iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 18/06/2026

New from me at Tech Policy Press: Building Trust Infrastructure for Agentic AI. There are challenges coming; let's get out ahead of them, if it's not already too late. www.techpolicy.press/building-tru...

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 17/05/2026

Pick a Bond from photos you already have on your phone.

Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, Raiders QBs, posing in a family style portrait wearing ties and argyle vests.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/04/2026

This is a Peace Corps recruitment poster in the pedestal at the Statue of Liberty. Sure hits different now.

A vintage poster featuring the Statue of Liberty pointing out to sea, with text "Make America a Better Place. Leave the Country."

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 03/12/2025

Breaking recommendation algorithms with my highly specific tastes, 2025 edition. Had a lot of long car rides with kids in the first half of the year...

Spotify Wrapped, showing 5 top artists: Jelly Roll, Andy Grammer, Anna Palfreeman, Thomas Rhett, Kenny Chesney.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 11/10/2025

The longevity cult is going to be ALL OVER the naked mole rats. For science, I guess. Hat tip @404media.co of course, because they are the best.

Image is text, reading: Naked mole-rats didn’t get the memo about being a normal mammal and instead opted for a “eusocial” society similar to insects that is ruled by a colony queen with an entourage of breeder males, which are supported by a caste system of non-breeding workers. It’s super weird, but it seems to be working out for them because they can live to nearly 40 years old—ten times longer than most animals their size—and they are highly resistant to cancer and a host of other deathbringers.

Image is text, reading: In addition to this window into mole-rat social behavior, a new genetic analysis identified the critical role of an enzyme called cGAS, a common component in animal immune systems, in extending the lives of these subterranean super-agers.

Whereas cGAS may hinder DNA repair in most animals, including humans and mice, the naked mole-rat has evolved a version of the enzyme with four modified amino acids that enhances DNA repair . Naturally, the researchers also engineered some fruit flies with this naked mole rat enzyme—you gotta mess with fruit flies or it’s not science—and lo and behold, the juiced flies lived to about 70 days, roughly ten days longer than the control group.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/08/2025

"think harder" not smarter apparently...

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 15/06/2025

The New York Times magazine made a bizarre random math error? In their article about the new Pope's ancestry. How do you calculate 2^15 and be off by exactly 2?

A portion of an article saying that any individual has 32,766 12th great-grandparents.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 23/04/2025

But when you combine them all together? Magic happens.

An unholy concoction that vaguely resembles a taco made from a pizza with bagel dough, and sliced hot dogs on top. Obviously AI generated.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 28/03/2025

These are adjacent LinkedIn recommended jobs for me. (No I'm not looking, but I load them for amusement+to look for others.) 1) "Advance Practice Provider - Cardiac ICU" at Seattle Children's Hospital. 2) "Virginia Beach SAT Tutor" in Virginia Beach (remote). ... I don't understand that algorithm.

A screenshot of LinkedIn job recommendations matching the text in this post.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 17/01/2025

I was a big fan of David Chalmers when I was an existential angst-ridden CS PhD student, but under no circumstances will I "start taking seriously the moral concerns around AI consciousness."

Screenshot from an email discussing the need to consider "AI welfare", the "feelings" of future AI systems considered to have a morally cognizable consciousness.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 14/01/2025

Just adding a screenshot with pictures for proof / evidence. (Slightly harder to fake than text, at least.)

a collage of three pictures of a physical book, reflecting the quotes provided in earlier posts in this thread

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 13/01/2025

I see OpenAI also put out something about AI policy today, but it looks like they left out one of the most important pieces? See image. More on that in my just-posted/just-skeeted co-authored TPP piece: www.techpolicy.press/a-call-for-m... and a few pieces from the DTI blog: dtinit.org/blog/tags#AI

Two screen captures from a MacOS laptop, with Preview open to a piece called "AI in America" "OpenAI's Economic Blueprint". In the screen captures, Preview reports that the words "interoperability" (the first capture) and "portability" (the second capture) are "not found" in the PDF file.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 10/01/2025

To Neil Postman, television "has made entertainment itself the natural format for the representation of all experience." What would he say of social media? At least relative to TV, social media includes more words, I suppose, though I wouldn't call it literary. And: What about generative AI?

