iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Ooh, I've just seen my next stage jacket...

Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Thoroughly enjoying The Strangers. Had to fact check @naomialderman.bsky.social and was thrilled to confirm that Daphne Isabel Maitland was indeed created by Dorita Fairlie Bruce en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorita_...

en.wikipedia.org

Dorita Fairlie Bruce - Wikipedia

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

That £5 shipping cost is hilarious.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

An estimate of the basic cost to rebuild the devastated area of Nepal: 10% of its GDP, $5Bn. See www.theguardian.com/commentisfre.... In other news, last Friday - just a single say- Jeff Bezos's personal wealth increased by over $9Bn www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/.

theguardian.com

The Nepal floods seem a world away – but make no mistake, climate breakdown will affect us all | Nesrine Malik

Richer countries might have more resources to deal with catastrophe, but this problem grips the entire planet, however much leaders may want to deny it, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I'm guessing you're here (Ipswich) purely for a personal visit? I only ask bc if you're doing an event I have one or two books in search of a signature...

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Agree. But Subspace Rhapsody was an absolute hoot and very well done. The rap and dance routine by the Klingons on the starboard bow in the final show-stopper number had me in stitches.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I knew I kept this for a reason...

Book: The RGO Guide to the 1999 Total Eclipse of the sun, complete with mylar glasses for safe viewing.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Thanks Cat. This is seriously important and impressive investigative journalism which is given a great platform in the excellent Naked Week, despite the disappointing absence of witches.

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Reposted by Phil Archer

Brilliant Maps @brilliantmaps.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

What A Circle With 5,000km Radius Centred On Paris Looks Like On A Mercator Map brilliantmaps.com/5000km-ra...

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Ah, but then the film would have gone on Forever and Ever...

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I usually listen to or watch @thenewsagents.co.uk. A question: what is Jon looking at to his right and down a bit? A monitor presumably? Emily and Lewis seem able to look at each other. I know this is very much a first world problem but it's really irritating :-)

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Interesting. I always ask my colleagues, especially women, to please stop apologising for asking questions and then start talking about Helen MacNamara and pointing them to philarcher.org/diary/2023/d...

philarcher.org

Please Don't Be Sorry

Reflections on the very sad and persistent fact that women apologise for asking exactly the right questions

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Does anyone else wait until they've got both books in a duology, or all three in a trilogy, before reading the first one? It's the best way to remember what the heck happened earlier. Thanks to @thebrokenbinding.bsky.social!

Two books side by side, parts 1 & 2 of Peter F Hamilton's Exodus duology

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Well that's doing my head in. I work for an organization that creates specs, as in, specifications. But that's not what this is about. Hmm...

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the latest defector to Reform UK: Sir Tony Blair Plausible @lewisgoodall.com ? Certainly feels like it to me.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

While out riding a bicycle the President came to an abrupt arboreal stop.

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Reposted by Phil Archer

Soph Warnes @thatsoph.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I was annoyed that I couldn't find a database of David Attenborough documentaries where I could search for a specific episode by topic. So I made it. attenborough-100.vercel.app

attenborough-100.vercel.app

Attenborough at 100 — A Nature Documentary Archive

Explore nearly 5,000 episodes across 90 series — from Zoo Quest in 1954 to Secret Garden in 2026. Search by animal, habitat, location, or theme.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I listened back, thanks for highlighting it, Natasha. As ever, you handled her unalloyed racism with far more calm and poise than I could have done. Classic "I'm not a racist but..." throughout.

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Kit Yates @kityates.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Headline of the Day.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Goodbye old friend. Time to move on...

A laptop covered with many stickers, ranging from geeky GS1 and W3C ones to Skye from Paw Patrol.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I had the pleasure of listening to and meeting Adrian very recently. I also had the great pleasure of meeting Mrs T. This snap from my seat at the back of the room at Waterstone's Cambridge shows him in conversation with the extremely excellent Cat Webb (Claire North).

Adrian Tchaikovsky in conversation with "Claire North", Waterstones, Cambridge 2026-03-30

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

As @waterstones.bsky.social took the trouble to tell me about @naomialderman.bsky.social's new novel, it seemed only appropriate to place my pre-order :-) Thoroughly enjoyed The Power and The Future so very much looking forward to this one. www.waterstones.com/book/the-str...

The cover of Naomi Alderman's novel The Strangers. A colour drawing of rural garden scene showing a cut-away of the soil underneath containing deep-penetrating roots that are unnaturally green.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Most people won't care but as a collector with an unhealthy obsession with first editions, it matters to me (sad, I know!). Anyway, I really am looking forward to reading your book Danai.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Good news. @danaiwrites.bsky.social's Vile Lady Villains has arrived. Really looking fwd to it. Bad news, despite pre-ordering, the print run number is 002. This happens a lot with @waterstones.bsky.social. How can I ensure I have a first print run copy if pre-ordering isn't enough?

