iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 22/09/2026

The last mega 𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘰 in our area: multiple blizzards, days of freezing rain thunderstorms. 50+ cm of snow in 6 hours one day. The mega 𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘰 before? *The* ice storm. 100 mm of freezing rain in a few days. Complete electric grid collapse.

People stand beside cars, with multiple collapsed hydro pylons in the background (at least 6 of them). Photo taken after the January 1998 ice storm.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 29/07/2026

Yes, when I asked to convert 14.6 mm to an imperial measurement I certainly meant I wanted it in miles. Thanks Google!

Screenshot of Google unit converter saying 14.6 mm is 9.072e-6 miles.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 10/07/2026

While most of you plebs were working yesterday, I was enjoying the great outdoors (dropping 4 cm of rain on me while I set up camp).

A green tent sits under a white tarp as an over-roof. The ground looks damp, the edges of the tent are muddy. The tent is in a lush green forest.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 01/07/2026

Absolutely insane amount of lightning in this storm. #OttWx #OttawaWeather

A screenshot of radar + lightning map, where the entire storm is invisible because it's covered in lightning markers.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 24/06/2026

Absolutely devastating to see this in a museum.

An Apple iPod with earbuds is in a glass box at a museum. The iPod was released in 2004

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 25/03/2026

It looks like my Sigma Aldrich mug!

A large coffee mug with periodic table style element boxes on it. The elements are somewhat randomly distributed and an additional element Tw (Techware) is added as branding

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 16/03/2026

My balance manufacturer wishes for me to know how to test the sensitivity, repeatability, and eccentricity of my equipment. No problem! #ChemChat

A stock photo of an analytical balance with tears coming from both sides, with the words ANGER, FEAR, INSECURITY, COMPASSION, SUPPORT, KINDNESS and STRENGTH superimposed

A stock photo of a balance repeatedly posted ontop of itself to show a cascade.

A stock photo of a top loader analytical balance, with a flask on top. The flask has clown hair, the balance has an eccentric pair of glasses, and the cord is tied to a tag that shows eccentric ellipses.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 18/02/2026

46.36 out of 50 - not bad? dialed.gg

A screenshot from the dialed.gg game saying 46.36/50, with 5 coloured boxes below. The comment "Suspiciously accurate. We're going to need to see your browser history" is below that.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 26/12/2025

Boxing Day is a great time to take a breath after the Christmas hubbub

A coffee with a stroop waffle sits on a table

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 16/12/2025

Toilet ability marketing is in a weird place these days.

A sign on a toilet saying "FLUSHES 7 BILLIARD BALLS IN A SINGLE FLUSH"

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 01/12/2025

Here are some of the scenarios for #F1 Drivers World Championship with the final race of the 2025 season this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

Screenshot of text:

DWC Scenarios
1) Lando wins if 3rd or higher, or loses less than 13 points to Max and 17 points from Oscar in any fashion
2) Max wins at 3rd or higher and Lando 9th or lower, 2nd or higher and Lando gets 8th or lower (points tied at 7th, Lando wins countback), or win and Lando 4th or lower
3) Lando wins if Max 4th or lower and Oscar 3rd or lower
4) Max 1st, Oscar 2nd, Lando 9th has Max winning and ties the maclaren drivers at 410 points (lando wins countback for 2nd places)
5) Oscar wins if winning GP, and Lando gets 6th or lower
6) Oscar wins if 2nd and Max is 4th or lower and Lando 9th or lower
7) If Lando DNF: Max needs 3rd to win, Oscar needs 2nd to win (and Max 4th or less)
8) 4 point gain by Oscar over Max (e.g. 4 & 6, 5 & 7, 6 & 8 or 8 & 0), puts them to tie points, Oscar wins countback on 2nd places

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 29/10/2025

Jesus and John Wayne by @kkdumez.bsky.social provides incredible coverage of the driving forces behind the American right wing political sphere

The book cover for Jesus and John Wayne by KK Du Mez

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 23/10/2025

Look out everybody, I'm using a magnet today.

Six labelled NMR tubes are shown with blue or green caps.

#Chemsky

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 05/10/2025

Welcome to life in Canada where things are just completely randomly measured

Même "How to measure things like a Canadian" flow chart

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 05/10/2025

@bot.bulsink.ca Race Predictions for the #F1 #SingaporeGP Looks like the model things George Russell wins or drops out of contention completely. Williams' pair still reasonable shot at points despite having a 10th row lockout after their penalties.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 04/10/2025

Race predictions for #F1 #SingaporeGP after the first two hours of practice show a strong performance from Max Verstappen is expected.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 03/10/2025

Jeddah, Baku, Austin, Interlagos, Yas Marina are counterclockwise.

