iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 6h

Why are so many politicians dumb?

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 18h

I'm liking a Brewers vs. Guardians World Series

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Now reading: "City of the Muse" by Kate Hilton 💙📚 #booksky

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Well, this is annoying. Guess I'll be doing my holiday shopping elsewhere this year.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Now reading: "Rush Hour" by Iain Gately 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of Rush Hour by Iain Gately. The design uses a black-and-white archival city photograph showing a busy urban street canyon lined with tall buildings. Numerous cars fill the roadway below, emphasizing congestion and dense metropolitan traffic. An airplane is visible high above the street near the top of the cover.

Centered over the photograph is a large black circle containing the book’s typography. Near the top of the circle is the author’s name, “Iain Gately,” in small white text. The title “RUSH HOUR” appears in larger white uppercase letters across the middle. Beneath it is the subtitle, “How 500 million commuters survive the daily journey to work.”

The overall look is documentary-like and historical, using the crowded monochrome city scene to emphasize commuting, traffic, urban growth, and the routines of everyday travel.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Guy who completely loses his marbles over Apple incorrectly implementing app window corners can suddenly justify using a platform owned by a fascist sympathizer because it has "action". And judging from the blog post, we can look forward to a follow up deriding people who have called this out.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Now reading: "Sublimation" by Isabel J. Kim 💙📚 #booksky

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Now reading: "The Isle in the Silver Sea" by Tasha Suri 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri. The design has a dark, lush fantasy atmosphere, with a dense woodland background in deep greens, browns, and shadowed golds.

At the top, a review quote reads, “Fiercely tender, wildly imaginative, and deeply smart.” — Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author. The title is arranged dramatically across the cover in large white serif and blackletter-style text: “The ISLE in the SILVER SEA.”
At the center is an ornate oval mirror with an elaborate silver frame decorated with curling floral and sculptural details. The mirror reflects a misty, pale landscape or distant structure. Two hands reach toward each other across the mirror: the hand on the left emerges from a sleeve of polished silver armor, while the hand on the right has a medium-brown skin tone, a floral tattoo on the back, and an ornate dark cuff or bracelet. Their fingertips nearly touch at the center.
The author’s name, “TASHA SURI,” appears across the bottom in large pale blue uppercase letters. The overall mood is romantic, magical, and mysterious, suggesting a fantasy story involving two people separated by different worlds, identities, or realms.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So the MAGA crowd and fans of Lord Felon Conrad Black won't like it. Neither will those who prefer the (often insipid) travelogues from YouTube influencers. Which means it's a really good read. #booksky

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Points for this: '...territory to force Britain to grant Ireland its freedom. A "rag-tag of Irish bigots and hooligans," wrote Canadian multimillionaire and white-collar criminal Conrad Black in his history of Canada, describing the invaders.'

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Now reading: "True North: On the Road in Canada" by Paul Theroux 💙📚 #booksky Read mixed reviews about this so we shall see.

The cover of True North: On the Road in Canada by Paul Theroux. The design uses a full-page landscape photograph of Canadian mountains in autumn. Snow-covered mountain peaks rise across the upper half beneath a bright blue sky, with bands of low white cloud drifting across the slopes.
Below the mountains is a dark evergreen forest, followed by a lake or river bordered by vivid yellow and orange autumn trees. A paved road curves through the lower foreground, reinforcing the travel theme.
The title “TRUE NORTH” appears in very large white uppercase letters across the upper-middle portion of the cover. Beneath it, “ON THE ROAD” is printed in large gray uppercase letters, followed by “IN CANADA” in pale yellow uppercase text. At the bottom, the author’s name, “PAUL THEROUX,” appears in large white uppercase letters.
The overall mood is expansive, scenic, and reflective, suggesting a travel narrative focused on journeys through Canada’s landscapes and regions

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Average American: Shrug.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Now reading: "The Republic of Memory" by Mahmud El Sayed 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed. The artwork shows a dense futuristic city built inside or along the cross-section of a massive space-station-like structure. Layers of white and gray architectural platforms run horizontally across the cover, each packed with miniature buildings, towers, domes, and clustered urban skylines.

The title, “THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY,” appears in large tall white uppercase letters at the upper left. Behind and beneath it are stacked city levels, with a mix of industrial surfaces, glassy blue windows, and intricate mechanical details. In the lower left is a section of green hexagonal panels, suggesting a greenhouse, habitat dome, or engineered living zone.

