iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Jeff Berardelli @weatherprof.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It’s official: It’s now the hottest El Niño ever recorded and we are still 2 months away from peak, with nowhere to go but UP! So what does it mean for winter across Florida & the southern US? Here’s the details… (records go back 170+ years) #elnino

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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 6h

They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”

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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 7h

I think if you want a demo of the mechanics of how AI doom-hype detracts from the climate push, listen to this Al Gore interview w/ @heatmap.news, where he dismisses the climate impacts (using a spurious comparison, imo) but treats the chatbot doom as serious and real heatmap.news/podcast/shif...

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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Postmedia closes printing plant, shifting a host of northern Ontario papers to digital-only: North Bay Nugget, Sault Star, The Sudbury Star, The Timmins Daily Press, The Elliot Lake Standard, Espanola's Mid-North Monitor. Cochrane Times-Post will cease publication. www.baytoday.ca/local-news/1...

baytoday.ca

11 jobs lost as Nugget presses go silent

Postmedia says it will close its North Bay printing facility on Oct. 31, a move expected to affect 11 employees in printing and distribution as the company shifts several northern Ontario publications...

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

ΜΑΝΟΣ ΤΡΑΧΙΑΣ™ @trahias.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Cyril Cox (Canadian Artist, born 1958) "Late Afternoon Light", 2022. Acrylic on Canvas, 48 × 36 inches. Private Collection. #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Tom Di Liberto @tdiliberto.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Spent some time with BBC's The Global Story podcast talking about El Nino. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou5w...

youtube.com

Why El Niño 2026 has scientists worried | The Global Story

YouTube video by BBC News

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

New Jersey getting hammered. That thing is spinning in place, not moving anywhere.

Radar showing wheel-like structure of storm

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

ClimateBook @climatebook.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I not only doubt that any build-out of A.I. datacentres will "solve" climate change, I see no indication whatsoever that any A.I. company is even making a moderate effort at doing something useful. If A.I. were going to be useful for something like revolutionary photovoltaics,

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Thanks to @climateball.bsky.social for pointing me to this snippet from Bill Gates. youtu.be/wk-gs1KuqTg?... I think Bill has swallowed some of the hype here. I believe genuine science and engineering applications of large scale computers don’t justify the massive buildout of “data centres”.

youtu.be

Bill Gates on how we can use AI to help solve climate change

YouTube video by Reid Hoffman

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It blows my mind that any responsible adult takes this seeiously.

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Any AI that “solves climate change” any way other than “stop emitting greenhouse gases, obviously, you idiots” is impossible. There isn’t some magical solution that no human has any inkling of. Just stop burning fossil fuels. No need for á supercomputer to figure that out!

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Superintelligence can’t outsmart basic physics. The way to stop changing the climate is to stop changing the atmosphere. Why isn’t this obvious?

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"AI will solve climate change" is a transparently self-serving lie based on another lie—that we don't yet have the solution. The tech is, in fact, delaying the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. It's also an obscenely undemocratic allocation of resources.

stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org

AI First: How the Federal Government is Prioritizing AI Over People and Planet

The data center boom shows that world-altering infrastructure can rapidly expand when the interests of state and capital are aligned.

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

You miss my point. The computer industry is motivated to convince the public to maximize computation per unit productivity. The signs of this are ubiquitous if you look. Microsoft Word is (I’m guessing) about ten thousand times bigger than WordStar but for 90% of uses WordStar is a better tool.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

rascaldog.bsky.social @rascaldog.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

An LLM is a tool. Just like a hammer, you can use to pound nails, or a wide range of misuses. 4/4

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Mother Bones @l1vy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Exactly. I'm old enough to remember when we had to handcraft our slop. And we liked it that way!

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UN Environment Programme @unep.org · 22/09/2026

Overshooting 1.5°C is not a reason to give up. On the contrary, it’s a reason to act faster, because the higher the temperature rise and the longer it stays there, the greater the damage. Here’s what “overshoot” means and why every fraction of a degree matters.

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It’s evident that there’s no *maximum* amount of computation required for a given result. Computational pessimization has just moved from a public sector niche into the private sector. It’s still stupid.

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

They aren’t really “data centres”, are they? Maybe we should call them “thrashing centres”.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Dylan Gibbs @dylangibbs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

My laptop is barely functional and I'm shopping for a new one out of spite.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Edward Luce @edwardluce.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

"Out of spite for President Donald Trump, Carney is accelerating the decoupling of a trade bloc that has generated enormous prosperity for North America." Seriously, Wapo editorial - you're going with Canadian spite? www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

washingtonpost.com

Opinion | Canada’s great European misadventure

Donald Trump is for now. A Brussels bureaucrat is forever.

