iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Really you need two sets of tracks and some points, so a particularly tedious subset of guys can do “ethics experiments”

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Reposted by Henry Cooke

The Great Pumpkin Papers 🎃🎃🎃 @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

LLMs * bring up a lot about unrelated subjects * are afraid of saying "I don't know" * are great at producing literature reviews * produce better work after praise * need to develop research taste So maybe they *are* PhD-level intellects...

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

That’s “Monsieur Champagne” to you, rosbif

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

this was great, thankyou! My brain made a connection from Roy Dommett’s Morris dancing to the (apparently) pagan origins of Morris, to Jack Parsons and his occult interests. Possibly a stretch, but a fun one!

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Hey @genmon.fyi! Further to this - do you know if anyone has compiled a good retrospective of BERG? I keep referencing things youse all did (and how you did them) in my current design gig, and it’d be nice to have a tidy, digestible overview somewhere I can point to.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

So very tired. Also would like a sticker that says I WAS A BIG BRAVE BOY AND WENT OUT BEING PROFESSIONAL IN THE WORLD

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

this story about a Tom Stoppard play inspiring a groundbreaking treatment for breast cancer was plopped into my awareness recently by @jonty.bsky.social. I guess an auditorium doesn’t really count as a small room, but it’s the same goddamn vibe www.bmj.com/content/391/...

bmj.com

Tom Stoppard, Arcadia, and chaos theory

Watching Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia led to a clinical epiphany for Michael Baum In 1993 I went to the National Theatre to see the first production of Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, who sadly died in November....

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

anyone else find their brain re-engineering the toys their kids got for xmas?

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Reposted by Henry Cooke

Jenny Holzer @jennyholzer.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

ABSTRACTION IS A TYPE OF DECADENCE

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

why am I being followed around the internet by ripped tai chi monks

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

I have not consciously bought into “the smart home”, but there are some smart devices in here because it’s 2025 and everything has wifi in now. And there is one clear, tangible benefit it has brought to my life: I can turn noisy things off from other rooms when I just can’t be arsed to move.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Moomins are an essential part of any infrastructure

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

will def keep you posted! it was some conversations I had at Careful Industries' RAI unconference in Salford (almost a year ago, gosh!) that kicked a lot of synapses on the way to this

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Shoutouts here to @wesleygoatley.bsky.social for chats along the way and @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social for prompting chunks of the thinking. Right now I'm just excited that it works :)

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Proper writeup coming soon; it's the product of a few lines of thought about how monstrous datacentres aren't the only way of having access to useful AI, and how we don't necessarily have to contribute to someone else's growth strategy by using it.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Also the fans spin up while it’s thinking, which is pleasing. Also also any data getting processed remains under my desk and isn’t getting sent off to giant tech companies.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Presenting: the worst possible (but still useful) AI server! Lives under my desk and does low-ish end LLM inference work. Built out of used parts from ebay for almost exactly 100 quid. Idles at about 20w (should be able to get it down to 4 or 5), peaks at 150w while running inference.

A barebones computer, built out of spare parts, under a desk. A large graphics card is visible on top.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

also I have been digging www.minutecryptic.com on days when my brain feels clever enough

minutecryptic.com

Minute Cryptic

Solve a clue with a hidden meaning

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

recreation of the OG (pre-NYT) version of wordle here, with bonus infinite archive: mikhad.github.io/wordle/#daily

mikhad.github.io

Wordle+ | An infinite word guessing game

Guess the word in 6 tries. Play daily, hourly and infinite modes.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

my feelings when I see people getting exercised over the AI hype train

Bane meme: you merely adopted tech bubbles, I was born in them, molded by them

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

like you, this has been a cast-iron, unswerving principle of my internet life since the forum + usenet days

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

my new jam is playing beloved old drum & bass mixes in my headphones at 80% speed with a massive reverb on, because I am old and my anxiety can no longer cope with the full 170bpm

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

“Peripheral spotting” is the subject of an ongoing message thread between me & riwsa

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

aw, thanks! would have been good to see you too, another day!

