iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

New footage of Hexed released. I still haven’t learned my lesson to not peek around at reactions. I love the centeyepede so much it’s my inspiration for my wrap party gown. It’s just so FUZZY. Excellent monster, way cuddlier than real centipedes. I just need to source more eyeballs.

A series of mossy green domes in a swamp, some opening to reveal they’re actually green eyes

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

That’s a wrap for #MinCup26! This year was brought to you by a glorious team of volunteers contributing their favourite mineral facts, drafting blurbs on the side of playgrounds, and debating exactly which photo is both representative and beautiful.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If you notice any streamers or viral moments for the #MinCup26 finals, please let me know. We have stuffing going on and it’ll help ensure I don’t waste time investigating legit surges.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Things that make me laugh: Every time #Quartz has been in the #MinCup finals, it’s been against a mineral with the composition X₂O. This is particularly funny as ice and #Cuprite are the only two minerals with this composition, & ice took #MinCup19. Win some, lose some? Or history repeats?

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I went to Sombr’s first arena show last night. It was exactly the blend of awkward-earnest you’d expect from a 21yo rockstar with legions of teenage fans. But now I’m fixated on how I can convince Roger’s Arena into hosting a seismometer for match day & concert seismology. pnsn.org/blog/experim...

pnsn.org

Experiments in Sports Seismology for the World Cup

Building on our previous experiments in sports seismology, PNSN is planning to stream real-time seismogram data from our seismometers around the stadium during upcoming World Cup matches in Seattle.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I have so much more to write about #graphite! But it’s all so weird & new to me that confirming I’ve gotten it right is A Task. But if #quartz wins today and again tomorrow, I never need to write about it again… (It’s legit a cool mineral, but it’s been 10 years.) #MinCup26 choices!

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Filters will holding strong for #MinCup26. I’m needing to dig far more into traffic logs than I ever wanted, but hey, silver lining is I get the happy glow of recognizing voting in Mineral Cup is a part of so many daily office rituals? 😂

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Cleaned & validated the first 6 hours. #MinCup26 SF1 is really this close to a tie. As always, the best way to shift the vote is to recruit new players

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

As if I could ever vote for anything but Fun & Interesting to Lick. #Halite I luv u

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I know the #MinCup26 quarterfinal is so, so close. But it’s also in the dinner-rush for tired children, so auditing and validating final results will be a bit delayed. Thank you. 💚

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Selfishly, I’m cheering for #graphite because I want to write about it more. I picked Ur-minerals over spirals this round, but that just leaves my fingers itchy! 😂

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Upside: We have a close #MinCup26 match that’s actually close for-real (at least for now)!! Downside: I’m going to need to monitor so, so close. Let me know if you spot events that you think could drive legit bursts of support (steamer, viral post, blah blah)

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Silver lining: I’ve had some really neat conversations with my oldest child about how I’m navigating the #MinCup26 griefer, what my options are, and why it’s worthwhile to me to find ways to keep playing with my friends even if it’s more work.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Why yes, I voted for the lovely & lickable #Halite the exact second #MinCup26 opened. How could I not??

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The absolute vindictive glee I felt when spotting the botnet activating is indescribable. I need to wait it out before correcting the #MinCup26 votes, but I got ‘em and will do as much live-cleaning as I can.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

What’s really miffing me about the #MinCup26 bot nets is that what seems like a close match suddenly flips to a blowout over its cleaned up. Same for the inverse: What seems like a runaway winner suddenly shrinking to a close match but we never got the excitement and hype of frantic campaigning.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hi folks, We have a persistent troll using a bot net on @mineralcup.bsky.social this year. I’ve yanked their votes for now, but they might be back. I’ll be with my kids at the end of the match, so results won’t be finalized for a few hours. This is such nonsense.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Things that make me happy: Picking the #Halite photos to colour-match challengers. It’s a little bit evil converting how often #MinCup voting comes down to a battle of the rainbow, but where’s the fun in celebrating a decade of play if we’re not are all evil?

