iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 17/10/2026

Their fit & finish has always been bad but, Cybertruck notwithstanding, I’d argue it has gotten a little better over time. Like, there’s a reason I made a shirt about it & wore it to their events & such.

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e.w. niedermeyer @niedermeyer.online · 16/10/2026

I've always dreamed of a future defined by empty spectacle with no greater purpose than justifying the merger of two floundering companies

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 17/10/2026

That’s fair. Though, not looking like crap in one way or another would be a violation of their brand heritage when it comes to prototypes/demo cars.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 17/10/2026

There are many things to criticize about Elon’s carnival show, but I don’t think this is one of them. That just looks like the duct and skirting necessary for the fan system to function (not an automotive first). Cover it & the ramp stunt wouldn’t work

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 17/10/2026

It really does suit you, especially in that color.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

With the cold gas thrusters, I wouldn’t be surprised if the purchased car was held by Tesla & owners scheduled for it to be delivered for closed track days with a full support team, then packed up & brought back to Tesla for storage. RCS makes it uniquely hazardous to be around.

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Reposted by Alex Venz

Rev. Poppy Haze 𓅋 @poppyhaze.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

prefer analogue CDs, the sound is much warmer

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Studio work is one of my favorites because it’s a very deliberate and kinda contemplative process. You build an image one piece at a time, with every element being something you put there—you sculpt your subject with light and shadow. It’s lots of fun! I hope you get the chance to try it sometime

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Wow, that’s fantastic! I’m amazed the saguaro flourless like that. Excited to see what you come up with. Some friends of mine have drawn me into picking up my cameras again, so I’ve been tinkering with ideas lately. This was from a test session with a plastic head:

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Reposted by Alex Venz

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Apparently the commander of the International Space Station brought her dancing pants to space with her

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Some of the best software engineers I’ve met were originally electrical engineering majors whose education had a significant embedded software component.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Did pretty well here this May, too.

Graph depicting residential solar power generation for the month of May, with individual days shown as vertical yellow bars. Total production is shown to have been 1639.5kWh

Graph showing residential solar energy export to the grid versus grid energy imported for the month of May. Total net grid usage was 526.3kWh exported

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

He does know the reflecting pool isn’t part of some resort he’s trying to pitch/sell, right?

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Just make sure you take it to an official ballot drop box location instead of mailing it, since the deadline is tomorrow.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Why do I feel like this is how we end up with a private equity group eventually running and, subsequently, gutting JPL for their own enrichment?

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Omg, that’s horrible! Do you know whether it’s a refresh rate/flicker thing? This is a great example of why product diversity is important: not only can the older approach still be better for some situations, but it can also be important for accessibility.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

I waffle on OVF vs EVF. EVF has many positives, but OVF is better for seeing fine details & great in the dark. However, I’ve been burned so many times by OVF AF system focus issues (back focusing, MFA drift, etc.)… The madness is real.

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Pierre Bourdieu once argued that the question of whether something is art isn't answered by the artist's intention or even the object itself. Instead, the quality of being "art" is conferred by a community — curators, dealers, auction houses, audiences, etc. 🧵

Someone on Threads writes: "The Met Gala feels like real dystopian shit.

People can’t afford groceries or gas. But we’re going to celebrate this event which is nothing more than wealth porn."

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

If it weren’t for VR still being a mess in Linux (though, I’d imagine this should improve quickly with the release of the Steam Machine) and my continued dependence on Adobe tools, I’d absolutely switch my main system over.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Putting together a new gaming PC for the theater room & decided to install the HTPC version of Bazzite (Linux) on it instead of Windows. Initial thought: Microsoft should be worried about how far Linux has come. Install/setup was dead easy & things just work.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Even TVs attempt to identify the media you display on them and send that data back to their manufacturer to be used for advertisement targeting or sold to third parties (including feeds from HDMI inputs).

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

KDE Connect makes it easy, too… and it’s FOSS.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Peak performance of a modern smartphone surpasses that of ASCI Red. Like, we’re at fastest supercomputer on Earth from 1999/2000 levels of compute in our hands (just not sustained due to thermal limits of the form factor).

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Reposted by Alex Venz

Matthew R Francis (backup account) @matthewrfrancis.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

My latest story is up! The components required for DNA and RNA are all present on asteroid Ryugu, which lends strong support to the hypothesis that the raw ingredients for life were present before the Sun even formed. A very fun and fascinating tale!

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Reposted by Alex Venz

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 06/04/2026

NASA isn't why the US doesn't have universal healthcare, or a social safety net. The US doesn't have those things because politicians with the power to provide them choose specifically not to (with varying levels of support from voters). Enthusiasm for human spaceflight doesn't drive that choice.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

“NOT ENOUGH MINERALS!”

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Sure, but the one good thing is Starlink sats are in orbits that decay fairly rapidly if not regularly boosted. They’d burn up and be clear within a few years.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

This is amazing. Love it. Find another adapter to pop onto it and you could have a cursed socket turducken!

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Phone UIs and screen sizes suck for information dense tasks spread across multiple sources. Also, virtual cards are easier to generate and manage via desktop plugin than mobile & same for making new password manager entries. Which I use generally depends on the level of research required, not $$.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Wait, what?! That’s the joke? Whelp, today I learned…

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

The manual is actually quite good and I’ve also found Casey Faris’ YouTube channel to be a great resource. That said, constant UI changes are annoying.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

It has the shape of a potentially fun 2+2 sporty hatchback. Too bad it’s just more robotaxi investor grift.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Most of them look like Dremel rotary tool bits

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

The real money for the prime contractors is in development programs, not munitions production. Hot wars cost too much & divert development budgets to operations. From a financial standpoint, cold wars are a lot better for them.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

So that we can then join the EU, too… right?

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

My high school had a cellphone ban more than 20 years ago and it wasn’t a problem because, like many impractical rules, we ignored it. They’d be confiscated if taken out during class… so don’t do that. 🤷‍♂️

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Wait, *that’s* what happened to the Babbage engine?! Oh, ffs…

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

In my experience, diskette was mostly used when floppy diskettes and larger floppy disks were both present as a means for specifying which you were referring to. Otherwise, it was all just shortened to floppy.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Yeah, pretty much… Though, in this context, I’d argue Morro Bay still counts as the pacific

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

“Shipping velocity matters more than perfection.” I’m gonna have to pass that along to folks I know writing safety critical embedded software… as if they aren’t already horrified enough by AI code generation.

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CZEdwards @czedwards.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%). Lay article attached:

pbs.org

One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires

Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particle...

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Amazing is certainly one way to describe it…

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

But rental fleet operators need cars to inflict upon people…

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Wow, I didn’t expect that outcome

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

The udcap gloves seem like an interesting option for VRChat use (less so for gaming, due to the button/control setup). How have they been compared to the Diver-X?

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

With what I’ve witnessed, I’d be deeply impressed to see a construction contractor wearing appropriate PPE. Pretty sure my drywall hanger would have just died had I not shut off his generator (running indoors) and brought him an extension cord.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

In a sane world, Zuck wouldn’t hold >60% of the voting shares.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Yeah, the realization I couldn’t actually buy the good powders that are used to make most brands’ pods was pretty disappointing.

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Alex Venz @ptpetra.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

That approach can work if the design & engineering decisions that went into the specifics are well understood (I.e. the institutional knowledge is intact). We’d have to completely reverse engineer Saturn V first to have any hope of knowing how/what can be changed w/o compromising the rocket

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