A picture of page 87 of a physical book, with a chapter title "The Age of Show Business". The book is "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 28/12/2024

Without downloading any new pics what's your energy going into 2025? (I took two from Fred the Elf, couldn't choose.)

An Elf doll in a freezer holding a spoon in an open ice cream container

An Elf doll sitting by a partially completed Rubik's cube, by stickers reading "Trying" (made by Dan Sinker)

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 24/12/2024

2025: NORAD reassures everyone that they are not using AI to track Santa.

Text: What we're hearing: "NORAD will not be using AI to track Santa's journey," Captain Rebecca Garand of NORAD tells Axios. "We track Santa using three systems: radars including the North Warning System, satellites and NORAD military aircraft. These systems provide NORAD with a continuous picture of Santa's whereabouts both in North America and abroad."

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 23/12/2024

PSA: these are *delicious*.

A green bag of Goldfish, limited edition Elf, maple syrup grahams.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 20/12/2024

Simply brilliant picture in today's WaPo headlines email.

President-elect Trump looking to his left at Vice President-elect Vance, who is looking at Trump. In the gap between them is Elon Musk, looking directly at the camera, with a slight smirk on his face.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 14/12/2024

Fun with the Internet Policy timeline and selective image cropping. FantasyPros offered me a free Coach AI assistant today. No thanks. Also, I'm not in the playoffs this year, so really it's academic anyway.

Below image adds "Yeah, this is a major problem" to the post quoted below.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 06/12/2024

Is it just me, or did Pantone make shit brown the color of the year for 2025? *slow clap*

A screen capture showing a social media post from CNN, sharing that Pantone had declared the color of the year for 2025 to be "mocha mousse". A picture is included of what could be a chocolate mousse or frosting, or something else.

In text, the post says the chosen color is "infused with subtle elegance and earthy refinement."

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 01/12/2024

This is incredibly friendly, ha. No complaints. "Bonus points if you can explain data portability over bourbon!" Indeed. blueskyroast.com/roast/mchris...

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 24/11/2024

Do @brcremer.bsky.social and @johnpavlovitz.bsky.social coordinate? Two powerful emails from them this morning, 3 mins apart, on the same theme, both resonant with this Christian on a Sunday morning. Links and a screenshot: open.substack.com/pub/johnpavl... benjamin-cremer.kit.com/posts/gaslig...

Text reading 8-9 and then"
"How can you say, “We know the score.
We’re the proud owners of God’s revelation”?
Look where it’s gotten you—stuck in illusion.
Your religion experts have taken you for a ride!
Your know-it-alls will be unmasked,
caught and shown up for what they are.
Look at them! They know everything but God’s Word.
Do you call that “knowing”?

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 21/11/2024

We have achieved timeline magic.

Two sequential Bluesky posts, one by Will Oremus writing about his intention to post on Bluesky, the other by Ellen P Goodman sharing a New Yorker cartoon describing Bluesky as "the app where you post about being on Bluesky".

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 16/11/2024

Apparently, today, I'm one in a million!

Screenshot of analysis of a completed New York Times "Connections" game, reporting a "Uniqueness" of "1 in 1 Million"

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 22/10/2024

Is it just me, or is the New York Times telling on itself via Spelling Bee?

Screenshot of the New York Times Spelling Bee app, saying the word "Autarch" is not in its word list.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 28/09/2024

Ooh. Does Brewster always like having his head up? One of my dogs loves pillows and I've never met another quite like him. Meet Teddy.

A black and white dog (cockapoo), looking at the camera while lying on his side on a sofa, with his head resting on a green and white pillow in a human-like manner.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 22/09/2024

I am so impressed by the quality of NA beer these days. Here is today's - really excellent hop character.

