iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 01/10/2026

Facebook is a hot mess of garbage that I only still have for very stupid reasons, but every so often it serves up something beautiful. I will probably never be anywhere near this coffee shop, but if I were, I would throw money at them

A facebook post from Caffe Lucca - which appears to be in Halifax - that reads "We don't use AI for anything, but we don't want to be left behind with so many restaurants churning out slick flyers. Here's our best made-by-humans approximation." The image shows a white person with short hair holding three paper coffee cups in about four hands. The fingers are all weird and the images have been pasted together badly. Down the left side of the image, a series of paper coffee cup sleeves have been written on. They say "coffee!" and "hurry!" and "cud" among other somewhat random and repetitive words.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 31/08/2026

been offline for a week, did I miss anything (view from a brief pause in Boston, from where we fly home tomorrow)

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 31/07/2026

I've had this saved for at least a year and I just pulled it up and started absolutely cackling, thank u tumblr, bless

hiveapologist on tumblr wrote: "loois, louies... watch this programme de télévision with me, loeuies. it has revealed to me a most thrilling premise ... you see, the handsome psychoanalyst communes with the troubled young man who is ill at ease with his sublime gift, that which allows him to hear the dark songs in the hearts and minds of men ... and it appears it is the very doctor of his mind, louise, whose heart mind sing the darkest song of them all. is that not electrifying, louuie? don't you find it devastatingly fateful? luouise?"

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 13/07/2026

bless u tumblr for I cannot stop thinking about this

a tumblr screenshot that reads "i absolutely adore sam reid as an actor but I think one of my favorite things about hims is that when he's acting as lestat he's exuding sex and aura and charisma but as soon as it's him in front of a camera, he poses like the yellow m&m"

photos below the text prove this: one is of sam reid with his hands behind his back; another is of sam reid in the same pose with another man; the third is of the yellow m&m in almost the same pose, though also waving politely.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 06/07/2026

thank you yes this is actually pretty much exactly what Lestat looked like in my head when I was 16, how is this show real and how are there only two more episodes this season!!!!!

Sam Reid as the vampire Lestat, wearing a sort of lacy scoop-necked goth top and leather pants, with a bitchy, judgmental expression on his perfect face

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 25/06/2026

the menace is likewise exhausted from all her hard work

A black cat curled up in the shape of a croissant in a light gray fuzzy cat bed

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 23/06/2026

somehow this made me think of this absolutely wonderful thing I saw on reddEET

screenshot of a reddit thread titled "i found baby Armand on fb marketplace" and the photo is of a terrifying ceramic baby figurine with exactly the same wide amber eyes as the vampire Armand

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 10/06/2026

what in the pregnant Easter horsie chocolate-looking fresh plastic hell is this

The Odyssey popcorn bucket is a rearing horse that looks like it's made of cheap chocolate. It is shown, um, in full, and then there's a second image that shows how the poor horse's belly unhinges so that you can eat popcorn from its groin area. Should you so desire.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 02/06/2026

for years I have been stalking eBay for this promotional book that was produced for The Fall, and now there is one that I'm allllmost willing to spring for ... or would be, were it not for this listing image

some totally imaginary hands holding a copy of the promotional book made for The Fall. there are three hands and two books; in the upper right corner the book has gone transparent to see the arm behind it. it is bafflingly and mystifyingly clearly Wrong.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 01/06/2026

really specific cat-related advice request! this fluffy dingdog has decided of late that she does not like to eat food that gets near the edges of her bowl, so I need a shallow cat bowl that'll easily hold at least 6-7 oz (because I also have to mix water into her wet food). any suggestions?

a long-haired gray cat lies on a light-blue comforter next to a pink pillow. she is on her back, sort of like a human, with her ridiculous paws resting on her fluffy belly. she has her head turned to the left and is staring pensiively into the middle distance. I honestly couldn't tel you where her back feet even are.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 25/05/2026

rereading The Vampire Lestat for the first time in [redacted] years and I keep distracting myself trying to figure out what I imagined Lestat looked like when I was a teen. probably this guy, tbh

Sebastian Bach from Skid row wearing a peculiarly cut red top with a deep V neck and flames up the side of the sleeves.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 19/05/2026

this is a very depressing but I think very important read and I would like to lie down now

What all of this amounts to isn’t just one problem but a stack of them, each feeding the next. Most people now encounter the world through algorithmic feeds built to warp reality, on platforms with every commercial incentive to keep users scrolling and very little incentive to distinguish genuine interest from astroturfed imitations. Into those feeds flows an unprecedented amount of undisclosed advertising engineered to resemble the improvised enthusiasm of human strangers. The platforms reward it with reach; traditional media picks it up and validates it. Meanwhile, as trust in journalism collapses and most of the actual reporting disappears behind paywalls, readers head straight for the comment sections, which seem more like the voice of the people than anything written by a reporter — except many of those commenters may not be people at all.