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Writeups for #MinCup26 Round 2 Match 7 may be delayed as I’ve spent my “volunteer precious time to a fun geoscience outreach project” allocation to identifying and yanking out votes from a BOT NET. For real?? It’s a game about pretty rocks! Knock it off.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The relief I just felt realizing British Columbia’s first (of forever more!) time sitting out daylight savings time shifts will be November 1 and NOT during #MinCup26 was significant.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Both are so awesome, but I want to do a deep dive on curling stones next round. #Riebeckite

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

It’s a Do Not Lick vs Please Lick showdown song my heart is full.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I have a decades-long grudge that Purlator is the absolute worst among even the incredibly low standards of courier services. But it’s super-classy they have a “We’ll record you, but you can’t record us!” policy when attempting to extract packages from their clutches.

A Purlator-branded policy on a counter reading “NOTICE OF VIDEO MONITORING
For the safety and security of our employees and customers, this facility uses video surveillance for security purposes. Unauthorized video or audio recording within this facility is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.
AVIS DE SURVEILLANCE VIDÉO
Pour la sécurité de nos employés et de nos clients, cet établissement utilise la vidéosurveillance. Les enregistrements vidéo ou audio non autorisés dans cet établissement sont interdits. Merci de votre collaboration.”

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It’s #VideoGameDay and I currently work at Electronic Arts, so please enjoy our NHL release day soundtrack: open.spotify.com/list/jam-lis... (I’m documenting how their Frostbite game engine works & having way too much fun for tech writing?? It’s nice, I like it.)

open.spotify.com

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#MinCup26 Lickability Index #Pyromorphite 👅? Do Not Lick. Sweet but lead. 🍆? NO. Lead, soluble in acid & sharp edges. #Gysum 👅? Safe But Boring To Lick. At its most interesting, it’s like licking drywall. 🍆? Maybe a rounded selenite wand? It’s soft & dissolves, so be quick & careful. 📷 KrystalLove

A girthy translucent white round crystal wand held up to blue skies. The tip is pointy.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

As a Canadian, I feel morally obliged to support #gypsum for its role in the 1820 Plaster War where smugglers very decidedly won. #MinCup26

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

As a brief serious moment: I specialize in disasters & worked all kinds of roles, But the most impactful in terms of enacting actual change have all had playful framing. Policy doesn’t change without public support, political will, & money. Joy unlocks more than fear.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I rarely use LinkedIn outside #MinCup season, but I’m on it multiple times a day right now. The algorithm is scrambling to fill my feed & I’m getting so many great geopaper blurbs. It’s a nice silver lining. This paper has me wanting to draw a cross section: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres...

pubs.geoscienceworld.org

Delta-drift sedimentation in a strait system: the early–middle Miocene Bonifacio Strait, southern Corsica, western Mediterranean | Journal of Sedimentary Research | GeoScienceWorld

ABSTRACT. Despite significant advances in the study of straits over the past decade, depositional processes governing their geological development remain

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I cannot express how deeply annoyed I am to interrupt lazy Sunday gardening with my kids to audit #MinCup26 votes. The vote count and campaigning are wildly divergent. I spot a large number of discrepancies. I’m checking, but for real, this is supposed to be a fun, silly game.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I really didn’t think #Asagiite would stand a chance? Instead of being absolutely slammed, it’s in the lead and I’m feeling forlorn fine poor #quartz. Quartz is legit cool enough I could write totally different themes every #MinCup26 round & still have leftovers.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I am so, so incredibly proud of our local SAR teams. They spent a WEEK looking for a missing hiker and FOUND HIM ALIVE. Good on the hiker bringing real supplies. But SAR volunteers kept searching day after day in tough weather & tougher terrain not giving up hope even as the odds dropped.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Just sayin’ we have a potential quarterfinal match between pigments that HATE each other… #MinCup26 #Azurite #Orpiment

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Reposted by Mika McKinnon

Andrew D Thaler @drandrewthaler.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

It's also time to commission the next round of artists for our jaunty ocean critter sticker series, so if you're an ocean artist that wants to make some stickers, get in touch. I can pay $360 for a set of six ocean critters.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

⚒️ #job My (former? eternally-home?) department is hiring a geochronologist: ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcfac... If that’s you, you’d be happy here. Vancouver is spectacular & while every school has its politics, EAOS is earnest & tries hard to Do Better (& has the funds for nice facilities).

ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com

Assistant Professor (Tenure Track)

Academic Job Category Faculty Bargaining Job Title Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) Department Faculty | Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences | Faculty of Science (Erik Eberhardt) Posting End Date...

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Reposted by Mika McKinnon

public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

nice article by @epidemiologistkat.bsky.social, who provides actual policy specifics and some important nuances. also a good reminder that surveillance is layered—CDC/FDA didn't stop tracking cyclo (also, it's nationally notifiable), but they did lose critical data/tools/staff for detection/control.

statnews.com

Why we still don’t know what foods are the source of the cyclospora outbreak

“You cannot thin a system, defer the tools that would speed it up, and then wonder why the public is left guessing,” writes epidemiologist Katrine Wallace.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

#Bournonite has 4 elements. Some lovely rare metals in the mix, and it can solid-solution on over to incorporate a 5th, but it’d very well-defined. Meanwhile, I straight-up gave up listing all the possible elements in #Vesuvianite because it was too freaking long. The rest. It has all the rest.

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Reposted by Mika McKinnon

Rob "Xemu" Fermier @xemu.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Giving an indie game a "thumbs down" negative review is LITERALLY a punishment. In many cases due to how the Steam algorithm works, it is a capital one. If a game just wasn't for you, or you have some feedback, please just post on the forums! Save the "thumbs down" for AI slop and other offenses.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Is the 3rd time a charm, or will we have a new and creative way for things to break?

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

And to think I was disappointed this match had such a huge initial margin. Not anymore! 😳

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Q: 👅? A: No. Q: 🍆? A: NO. #Erythrite & #Skutterudite both have a lot of arsenic and cobalt, which are not exactly great for your health. Now contemplate how when exposed to air & water, skutterudite dissolves into ions to form erythrite, which is extremely soft. Do Not Lock. Just… NO. #MinCup26

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Hi, how are you, yeah, just hanging around waiting to find out what will break with @mineralcup.bsky.social this time… 🙃

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Reposted by Mika McKinnon

Brandon Bishop @brandontbishop.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

More headimentary processes:

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Q: 👅? A: Safe but Boring Q: 🍆? A: Pls no, they’re soft & dissolve in acid. Both our contenders can grow lumpy stalactites, sometimes even smooth. Carbonates dissolve in acids. #Azurite melts into unglamorous blue sludge while #Smithsonite produces cheerful effervescent bubbles like #Calcite.

A deep blue straight azurite stalactite with round lumps of malachite

Cross section of a thick, lumpy aqua blue smithsonite stalactite

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Lil buddy blue is sweeping the votes so far, which is a nice change of pace from past performance for #Azurite & it’s bff malachite. But I was looking forward to writing more about the junk pile beauty of #Smithsonite. #MinCup: where every blurb may be the last. Or not-last, which is just as hard.

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I find it utterly absurd that the most big-free way to ensure we have 00:00 GMT consistency across all our #MinCup26 tools is to set my computer to be in Reykjavík, Iceland, but here we are. (That it’s not London is a whole ‘nother irritation at timezones.)

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This is about when I notice I forgot to filter the voting email backup. 😵‍💫 (At least it’s an extremely easy fix!)

Screenshot of email with an endless barrage of #MinCup26 practice votes

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Mika McKinnon @mikamckinnon.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The good: The pages posted! The socials posted! Data is recording and being displayed! The bad: Displayed chart proportions are a mess. A backend streamlining thingy is being grumpy. The countdown clock is apparently on daylight savings time so is off by an hour? This is why we practice. 😂

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Reposted by Mika McKinnon

Robert Mahon @bedform.org · 31/08/2026

NPS requesting info on hikers s who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29 www.nps.gov/grca/learn/n...

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REQUESTED
The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29.
If you know of hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or if you had a campground reservation in the affected area, please contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB).
This includes people who may have been:
• Traveling the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch
• Staying at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground
• Traveling through “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch
📞 NPS ISB Tip Line: 888-653-0009
📧 Email: nps_isb@nps.gov
Please provide any information you have, including a person’s name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, or when they were last known to be in the area. You do not have to provide your name.
https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/public-assistance-requested-to-account-for-individuals-following-grand-canyon-flash-flood.htm

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