” is displayed in a serif font, and below it, the director’s name, “RaMell Ross,” is listed.
2. The Substance: A movie poster depicting a woman lying on a white tiled bathroom floor with her back facing the camera. A long, stitched surgical scar runs down the center of her spine. Her dark hair is splayed across the floor, and a folded white towel is near her head. The title “The Substance” is written in large, bold, white capital letters, and the director’s name, “Coralie Fargeat,” is shown below.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 24/02/2025

The image shows a middle-aged man with short, graying hair that is neatly styled. His skin tone is light, and he appears to have a somewhat rectangular face shape. He wears rectangular, wire-rimmed glasses.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 02/02/2025

As seen on today’s walk. Is this related to tariffs on Canada?

Yellow painted stripe on pavement with a maple leaf shaped gap where someone must’ve painted over a leaf.

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 25/01/2025

Does this hat make me look like a Lego minifig?!

My shadow on the street where my pompon hat makes my head look like a minifig

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Mark Alves @markalves.com · 25/01/2025

Finally got the Google Daily Listen podcast to appear in Discover after signing up in Labs a while back. Good customized topic coverage. I missed the variable speed button so had to listen at a painful 1x speed.