iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 30/09/2026

Finally getting the hang of the Ricoh GRIIIx HDF. Slagged in reviews, but it just has a steep comfort curve, and then it punches where it should Check out the reds in these unedited pics, amazing richness without bleeding or losing detail #photography #ricohgriiixhdf #nybg #bronx

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 29/09/2026

Okay, VW bus at the Botanical Garden, go hard on this Tuesday afternoon

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 29/09/2026

My local bagel favorite A.M. Bagels is hilarious because they have like 'sausage, egg, and cheese' and 'pork roll...' sandwiches and then weekly they do one special that is always the greatest, most off-the-chain bagel sandwich ever. Here is this week's special

The Special Sandwich at A.M. Bagel (surrounded by pumpkins and Halloween decor) is steak, egg and white cheddar with caramelized onions, pickled jalepenos, arugula, and brown butter sage cream cheese

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 26/09/2026

When I ran InfoSync I was interviewing a new writer who asked if he could postpone because his audition ran long and he was still in costume and makeup He was auditioning for American Idol. I said get over here now I hired him immediately and he ran the site when I left years later

Mike Perlman’s American Idol Wiki entry. He is dressed like an 80’s Rock legend with awesome big hair and face lightning bolts and holding a silver boom box

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 26/09/2026

I don’t usually root for law enforcement, but this is my hometown team so…

A quote from a CT Insider story that says: “I’ll catch you outside and rip your face off,” one judicial marshal allegedly told ICE agents, according to the statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 02/09/2026

So true, this AI stuff is gross. And we should also highlight the foundational reasons why AI is bad (AI is theft, it destroys creativity) I made my muffin photo using Gemini, it is AI and I’d eat it. Also AI image generation is bad for society and shouldn’t exist, probably

AI IMAGE! A half dozen delicious looking chocolate chip muffins on a slab countertop, beside a muffin tin with another muffin in it. The photo does not have many of the hallmarks of AI, like overly dramatic lighting, centered close up subjects with soft focus backgrounds, and disgusting food. But it’s still an evil AI image that I made for demonstration purposes, and I would never use commercially

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 27/08/2026

This 1000% looks like one of those new-fangled digital weed pipes. 'Hey Stoners, don't you love getting your weed from concentrated pods?! Now you can have your coffee the same way!"

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 25/08/2026

While shooting the lotus flowers at the New York Botanical Garden, I accidentally snapped this fantastic shot of a bee coming in for a landing. One of those 'didn't see it until later' photos #photography

A yellow lotus flower pod amidst white and pink petals. There is a black blob hovering at the top of the image, and on the seed pod there is a perfect shadow of a bumblebee, with its cute little antenna and wings and thick little body

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 25/08/2026

And here’s my stubby-tailed Pumpernickel Bagel less than a week later. Volume MAX for kitten growls

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 25/08/2026

Exactly 1 year ago I pulled these furry fang-beasts out of a trash bag and gave them a bath and they haven’t left my house since then (except for the vet)

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 15/08/2026

What the actual f is wrong with Peter Sagal recently? I thought he was smarter than this but he has completely lost the plot Another status quo enforcer in denial

Peter Sagal comments on another user’s post about Jamelle Bouie’s recent video. Sagal says “Also worth nothing that Mr Bouie is going absolutely scorched earth on somebody who until quite recently was his colleague at the NYTimes. Makes you wonder about social dynamics at past company picnics.”
The original poster Sam Ulmschneider said “Normally I just appreciatively read @jamellebouie.net 's columns-sharable video content just isn't my bag. But this is a very, very, very trenchant piece of commentary that captures a lot of how I increasingly understand the disjunction between the commentary environment and on-the-ground politics”

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 04/08/2026

I’m going to affix this badge to all of the work I create without any help from generative AI. I made the badge using AI, but the work itself won’t have any AI. Just the badge. Otherwise, no AI here

An image I made in Google Gemini AI using the prompt “Give me a scouting badge style emblem that is a handprint in rainbow colored paint with too many fingers and a subtle image in the lines on the palm, with text in a scouting style font that says “Maade without Genererative AI” or similar, and then has some text in Klingon or Vulcan or made up space language”

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 26/07/2026

“Steve Jobs didn’t know how to use the telephone… Just dialed the same wrong number every night, was the darnedest thing…”

