iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

This is your occasional reminder that generative "AI" in particular could have been developed on public domain materials and/or licensed and compensated works but the major players intentionally, methodically and systemically chose to steal labor from working creative folks instead

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 30m

And lo! There was a hunk of useless metal where the furnace used to be. Time for a new one. We got 14 years out of it before the mice decided "down with human heat!" so I guess that's something? (sidenote: I feel like writing a Mausritter adventure about taking down the evil heat machine now.)

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Dr Alfredo Carpineti @drcarpineti.bsky.social · 53m

Really exciting space news: astronomers found a planet around a white dwarf that formed from the ashes of its dead star (and maybe its planetary predecessors)! 🔭 www.iflscience.com/first-ever-d...

iflscience.com

First Ever Detection Of A Phoenix Planet Around A White Dwarf – Born After Its Star Had Died

This is the first second-generation planet ever found around a white dwarf, and it is now dying.

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Steffani Cameron 🇨🇦 @snarkysteff.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

MEANWHILE, in Canada, meet Brady Rogers, the reluctant politician who's fed up and thinks he can do better. His sign says "I barely want to do this." His website says, "I guess I'm running for Kelowna city council." His business? Recycling plastic into cool things.

lawn sign with a grumpy man in a "DADLIFE" sweatshirt and the sign says "I barely want to do this" with his name and campaign

Hi, I’m Brady.
Do I enjoy politics? No.

Do I know what I’m doing? No.

But am I qualified? Also no.

I was born in Williams Lake and raised in Kelowna since I was 10. These are the streets I biked every day, the cars I threw crab apples at (sorry), and the parks I played in. Seeing this city grow has been cool, but with growth has come a whole new spectrum of challenges. Running for council is the last thing I saw myself doing this year. I don’t like meetings, I don’t like having to be certain places at certain times, and I’m allergic to stuffy offices. But unfortunately, I happen to like Kelowna, and think I can help do some good.

I guess I’m running for Kelowna city council.
Support the campaign

I graduated from UBCO in 2015ish (long story) and worked for 4 years as a robotic automation engineer. As cool as the job was, it was soulless, and I wanted to use my abilities for more than just helping huge companies save money.

Since 2019, I’ve been building The Rogerie.
Starting as a farmers market booth beside the mall, my wife and I began turning plastic waste into new products in our laundry room. Seven painful years later, and we have a pretty awesome shop downtown by Sprout (come check it out!) where you’ll find me just about every day.

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Sylvain Neuvel @neuvel.net · 2h

Looking forward to it!

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 3h

I managed to get all the morning chores done before 8:00a because my appointment with the furnace guy is booked between 8:00a and 10:00a. It's 9:30a now. I should have just had a leisurely morning. (Of course, if I'd done that, we all know what would have happened, right?)

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 3h

Last re-skeet: I've said it multiple times before, but those "conversations" I have? Speaking up, pushing back? They're not for the person I'm talking to.

Stick-figure drawing style shows four people. Two are at a table, speaking anti-queer slurs. Between those two and someone in line is me, looking surprised. Text reads: "There was this one time, on break, I went to the food court, and these two guys by the line to the Tim Hortons were spitting out homophobic slurs while they mocked someone they knew. There were a lot of people around. No one was saying anything.

In the picture, I've turned around and raised my arms and am saying "No." The two dudes look surprised. The person ahead of me in line hasn't changed at all. Text beneath reads: So I did. It wasn't much, but I started with, "Y'know, as a gay guy..." and basically spoke my mind. I was as loud as they had been, and I wasn't impolite, but I got my point across and they certainly looked surprised.

The drawing is now of me back at the bookstore behind a counter with a computer, and a co-worker has a speech bubble with a question mark.

Text beneath reads: When I got back to the store, still fuming, my co-worker listened to what had happened. He said, "You do this online, too. Do you really think those guys are going to change their minds because of what you said?" I said, "No. Of course not."

In the fourth image, it's back to the same as it was in the start; I'm in line, the two men are speaking slurs; but in front of me the person in line is thinking: "it would be better if I was dead."

Text below reads: "But that's not the mind I'm trying to change."

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Moon Blight 🫀 @cuntmoney.bsky.social · 4h

This. It’s not just that these conversations are hard. It is that they are pointless. Someone who fundamentally doesn’t respect you is not going to be persuaded of anything by your opinions or life experiences because they are coming from you.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 4h

I played an entire 2nd Edition AD&D campaign by post on a BBS that I hosted with an old janky computer and it was amazing.

