iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Fucking yes, Dimma, we do!! There’s a real prevalent idea within AFL spaces that we shouldn’t talk about any conflicts of interest & hypocrisy re: gambling unless we’re talking about *THE* conflict of interest, which just acts to avoid the conversations which could make that relationship untenable.

A screenshot of Damien Hardwick in at a press conference with subtitles showing him saying “Do we want to start talking about conflict in AFL?”

010

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

According to this timeline, come September 2027 Zach Merrett will be itching to play for Essendon

A screenshot of Hawthorn’s round 7 2024 result losing by 76 points and being 17th on the ladder with one win and a percentage of 69.9, and Essendon’s round 7 2026 result losing by 77 points and being 17th on the ladder with one win and a percentage of 72.9

000

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

hooked a bunch of stats up to the scoreworm mostly so I can just scroll along like this and mindlessly watch things change.

000

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Peter Malinauskas making an election commitment to guarantee more jobs for defamation lawyers.

A screenshot of an article in The Advertiser with text reading:

He refuted claims made by Ms Adler in a column published Tuesday morning that there had been political pressure to remove Abdel-Fattah from the Writer’s Week program.

“I don’t speak for the board,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“Can you imagine if a far-right Zionist walked into a Sydney mosque and murdered 15 people.”

“Can you imagine that as Premier of this state, I would actively support a far-right Zionist going to Writers’ Week and speaking hateful rhetoric towards Islamic people? Of course I wouldn’t.”

“The reverse is happening in this instance, and I’m not going to support that either.

“I think it’s a reasonable position for me to have, it’s a view that I believe.

030

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Haven't seen it reported - probably as it doesn't get people as emotional as trade rumours, but last month Orizontas, a 'boutique corporate advisory consultancy' featuring a bunch of former politicians and political advisers, filed a trademark objection to the Gold Coast Suns' refreshed 2025 logo.

120

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Made a few charts & bits last week that prove what we know - Collingwood is old. mikeread.com.au/lineups2025....

010

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

This assertion in this headline once and for all proves that Barney Ronay was not on my family road trip to Tathra in 1996, where my selection for our new car’s CD stacker was the We Want A Wicket single by Greg Champion & The Music Men that came with a copy of Inside Edge magazine

Screenshot of a headline from an article in The Guardian by Barney Ronay which reads:

The Hundred is just influencer sport and is the worst cricket thing ever invented

010

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Also interesting to note that losses at Essendon’s Melton Country Club (90 EGMs), which until 2019 had been lower than Windy Hill (100 EGMs), are now about $2m higher in recent years.

Line graphs for Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, St Kilda AFL clubs showing player losses at their pokies venues since 2006. Highlighting Essendon’s Melton Country Club Venue which until 2019 had lower losses than its Windy Hill venue, but in past 3 years has losses approx $2m higher

100

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Makes Carlton’s win last week all the more remarkable given they apparently haven’t won a quarter since round 7…

Screenshot of AFL app commentary for Hawthorn v Carlton game with text reading:

Scores were tied at 4.1.25 apiece that quarter, the first time since Round 9 that Carlton have not lost a quarter. In their Round 9 encounter against St Kilda, the Blues also drew the quarter. They have not actually won a quarter since Round 7 and have won only three third terms for the year.

010

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Having finally discovered the perfect bumper sticker, I am now ready to get a driver’s license.

A bumper sticker reading:

KEEP HONKING! I'm sitting in my car screaming along to "Venus and Bacchus" from the 1997 demo tape by SAETIA.

000

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

Kicks into forward 50, footy group chats, and perhaps giving the impression that I don't know that a mark is also a type of possession.

A qtr by qtr network style plot of the results of Essendon's kicks inside 50 against north melbourne, with Q1 showing many direct mark -> kick -> goal sequences before the other quarters contain less scores and more turnovers or stoppages. Beneath that is a line graph titled '% of messages in my Bombers group chat that were rational' with the red line quickly rising to 100% during the 1st quarter before dropping off gradually in qtr 2 and staying at 0 from early in the 3rd quarter.

020

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

When it hits 5am at Goo and the lights come on, circa 2003.

A photo by james brickwood captioned ‘opposition leader peter dutton and kooyong candidate amelia hamer visited the tower hotel in hawthorn east’.

010

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Updated the timeline of Essendon directors. With the recent addition of Catriona Larritt, there's now more board members who joined after Barham's coup, than those who were there for it. mikeread.com.au/essendon_foo...

A bar chart style timeline of Essendon board members since 2000

030

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

made a graphviz diagram of what it means for Essendon to lose their two starting rucks within the space of 7 days.

a graphviz diagram of a mindmap style loop of letters f u c k, with a lot of looping on the U and a further cell with the url for googling what david hille is doing now.

000

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

With Qantas' Catriona Larritt joining the Essendon board, all 10 seats are now filled without a replacement for Dean Rioli who was appointed on the back of the external review's recommendations for First Nations representation at board level.

Text from Essendon football club external review update 24/10/2022, it reads:
"We need to do more to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and expertise at all levels of the Club, including at Board level. To that end, we will soon be appointing the Club’s inaugural First Nations Board director. This is an important step for Essendon and, quite frankly, long overdue.

This director will lead the Board’s nationally focused Indigenous sub-committee to provide leadership on cultural safety and oversee our new Indigenous development program. We are looking forward to making this announcement in the coming weeks."

