iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Greg Smith

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 16h

Palantir shifting from hiring only "Ivy or Ivy-equivalent" degrees to hiring only out of high school is an admission that "training" and "talent" were never factors at all. They were looking for packaging & prestige, and now they're looking for ignorance & impressionability.

Tech companies launching their own programs to train grads because they ‘can’t rely’ on Ivy Leagues
By Lydia Moynihan
Published Oct. 1, 2026, 6:00 a.m. ET

As the university system increasingly becomes a wildly expensive bastion of anti-Western sentiment, key figures in Silicon Valley are betting on alternatives to higher education. They argue that even the Ivy League is no longer producing the best candidates — nor are they even accepting some of the most qualified students.

“It used to be the case that you could rely on somebody who went to an Ivy or Ivy-equivalent to be top notch,” said Jordan Hirsch, who runs Palantir’s semester-long intensive Meritocracy Fellowship, which accepts high school graduates.“But that’s not the case anymore… we suspected that there was a lot of talent being missed.”

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Reposted by Greg Smith

PSAC-AFPC @psac-afpc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Cela fait aujourd'hui 100 jours que nos membres de la section locale 71250 sont en grève. Les agents et agentes de sécurité de la Banque du Canada méritent un contrat de travail juste et équitable. Les solutions sont sur la table. À la Banque d’agir. syndicatafpc.ca/100-jours-gr...

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This incident will be top-of-mind if (when) airlines renew their push for single-pilot operations.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Not “America Intelligence”, incredibly

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Reposted by Greg Smith

The Rundown @therundowntvo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"If service gets cut, demand falls even further." Eric Miller (@civmin.bsky.social) says VIA Rail risks a vicious cycle as it reduces service between Toronto and Ottawa. He and Karen Cross (Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce) discuss the future of Ontario passenger rail with @jeyantvo.bsky.social.

youtu.be

What's Happening to Passenger Rail in Ontario? | The Rundown

YouTube video by TVO Today

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Don’t worry, there’s a dedicated and vocal 10-15% of Canadians who will claim any non-Conservative PM is a dictator. They smoothly transitioned from claiming this about Trudeau to saying the same about Carney (before he’d even begun to govern). You’ll know them by their “FUCK [CURRENT PM]” flags.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

But also… “KN-95 or better masks” were certainly not “ubiquitous” even “during the heights of COVID-19”. Of these who did wear something, most wore cloth masks at first and then procedure masks as availability improved. Respirators were always rare.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

GHOST: The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown. HAMLET: O my prophetic soul! My motherfucking uncle!

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Feminize a band name Momster Magnet

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Many say Union Station is “unsafe” (code for “visibly homeless people exist there” rather than “stairwells and platforms are dangerously crowded”) but wow, I passed through at 1:30pm yesterday and I think a real concern is cleaning. Overflowing bins, flies (!), filthy food court tables.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

So, can we please take this as a sign that it’s finally time to have actually-locking lockers for our possessions in hospitals now?

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Ok, fine. I’ll bite. When I first heard this hypothetical I thought, who cares? But look at the photo. A lot of “iced coffee” drinks today are basically milkshakes. I think I WOULD look askance at someone slurping a milkshake, smoothie, &c during an interview. Water, coffee, tea? OK. Mealtime later.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Stopped, you say? Your honour I rest my case.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Cool, they’re just going to start pulling levers to see what happens now. Hang on!

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Countdown to some horrified British op-ed braingenius calling this “social contagion”… as opposed to people finding out a thing. God forbid.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

My little digital audio player surprised me with this classic youtu.be/eYbSvALbkX4?...

HiBy DAP playing “Dig Your Own Hole” by The Chemical Brothers

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Much buzz re: time zones as MB, too, jumps on the permanent DST bandwagon at the (relative) last minute. While doing some prep on this I noticed NRC’s useful time zone page has not been updated with info or new maps reflecting changes for BC, AB & MB. Caveat lector! nrc.canada.ca/en/certifica...

nrc.canada.ca

Time zones and daylight saving time - National Research Council Canada

Time zones and daylight saving time

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Reposted by Greg Smith

CPAC TV @cpac.ca · 20/09/2026

«Le moment est venu de resserrer nos liens entre le Canada et Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, entre le Canada et la France, entre le Canada et l'Union européenne», déclare le PM Carney lors d'une visite dans l'archipel français visant à démontrer l'unité entre les deux pays. #polcan

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A good way to stop strikes before they begin is to actually bargain with workers in good faith. Make a deal! Employers literally have *years* to do this but now often assume that back-to-work legislation will be readily available, so why should they even bother? financialpost.com/fp-work/cana...

financialpost.com

Canadian employers urge Carney to stop some strikes before they begin

Employers are urging Mark Carney’s government to allow the labour minister to preemptively limit strike action in some sectors. Read here

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Which, if true, would *maybe* balance out the ones in which AI is known to habe been an enthusiastic co-conspirator?

