iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 6h

Here's a big fat lie from my local (state senate) Republican candidate.

Campaign ad claiming that "girls are being robbed of their hard-earned trophies and scholarships because our current senator allows boys to play in girls sports."

Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Here in Minnesota, we talk about the weather a lot, though in a fact-of-the-matter way. The Northeast apparently needs to make it all about them and their feelings.

Weather map of the Northeast with a label "annoyingly wet and gusty" covering most of the region.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The best argument I've heard for a Harris candidacy.

headline from Politico: "Newsom says he won't run for president if Harris runs again"

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

"What's the story, morning glory? : The Garden as Oasis"

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

#UsedToBeAHooters (Mall of America, or if you'd prefer, Mall of Southern Canada, September 2026)

Closed restaurant in shopping mall, with a bright orange awning.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

You mean, it doesn't work to say "we offer sports betting" and "we are not a sports betting platform" simultaneously?

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Do you think the authors are potentially biased?

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

What are the chances that Trump directly ordered this detour, saying, "I learned from an old friend that there's no better way to recover than to enjoy the company of some nice young escort girls"?

News update from CNN, USS Abraham Lincoln stopping in Thailand on its way home from the Middle East.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Turns out that AI *can* be useful...

AI Google results indicating the falsity of Tuberville's claim about tax revenues in Alabama due to a data center.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

And of course, Amy Klobuchar makes no commitments, takes no stands, and tries to please everyone.

Short StarTribune report on Amy Klobuchar's reaction to Tim Walz' executive order, in which she says she needs to take a closer look before making a decision. The report also indicates that she has long supported the state's mining industry but opposed the congressional effort to open up mining in the BWCA.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Prince of Peace Lutheran in Roseville! I recently took a photo at that church, of an organized group which was making preparations to move across international borders and become migrants without U.S. government visas. Here it is:

A family of Canadian geese on the lawn of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville, MN in 2026.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

It's not like ESPN is hiding it.

snippet of ESPN article on the sale of the LA Lakers, giving background on Kushner.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Birds Perched on a Dead American Mall, 2026

Geometric forms of a disused open-air outlet mall.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

No tattoos myself, but given my phone lock screen, this is a great choice! Way to go!

Phone lock screen with the image of a puffin flying just above the surface of the water.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Rufus wants to ask if this post is exclusionary toward the long-legged dogs of the Twin Cities.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I'm pondering the Unitary Executive implications. Do UE advocates think this unconstitutional as applied to the president? Might the Supreme Court find this to be another particular exemption, like the Fed was for the removal power, just because (they don't want to be subject to investigation)?

"Kies at times clashed behind the scenes with White House officials, the people said. That included a recent meeting in which he contended that a potential White House request would violate Section 7217 of the Internal Revenue Code, one of the people said. That law prohibits the president, vice president, White House staff and certain agency heads from directly or indirectly requesting that the IRS conduct or terminate an audit or investigation of any particular taxpayer."

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

My answer to this question would also be van Eyck, though specifically Adam's foot on the Ghent alterpiece.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

A live look at the algae spreading to the Smithsonian castle.

Screencap of a Krynoid from the Doctor Who episode, Seeds of Doom.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Throwing away a lot of old lecture notes from a file cabinet. But then I wonder, what if overhead projector transparencies have a comeback, like cassette tapes?...

a stack of lecture transparencies from the pre-Powerpoint (later, Slides) days.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

If anyone is throwing a World Cup watching party tonight, for the Turkey-Paraguay matchup, Google AI describes the fusion of their foods as an "incredibly niche" cuisine but very compatible.

Google AI search results for what a Turkish-Paraguayan fusion cuisine would look like, describing it as "an incredibly niche but highly compatible culinary concept".

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Serving fusion cuisine based on the matchup? This is actually a perfect use for AI, because of its tendency toward unbridled confidence and encouragement. As the saying goes, it goes so fast into whether you can, it doesn't pause to ask whether you should. Here are some of the ideas...