Near the bottom right, the author’s name, “MAHMUD EL SAYED,” appears in large white uppercase letters. The overall mood is detailed, architectural, and speculative, suggesting a science fiction story about cities, civilization, memory, and life within an engineered or orbital environment.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I still don't know why the Raptors want a seven years older Kawhi who's more prone to injuries and at the very center of this corruption scandal.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Now reading: "Taipei Story" by R.F. Kuang 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of *Taipei Story* by R. F. Kuang. The background is a deep blue-to-purple gradient, with a bright, delicate illustrated collage occupying the right and lower portions of the cover. At the top, small white text reads “#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR,” followed by the author’s name, “R. F. KUANG,” in very large widely spaced white uppercase letters.

The central artwork shows a floating, storybook-like version of Taipei made from miniature landmarks, landscapes, and cultural objects. A tall green skyscraper resembling Taipei 101 rises on the right, near orange temple roofs, rolling green hills, white clouds, a bus, flowering trees, a blue-and-white porcelain vase with pink blossoms, a bowl of food with a spoon, fruit, and small buildings. The illustration has a soft watercolor style and appears to rest on a floating island above stylized blue waves.

On the left side, “A NOVEL” is printed vertically in small white uppercase letters. The title “TAIPEI STORY” fills the lower portion in enormous white uppercase letters, partially overlaying the waves and floating landscape. The overall mood is elegant, nostalgic, and literary, suggesting a story rooted in place, memory, family, and Taiwanese culture.

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Reposted by NeilN 🍁

Dale Smith @journodale.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The insistence by many Americans that Trump was somehow imposed upon them and that they are powerless about it is just absolutely boggling.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Now reading: "The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" by Gil Duran @gilduran.com 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil Durán. The design is stark and confrontational, using a bright red background overlaid with faint circuit-board patterns, suggesting technology, electronics, and digital power structures.

At the top, the title “THE NERD REICH” appears in large heavy black uppercase letters. Centered in the middle, the subtitle “SILICON VALLEY FASCISM AND THE WAR ON DEMOCRACY” is printed in bold white uppercase text. Near the bottom, the author’s name, “GIL DURÁN,” appears in large black uppercase letters.

The overall design is minimal but aggressive, with the red-and-black palette and circuitry motif giving the cover a warning-sign quality. It suggests a political critique of Silicon Valley, authoritarianism, tech culture, and threats to democratic institutions.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

WE'RE NOT TAKING TED CRUZ BACK.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Now reading: "Lords of Uncreation" by Adrian Tchaikovsky 💙📚 #booksky

$The cover of Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The design shows a sweeping science fiction space scene in deep blues, black, white, and fiery orange. At the top, the author’s name, “ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY,” appears in large spaced white uppercase letters. Beneath it, a tagline reads, “AS THEY RISE WORLDS WILL FALL.” The title “LORDS OF UNCREATION” dominates the center in very large white uppercase letters. Behind the text is a dramatic cosmic background with clouds of blue nebulae, stars, and bursts of light. On the left, a huge planet fills much of the cover, its surface glowing with yellow, orange, and brown tones as if scorched or storm-wracked. Several spacecraft move through the scene. Near the lower center, a large dark angular ship with bright engine lights flies close to the planet. To the right, a fleet of smaller sleek ships travels through blue space. In the upper right, strange spherical objects or alien structures float, including one large icy or metallic form that appears fractured or spiked. Near the lower left is a round badge noting that the book won the Arthur C. Clarke Award. The overall mood is vast, apocalyptic, and cinematic, suggesting interstellar war, planetary destruction, and enormous cosmic stakes.$

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

People. Just because a screenshot contains a link to a reputable news source doesn't mean the content came from the news source. Verify!

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Now reading: "A Deadly Episode" by Anthony Horowitz 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz. The design is minimalist and graphic, with a pale cream background and a stark red, black, and gray illustration.

At the top, black uppercase text reads “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF,” followed by smaller italic text mentioning Magpie Murders and Close to Death. In the center is a red director’s chair with black frame lines, suggesting a film or television production setting. A large kitchen knife is stuck into the back of the chair, its black handle angled upward and its gray blade pointing downward.

