iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Cheers for my #MBTpubroll crew from the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport!

Gin & tonic cheers from the TWA Hotel for my #MBTpubroll crew!

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Happy International Cat Day! Coal and Ember send their regards.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

In the hot summer I prefer a chilly pool to bathtub water. On today's ride here in Provence the cold spring pool was a perfect way to cool off hot legs and arms.

Because when it's 95+ degrees F outside and the tarmac is fresh, black stuff, *any* cooling you can get is welcomed!

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I get it. Raising a glass in Brixen, Italy, for both your current community and your former one.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Just gonna say: if you need mind-altering substances to enjoy fireworks, perhaps you don’t really enjoy fireworks? #ExpeesYourUnpopularOpinion

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

They like a great many trees, it seems. This is an oak (definitely not a myrtle or ToP):

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

More here, comparing Mamdani (who actually knows quite a bit about sports of all kinds) to Kamala Harris who majorly whiffed the chance to play up Tim Walz's bona fides as a coach. Act effete and you lose the common man. Know common talking points and you connect - simple as that. Wonk ≠ familiar.

“Zohran Mamdani, the rare Democrat who seems fluent in sports, has made a point of showing off his extensive knowledge of the English Premier League and has made his fandom of the Knicks and Mets apparent. After the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs, Mamdani went on X to troll the Ohio Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy.
Compare these examples with the way in which the 2024 Kamala Harris campaign tried to channel some of sports talk’s power after selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former high-school-football coach, as Harris’s running mate. “Coach Walz,” as Harris called him at the event announcing his candidacy, seemed more content to let people write about his sports identity than to demonstrate it. On October 27, the nation found out why. After Walz joined Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a Twitch livestream to play Madden, the über-popular football video game, his campaign’s X account posted that “@AOC can run a mean pick 6.” A pick-six (when an interception is returned for a touchdown) is an outcome, not a play. The gaffe was probably the fault of a social-media staffer, not Walz himself. Even so, it went ”

Excerpt From
“Democrats Must Learn to Talk Sports”
Nathaniel Frum
The Atlantic
https://apple.news/AWE-JED67QCWc4CZTmqVTmg
This material may be protected by copyright.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

The key is knowing what the people talk about - and it's not often policy positions. Most run-of-the-mill voters don't discuss Medicare, border policy, or tax code over beers at the local bar. They talk about everyday things: sports, how expensive it is to gas up the truck, etc.

“As Democratic politicians scramble to seem in touch and ensure that their faces appear on our phones as much as possible, they are neglecting the free real estate offered by sports talk. A popular meme mocks men for being content to sit and name obscure athletes to one another for hours. It’s popular because it isn’t far from the truth. The politically disengaged male voters whom Democrats are so desperate to reach aren’t at bars arguing about Medicare funding. They are arguing about a roughing-the-passer penalty. Bettors on Polymarket give Stephen A. Smith higher odds of winning the 2028 Democratic presidential primary than Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, and Ruben Gallego. Nothing gets attention like sports takes.”

Excerpt From
“Democrats Must Learn to Talk Sports”
Nathaniel Frum
The Atlantic
https://apple.news/AWE-JED67QCWc4CZTmqVTmg
This material may be protected by copyright.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Not entirely likely, given the rack configuration.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

A majority of people in the world - and especially in the U.S. - will be saying the same about this fascist clown when he leaves this mortal coil.

Just an insecure clown celebrating the demise of someone who actually called out his criminal ways.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

There are choices you can make with active transport: try and hide your reality (e.g. leave the bike helmet or leg strap behind), or embrace and advocate your desired outcome (i.e. “dress for the job you want”). I choose to normalize the bicycle as a mode of mobility in the U.S. and everywhere.

A photo of a white bike helmet in a meeting of international transportation experts and municipal leaders. NORMALIZE THE BICYCLE!

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

More #snowcrete fun: a Metrobus tried to make the tight left turn from Florida Ave NW onto R Street in Dupont and got stuck in the unplowed surface. I’ve loaned the WMATA technician my metal shovel to help clear. Tires on these buses are NOT winter ready! #DupontCircle @popville.bsky.social

The struggle is real - this WMATA worker is doing a lot of shoveling. The bus is likely high-centered on ice and snow right now.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Travel to amazing places will make this happen.

A screenshot of Merriam-Webster's "2026 Word of the Year" GIF with the word "picturesque"

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Hey @ridelime.bsky.social: these three bikes at George Washington University Hospital in DC all have rear tires that are at risk of failure, the tread worn away and only the protective foam belt preventing a flat tire. Crash risk! Please fix ASAP! #bikeDC Attn: @ddotdc.bsky.social

Three Lime bikes with worn out rear tires - unsafe to ride! They are parked outside of the ER entrance at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Swann Street NW is popping today! Expect the mega-drop of leaves later this week. . #AsSeenInDC

A street with gingko trees in full fall color.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

There's also a good argument to be made for this, though it never resonated *quite* the same with me.

The cover art of the Indigo Girls' self-titled 1989 album.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?

The album cover art of Paul McCartney's 1989 album, "Flowers in the Dirt"

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

First hard freeze is on in DC. Hope this does in the rest of this year’s crop of mosquitoes - they’ve been especially bad this fall. (And yes, I operate on the metric system…)

Screenshot showing 0 degrees Celsius/32 degrees Fahrenheit in the District of Columbia just after midnight on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

We are here! Round table on the lawn, closer to the Humpback Bridge. #MBTpubroll

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Of particular note to @mayorbowser.bsky.social, this tidbit. Yesterday's press briefing was a desperate exercise in pointless face-saving both-sides panic. Because in saying this unjust occupation of DC did some good you lost the upper hand and opened the door to losing more power. Disgusting.