A powerful woman in Ancient Greek dress and finery holds a dagger to the throat of a 9th century Scottish queen.

Frontispiece of Vile Lady Villains showing the print run number 002.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Excellent figures. Congratulations and respect. Interesting that the viewers, I assume on YouTube, far outstrip the radio audience. How media has changed (I was a radio man years ago and so find this a "sign of the times" rather than a bad thing per se. Podcasting is where speech-based audio is at).

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

And they say local journalism is dead.

Nigel Farage has been spotted in Spud Hut.

The cafe in Hamilton Road offers a range of jacket potatoes and salads.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Just spent a v pleasant eve with Isabel Schuler (author of Lady MacBethad) and Rosie Hewlett (who knows a thing or three about Ancient Greek heroines) and mentioned @danaiwrites.bsky.social's Vile Lady Killers. Gruoch and Clytemnestra needed no introduction!

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

I'm nearing the end of Isabelle Schuler's excellent House of Barbary; a book that's been on my shelf for way too long. As I read I keep thinking "17th century Swiss Epstein!"

The cover of House of Barbary by Isabelle Schuler. A silhouette of a dagger-wielding woman sits within a bigger silhouette of a bear. Red and yellow are pied to emphasize the silhouettes

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

"Nigel Farage clutching at more straws than a masturbating scarecrow…" is a sentence for the ages. Thank you.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

I think it's simpler than that, Lewis. The lowest estimated cost of refurbishing the Palace of Westminster is around £15.6bn. Having an in-house plumber and plasterer is going to bring that cost right down.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

My experience matches yours precisely...

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Agh! Now I need to rearrange the short break I booked less than 24 hours ago that has me returning home from Cardigan on March 27th. I saw and really enjoyed your previous preview show at Mwldan and would love to come and see you both again.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

I like to think that @waterstones.bsky.social chose to do this a few days after I'd pre-ordered VLV at full price just for the lols ;-)

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Vile Lady Villains duly pre-ordered from Waterstones. Before April, I really need to somehow get up to speed on Lady Macbeth. I should read the Isabelle Schuler novel that has sat on my shelf for too long. Maybe tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. C/Klytemnestra I know. @danaiwrites.bsky.social

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Planning a F2F meeting for an international technical working group. USA is not an option as a venue for all-too obvious reasons.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

"This was the whole problem with the past, that it was never really over, when the dreadful bricks of yesterday were what tomorrow would be built from." Alan Moore, The Great When.

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Waterstones @waterstones.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

If celebrities aren’t dressing as books then explain this:

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

I got my ticket a while back. PFH has said "bring your books for me to sign". Hmm... methinks I'll have to limit myself...

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TetraLogical @tetralogical.com · 05/01/2026

We're looking for a Project Manager to join our team on a fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave. This role is part-time with excellent benefits. Please read the full job description for more information: misc.tetralogical.com/careers/2026... The closing date is Sunday 11 January.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Looks terrific, yes. Makes me think of the first time I met "Claire North". She did a author event in Norwich with Isabelle Schuler. They were promoting their Songs of Penelope trilogy and Lady Mabethad respectively. Clymtemnestra is a terrific character for sure.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Draft of the next charter for the W3C Verifiable Credentials WG is now at "refinement stage" meaning that W3C members are invited to comment. w3c.github.io/vc-charter-2...

w3c.github.io

Verifiable Credentials Working Group Charter

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

We're losing a dynamic, capable young person for entirely sensible reasons. Are you the person who could take her place? You could be *anywhere* in the world. We're good on gender equality and LGBTQ, less good on ethnic and disability diversity (not bad, just not great) www.gs1.org/about/career...

gs1.org

Programmes & Projects Assistant Manager | GS1

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Humans are lousy ay understanding scale, as in, the difference between millions, billions and trillions. So a little light recreational coding led me to create this handy guide philarcher.org/diary/2025/m...

philarcher.org

The difference between a thousand, a million, a billion and a trillion

An attempt to understand the difference between a million, a billion and a trillion

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

A (highly respected and much liked) colleague just began a post on LinkedIn: "Ein kleiner Barcode". Hasn't quite got the ring of Mozart about it but, you never know, it might catch on.

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

TIL: One denier equals a mass of 1 gram per 9 kilometres of length. Betcha didn't know that.

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TetraLogical @tetralogical.com · 31/10/2025

The W3C is calling for speakers for the W3C Workshop on Smart Voice Agents, an online conference from February 25 to 27, 2026. They’re looking for contributions on voice interaction, smart devices, and related standards. Read the full details at: w3.org/2025/10/smartagents-workshop

w3.org

W3C Workshop on Smart Voice Agents

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Phil Archer @philarcher.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

It was the obvious gap in my set of first editions. My wife kindly bought it for my 50th birthday.

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