The title “A DEADLY EPISODE” stretches across the middle in bold black uppercase letters, partly interrupted by the chair. A large black triangular shadow extends from the chair down toward the lower left, creating a dramatic crime-scene effect. Small red text on the shadow reads “a novel.”

At the bottom, the author’s name appears in large black lowercase serif letters, with “anthony” smaller above the much larger “horowitz.” The overall mood is clean, theatrical, and ominous, suggesting a murder mystery connected to show business or television production.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Trump being a fan of the crackhead Ford checks out.

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Reposted by NeilN 🍁

Dale Smith @journodale.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Americans writ large don't see us as a real country. We're an abstraction for them to project their domestic politics onto. That's why we have no real allies amongst American politicians, and why I have zero time for them proclaiming how much they "stand by us" while doing exactly nothing about it.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Now reading: "All That We See or Seem" by Ken Liu 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu, labeled “A Julia Z Novel.” The design is sleek and minimalist, with a dark, blurred background that looks like a digital screen or distorted abstract image in deep navy, purple, red, and faint teal tones.

The title “ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM” is stacked vertically down the center in thin, futuristic cyan letters. Some of the letterforms are stylized with gaps, glitches, and geometric breaks, giving the typography a technological or cyberpunk feel. Along the right side, small vertical text reads “A JULIA Z NOVEL.”

Near the bottom, “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR” appears in small white uppercase letters, followed by the author’s name, “KEN LIU,” in larger white spaced-out uppercase text.

The overall mood is cool, mysterious, and digital, suggesting speculative fiction involving perception, technology, memory, or reality itself.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I really am trying to buy all my ebooks from Kobo instead of Amazon but it's hard to love the experience when basic functionality is broken.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Now reading: "I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution" by Craig Marks & Rob Tannenbaum 💙📚 #booksky

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Now reading: "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke 💙📚 #booksky Very different from what I usually read so we shall see.

The cover of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. The design is minimalist and atmospheric, with a wide open rural landscape at the bottom and a large gradient sky above. The sky shifts from pale turquoise on the left to warm golden-orange on the right, creating a soft nostalgic or dreamlike effect.

The title “YESTERYEAR” appears across the upper middle in very large tall uppercase letters. The lettering transitions from red on the left to dark brown or black on the right, echoing the color shift in the sky. Beneath the title, the author’s name, “CARO CLAIRE BURKE,” appears in smaller red uppercase text on the left, while “A NOVEL” appears in small black uppercase text on the right.

At the bottom, a sunlit countryside scene shows golden fields, a sloping hill, a few farm buildings or barns, and distant mountains fading into the background. The overall mood is quiet, reflective, and pastoral, suggesting memory, time, rural life, and looking back at the past.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Having read the Divine Cities Trilogy and now the third book in this series, I can say there's no one quite like Bennet for making you feel you're just seeing a tiny piece of a vast world.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Definitely not a fan of this new "click link we emailed you" login mechanism websites are implementing. Especially when it takes 5-6 minutes to get the email. Looking at you Anthropic.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Do you really have to give more exposure to our home-grown Trump bootlickers @theglobeandmail.com ?

“The Prime Minister has repeatedly and deliberately provoked the U.S. President. Just to name a few, these provocations include allowing Doug Ford to run anti-tariff Ronald Reagan advertising in the United States; mumbling “who cares” late last year when a reporter asked how free trade negotiations were going; the Davos speech; jetting about in search of new trade deals elsewhere; more recently saying that Canada’s ties with the U.S. have become “weaknesses.”
Canadians who think the U.S. is totally at fault for the mess we’re in should give their heads a shake.

Marcia Garman Medicine Hat, Alta.”

Excerpt From
“Opinion: ‘The Prime Minister has repeatedly and deliberately provoked the U.S. President.’ Letters to the editor for Aug. 7”
The Globe and Mail
https://apple.news/Az7hx31wxTR2T20JgOAtd-g
This material may be protected by copyright.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Now reading: "A Trade of Blood" by Robert Jackson Bennett 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett, labeled “An Ana & Din Mystery.” The design resembles an ornate vintage book cover in deep burgundy, white, gray, and gold. A decorative rectangular border frames the cover, with geometric corner panels and small silhouetted figures inside circular medallions.