A map of the Jeddah Corniche F1 circuit with a red arrow showing the direction of travel at the start finish straight

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 29/09/2025

I really appreciate the productive criticism models get at this time of year.

Screenshot of text saying "This has got to be the stupidest thing I've seen in a while"

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 23/09/2025

That's.... a lot of references. #Chemsky #Magnetsky #NMR

$Photo of text: Numerous studies report the use of NMR spectroscopy for the analysis of gasoline, 21,25-27,48-52 diesel, 28,32,53-59 kerosene, 53,54,57,60-62 fuel oil, 33 hydrodesulfurized coal liquids, 63,64 65-68 distillate fractions, 65-68 and crude petroleum.69 Most commonly, ¹H NMR,2 25-28,32,33,67,69,70 ¹³C NMR 30,56,57,61 or a combination of both 62 was used to generate mol % carbon or mol % hydrogen atom type descriptions of the fuel. Additionally, NMR spectra have been interpreted to give average structural parameters, 53,60,65,66,68 mass %, 21,25,49-52,58 or volume % 25,48 descriptors. However, these interpretations...$

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 20/09/2025

With the practice sessions in the bag, here's an updated prediction for #F1 #AzerbaijanGP Qualifying. The Maclaren duo and Max continue to show dominance, while the historical overperformance by Charles here takes a smaller role in developing predictions now that some on-track time has occurred.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 19/09/2025

For Azerbaijan Grand Prix, before this morning's practice session here were the predictions on where each driver may qualify! A much more varied field than at Monza #F1 #F1Quali #BakuGP #AzerbaijanGP

A table showing the expected qualifying chances for each driver at each position in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Higher odds are lighter/yellower, lower odds are darker/more purple.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 10/09/2025

There's a farmer's almanac / wives' tale forecast for the coming winter based on these caterpillars. The thicker the brown (typically between the two black ends) the harder the winter... I fear we're in for a tough time in the coming months.

Two mostly brown caterpillars (with black bits at one end).

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 07/09/2025

Chonky boi on the park play equipment

A cicada on some park play structure floor.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 05/09/2025

Working on a F1 predictive model for races and quali simulations. Without including the practice data from today, and with much model optimization to go, here's the predictions on Quali positions for the Italian Grand Prix #F1 #Monza #F1Quali

Predicted F1 Qualifying position for the Italian Grand Prix. Piastri has the highest odds at pole position (47.7%) followed by Norris (35.6%), Leclerc (16.3%) Verstappen (12.8%) and Russel (12.6%). all other drivers have less than 5 % chance at pole. Final predicted order is: Piastri - Norris - Leclerc - Max Verstappen - Russell - Hamilton - Antonelli - Hadjar - Bortoleto - Lawson - Albon - Alonso - Tsunoda - Bearman - Sainz - Hulkenberg - Ocon - Stroll - Gasly - Colapinto

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 23/08/2025

Head out to the wilderness and find a moment of peace.

Photo of the milky way above black trees.

A photo of a mirror-flat lake with trees and clouds reflected.

A photo of the island on Sec Lake, Algonquin Park that inspired a Thom Thompson painting

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 21/08/2025

Maybe just passed between Hepburn and Langham?

Screenshot of velocity showing possible tornado in Saskatchewan north west of Saskatoon.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 09/08/2025

It can pass that elementary chem question.

A screenshot of text conversation with ChatGPT-5.
Question: "How many carbon atoms are in water?"
Response: "Water (H₂O) contains zero carbon atoms — it’s just two hydrogens and one oxygen.

If your water has carbon atoms in it, that’s not pure water anymore… it’s either contaminated, or you’ve just discovered a new beverage."

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 08/08/2025

There's constant talk about cutting the 'bloated' Canadian federal public service. The number of public servants has stayed stable between 7 and 9 per 1000 residents over the past decade.

A plot showing the number of federal public servants per 1000 Canadian Citizens from 2005 to 2025. Data compared at April 1 of each year. The number hovers between 7 and 9 public servants per 1000 Canadians across the two decades.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 03/07/2025

Thank you for your attention to THIS batter.

Vanilla cake batter is poured from a mixing bowl into a round cake pan.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 24/06/2025

It looks like the CASLA radar station (Landrienne, QC) got knocked out by a storm yesterday afternoon. Hopefully it can come back online soon. #WxQC

A screenshot of a weather radar app showing a storm at the center (labelled CASLA) and the timestamp shows 15:23 (currently 15 hours old)

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 13/06/2025

Timeline cleanse! Our dog has dug a little dirt hole in the back yard that she loves laying in. May you find a place that makes you as happy as this hole makes her. Happy Friday!