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Folks! Here’s an interesting niche request. Does anyone have access to a really fast video camera (1000fps or faster), or know someone who does? I’m working on a hardware project, and I need to verify something is updating at the rate it says it is.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

<dr manhattan voice> It is 2001. I am fucking about with computers and listening to Moving Shadow compilations in a music player with cool customisable skins. It is 2025. I am fucking about with computers and listening to Moving Shadow compilations in a music player with cool customisable skins.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

important point raised by taller child this morning: why is it that most cryptids are associated with cold / dark / snow? Where are all the sun-loving strange creatures?

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Reposted by Henry Cooke

Jay Springett @thejaymo.net · 17/06/2025

Spoke to the BBC about the future of social platforms: clicks, legitimacy, the alms race, and the collapse of shared ‘now’. BBC R&D’s Projections: The Social Internet report is out now:

thejaymo.net

BBC: Future of the Social Internet Report

A while ago I contributed to BBC R&D's Future of the Social Internet Report, which explores the dynamics of current digital social platforms.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

morning team! So far today I have managed to completely lose both my phone and my keys inside my own house and do my back in. things are going well.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

heh, I did think that might be one of the options

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

morning team! what are we using to scratch that Flickr itch these days? By which I mean: somewhere to upload Proper Photos, with some social business but definitely not endless fucking reels / ads / other enshittifications

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

ME (SOBBING): why can’t functions just return things NODE.JS FOR SOME REASON: you fool. you absolute buffoon.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

yes! Also, the fundamental problem that the thing that you need to diagnose the problem is the thing that isn’t working properly in the first place 🧠

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

*hugs gratefully received* it’s actually fine once I’d diagnosed the problem and adjusted the tapering curve accordingly. Bu thank you :)

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

tapering off antidepressants while on Easter holidays with the family: NOT RECOMMENDED. Zero stars.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

can’t log on to the train wifi until you fill in a brief survey about the state of the toilets. Just normal 2025 things.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I have a vague inkling someone has one up here, but I’m not sure I’d be able to blag it down to London

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Reposted by Henry Cooke

Danya Glabau @allergyphd.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

tfw someone says, "But who is going to TRANSLATE all this hard theory for non-academics???" and the answer is, "Me, I did it!" If you've struggled reading Donna Haraway, standpoint theory, feminist theories of tech, or intersectionality, may I present: CYBORG mitpress.mit.edu/978026254755...

mitpress.mit.edu

Cyborg

This introduction to cyborg theory provides a critical vantage point for analyzing the claims around emerging technologies like automation, robots, and AI. C...

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

have you seen Electric Zine Maker by @alienmelon.bsky.social? Touches on a lot of the stuff you talk about, including zines (obvs), Geocities-era aesthetics, fun weird stuff. And it has a potato assistant. alienmelon.itch.io/electric-zin...

alienmelon.itch.io

Electric Zine Maker (a work in progress, be gentle, hug it often) by alienmelon

The Electric Zine Maker (⚡️📝✂️) is a printshop and art tool for making zines.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

@jarkman.bsky.social omg I just saw the new Air Giants thing on @jemimahknight.bsky.social’s insta, IT’S SO GOOD!

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

technologies I have used in interactive live shows, which were totally not designed for this kind of thing: - bluetooth (we were all young once) - mqtt (surprisingly good, especially when bridged with osc) - rfid (meh) - rfid gen2 (actual magic) - spreadsheets (because it’s always spreadsheets)

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

I apply the same logic to office chairs

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

I am greatly enjoying this very thoughtful leaving gift from @tristanfe.bsky.social, @billt.bsky.social, @cubicgarden.com, @mathieutriay.bsky.social et al (so satisfying to type on! a rotary volume knob!), but unfortunately it has turned me into a Man With Opinions About Mechanical Keyboards

An 8bitdo Commodore 64 styled wireless mechanical keyboard

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

ME (in conversation): hey, did you know someone made a computer out of water? 8YO: Dad, please don’t ME: crabs can be a computer too

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

checking in on the cheese shift

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