A metal beverage can, with a label reading Athletic Brewing Co, West Coast Style IPA, "Tucker's" non-alcoholic beer.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 19/09/2024

Yet another data point that I am "internet old". (Also, this is a cute thing for Bluesky to do, nice work, and congrats on 10 million!!!)

Bluesky-generated image for this user's account (@mchrisriley.com) identifying them as user number 29,468 of 10 million, the first 1% (dubbed "Bluesky elder certified"), having joined on April 21, 2023.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 09/09/2024

Just back from a quick weekend on the Hood Canal/Salish Sea. Loving life in the PNW. Highly recommend Port Townsend and Hama Hama Oyster Saloon.

A picture collage, from upper left: a panoramic water view (the Hood Canal in Washington); a forest view with a small creek and green trees; a wine tasting with four small carafes - three red, one white - and one glass; a dessicated crab; a bowl of seafood in broth with bread; and a painting of a coffee cup that reads "Better Living Through Coffee, Port Townsend, Washington".

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 04/09/2024

I'm not a photographer whatsoever. And I have no opinions on what AI means for photography. But I love that I can be out on a walk and take a 30x zoom pic of a blue heron with my phone and its stock lenses, and snap a clear 100x zoom of a boat on Commencement Bay from my dining room window.

A blue heron standing in a body of shallow water.

A small blue power boat with a modest wake, moving towards the camera.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 31/08/2024

Google lens tells me this is a "Meconema meridionale" or Southern Oak Bush Cricket, which apparently is usually found in the United Kingdom and Europe? But this guy is on my side door in Tacoma, Washington. Huh.

Closeup photo of a green insect with long legs, bulbous white eyes, and a yellow stripe down his spine with two small orange triangles in the center.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 18/08/2024

I've gotten a handful of new followers here over the past few days, not sure why. This is despite barely posting. Apologies! I'll try to do better. Here's a picture I took a week ago in Portland.

Mt Hood in Oregon on a mostly clear day, seen over blue water (the Columbia River) with sailboats, and evergreen trees.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 23/03/2024

You've been murdered. Who do you want on the case?

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, as played on TV by Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 26/12/2023

DAMMIT DON'T JINX IT AXIOS.

A screenshot of an email from Axios saying the economic forecast for 2024 is "shockingly normal" following years of turbulence during a global pandemic, war, and the cooling off period after years of extremely low interest rates.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 02/12/2023

My kids asked for this, but I have to share for the sake of @chup.blakereid.org. Actually not as crazy as I expected.

You: i want it to include both ketchup and whipped cream

ChatGPT: That's an unusual combination! Let's create a unique dessert recipe that incorporates both ketchup and whipped cream. Here's an idea for a "Sweet and Savory Ketchup Berry Parfait":

Sweet and Savory Ketchup Berry Parfait
Ingredients:
1 cup mixed berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions:
Berry Ketchup Sauce:

In a blender, puree half of the mixed berries with the ketchup until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds and achieve a smooth sauce.
Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 15/11/2023

Drop something blue from your gallery, eh? This is my son's water bottle from a couple days ago. He's 5. I have no idea where he got the sticker. I also don't mind.

A small blue, metal water bottle with a black lid, bearing a single sticker: the "goose holding a bat" image often associated in social media with a meme of sending people to "horny jail".

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 29/09/2023

I love Platformer but today's edition feels crazy unrealistic. Synthesizing more emotive speech-->compelling virtual human experiences is a huuuuuuuuge leap. Human engagements are built on far more than our history of words; the shallowness of these fundamentally shadow copies will emerge.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 31/08/2023

Ooh ooh I got this one! Tell me where you're from with a food pic.

A mound of mouth-watering pepperoni rolls: beautiful, golden dough wrapped around sliced pepperoni and melted cheese.

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 12/08/2023

In case either of you missed my piece on TPP (techpolicy.press/past-present-futur…) here's my take on this (and TBD "pablum" is the upside here; actively burning garbage is the downside):