032

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Hoping for more of this tonight. (Except that this was after we scored a behind - more goals instead please)

An Essendon fan in the crowd of an AFL match, holding a hand made sign with the words “cop that port adelaide” written in red and black striped bubble letters on white paper.

040

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

The AFL is exactly the kind of organisation infected with manager-brain that looks at a problem of its own making and decides Ai is the solution. The overreach with personal data is even more concerning when you look at their track record on integrity. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Screenshot from the linked article which reads

“Transaction data sent to the new system would include a gambler’s full name, date of birth, full address, email address, home and mobile phone numbers, and the volume of their bets.

Internal AFL documents acknowledged the database would contain “sensitive” personal information, but stressed “additional security measures would be implemented over and above normal data security controls”.

Others in the wagering industry have noted that no similar database exists for financial crime agencies to wade through non-suspicious transactions in the search for money laundering, corruption or terrorism financing.”

010

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Hermannsburg Potters and Green Day. Good Saturday.

Photograph of a terracotta pottery work in a gallery display case. The vessel is painted with a crowd scene from an Adelaide Crows AFL match with a crow mascot on top. It is by artist Rona Panangka Rubuntja.

Photograph of a terracotta pottery work in a gallery display case. The vessel is painted with images of a football match with Graham Polly Farmer, who also sits atop. It is by artist Rahel Kngwarria Ungwanaka.

Photograph of a terracotta pottery work in a gallery display case. The vessel is painted telling the famous scene of St Kilda player Nicky Winmar lifting his jumper and pointing to his black skin in front of the Collingwood crowd. It is by artist Rona Panangka Rubuntja.

Photo from far back of crowd and stage at Green Day concert at docklands stadium in Melbourne.

040

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

When you draw a conclusion from one result and go searching for anything that may back it up…

Screenshot of an article reading:
They beat Hawthorn in round 1 with 17.5 to 11.17 (22 scoring shots to 28), defeated St Kilda in round 3 with one less scoring shot and bested the Dogs in round 5 with 15.6 to 9.13 (21 scoring shots to 22).

020

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Pretty excited about the changes coming to the AFL this season, as first announced in the 2004 grand final edition of the Footy Record.

A football record article from 2004 with predictions of how technology will change how we watch football in 2025.

000

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

2003 coaches just gave 5 - 1 votes to 5 players across the league (excluding their own team) at the end of the season. 2004 used current format & were revealed weekly on Talking Footy before being held over for last few weeks ahead of an awards night ep. Have only seen top 19 totals.

aflca player of year award vote totals for 2004 with Warren Tredrea winning on 97, Chris Judd 2nd on 88 and Chad Cornes third on 85.

030

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

I didn't forgot North Melbourne, I just couldn't find a pre-2000 version and wanted to keep it in the 90s. Let me know if you do. Anyway, this is what the AFL's deal with Telstra took from us. Will we ever again see a club so bold as to post screensavers that require a 25-step set of instructions?

a screenshot of the west coast eagles website from 1997 on a page with instructions for downloading and installing their screen saver. black text on white background.

020

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

And the AFL 24 October 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961024...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

West Coast 29 December 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961229... Despite the plain background, their graphics here make this one of my favourites.

A screenshot of West Coast Eagle's old website

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Sydney 18 December 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961218...

A screenshot of Sydney Swans' old website

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

St Kilda 25 January 1999 web.archive.org/web/19990125...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Richmond 10 October 1997 web.archive.org/web/19971010...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Port Adelaide 14 November 1998 web.archive.org/web/19980114... You might need to press the stop button on your browser as soon as this one loads otherwise it redirects and tries to download a Real Player file.

a screenshot of Port Adelaide's old website

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Melbourne 19 December 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961219...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Hawthorn 6 December 1998 web.archive.org/web/19981206...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Geelong 4 May 1998 web.archive.org/web/19980504...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Fremantle 20 December 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961220...

screenshot of fremantle docker's old website

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Essendon 4 November 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961104...

250

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Collingwood 1 November 1996 web.archive.org/web/19961101...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Carlton 28 March 1997 web.archive.org/web/19970328...

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Bulldogs 5 February 1998 web.archive.org/web/19980205...

Screenshot of old version of western bulldogs website

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Brisbane Lions 11 November 1998 web.archive.org/web/19981212... (I hope their webmaster is feeling better)

A screenshot of an old version of the brisbane lions website from 1998

110

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Reposting a favourite thread of mine from elsewhere on my way out. AFL club websites from the 90s, using (mostly) the earliest archived version. Unfortunately some were built in a way that images weren't archived. Adelaide Crows website as it looked on 10th May 1998 web.archive.org/web/19980501...

screenshot of old Adelaide Crows website.

172

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

One of the benefits of deleting facebook and grabbing my data on the way out was finding my old Gary Ablett Jnr/Quinton Narkle hair swap image.

A photo of former geelong Australian Rules Footballer gary ablett jnr with quinton narkle’s hair.

120

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Still some bits to tidy up and probably could dial it back a bit so it's trying to do less but here's an interactive look at AFLM chain start and end points from the past few seasons as an observablehq data app. Might take a few seconds to load, works best on a computer. mikeread.com.au/chains/

120

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

6pm Sunday is a bad time to realise you dropped half a season somewhere along the way, along with half a weekend.

A screenshot of various interactive plots

020

Mike Read @mikeread.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

or for those who prefer more accurate titles

a line chart with Essendon's season and board election details

000