iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Steve Mossberg @mossdef.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It was so fun making Triple Threat, today’s (free to solve) WSJ variety cryptic. I hope it brightens your day! #cryptic #crossword. www.wsj.com/articles/tri...

wsj.com

Triple Threat (Saturday Variety Puzzle, September 26)

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Bagpipes: ignoring the odds, many of us use them frequently (4) In our new Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I tell the truth about a common musical peccadillo. www.patreon.com/leftfieldcry...

static.klipy.com

Christian Santos Plays Bagpipes

Alt: Venezuelan footballer Christian Santos playing the bagpipes in the privacy of his own home.

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Feral cat I lock in Manhattan, perhaps (8) In our new Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I tackle the question of urban wildlife. www.patreon.com/leftfieldcry...

A couple of cats under a car on a city street.

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Silly old bugger takes rideshare with ⅓ power (4,4) In our new Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I investigate manageable transportation options for geezers. www.patreon.com/leftfieldcry...

Cartoon drawing of an elderly but evidently spirited white man with a bushy white mustache and wild flyaway hair, driving an extremely tiny automobile.

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Derek Bruff @derekbruff.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I'm reading and annotating the new MIT report on AI and education. Care to join me, via Hypothesis? hyp.is/go?url=https...

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AVCX Classic @avcx.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Interview with AVCX editor Ben Tausig @burrata.bsky.social (among other puzzle editors) in a lengthy feature about crosswords in today’s Indian Express! Love seeing coverage of puzzles in a South Asian outlet and the author did her research for sure. indianexpress.com/article/expr...

indianexpress.com

Why we can’t stop solving puzzles — and why AI still can’t set them

Meet the setters behind the toughest crossword clues, the art of the perfect ‘aha’ moment, and why technology is not yet a formidable rival to the human mind

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Michael Erard @michaelerard.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The challenge of his angle -- which I talk about in my book -- is that once you start questioning "famous last words," you have to be skeptical of every clean, pat story your neighbor and mother tell you. Unless you get at the cultural root of the fascination and also know the likely reality.

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Greasy spoon isn’t opening — right or wrong? (2,5) In our new Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I check on the availability of coffee and blueberry pie in local eateries. www.patreon.com/leftfieldcry...

Neon sign in an eatery window saying OPEN/CLOSED

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Josh Eyler @josheyler.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Major kudos to MIT, who just put out a report about AI on their campus that lucidly explains the threat posed by AI to cognition and the student experience, while at the same time prioritizes learning, students, and the value of education. 1/x aiandeducation.mit.edu/report/

aiandeducation.mit.edu

Report – AI and Education

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Michael Erard @michaelerard.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Perhaps AI will be the grit that makes the pearl: making institutions articulate, for the first time in decades if not ever, what the hell they’re about and what an education is supposed to be for. (This from the MIT committee‘s report on AI)

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Bryan Alexander @edufuturist.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Good analysis of why other nations might turn away from the US dollar now. (via the excellent @adamtooze.bsky.social )

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

New from me: He had the money, bio and Trump endorsement needed to win in a Republican primary. His opponent even dropped out! But Amir Hassan could not beat Tom Smith. His loss reflects the depth of anti-Muslim bigotry in the GOP. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/a-candidat...

donmoynihan.substack.com

A candidate who quit the race still beat Trump's pick in a GOP primary — because of his name

A real life audit study!

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Lowdown Cryptic @lowdowncryptic.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

@mopelzel.bsky.social well done, you finished in 11th place overall in the US! Follow me back so I can DM you some more info

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Michael Erard @michaelerard.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

remember when annotation was going to solve the web? i did an annotation of a bit of Charles Russell's biography of Cardinal Mezzofanti genius.com/4162227

genius.com

The system pursued by the Cardinal in the study of languages

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Steve Mossberg @mossdef.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Good luck, have fun, and leave no empty squares. I hope everybody enjoys the puzzle! 🏃‍♀️🧠🏆

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Lowdown Cryptic @lowdowncryptic.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Would you like last Sunday's practice round cryptic from the US & Canada #Cryptic #Crossword Championships? OK! 😀 I've finally started a blog for my puzzles and wordplay (I'll be adding posts retroactively) 🙃 lowdowncryptic.blogspot.com Enjoy my cryptic and leave a comment here or on the blog 😎

lowdowncryptic.blogspot.com

Lowdown Cryptic

Puzzles and wordplay from Lowdown

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Peter Gilliver @petermgilliver.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Here’s a piece about a whole group of #OEDMakers: namely the musicians. Also available on Facebook to @DictionarySocNAmembers and at themakersoftheoed.wordpress.com/miscellaneou...

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Lowdown Cryptic @lowdowncryptic.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

US & Canada #Cryptic #Crossword Championships are getting started! 😀 #USCanadaCrypticCC 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 If you're participating, reply or DM with any questions or with your feedback after you solve my Practice Round cryptic today! You can still register (if you live in the US or Canada) at crypticsingh.com

"July 5th, Practice Round" highlighted on Cryptic Crossword Championships schedule; Sundays in July at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern

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Mo Pelzel @mopelzel.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

"How individuals train, not just how much, fundamentally shapes the trajectory of skill development."