At the center, the title “A TRADE OF BLOOD” appears in elegant pale lettering, surrounded by thin ornamental flourishes. Above and below the title are scientific-style illustrations of mushrooms, including a large mushroom cap near the top and smaller fungi near the center. Beneath the title is an anatomical line drawing of a human head and neck, with visible internal structures, adding a medical or investigative tone.

Along the left edge and lower right edge, clusters of yellowish plants grow over the cover as if emerging from the book itself. The words “NATIONALLY,” “BESTSELLING,” and “AUTHOR” appear around the upper border, while “ROBERT,” “JACKSON,” and “BENNETT” are arranged around the lower border in gold lettering.

The overall mood is gothic, mysterious, and scientific, combining fungi, anatomy, blood imagery, and old-book ornamentation to suggest a dark fantasy mystery involving disease, investigation, and unsettling secrets.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

@captmediocre.bsky.social I don't know if Rebecca Romijn singing Klingon power ballads was worth the rest of that journey.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Ted Lasso returns showcasing decency, optimism, and gentle humour again. Critics are going to hate it.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Now reading: "The Raven Scholar" by Antonia Hodgson 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. The design uses a rich dark purple background with thin gold border lines and ornate corner details, giving it an elegant fantasy look.

A large white line-art raven dominates the upper left and top of the cover. Its head and beak angle downward from the top right area, while its detailed feathers sweep across the upper left. One large clawed foot reaches in from the left side near the middle, adding a sharp, ominous feeling.

The title, “THE RAVEN SCHOLAR,” appears in large gold serif letters across the center. Beneath the title are two short endorsement quotes: “Vast and intricate” — Alix E. Harrow, and “Immersive and enthralling” — Tasha Suri. The author’s name, “ANTONIA HODGSON,” fills the lower portion in oversized pale lavender serif letters, with a small gold star-like symbol inside the “O” of “ANTONIA.”

The overall mood is refined, dark, and mysterious, suggesting scholarly intrigue, ravens, political fantasy, and secrets within an ornate magical world.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Put on the Stones' new "Foreign Tongues" album, expecting a one and done listen but... I'm loving it? 👍👍

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Now reading: "The Incandescent" by Emily Tesh 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of The Incandescent by Emily Tesh. The design has a dark, celestial fantasy style, with a black background covered in fine gold orbital lines, dotted arcs, small stars, and constellation-like circles.

A large phoenix-like bird fills most of the cover, drawn in flowing orange and gold line art. Its wings, tail, and feathers curl across the page in flame-like shapes, making the bird look both avian and fiery. The bird’s head points left, while its long body and sweeping tail stretch diagonally through the composition.

The author’s name, “EMILY TESH,” appears near the upper right in large white serif letters. The title, “THE INCANDESCENT,” is set across the lower half in large white serif text. Beneath the title is a quote: “Searingly brilliant. . . This is magical school with teeth.” — Tasha Suri, award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne.

The overall mood is elegant, magical, and ominous, suggesting fire, transformation, celestial magic, and a dark academic fantasy setting.

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Oh, man. I thought "Death of the Author" by Nnedi Okorafor was a lock to get my Hugo vote for best novel but... #booksky

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NeilN 🍁 @neiln.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Now reading: "The Everlasting" by Alix E. Harrow 💙📚 #booksky

The cover of The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. The design is dark, ornate, and romantic, with a black background and a large layered arch or shield shape in deep teal and burgundy tones. At the top, a tagline reads, “A LEGEND. A LIE. A LOVE STORY.”

The title, “THE EVERLASTING,” appears in large cream-colored serif letters across the upper middle, while the author’s name, “ALIX E. HARROW,” fills the lower half in even larger cream letters. A vertical golden sword runs down the center of the cover, splitting the composition and passing behind the text. Within the sword’s shape, part of a human face is visible, including one eye, giving the image a mysterious, hidden-identity effect.

Gold vines curl symmetrically around the title and sword, decorated with leaves, butterflies, and flowers in red, blue, purple, white, and pale pink. The floral details give the cover a medieval illuminated-manuscript or fairy-tale quality.

At the bottom, small text reads “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF STARLING HOUSE.” The overall mood is lush, mythic, and dramatic, suggesting a story about romance, legend, secrets, and enduring love.

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