Some older white dude with the caption “Steve Jobs used to call him nightly. Here’s what he thinks people get wrong about Jobs”

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 12/07/2026

Hell yes, the best Star Trek celebrity cameo ever! Star Trek: TNG, SE02EP19 Guest starring Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac He’s the one on the, um, he’s… he’s one of the fish people

Two Star Trek aliens whose heads look distinctively like fish. One of them is actually Rock & Roll legend Mick Fleetwood

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 11/07/2026

Can you believe the fucking gall of including this sentence: "A party is strongest when it is a genuinely big tent, willing to host real disagreement rather than enforce a single approved script." in a NYT story with this hed I will not link to this, it doesn't deserve a click

A NYT Editorial Board piece entitled, I shit you not, "The Democrats Can't Go On Like This"

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 08/07/2026

What the actual fuck is this Xbox Game Pass

A screenshot of the game Buckshot Roulette with the description Play Russian roulette with a 12-gauge shotgun. Four enter. One leaves. Roll the dice with your life. Good luck!

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 08/07/2026

Pumpernickel leans in for skitchies Also pictured: stubby tail

A black cat leans into a large man to facilitate stronger scratching on the cheek and neck areas. His tail is stubby, he was born that way, it’s part of what makes him cool

A black cat leans into a large man to facilitate stronger scratching on the cheek and neck areas. His yellow eyes are open. His tail is stubby, he was born that way, it’s part of what makes him cool

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 05/07/2026

I skipped NYC and headed north to Poughkeepsie instead Immediately rewarded with a double rainbow and fantastic views sitting right next to the Hudson Shot with my Fuji X-T5, Fuji 16-55 MK II lens

Double rainbow over Poughkeepsie, NY treetops

The Mid Hudson bridge and walkway bridge beneath a gorgeous purple sunset

The Mid Hudson Bridge and walkway bridge with fireworks in between them, lit colorfully at night

Fireworks behind the Mid Hudson bridge with an American Flag flying between the bridge span uprights

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 23/06/2026

I will give you 1 guess what Arts and Crafts activity I was doing today

A hand atop a wood picnic table. The hand is colored in a psychedelic swirl pattern like the shirts those hippies wear

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 12/06/2026

There’s a lot happening in this Facebook ad I was served for… (checks notes) Staples? Sure, Staples

A Staples ad for some sort of ice cream beverage can thing with an erroneous comment:

Staples e
Ad • O
When business picks up, Staples has the gear that keeps you ahead of the day.
Shop now
...
super creamy
ColdSnap:
Chocolate
ICE CREAM
Naturally Flavored
SUPER CREAM
5.1 fl oz (150 mL)
•Staples
ColdSnap Premium Chocolate I...
Shop now
Like
Comment
Share
• 978
Most relevant v
John Miller • 1w
I hope it is vastly
improved over the one we be have. The male plug just stays in by pure luck, not a firm engagement.

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 08/06/2026

Massive power outage in Stamford, CT after the enormous American flag atop the WWE HQ flies into a power structure I’m not making this up, here’s from my local Glassdoor I feel like this is a metaphor for something …

An American flag wrapped around power lines, torn to shreds

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 28/05/2026

I’m not affiliated, it was a local photo group thing, but here is their web site if you’re curious www.manresawilds.org

Switches and knobs with a Danger sticker and neon in the background

A Westinghouse furnace that is peeling lead paint, lit red from below

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 28/05/2026

I got to check out the Manresa Wilds project, which aims to convert an abandoned power station on the LI Sound into public parks

A room on a power plant floor with rusted green metal facade and neon lights behind

The corner of some large otherworldly pylon or structure with levels, ridges, and intentional angles

Chains hanging in front of blurred neon lights

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 05/05/2026

Watching Star Trek DS9 and thinking “this guy on the right seems so familiar he must be an actor I know…” And… it’s Iggy Pop!

A scene from Star Trek Deep Space Nine with three aliens wearing prosthetics on their faces. The gaunt dude on the right is punk godfather Iggy Pop

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 29/04/2026

Creators need to get off Facebook. If I’m showing off my new creation that I plan on selling and Facebook’s AI is suggesting that my audience make it themselves, Facebook is actively working against me

A Facebook post from the sculptor Jason Freeny showing off a pull-toy shaped like a human heart. Beneath the video Facebook’s AI suggestions include “How to make a heart pull toy”

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 24/04/2026

New contender for the ugliest Cybertruck, in Connecticut, which unsurprisingly has an excessive ratio of Cybertrucks::Not Assholes

An ugly yellow cybertruck the color of a Tonka construction toy

A bright yellow cybertruck the color of a Tonka construction toy

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 20/04/2026

Sorry but the most interesting thing about ZZ Top will ALWAYS be that Frank Beard is the guy in the MIDDLE!!!!

