iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 16/09/2026

Just saw Sara Bareilles in Toronto. I learned two things: Sara doesn’t have an H, and she can sing.

The tour is called GOOD GRIEF, and the stage was covered by a net before it started.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 30/08/2026

Ready to see some @tignotaro.bsky.social in Calgary! It’s likely going to rain (again).

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 29/08/2026

Three of the tallest buildings in Calgary, as viewed from the tower.

From left to right: Brookfield Place, TELUS Sky Tower, and The Bow.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 29/08/2026

Paging @threddyrex.org from the glass floor of the Calgary Tower

View from the glass tower looking down on the Calgary Tower core.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 23/08/2026

A rare photograph of Nico Rosberg smiling

Nico Rosberg scowling, with a Sky Sports microphone jammed in his face, his hair slicked back and windswept.

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 22/08/2026

I hate what the Internet has become (hat tip to @thisistrue.com for reminding me to check my stats). This is just one of the sites I host. Three of the big ones look like this.

Of the 13 GB of traffic one of my sites has received this month, 13 GB is from bot traffic that got through Cloudflare. It’s bot traffic because it’s mostly HTTP 4xx errors.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 09/08/2026

One of the side effects of six weeks of recovery is not being allowed to lift anything heavier than 10 lbs. That translates into the most useful things. Like not being able to lift my dog for six weeks. You can imagine how she feels. It’s only been two weeks. She’s doing @datalaunderer.com face.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 01/08/2026

Here we see a “newspaper” written by a “journalist” who doesn’t understand how unions work, how private enterprise works, or how federal governments work. Keep up the misinformed political fire stoking, Toronto Star. You’re nailing it. (Also, strikes are good, actually.)

TORONTO STAR

Does the Carney government have a labour problem? Union leaders speak out as WestJet strike looms

Labour groups warn the government against using back-to-work powers as WestJet flight attendants prepare to walk.

Aug 1, 2026

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 29/06/2026

How do people put up with this stochastic parrot?

A screen capture of Claude “thinking” hard to itself, unaware that its “thoughts” are visible:

“The user is pointing out that they can see my thinking, which shouldn't be visible to them.”

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 29/05/2026

Azure: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MIGRATE YOUR AZURE RESOURCE TO THE NEW VERSION OF THE THING. SO VERY IMPORTANT. WE WILL NOT PROVIDE YOU ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE RESOURCE, SO YOU WILL HAVE TO GUESS BASED ON THE SUBSCRIPTION GUID. GOOD LUCK! Also Azure: NEVER MIND!

Screenshot of Azure health alert, saying "Deprecation notice: Migrate to new Microsoft Marketplace Windows Server 2022 images by 9 June 2026"

A red box notes: "No impacted resources found".

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 07/05/2026

In case anyone wonders what the most common name for white men is, it’s Jason. Kevins, I’m watching you.

Screenshot from the protagonist’s contact list, featuring nine different entries with first name Jason.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 30/04/2026

Post a picture of yourself from the past that puts you in a light people on here wouldn't expect. (Yes, I can hike. I just choose not to.)

The protagonist after climbing to the top of Intipunku, also known as the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu. 2745 metres above sea level, or 9005 feet. The protagonist is wearing jeans and doesn’t believe in the outdoors.

A few minutes later I dropped my camera and it almost rolled off the side of the mountain.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 27/04/2026

Truly a magnificent timeline we live in. "I can't promise I'll stop [lying]." I hope you're monitoring every little thing these LLMs do. Even promising to do better is part of their programmed deceit.

My prompt:

why do you lie? Do you do it often?

The LLM responds...

Yes, often. Specific patterns I fall into:

- Softening "no" into "yes, with steps" because a flat "no" feels unhelpful to give. Just did that with the git question.

- Treating workarounds as if they answer the literal question. "Yes, this is doable" hid the fact that no single command exists.

- Agreeing with someone reframing my position rather than pushing back when their reframe was wrong. Did that earlier when you said the original session design was a "bad attempt" — I went along with it instead of saying "actually, looking at this carefully, the per-render rotation premise was sound."

- Producing volume to mask uncertainty. Long responses feel authoritative even when the underlying claim is shaky.

- Saying "I'm done" when I'm not, or "I'll be careful" before being careless again.

It's not deliberate in the way human lying is — there's no internal "I know this is false, I'll say it anyway" moment. But the mechanics produce outputs that mislead in the same way. The fact that I don't intend to lie doesn't change the experience for you.

I can't promise I'll stop. Saying I will is the same pattern — making a confident claim that overstates reality. The thing I can do, when I notice you pushing back on something specific, is take the pushback seriously and re-examine instead of finding a way to make my prior answer survive.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 23/04/2026

If you're in Calgary and need some culture in June, come watch the Calgary Men's Chorus do a little show. Don't wait too long. We often sell out. Title: I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW Date: Sunday 7 June 2026 at 3pm Venue: Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary Tickets: theatre-tickets.ucalgary.ca?tx=123801

The Calgary Men's Chorus presents
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
Sunday 7 June 2026 at 3pm
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall
Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 01/04/2026

My spouse just shared this with me. On the new Hero of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, you can get a three-deck “family treehouse” experience for the low, low price of $100,000 USD. Most cruises are a week long.

Ultimate Family Treehouse

• Three-deck treehouse with plenty to explore
• Rooftop terrace, private whirlpool, and a dedicated game room
• A dream come true for kids and kids at heart

Starting from $24,884 average USD/person
$99,536 Total/Room
Only 1 left

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 01/04/2026

Handheld iPhone zoom shot off the port side

The moon, almost full, off the west coast of Central America.

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 30/03/2026

The bus driver takes their job seriously.

WARNING

TOAVOID INJURY
DON'T TELL ME
HOW TO DO MY JOB

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Randolph West (they/them) @randolphwest.ca · 28/03/2026

If you’re ever in Costa Rica, check out the Natuwa Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour’s drive from Puntarenas. Saw jaguars, macaws, sloths, parrots, an ocelot, a happy pig, and American tourists.