The good news is that this will all be over soon, according to Lim, because something worse is coming to replace it. He recently shut down Floodify after trying to scale too fast and falling behind on deliverables. At one point, the company accidentally posted the same video to 7,000 accounts, which got them all banned. But he wasn’t discouraged. When we last spoke, he was building a new company and thinking even further ahead. “All of this nonsense is only going to last three to five more years, because in the future, people will stop trusting what they see on social media.” By then, the job will have moved one layer up. “You’ll have to start distributing your content toward AI agents and then they’ll teach humans what they want.”

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 05/05/2026

Thank you!!! I was really quite nervous about how much sense I may or may not have been making that morning. another thing about The Paladin: this COVER

CJ Cherryh's novel The Paladin, which has a cover that is a sort of structurally baffling woman's face with a great emphasis on her lipstick and eyeliner (both black). In the foreground her hand - with a very pointy, lacquered nail - holds the hilt of a sword, probably, those it's so close up it's really hard to know anything for sure. The book title is on her forehead and the letters follow the shape of her brows. When I was 13 I thought she was SO cool.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 28/04/2026

Without downloading anything new, where are you, mentally?

Emma Thompson, kneeling on what I assume is her star on the Hollywood walk of fame, wearing a fussy white dress under some sort of magical goth-ish black overcoat thing, sipping from a pint, pinky up, while holding the leash of a small adorable pig in the other hand. I don't know what any of it means. This photo is purely aspirational. I do have a drink, though.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 30/03/2026

some men simply do not know when to stop talking

“I’m a blunt person—always have been. And it’s been 10 years since the media cared what I had to say about anything so I kind of forgot to watch my words when I have a film in theaters,” Weir concluded, before offering Kurtzman the chance to talk to him about his comments in private. “In a couple months I’ll be back in my cave writing novels and no one will care again.”

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 30/03/2026

it was some sort of ... benefit? fundraiser? thing? that I got asked to do because I was at the time the arts editor for a local paper. I don't remember if there was a winner, but yes! there is photo evidence! let's not talk about how long ago this was, lol, sob

two white humans, one with short curly dark hair and one with medium-length blonde hair, both wearing aprons, stand proudly behind a very inaccurate chocolate model of stonehenge

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 18/03/2026

book folks: anybody know what this is? it appears on the title page of a knopf volume from 1932 and I just keep seeing it as a delightful fat bird. but I wish to know its actual provenance.

a round blue figure, made up primarily of what look like evergreen branches, with some viney-like frills at the bottom corners, and under some overhanging branch-like bits at the top. decorative bits at the top center give it the impression of having eyes. it is roughly the shape of a cherry, with a blank interior. I am having a hard time making sense of it, sorry

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 16/03/2026

looking at this list, and thinking about how overwhelmingly male it is, it occurred to me: if you're going to let entire seasons compete against single episodes of a given TV show, should you not acknowledge all the writers on said season? anyway here's who actually wrote Pluribus season one

A screenshot of the IMDB listing for Pluribus lists writers Vince Gilligan (the creator and only writer credited on the Nebula ballot), Vera Blasi, Ariel Levine, Jonny Gomez, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, and Jenn Carroll

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 12/03/2026

it is a recent occurrence and it's in my personal and work email and I HATE IT (it's the little sparkle pencil)

screenshot of the bottom of a gmail draft, which has next to the send button the text format button, and then the stupid sparkle pencil which, if you mouse over it, offers to "help" you write

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 26/02/2026

"Friends" is a beloved American sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004, following six young adults—Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe—living in New York City. The show explores their friendships, romances, careers, and personal growth over ten seasons.

the cast of Battlestar Galactica (yeah, there are seven people here, one's a Cylon, okay?)

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 16/02/2026

it is an absolutely central detail of Jo Clayton's Duel of Sorcery trilogy that the protagonist, Serroi, has green skin, so please can someone explain to me why this ebook cover looks like a knockoff version of a Keira Knightley-centric poster for that rancid King Arthur movie of the early 2000s

the cover for Jo Clayton's Moongather, which is mostly gold swirls on a blue background, but has an inset image of a red-headed white lady, visible only from the nose to the waist or so. she is wearing a tube tob and holding a sword, which is not our heroine's weapon of choice.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 29/01/2026

this is heartbreaking www.portlandmercury.com/food-and-dri...

The reasons that Medina gave for República's closure ranged from decreased demand—which he says seemed to immediately follow Donald Trump's return to being president—to rising costs, and Medina wrote that "one issue rose above all others."

"When the safety of my staff; people who built this place with their hands and their memories—could no longer be assumed, when their dignity and security were treated as negotiable, silence stopped being an option. We stayed quiet for a year, hoping things wouldn’t worsen. They did. And they will continue to."

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 23/01/2026

this is what his email said, in part. it was largely about him creating an AI podcast (??) of the newsletter.

My AI pledge to you.
The editorial judgement, sourcing, writing, and editing of WTFJHT, as well as the personal accountability for corrections, errors, and omissions will always be uniquely human. That’s my job and my responsibility.

Here’s what AI is not allowed to do: (1) write WTFJHT, (2) decide what’s news or replace my editorial judgement, (3) “fact check” my work, or (4) publish anything automatically without my review and approval.