"This episode illustrates the dangerous logic of abdication: the belief that, faced with a rising threat to democracy, surrender is strategy, cooperating with an autocrat is survival, and sparing oneself or one’s party from immediate punishment is worth opening the door to long-term authoritarian rule."

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Rock Creek Park is a glorious hellscape for outdoor recreation... #bikeDC

Riding a bicycle through the glorious hellscape that is Rock Creek Park

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Heyo! Anyone else coming to #MBTPubRoll at Prost? We are doing another round. C’mon down and roll some pub… or Biergarten, as it is. . @wvistheduck.bsky.social

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Oddly enough, I just arrived in Geneva (where an Aeroflot A321 has been stranded for years - probably a seized asset) and a certain IL-96 was parked on the apron. Hmm…

Ilyushin IL-96 wide body aircraft parked at GVA

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

….aaaaaand #MBTpubroll is now at All Souls on 8th and T Streets NW - final stop of the evening! Come join us!

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

We have arrived at American Ice Company! Come enjoy the patio and the food - and the drinks! #MBTpubroll

Bike parked in front of American Ice Company on V Street NW

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

The #MBTpubroll has landed at The Board Room in Dupont. C’mon down - the beers are tasty!

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

I realize that wildfires in New Jersey are a contributor, but the huge line of smoke-belching diesel-powered tanks and trucks, the conga line of military aircraft, and the bombastic fireworks over the District almost certainly made things a lot worse. All DMV residents' lungs are suffering. #NoKings

Map from PurpleAir.com showing current air quality in the greater DC area. Air quality is in the 147-170 range - seriously unhealthy! Contributing factors: wildfire smoke from New Jersey, as well as all the bombast from the U.S. Army 250th and 45/47's military fetishism and fireworks for his 79th birthday.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Hey #bikeDC and #bikeMD people who use the Hammerhead Karoo (v. 2 and newer): they fixed a major routing bug that acted like the District of Columbia didn't exist. Thanks for fixing this, SRAM & Hammerhead! . #BikeTech #GPS #Hammerhead #Karoo @dcrainmaker.com

Text reading: "Both New Karoo and Karoo 2: We fixed an issue where downloaded regions for a route from DC to Maryland did not include DC."

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Methinks 45/47 has zero concept of how business works. Of course his record shows this, but hey: apparently a lot of voters see him as Wile E. Coyote. And he's about as skilled as Mr. Coyote...

Screen grab from Loony Tunes cartoon, showing the paw/hand of Wile E. Coyote holding his business card, which reads: "Wile E. Coyote - Genius - Have Brain - Will Travel."

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

It’s OK, Meta: I can already talk to my own person without an AI assist!

Screen capture from Facebook advertising Meta’s AI app: “The Meta AI app is here. Download now to start talking to your own person…” No, thanks!

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

C'mon @aoc.bsky.social - you are better than using this cut-and-paste DNC/DCCC subject line in an email that is asking for donations. It's a bald-faced lie: we *are* your ATM. Just be blunt, this kind of twist-of-words bullshit is beneath you.

"You are not an ATM" as the subject line of a fundraising email from AOC

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

@bikeshare.bsky.social : how long will the Dupont Circle & Mass Ave NW “superstation” be offline? Is this due to Mass Ave Streetscape Project? #bikeDC

Photo of where Capital Bikeshare station used to be

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

To be *totally* on brand, include a hashtag as well...

A Kelly green bumper sticker with white text reading "Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents the Tough on DC Crime Presidential Order" with the hashtag #KissTheRing and the DC flag.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Sure, I think racism and sexism are playing an oversize role. But she's been so overt with her branding, placing it front-and-center on everything (and far more so than any of her predecessors), that she leaves herself even more open to these kinds of attacks. See the image attached.

Kelly green bumper sticker image reading "Mayor Muriel Bowser presents #ZeroVision DC" with the tagline "Where is my #FairShot?" and a white-on-green image of the flag of the District of Columbia. This sticker says it all, really: Mayor Bowser has ZERO vision for the future of DC.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

To that end, three cheers to @aoc.bsky.social for taking an actual leadership position in calling out the ADL on its mealy-mouthed treatment of today's "Musk situation." There's your future of the Democratic Party, right there.

A Tweet from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in response to a non-answer from the Anti Defamation League regarding Elon Musk's Nazi salute during a Trump inaugural rally:

"Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity.

"People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all."

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Very nice! Today was a first spin on a new groupset (Wheeltop EDS-TX) and bar tape (Arundel Art Gecko). Really appreciating wireless electronic shifting, and I've always wanted the Arundel bar tape.

Close-up of a road bike handlebar sporting Arundel Art Gecko bar tape that fades from lime green to black as it moves closer to the center of the handlebar.

A titanium road bike hanging from a cherry tree on a sunny winter day.

A titanium road bike with lime green accents on the handlebars and bottle cages. Bike has a headlight.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

So this just rolled thru northwest DC with a veritable wall of rain. Whee! #DCWX

An image of Doppler weather radar showing a strong storm front moving toward Washington, DC.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Heads up for any #bikeNOVA folks: this week's closure of a big swath of the W&OD Trail has a fun, if rolling, detour. That said: one part of it is super convoluted: the crossing of Gallows Road. Pro tip: ride south on Sandburg Street (little sidewalk connection), then left on Cottage Street.

A map showing a better way to access this week's (Nov 11-15) detour on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in the Dunn Loring area.

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Rudi "Cooler Weather = Better" Riet @randomduck.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

STOP THIS IS A CUTE ANIMAL PIC CHECKPOINT. PLEASE SHARE A MINIMUM OF ONE (1) CUTE ANIMAL PIC BEFORE PROCEEDING. THIS IS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE TO PRESERVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THIS SITE. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

Black and charcoal colored kitten, named Coal

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