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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It's definitely at the point where I understand the basic infrastructure, uses, impacts and potential geopolitical/societal implications of AI, but I can no longer follow a conversation between AI users about AI.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Water rolling in over a salt flat in Turkmenistan: #AGoodPlace Source: www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatis...

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This is an instance of the AI doom scenario that I'm most worried about. The plagiarism of course is terrible but not my point. Commerce can be replaced not by commerce between humans and machines but by commerce between machines and machines. You can get exploding GNP with zero actual benefit!

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 09/09/2026

Not to brag, but our product has been foldable since 1828.

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Mike Drucker @mikedrucker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

You’ve gotta use AI because it’s the future. But also it’ll take your job. But also it’ll create a paradise on earth and solve most of our problems. But also it’ll end humanity soon. But also you’ll get left behind if you don’t use it right now.

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Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Sun Song of Algoma Franz Johnston 1920

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Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Grange à la mare Clarence Gagnon c. 1923

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Aaron Huertas @aaronhuertas.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

:: climate scientist letting out a low whistle after I show them the Keeling Curve :: “Well, that’s your problem right there.”

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I don’t think conservative voters ate going NDP. I think the Liberals have moved right and are winning responsible conservatives and losing progressives. I will continue to support Carney during the emergency and urge other Canadians to do likewise. But I’m not entirely happy about it.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

The single most important thing to understand about digital futurism is this: When the tech barons’ predictions about the future fail to come true, they don’t have to give the money back.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Jack Hopkins-The Original @therealjackhopkins.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Want to feel even stronger and more determined with every piece of news that looks bad for democracy? Do this for a week with every story like that you encounter. Then, get back with me.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

World Meteorological Organization @wmo-global.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Today is #CleanAirDay. But findings of the 🆕 WMO Air Quality & Climate Bulletin show that an increase in pollution from wildfires and heatwaves could slow efforts to improve air quality and protect human and ecosystem health. ↪️ bit.ly/3UBN1cV

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Alan Allport @alanallport.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

There is something of a parallel here in that mid-twentieth century Tories in the UK (Churchill aside) were often suspicious of Yankee designs on the Empire/Commonwealth whereas Bevinite mainstream Labour, staunchly anti-communist, was more innately Atlanticist and eager to work with a New Deal USA.

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I keep trying to remind people of this. The whole Liberal/Conservative divide in Canada used to be about alliance with the US vs loyalty to the crown. Nice to see the Globe and Mail making the point. I have something to refer to now besides my own memory. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

It was the Diefenbaker Conservatives who objected to the missiles. At the time the Liberals were the continentalists of Canadian politics, seeing engagement with the U.S. as a necessary counterbalance to the imperial connection they were so anxious to be rid of. The Tories were the opposite: fond of the mother country, suspicious of the Yanks. Only much later did the roles reverse, after Britain ceased to be an issue.

-Andrew Coyne

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PEIPolitical 🇨🇦 @peipolitical.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Lisa Raitt: "The U.S. DOJ have been told now not to cooperate with Canadian justice workers on things having to do with anti-trade or counterfeit or antitrust cases. Outside of trade discussions, we're seeing a breakdown of the Canada-US relationship." #cdnpoli

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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 02/09/2026

Dutch central bank moved 86 tonnes of gold out of US & Canada, citing “increasing geopolitical unrest.” The gold, worth billions, was relocated to London, where DNB says it can be traded more easily “in a crisis situation.”

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My IRL friends call me Chris @christyceeck.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Wendell Berry died yesterday. This poem has been on my mind today.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Lina Bee @linabee.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I cannot over emphasize how much Northern Ontario is a news desert controlled by right wing Facebook propaganda & community pages. I mean, sure there are radio stations but the level of reporting they do is incredibly shallow for the most part. #onpoli 🇨🇦 #cdnpoli

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Michael Tobis (mt) @mtobis.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Given the enormous scale of Canada, it's surprising how much the culture is influenced by boats and water. It's occurred to me that the cultural distance between Alberta/Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada is partly attributable to their limited opportunity for boat travel.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Annette Shaffer🇨🇦😷 @misskachoob.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

It's so harsh when reality requires you to suspend your disbelief.

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Justin Ling @justinling.ca · 27/08/2026

Today's @xkcd.com

It's a stickman holding a hammer, lifting up his leg, and saying:

"Listen up, leg. I've been sending you rich, oxygenated blood for years, while you send me worthless used-up blood with no oxygen. Time to teach you a lesson about not ripping me off!"

It is captioned: tariffs

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Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)

Ken Caldeira @kencaldeira.com · 27/08/2026

Adaptation to climate change doesn't mean that everyone will be as well off as if there was no climate change. It means that people won't be as bad off as if there was no adaptation. We can choose to prevent more climate change. We cannot choose not to adapt to climate change.

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