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

ElleRush @ellerush.bsky.social · 4h

Join Mattie and Dave as they drive Santa's Village across the prairies in DRIVING TO DECEMBER - available everywhere in e-book and paperback. www.ellerush.com/driving-to-december #KoboPlus #RomCom #RoadTrip #ForcedProximity #CowboyMagician #Christmastown #BookSky

A copy of "Driving To December" by Elle Rush, sitting next to a pile of Halloween cookies.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 4h

I'm hopeful I'll master how to drop a pill into the back of a dog's throat *before* I get to the end of these prescriptions, but I feel like the dark humour fairy will swat me with her wand on the final day and be all, "There, now you know how to do it!" with, like, the last pill.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 19h

My—*insert fart noises here*—week's highlight: listening to "The Twelve Loves of Christmas." I just got to "A Solstice Kiss" by @oliviawrites.bsky.social—Absolutely wonderful! The #audiobook performer did a lovely understated voice truly suited to her/her journey. Treat yourself, #BookSky.

libro.fm

The Twelve Loves of Christmas by Alexandria Bellefleur Narrated by Avery Caris Audiobook on Libro.fm

Count down to Christmas with twelve of today’s best romance authors and read a chapter-a-day in this advent-style contemporary romance anthology. Perfect for gifting!The Twelve Loves of Christmas is a...

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Skyla Dawn Cameron @skyladawn.ca · 23h

Lest anyone think "She can call people fascist abusers all she wants in her private Discord" a) 80 members + soliciting people to join is not private, b) his contract was cancelled after he spoke out publicly first without naming his publisher then in support of Jason Sanford's statement...[cont]

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 22h

Not broken, exactly—but apparently some mice decided to over-winter inside it and made a meal of the wires. Fingers crossed it can be fixed—and Ohmigosh mice make massive messes.

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Candace Harper @foxglovefiction.com · 04/10/2026

Witchmark by C.L. Polk is $2.99! I cannot recommend this entire series more highly!! It's SO GOOD and book 3 is my favorite of them all so go get that far! bookshop.org/a/1382/97807... link.amazon/B02LNJUzg

bookshop.org

Witchmark

WINNER of the 2019 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and a finalist for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Lammy Award!One of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, according to Time Magazi...

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

If anyone would like to contribute to the "Husky had to go to the emergency vet" and whatever the "get the furnace to provide heat" will require... Early present for yourself or a dozen people in your life? Linked queer retellings of holiday classics, including a Little Village novella. #BookSky

bookshop.org

Upon the Midnight Queer

Holiday tales, retold queerly...A silk hat turns snow into life and a chance at love for a man with little hope of either. Two men with a connection sparked in passing attempt to withstand everything ...

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Loch Ness Monster 🎃🇨🇦 @vriccithode.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Unfortunately, you don't even need to disagree with her, all you need to do is not support her the way she wants. 100% loyalty, or she attacks. Ask me how I know. 🙃 And this is why I am pushing so hard to keep people from even joining her discord. Anyway, more updates in Jason's thread 👇

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Hahahaha—it's possible the furnace is broken. But the dog at least ate some of his breakfast and I only had to fight him to take about 1/3 of his medications. Also, he likes it when it's cool, so that's nice for him. ;)

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Olivia Just Wants Tech To Be Fun Again @kingdomfantasy6.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

This is what I'm talking about when I bring up that genAI bots are making it impossible for an open web to actually exist. It becomes expensive, a pain, and domain providers like cloudflare are profiting off both the people making bots and the people who don't have the tech skills to fight them off

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Okay, managed to get in touch with husband today, so: I had to take the husky to the veterinary A&E because alongside his "but where is the other human?!" anxiety sent his intestines into another spiral—but *this time* I know the symptoms to worry about—so I got meds before he went hemorrhagic.

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Got queerlings in your life? Do they like a rom-com? Do they like Heartstopper? Because School Library Journal gave me a star and said it was perfect for fans of Heartstopper. It's also a Hi-Lo (high interest, low complexity) so ESL/reluctant reader friendly! #BacklistSaturday #BookSky 💙📚🏳️‍🌈

lorimer.ca

Stuck with You

Stuck With You is a story of Queer joy and a playful teen romance, following two frenemies as they fall for each other while stuck in adjacent seats on a day-long train trip. Ben is on a train back to...

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 04/10/2026

If you've ever wondered where to start reading my books, I have a guide here: www.courtneymilan.co... /jb

A bookshelf, bookending by a dragon head and tail, with books by Courtney Milan in series, separated by little book nooks showing miniature tableaus.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

What do you call a fish without eyes? F-shhh! (Bonus points for spraying.)

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Hey, so to hell with genAI forever and all those damned image apps are now dripping with it, so here's where I'll be for @canconsffh.bsky.social, done with dubious quality meat brain, my phone camera, and almost zero sleep! #CanCon2026 #CanCon26 Hope I survive that long—uh, see you there!