Here’s what I am willing to use AI for: (1) narrate an audio edition using a clone of my voice, (2) check for typos and grammar cleanup, (3) help me debug the occasional tech issues I have, and (4) organize my ideas.

Above all else, you can expect me to explicitly and transparently disclose the use of AI at the top of each audio edition, in the show notes, and on the FAQ page.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 18/01/2026

I would follow her (and her inability to sit "normally" in a chair) into the absolute depths of space

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake on Starfleet Academy, wearing reading glasses, holding an actual paper book, sitting in her captain's chair in a way that's more like lounging - curled up, leaning back, ankles crossed and feed wedged between her butt and the chair arms. Hard to describe. Extremely relatable.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 07/01/2026

what in the actual fuck is going on

RFK's new food pyramid, which suggests you ought to eat more steak and eggs and milk than whole grains or nuts, to use just one example

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 22/12/2025

lmao this is literally the post below my complaint, I guess it's Different if you live in a major city 😂

screenshot of a quote-tweet from Michael Schulman that says, "Speaking of which, there are SO MANY good movies out in theaters this week (that aren't about blue aliens)! Go see 'The Testament of Ann Lee' for singing Shakers, 'No Other Choice' for late-capitalist mayhem, 'Is This Thing On?' for marriage trouble, or 'Marty Supreme' for sexy ping pong." The post has been reposted by Alissa Wilkinson, who adds, "And The Plague! If you can see The Plague, go see The Plague!"

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 13/12/2025

can hardly believe these little gremlins were ever so small (four years ago! ziti had not even grown into her full floof yet)

two cats are tussling on a bed and a pile of folded laundry. the grey one is on top and looks quite pleased with herself. the black one is a comical picture of "get me out of here!" with mouth and eyes open like she is yelling for help

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 10/12/2025

and here we thought the Narnia news was questionable

screenshot of a Variety headline reads "Johnny Depp to Star In and Produce First English-Language Adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's Classic 'The Master and Margarita'"

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 08/12/2025

I have not watched The Boys but on account of watching trailers for The Boys I now require there to be an SFF series of some sort that stars Karl Urban and Dominic Cooper as brothers. Perhaps they could get up to some hijinks?

Karl Urban in The Boys, looking very scowly and concerned

Dominic Cooper in Preacher, with hair very like Karl Urban in The Boys, looking slightly less scowly and concerned

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 07/11/2025

is it a weird book I bought for shits and giggles years ago or is it the NYT opinion section

a small strange book titled "WOMEN pro & con." shockingly, no author is listed

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 05/11/2025

:sobbing: BUT WHY DO THE EYES LOOK LIKE THAT AND ALSO THE MOUTH www.starwars.com/news/disney-...

the promo image from a toy lothcat, from Star Wars Rebels, which is generally a really wonderful little space creature - kind of like a cat-dog with big rabbit-ish ears - but this one has slightly terrifying, slightly human eyes, and a slightly human mouth, and I'm sorry but it's a little bit upsetting

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 22/10/2025

why does every famous man in his 20s currently look like a dirtbag who was smoking by the shed behind the school in the ’80s

Jacob Elordi with a mullet and a mustache, appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 21/10/2025

just got this one yesterday and I am obsessed with it!!!!

a white leg against a paper towel background. on the outside of the lower leg is a fresh tattoo of a baba yaga house with chicken legs and wings; inside the outline of the house there are several eyes and windows, a sacred heart, a little red flower, and a doorway that is also a ghost. the legs are a little askew and the chimney is crooked.

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 17/10/2025

last night I said "hey Bat, say hi to @yashwinacanter.bsky.social" and this is what I got

a black cat with a frown on her little face sits on a kitchen island next to a paper towel holder. is this where cats go? technically, no. below her, a gray long-haired cat sneaks past, her tail curled like a question mark

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 16/10/2025

oh no how did I leave this off!!!!

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 16/10/2025

ask again tomorrow and they might be almost entirely different but for starters:

Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone by Harvey Danger

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 10/10/2025

many things are wrong with las vegas, including the fact that I just took a shower and now I feel as if all the moisture has left my body. i'm sorry, desert lovers, I am a child of the damp! I don't know how to live like this!!!! however I did quite enjoy this sign

a big sign that says CASINO across the top and then, beneath that, in black letters, it reads "READ THE VOWELS IN CELINE DION OUT LOUD THANK YOU"

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 06/10/2025

Without downloading anything new, where are you mentally?

A shot of Taika Waititi in Our Flag Mean Death. He is leaning on the ship's wheel with a look on his face that is at once smug and panicked. The text above reads "Bothered. Dehydrated. Feral. In too many lanes. Distracted. Barely surviving. Unhinged."

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Molly Templeton @mollytempleton.com · 02/10/2025

post a you from a different era

a blonde white girl with a red barrette in her chin-length hair, wearing a black tank top and burgundy corduroy cutoffs, sits on one end of a picnic table in the sun. she is blissfully unaware that she is getting an epic sunburn on the part in her hair. this is siren festival, coney island, 2001.

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