iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Previnder @previnder.com · 23/06/2026

Nietzsche hits the mark once again.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 22/06/2026

I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the bubble bursts. Until then, they won't leave.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 22/06/2026

Recently came across this site that you can use to find out which textbooks are the most used in universities around the world. It lets you sort by field, country, institution, etc. Extremely useful for finding good textbooks to read, especially if you’ve only just started studying a subject.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 18/06/2026

Alexander von Humboldt in his library in his Berlin apartment in 1856, three years before his death at age 89. Not a bad way to spend ones final years, or indeed any years, if you ask me.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 14/06/2026

TIL that there’s such a thing as Yen Buddhism in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe. Honestly, the majority of the Buddhist monks here in Sri Lanka would feel right at home in it.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 22/04/2026

Reddit user making the case that it’s easier to lobby politicians than most people imagine, and that it’s an underrated method of effecting political change.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 13/03/2026

And I only just saw this on the other website:

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Previnder @previnder.com · 21/02/2026

Whatever your opinion of Greta Thunberg, what she says here sounds unquestionably true. Real conviction of a worthy goal, however distant, can make the world come alive by imbuing one’s life with great meaning and purpose.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 19/02/2026

This is where you’re supposed to be everyday as any kind of creative person.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 23/12/2025

Michael Lynch (@mtlynch.io) has compiled here a wonderful list of essays about software that influenced him. The ones I’ve read (and I’ve read a few before) have all been very good.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 14/12/2025

If you’re not Steve Jobs, however, it’s probably for the best if you disregard the advice implied here.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 17/10/2025

Derek Parfit on the effect that understanding the fact that there’s no unique and unchanging self—the lack of a sort of serial number to us that remains fixed in time—had on his outlook on life in general (quote from his book “Reasons and Persons”).

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Previnder @previnder.com · 14/10/2025

Isaac Asimov was one of the most prolific writers in history. Most people know him from the Foundation series, I Robot, and other works of science fiction, but he wrote more than 500 books in his lifetime. Here’s how he, in his own words, was able to be so prolific.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 15/09/2025

Here's someone who goes to great lengths to keep himself from getting distracted by the Internet and screens in general. It's a post from 2020, so I don't know if he still follows everything here, but it's impressive.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 22/08/2025

Why does Substack keep doing this? Let me read something first at least. Jeez.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 27/03/2025

Stumbled upon Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech on Youtube the other day (I’ve not listened to it in ages). It’s one of the best speeches of its kind I’ve ever heard. This part in particular stuck with me:

Quote from Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement speech.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 10/03/2025

J. Krishnamurti on the lives of priests and monks:

An screenshot of a long paragraph by J. Krishnamurti.

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Previnder @previnder.com · 23/02/2025

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan for 265 years from 1603 to 1868, on the value of patience:

An screenshot that has the following text: "Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not. Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the lot of natural mortals, and there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair. When ambitious desires arise in thy heart, recall the days of extremity thou hast passed through. Forbearance is the root of all quietness and assurance forever. Look upon the wrath of thy enemy. If thou only knowest what it is to conquer, and knowest not what it is to be defeated; woe unto thee, it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thyself rather than with others. The strong manly ones in life are those who understand the meaning of the word patience. Patience means restraining one's inclinations. There are seven emotions: joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate, and if a man does not give way to these he can be called patient. I am not as strong as I might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am, they must study patience"

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Previnder @previnder.com · 15/02/2025

Looking up the man, came across the word "databaseology" (TIL that was a word).

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Previnder @previnder.com · 14/02/2025

Alas, it’s what the Arch Wiki recommends as well:

A screenshot from the Arch Wiki, titled "Upgrading the system." The text says: "It is recommended to perform full system upgrades regularly via pacman#Upgrading packages, to enjoy both the latest bug fixes and security updates, and also to avoid having to deal with too many package upgrades that require manual intervention at once. When requesting support from the community, it will usually be assumed that the system is up to date. "

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