iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 1h

Bot test: puzzles.mit.edu/2022/puzzle/...

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

No, they rented a real truck but there was a phone number on the napkin.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Mamdani Scavenger Hunt round 2 is near! I'm meeting my group near where the Masquerade ARG had a popup ice cream truck that secretly invited some attendees to a tarot reading.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

So you're saying my current fans aren't on brand.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Today is the day we find out the final (online) challenge for the Mr Beast book puzzle thing! The first three weeks were pretty creative in how it used the book as platform for puzzles. Personal favorite took place last week, and used the book to navigate a directional maze.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Neglected to share this earlier, but look at this nifty Taylor Swift Fan fan @bkuehner.bsky.social gave me!

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I'm really good at recruiting people for hijinks, y'all.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Gotta appreciate the hustle of a "we are telling you literally nothing" street campaign. purplehippos.com

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Standing on the street corner and a guy quizzically points at me, starts asking a question, and walks away shaking his head. I got confused until I remembered I had just put on my immersive "uniform".

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

What does it mean, Ben??? Many people are curious.

Google Trends results for searches of "saccharide" in the last 24 hours, showing a massive spike after Taylor Swift mentions it during the Emmys

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I may not have enjoyed the Mr Beast book, but that first "challenge" mission for the giveaway was respectable. Logic puzzle referencing player numbers and biographical data of the book's contestants, with only one configuration that would complete the grid.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Got reminded of the time I was interning in San Francisco, got lost while attempting to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and stumbled across the Internet Archive HQ.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Colleagues are working on a book about the legacy of American Girl dolls, and felt compelled to make tiny, doll-sized copies of the book because I was reminded of how Courtney's doll has an even smaller mini-Molly (with extra-small books). ...and yes, there's text inside each of the books.

Four small copies of "An American Girl" by Amanda Fitzsimons, with a fifth copy that's even smaller in the foreground.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Listings even reminded me of an aspect of the campaign I forgot. The postcards have a secret UV message on them, that still works! (Key placed to obscure a former address)

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

A few years back, I lost my Flynn Lives ARG pin at NYCC, when it fell off my lanyard without me noticing. Luckily, someone on eBay (who may or may not have been affiliated with 42E, at some point) was selling extras, and I have been made whole. One more piece of personal ARG history recovered.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Oh no, The Guild Kickstarter knew exactly what would tempt me into upping my backer level.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I'm such a sucker for ads that intentionally don't make sense until you take action. I don't necessarily agree it's a good tactic, but I'm a sucker for them nonetheless.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

RECON talk from Arcturus Wang reinforces that conspiracy corkboards make everything better. Some solid memes, here.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Starting out RECON by trying to solve an escape room's secret alien cryptogram lobby puzzle only to realize that the message is in French.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Books from a fictional imprint that never existed came today!

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

...and back on track, I've found my way to the beginning so I can catch up! www.bickellbrosstudios.com

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Ooooh, Tales From Woodcreek Kickstarter for season 2 is doing a "secret" Kickstarter puzzle??? www.kickstarter.com/projects/woo...

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

There is also a decent chance this was a hoax created by Zardulu - or at least, I saw the taxidermied pair at an NYC exhibit about the various hoaxes the creator purportedly seeded across the internet, back in 2018. It's entirely possible the taxidermy itself was the hoax, but...

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

I'm a sucker for a quirky gallery show.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I think this was my first time spotting a House of Hades Toynbee variant in the wild!

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

As long as you get him some bear arms I'll allow it.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Think I can get away with putting up an out of office message that says I am only available for conversations about Matt Dinniman's new cat Svetlana (of the Dinniman Imperium, First of her Name, Destroyer of Filth, Daughter of the Oak Fell, She Who Purrs)?

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

With multiple pieces of social proof and nothing easily readable to the contrary, Google's AI is now reinforcing the claim. Despite the original poster explicitly saying "I made this up".

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The Deadline article doesn't exist, and a day later the original poster explicitly responded to the tweet, "Guys this isn’t real stop believing me". But that's not how information spreads online, so a content aggregator made it social media "news" - and I am <not> redacting sources here.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Anecdote of the day on "breaking news" and how the algorithm is killing context - In the wake of major analog horror adaptation news, a fan (whose handle I'm redacting out of courtesy) made up a tweet about Monument Mythos being picked up by Apple TV. It was likely done as a joke.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

...okay yeah, the clue was necessary - HawkinsNationalLab.com

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

This doesn't mean what we're all secretly hoping, Matt Dinniman signed a copy of Pierce Brown's book at an Arizona bookstore...but a fella can dream. If you thought I went feral for the Book of Bill ARG, I would be beyond insufferable during the Scolopendra's Nine Tiered Scavenger Hunt.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Got out of the Black Mirror Experience, currently running through The Shed. It was technically and logistically impressive, but some of the impact was blunted for me because I don't really recognize what I look like without glasses as me, so the uncanny valley was even more uncanny.

Three AI-generated images of the person posting this "getting scanned", pressing a buzzer, and dancing.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Scavenger hunt round 2! (I make no promises of completing this one)

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

I was hoping they'd be nice enough to do it this way! Full Backrooms map, from the zine.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

You may not realize it, but you owe @amberalice.bsky.social a debt of gratitude. Between Toy Story teasers, wedding rumors, and Stevie Knicks shirts there is a near endless stream of my bullshit that you've been shielded from.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

While discussing my pseudo-professionalism, I was reminded of my active participation in LinkedIn endorsement bombing, back in the day. You can still find a few of the artifacts of that era of LinkedIn hacking in my profile, if you know where to look. www.buzzfeednews.com/article/char...

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

...oh that's funny, while cribbing slides from past presentations on ARGs I've given, I uncovered a talk I have no memory of giving. Apparently I can add Oregon State University to the list of college classes I've guest lectured for? Good job, past Michael, still proud of you for this one.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Ah yes, the start of me thinking there was a secret Game Changer ARG...how naive yet prescient I was.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Live commentary on Escape the Greenroom with Tommy Honton!!! gamechangerchallenges.com/live

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I think we're now up to 2/3rds of all activity coming from one particularly aggressive entity that keeps hitting the site every 2-3 minutes for the past week. And while I could play "not a person" whack-a-mole, I don't really want to risk the false positives.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Got to sneak into Escapology's Rockefeller Center location before it opens! They managed to pack a lot into the space. Hoping the decor is part of a secret lobby puzzle, because that steampunk glove pointing to the left practically *screams* "I'm a puzzle".

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Sometimes, conspiracy theories DO come true!

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Just got reminded of @nicktierce.com's Swashbuckle Noir Pirate Investigator membership cards, again. What a great puzzle. Super satisfying reveal, made full use of the tactile nature of the object. So glad I shamelessly begged a copy off of him, being a nuisance really does pay off.

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Michael Andersen @mjandersen.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

It's a bit of an odd citation, feeling like an artifact of an earlier page edit - I wasn't the person to add it, and wouldn't be surprised if it gets removed now that I've mentioned it. But it's yet another reminder of how much Colbert has always played with his audience and his guests.

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