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Reposted by Greg Smith

CTV News Kitchener @ctvnewskitchener.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Fact File: White House claim of beer victory doused by Sapporo brewer - The White House jumped on a news report last week about tariffs prompting Sapporo Breweries to move production from Canada to the United States.

bit.ly

Fact File: White House claim of beer victory doused by Sapporo brewer

The White House jumped on a news report last week about tariffs prompting Sapporo Breweries to move production from Canada to the United States.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It would only be “hostile” to someone who thinks they own us.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Autocrat throws increasingly unhinged tantrums as ex(?)-client state seeks closer ties with more stable partners in the EU. Autocrat begins fomenting internal strife & separatism in breakaway resource-rich region. Canada 2026-, or Ukraine 2004-? Harder and harder to tell the difference.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This actually makes a lot of sense when you remember that Trump (a “wealthy” man) has famously been sued again and again for refusing to pay all manner of contractors and suppliers to his many ventures. Evidently he sees freely exchanging money for goods and services as “losing”.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Autarky has never REALLY been tried, so it would been foolish to dismiss it out of hand as a viable economic system.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

ON the Union GO derailment: “poor condition of the track fasteners "progressively developed over time through a combination of infrastructure degradation, historical maintenance practices, and reduced fastening effectiveness under repeated loading conditions…" www.thestar.com/news/gta/new...

thestar.com

Metrolinx report pulls back curtain on what led to GO train derailment outside Union Station

Visual inspections, maintenance issues led to poor track conditions near Union Station where a GO train derailed and caused chaos across the GO network.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Noted in @mkbhd.com’s iPhone Duo review that the device’s design seems like it just won’t work for left-handed users. UI for right thumb, Touch ID same. So much for universal design.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 09/09/2026

Watching this Apple event tout how iPhones will soon be able to record ambient audio/conversations and transcribe "high level notes" for you. It's billed as private and end-to-end encrypted, but I think the bigger harm is the normalization of always-listening devices. It's creepy and not normal.

a screenshot from an iPhone and Apple Watch showing "recaps" of conversations from ambient audio.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

This is the culture Sam Altman has talked openly about creating. It seems entirely likely that it’s the only kind of culture tech billionaires is really capable of envisaging, because it’s the only medium in which they can exist. Why other people are still interested is for them to explain

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Not trying to argue with OP directly here, but my concern is this: if you connect your toaster to the trigger, it can indeed shoot you. I’m not really worried about AI killing us all so much as people using AI as an excuse to do evil (as they already are).

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

So I spent ≈2 hours of my evening watching the video and… everything you assumed your smart TV was doing, it’s doing. But it can (and probably will) get much worse if the devices or LG’s back-end are compromised. Remains to be seen how other brands stack up. youtu.be/6IFVTcM28KA?si

youtu.be

216,000,000 Spy TVs | The LG Smart TV Problem

YouTube video by Gamers Nexus

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Whenever someone floats a “my AI will talk with your AI and so we won’t have to meet anymore” type of hypothetical I just completely disregard everything else they have to say.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Enjoy your command economy, Americans.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Canadian Labour @canadianlabour.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

L’histoire de la #FeteduTravail nous rappelle que tous les droits que nous avons acquis l’ont été parce que nous nous sommes serré les coudes.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Canadian Labour @canadianlabour.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Workers know challenges are ahead: tariffs, rising costs, and now a Labour Code review that could weaken the rights we've fought for. Meanwhile, corporations are celebrating record profits. Workers shouldn't be asked to give up their leverage to keep them growing.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The U.S. described updating world maps to show the *correct* size of Africa (and everything else) as a “radical ideological project”

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

What is an “unprovoked” attack in the context of… a war?

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Reposted by Greg Smith

YTSL @ytsl.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

My problem with paywalls has long been this: I wish I could pay for just the one article I want to read. Or even the one writer in the publication I wish to Follow. But, instead, I'm asked to pay for the entire publication. And there are so many of them I would have to pay for then.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I agree with this comparison completely. But also, every time I walk into a corner store I am shocked that a Snickers (smaller than before and with little real chocolate) is now like $3 CAD. So often, the price/value just doesn’t line up at point of purchase. So you have to be picky to enjoy it.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I wonder if there will be any mea culpas from the people who insisted skepticism about an wobbling, all-scaffolding outdoor venue of this size was silly and that code is perfectly adequate to ensure this structure was robust. It WAS an extreme weather event, but… yikes. www.cp24.com/local/toront...

cp24.com

Rogers Stadium suffers ‘significant damage’ after powerful Toronto storm

Toronto’s Rogers Stadium sustained “significant damage” during Wednesday’s powerful thunderstorms, with CP24 / CTV News Toronto helicopter video showing rows of bleacher seats tangled and destroyed wi...

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Simple instructions for migrating away from 1Password to Proton Pass, Nord Pass, Apple Passwords, and more, free, and all in one spot ⬇️

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Counterpoint: the US is destroying itself sooner than anyone could have predicted, so we need to look for other partners for the future regardless. There is no alternate reality where we go back to the way things were.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

“OCCUPY MARS” is literally one of the DOGE dork’s fav slogans tho… so I’m not exactly taking comfort in this comparison.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Here's the dramatic improvement of Republicans' opinion of Vladimir Putin in 2016. As with anti-Canada sentiment now, the unmistakable main cause of the change is Trump. I think of these examples when pundits claim politicians can't change public opinion so they must follow wherever it already is.

Graph of Economist/YouGov polling in 2016 on Americans' favorability of Vladimir Putin. Shows Republican approval of Putin leap up in mid and late 2016.

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Reposted by Greg Smith

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Republicans who see Canada as an enemy has leapt up this year, similar to how Republicans’ approval of Putin shot up in 2016. Virtually no anti-Canada US constituency before this year, and virtually no pro-Putin constituency before 2016. Out of nowhere. Now millions say that’s their position.

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Greg Smith @onshi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I didn’t expect how quickly news of drone attacks target e-commerce warehouses, datacenters, and shipping would flip from stunning to just another Monday. Numbing.

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