A list of fusion dish ideas and notes on ingredients for the possibility of a Norwegian-Iraqi cuisine. Includes Cardamom Lefse Wraps and Date & Brunost Pastry.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Poor Marco is still wearing those huge shoes--so large that the cuff of his shoe falls into it. Just ridiculous.

Marco Rubio wearing shoes so large that his pantsleg falls into it.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

I think the "FT" means they aren't going to find that breakthrough.

screencap from ESPN with the headline, "Spain still searching for breakthrough vs. Cape Verde" and the score 0-0 marked as "FT" (full time).

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

It's going to be a bumper crop of swallowtail butterflies in our garden this year.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Wonder of wonders, some Einstein came up with an innovative new strategy.

AP news headline: "Emboldened Senate Democrats block even bipartisan bills in hardball approach to counter Trump"

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

They argue for *sharing sensitive data* but with protections. Oh, I'm sure that will work, right? And somehow they suggest that "real agency" needs to be built into it, but everything they say diminishes the agency of the student or patient, whose data we're talking about.

Conclusion paragraph from the above-linked article, arguing for a shift from "data minimization to data stewardship".

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

When aimed at the regulatory level, I disagree but am not bothered. But this quote takes the next step to an ethical argument: It's bad for people to refuse to let AI into their medical records.

Quote from an article, criticizing things that restrict AI use in healthcare and education, from the perspective of efficacy and efficiency.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

My favorite type of post is seeing what people are reading. Here's my summer reading list here, minus a few older ones. @juliabowes.bsky.social, @profferguson.bsky.social, and @unlawfulentries.bsky.social included!

Stack of books including ones by Anna Law, Julia Bowes, and Andrew Guthrie Ferguson.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I frequently type in a word and add "synonym" when writing. Here's what I just got:

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

My German-American family traditions, for the win.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Most people try to exact retribution, but Trump is just a poser trying to enact retribution.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Unfortunately, I just googled "Richard Primus Scholarship" and he doesn't offer any.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

This sounds serious. Should judges be mogging defendants? What is the history and tradition of mogging in Anglo-American law? Does the Code of Judicial Conduct need to be updated to account for mogging?

A post, with photo of a judge, from Twitter which says, "I enjoy the irony of Clavicular, the supposed number one 'looksmaxxer' being absolutely mogged by the Judge in his Miami case."

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

We're going to take another spin around this cycle, I guess. Cue the crisis when we realize what things should have been disclosed.

Headline saying "Regulators Poised to Lighten Disclosure Requirements for $26 Trillian Private Fund Industry"

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

This is how we roll these days. {buh-boom, ching!}

woman in driver's seat of red tesla, smoking a joint and enjoying the self-driving mode

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

I am seldom stopped in my tracks when scanning the news. But this headline:

NYT headline: Vance says the pope should be more careful when talking about theology.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

If you write headlines that tell people what they should do, thus creating duties and burdens, *you* should reflect on why you're being like that.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

One of the reasons why the Constitution of 1789 is dead: The settlement regarding the role and limits of the executive has collapsed. No one can or will check executive power. The best hope for limited government is not to attempt to renew the old norms but to build from new text.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Why does he look like an AI mash-up of JD Vance and Ted Cruz?

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Americans want the regime to end? Great. Let's start impeachment proceedings tomorrow morning.

Headline from CBS news, "iran war, rising gas prices fuel economic concerns; most say conflict not going well, don't want regime left in power, CBS News poll finds".

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

This is the biggest insult to the 250th anniversary observances.

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

That opening... "Courts cannot tell the President what to say..." It's certainly got flair! How does one learn to write so dramatically? Oh...this is Abhishek's background:

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Patrick Schmidt @pdwschmidt.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Remarkable framing. Alt: "Trump's Terrible Judgment of Character and Utter Lack of Management Skill Leaves Him Fighting Fires Everywhere".

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