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Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

So exciting and miraculous. Researchers using AI and advanced imagine achieve first complete reading of a scroll burnt at Pompei 2,000 years ago. The breakthrough marks a ‌major step toward deciphering hundreds of ancient manuscripts. We might find lost texts by Euripides, Aristophanes, and more.

reuters.com

Complete text of carbonised Herculaneum scroll unlocked for first time

Researchers using artificial intelligence and advanced imaging said on Thursday they had achieved the first complete reading of a closed Herculaneum scroll burnt by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nea...

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Mo Pelzel @mopelzel.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

"The dose makes the poison"

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Lean Cuisine: the final helping is yours (5) In our latest Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, a reminder that @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I are always happy to share our lo-cal frozen food. www.patreon.com/leftfieldcry...

A dish of Lean Cuisine Creamy Pasta Primavera, with penne, cauliflower, and carrots all looking a little wilted. Behind is the cover of the box it came in.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 23/06/2026

‘Melissophobia’ is a fear of bees. ‘Mel’ is Latin for “honey.” The name, ‘Melissa,’ comes from the Greek word for “honeybee.” In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who fed the infant Zeus honey instead of milk. Later, the gods turned her into a bee (spoiler alert).

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Mark Sample @samplereality.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

This month I gave the keynote at Carleton College's Day of DH. I walked through the past 30 years, stopping every 5 years to talk about my own journey and the broader field at each moment: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2026. I don't end on a high note. Let's try to make it to 2031.

samplereality.com

Living with the Pharmakon

The full text of Mark Sample's June 2026 keynote address at Carleton College’s 10th Annual Day of DH. Sample surveys the past 30 years of the digital humanities and takes stock of three realities of t...

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

In public health, you learn an awful lot about people willing to profit off of harms to children. But my jaw is on the floor. It never occurred to me that the sentence “I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital” would ever be followed by the phrase: “But here’s the thing.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social

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Josh Eyler @josheyler.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

As someone who has tried in vain to convince people that Haidt's book is terribly flawed, I truly appreciate this well-researched, evidence-based resource!

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actualham @robinderosa.net · 05/06/2026

To say that I am not a fan of AI in education is both a gross understatement and a massive oversimplification, but perhaps still useful shorthand as I let you know that I will be keynoting this AI + OER Institute in August. It is free, virtual, and open to all: cptc.libguides.com/TLC/AIOER2026

cptc.libguides.com

LibGuides: Teaching & Learning Center: 2026 AI+OER Institute

Use this guide as a central hub of information from the TLC

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Jonathon Owen @arrantpedantry.com · 28/05/2026

Time for another etymological fun fact: The "pain" sense of "smart" is the original one (and its German cognate, "Schmerz", retains that sense).

etymonline.com

Search 'smart' on etymonline

Search results for 'smart' on etymonline

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Don't believe me — believe the King of CrossWorld! A subscription to Out of Left Field cryptic crosswords can only make your life more enjoyable. www.patreon.com/leftfieldcry...

patreon.com

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🐈Rex Parker🐈‍⬛ ✏️ 🧐 @rexparker.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Thanks to my cryptic enthusiast pals for the feedback on this one 🧵 appreciate it ❤️

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Peter Sokolowski @petersokolowski.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This is an exciting and long-overdue project! See the original pages of the original Webster's dictionary!

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🐈Rex Parker🐈‍⬛ ✏️ 🧐 @rexparker.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Congrats to my friend @e-a-rly.bsky.social on winning the #ACPT (again!)

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[Christopher M. Federico] @chrispps.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

the viability of many right-wing intellectuals and intellectual spaces is enormously dependent on the largesse of reactionary billionaires and foreign governments, who help them circumvent a marketplace of ideas where they would otherwise post extraordinarily poor sales

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[Christopher M. Federico] @chrispps.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

ethnonationalism is an addiction and it kills like heroin kills

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🐈Rex Parker🐈‍⬛ ✏️ 🧐 @rexparker.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Creativity and imagination and curiosity are the few things they can’t take away from you but man they’re sure trying.

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Peter Sokolowski @petersokolowski.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

A TALE OF TWO DICTIONARIES (one in London, one in Paris) The first book printed in England with the title 'dictionary' was in 1538. The first book printed in France with the title 'dictionnaire' was in 1539. And they were both translations of the same Latin dictionary.

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Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 20/03/2026

Elsewhere, OED is reaching out to digital humanists. They'd like to hear from anyone currently using OED / #dictionary data in their research, and who would be interested in accessing OED as a dataset. 3-minute survey: survey.alchemer.eu/s3/91062920/...

survey.alchemer.eu

OED API

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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

The next six months could be the ultimate in teachable moments, with rapidly rising prices for oil, and rapidly rising temperatures. And what do you know, we have a midterm exam coming up on November 3. billmckibben.substack.com/p/now-comes-...

billmckibben.substack.com

Now comes the heat

Add it to the war, and maybe we have a teachable moment

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