A photo of the rock and roll band ZZ Top that says they hold the record for the longest-running unchanged lineup in music history. There are two dides with the longest needs ever, named Dusty Hill and Billy Gibson, and one guy with no beard

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 03/04/2026

I had to log onto X to see if this is real, and it is I thought we had laws and a constitution prohibiting this mixture of church and state

A post on X from the Department of Homeland Security that quotes the bible and shows an image of Jesus being crucified

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 30/03/2026

My favorite photos from No Kings NYC

A devil baby Trump in front of the Disney store

An older man wears a rainbow butterfly cape

Protestors in front of a massive cannabis retailer

A dancing blue elephant in front of the Platinum Dolla strip clun

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 15/03/2026

Search your camera roll for “Hell” Then correct the autocorrect, which changed it to “He’ll” Then tell Google Photos’ dumb AI that, yes, you indeed are searching for “Hell” Et voila

A snifter glass filled with Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter stout, and it looks really delicious. If it weren’t 1:30pm on a Sunday I would drink one of these right now

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 02/01/2026

I haven't opened X.com in months. Here are my current notifications on that cesspool site

Notifications from x.com. One is a notification that Elon Musk has posted 2 crying laughing face emoji. The other are 2 follows from people I do not know, even though I have not posted there in literally years

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 28/12/2025

I am a new cat person and this is my first cat game! With my kitten Poppyseed

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 04/12/2025

We got one year of a light brown Mocha Mousse Pantone color and the right wing lost their damned minds so badly Pantone said fuck it and joined MAGA

Pantone's color of the year, Cloud Dancer, which is really just white. White white. Really white. Like no color at all, just white. Boring, boring, white

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 27/10/2025

Somebody said it's National Black Cat Day, so please celebrate my two kitties Pumpernickel and Poppyseed, the Bagel Bites

A cute black kitten snuggles around a hand, while another sleeps in a dog bed in the background

A cute black kitten sits on a decorative side table next to a seltzer bottle, looking at the camera, his face dark but his eyes inquisitive

Two small black kittens sleep in a dog bed tushy to tushy so they create one single black semicircle of cuteness

A small black kitten sleeps on a shoulder with his teeny tiny tongue sticking out

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 16/10/2025

When you're too tired to sleep so you get angry at everything (Pumpernickel Bagel Hobbs Berne, 3.5 mos)

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 03/10/2025

Star Trek is not worth Authoritarianism

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 25/09/2025

I ordered an iced mocha but he made it hot

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 25/09/2025

Remember Salt Bae? Presenting Salted Caramel Bae from the Media Lounge at Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 19/09/2025

Me: I'm worried that Beesly will get jealous over the new kittens Beesly: No time for your emotions, I have children to raise!

A small American Pit Bull Terrier sits close by a 9-week old kitten

A small American Pit Bull Terrier sleeps close by a 9-week old kitten

A small American Pit Bull Terrier sleeps close by two 9-week old kittens

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 27/08/2025

I wrote 14,000 words for work this week and it's still Wednesday Get ready, coming VERY soon...

A small black kitten looks at the camera, the Google Pixel 9 is in the background in a green case with an Android figurine

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 26/08/2025

Toys from the 80's went hard as f#ck

The transformer Soundwave in robot mode. Buzzsaw is perched on his arm, and Ravage is in micro cassette form inside his chest cavity. He looks pissed

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 25/08/2025

Last night I was visited by the Cat Distribution System I have never kept a cat as a pet, but I found these two next to a trash can near my apartment Working titles are Pumpernickel and Poppy Seed Please don't tell my kiddo that I already love them and we may have to keep one or both

Two tiny black kittens around 6 weeks old on a blanket towel in a carboard box

I'm holding a tiny black kitten in the crook of my elbow and it is looking alert with tiny blue eyes at my camera

Two tiny black kittens on top of each other hiding next to a trash can, where I found them

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