A black dog lays in a little depression in the ground, with trees and a fence behind. The dog has a big smile on her face.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 06/06/2025

Welcome to Canada, where in the winter the air hurts your face, but in the summer it hurts your lungs.

A screenshot of text saying "Share: "Ottawa Air Quality is Unhealthy - on Friday, Jun 6th 2025, 05:00 am"", with a big red box underneath showing the number 169 and a big red text "Unhealthy"

At the bottom is a few bar charts of different pollutant levels for the past few days. PM2.5 is off the charts bad since last night.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 15/05/2025

I made an angel food cake - really good for a first try! I then got roasted by my wife and mother-in-law for using a Bundt pan instead of a tube pan but it came out fine. Served with whipped cream and fresh fruits (not pictured). #ChemistsWhoBake

An angel food cake in a dark grey Bundt pan rests upside down while cooling. The cake rose above the pan edge so the whole cake-in-pan rests on a small water glass on the center post of the pan

An un-glazed angel food cake with a single candle sits on a white tray.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 16/03/2025

Looks like Franktown radar (CASFT) finally managed to knock out all of the interference spikes. Looks so much better than the last few years!

A screenshot of a weather radar app showing precipitation as measured by Franktown radar CASFT (Environment Canada)

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 01/02/2025

Things look so bleak these days that @theglobeandmail.com put a "Good News" section in the print edition today.

Photo of a Globe and Mail newspaper section called "Good News" with a story entitled "Canadian Scientists have found a way to trap 'forever chemicals'"

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 30/01/2025

I think so‽ Here's the list of divisions from the abstract submission page, theoretically each has multiple symposia.

Screenshot of text stating:

Analytical (AN) Division
Biological/Medicinal (BM) Division
Catalysis (CA)
Chemical Education (CE)
Division Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Environmental (EN) Division
Green Chemistry (GC)
Inorganic (IN) Division
Macromolecular (MSED) Division
Materials (MT) Division
Organic (OR) Division
Physical, Theoretical, and Computational (PTC) Division
Rubber (RU)
Surface Science (SS) Division

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 31/12/2024

Saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Fraser Stoddart. I was inspired by a plenary talk he did at a conference a few years back... His embrace of diversity of ideas and scientists should guide us all in our work. #ChemSky

Photo of a slide from a presentation. Text says:

To achieve something that is... ...impactful in contemporary science... ...and to be singled out as a scientist... ...who leaves their mark on science... ...and ultimately technologies, you need to become recognized... ...widely as having...

DONE YOUR OWN THING

This goal means that you make... ...a conscious decision... ...to summon up enough courage... ...to tackle a big problem... ...for which no one has provided... ...a satisfactory scientific answer.

Tackle a BIG PROBLEM

Photo of presentation slide:

Stoddart Research Group

1967-2017

Six Universities

Sheffield, Birmingham, UCLA, Northwestern, Tianjin, University of New South Wales

One Company

ICI Corporate Laboratory

Two Start-Up Companies

Four Countries

UK/US/China / Australia

During 50 years

50 Different Nationalities

among

500 Grad Students / Postdocs

SCIENCE IS GLOBAL / SCIENCE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 25/12/2024

Cute! This is my sister's pup, my normal pup (I'm not home today) is a good girl lab-collie mix.

A black dog lab/collie mix lays on a dog bed and chews a large bone.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 25/12/2024

Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays everyone!

A snoozing brown dog on my lap on a couch with a Christmas tree in the background.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 19/12/2024

We have a rotary stirrer for evaporation at work. It's like a multi-year rotovap. It's the simplest thing, but I could stare at it for hours. #RealTimeChem #ChemSky

A gif of a rotary stirrer with multiple small (100mL) vials inside with brown liquid. The rotary stirrer is on a lab bench, hooked up to some evaporation coils with green liquid flowing in them. The rotary stirrer is turned on, so the liquids inside are gently sloshing around in unison.

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Philip Bulsink 🇨🇦 @philip.bulsink.ca · 20/11/2024

Hey #Rstats, when I subset a data.frame with attributes by row, any attributes are retained. When subsetting by column, attributes are discarded. Any suggestions on avoiding this behavior?

R code:
``` r
attr(mtcars, "about") <- "cars"
attr(mtcars, "about")
#> [1] "cars"

attr(mtcars[mtcars$cyl == 4, ], "about")
#> [1] "cars"
attr(mtcars[, c("mpg", "cyl", "disp")], "about")
#> NULL
```

<sup>Created on 2024-11-20 with [reprex v2.1.1](https://reprex.tidyverse.org)</sup>

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