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Frederick Smith, Ed.D. @fsmith827.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I’m at the Burbank Book Festival, taking place at the Buena Vista Branch Library. Romance genre panel at 11:45am - 12:45pm. I’m signing books at 1-2 pm. Onsite bookseller, Sunny’s Bookshop, is selling my novels One and Done & Love Is A Contact Sport, published on @boldstrokesbooks.bsky.social

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

lorimer.ca

Stuck with You

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Pausing my rewatch of TOS Trek because of a really rough week, but today for #StarTrekAdventures Saturday, how about a Mission Brief for @modiphius.bsky.social's awesome Trek #TTRPG based on the second adventure I ran my Curzon group through: "Ashes." The Phoenix Cluster. Not what you think.

apostrophen.wordpress.com

STA Saturday — “Ashes”

Hey all! It’s Saturday, and while I have finished my re-watch of “Wolf in the Fold” I spent overnight for the last week trying to keep my husky’s digestive system from going kablo…

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

apostrophen.wordpress.com

STA Saturday — “Ashes”

Hey all! It’s Saturday, and while I have finished my re-watch of “Wolf in the Fold” I spent overnight for the last week trying to keep my husky’s digestive system from going kablo…

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 03/10/2026

Restorative justice doesn't mean "nothing bad ever happens to you." It means, "in determining what happens from here on out, we center the needs of your victim to repair what happened to them over your own needs."

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Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 03/10/2026

Not as punishment. Not as a matter of being carceral. But because his going to any one of these events from here on out would continue to push women out of the profession, and at a fucking bare minimum, he had to stop doing harm before you could begin to talk about restoration.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This is horrendous (and, as noted, an ongoing pattern to which no one involved in the organization seems to care in the slightest).

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Pretty sure we’re gearing up for another no sleep night.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I think I mentioned a while back that for some reason the Anthropic class action suit took the four titles I seem to be able to claim and (a) created four different IDs/PINS, each with (b) all four titles, and (c) with my name on them twice listed as two different authors. I spent a day fixing it.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I love how, in Star Trek: the Motion Picture, Kirk is all "NO TIME TO WASTE, FLY FLY FLY!" and then takes this massive leisurely multi-minute swoop to and fro around the Enterprise just so we can enjoy his on-point eyeliner as he reacts to every swoop.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Doggo has, of course, now been asleep for two and a half hours. I really, really hope I don't end up having to take him to the A&E. Desperately trying to get his digestive system back on track and his anxiety down—all while trying not to be uptight around him (because he's a pupper and can tell).

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Okay. I think he's finally asleep. I'll go grab... two hours? (Maybe he won't want his walk at 6? HA HA HA.)

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hooray! (Oddly, the timing on this is perfect for me; reading my way through it at three in the morning feels about right for the setting...)

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

...and we're up again. Damnit. I really don't want to have to drug the pupper again, but if he can't handle husband not being home without staying awake all night unless I'm right there beside him... oof.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I have accomplished almost no writing while husband has been gone and wow is it feeling like defeat. This is the part where I should say the things to myself I'd say to my friends—dude, you're really tired, it took four days for the dog to sleep through the night, weather headaches, etc.—but as if.

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Olivia Dade @oliviawrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I have a new short story out now! "A Solstice Kiss" is the gentle, cozy tale of a woman stuck in a rut who finds a new path forward--and a possible new love--while visiting Stockholm. ❄️ Also, the other authors in the collection are a romance Murderers' Row! www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Tw...

simonandschuster.com

The Twelve Loves of Christmas

Count down to Christmas with this delightful advent calendar of twelve sealed holiday love stories by beloved romance authors.The Twelve Loves of C...

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Reposted by 'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con!

Maybe It Will Happen Today @today-maybe.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

A squirrel is standing inside and peeking over the top rim of a hollowed out pumpkin. The top of the pumpkin can be seen behind. The squirrel is wearing a slouchy black witch hat with orange stripes and holding a squirrel-sized chef knife. The knife is because the squirrel has carved the words ‘MAYBE IT WILL HAPPEN’ in the side of the pumpkin and in the ground in front the word ‘TODAY’ has been spelled with stringy orange pumpkin guts with seeds scattered all around.

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"My Secret Santa" is a terrible Christmas romance (but I'm having a blast). Reverse Mrs. Doubtfire but single mom dressing up as Santa—falling for the owner of the resort—and they kept the gay brother-and-his-partner even, but rather than "of course they know makeup!" they're Hallowe'en freaks.

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Dungeons & Drimbus @drimbuspod.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A “relaxing” night of Big Walk is always fun 😵‍💫😂 But sometimes you gotta call out a pumpkin eater when you see one. Join us for “relaxation” on Drimbus Clubhouse Thursdays at 8 PM ET on twitch.tv/drimbuspod #BigWalk @hschooner.bsky.social @kaylatemshiv.bsky.social @gianster98.bsky.social

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'Nathan Burgoine (he/him) will be at Can*Con! @nathanburgoine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Having left Audible behind for Libro and KoboPlus, I was a little sad at how many of my favourite authors didn't release audiobooks widely (rather, I should say, more likely their publishers don't), but I found some previous favourites are now on KoboPlus and so I've got a few titles to catch up! :D

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