iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Happy 35th birthday to one of my favourite albums. To hear stunning tracks like Carnt Sleep and Like the Swallow on a band's first album was just mind blowing.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Little branchline train in the bay platform at Kakunodate. This train runs on the brilliantly-named Smile Line 😄

Photo of a purple-liveried single-car diesel multiple unit train in the Smile Line bay platform at Kakunodate station, Akita Prefecture, Japan.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Still buzzing from last night's Saint Etienne concert at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. A great set to round off the last gig of their UK farewell tour. I just love this band 😀 #SaintEtienne

Photo of the band Saint Etienne on the concert stage at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. Visible on the left is Pete Wiggs, and at the front is the singer Sarah Cracknell.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Seeing them in Cambridge tonight. Can't wait!

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Not Hamble, though, please. She was really creepy!

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I was sitting in a beer garden this lunchtime, and couldn't believe the level of casual racism coming from ordinary people chatting to each other at nearby tables. Not directed at me, but very worrying nonetheless. How did this become normalised? 🙁

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

That pedant-corner correction at the end is absolutely superb!

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A moody sky above some of the windmills at Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. I've never seen so many old windmills in one place before!

Four windmills in a row next to a wide water channel, with reeds in the foreground.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Having a few days on the beautiful Dutch island of Texel. So tranquil and quiet.

A photo of a windmill on the island of Texel, with water in the foreground.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I was on early shift as the Railtrack Duty Station Manager at Euston. Managed to get to a telly and couldn't quite take in what we were seeing. A terrible day.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Indeed. I've been going most years for 20+ years. A unique venue and blend of trains and beer 😀 But funnily enough I only started going once I'd moved away from Essex. Never went when I was local 🤷‍♂️

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Off to the beer festival at Chappel today. Should be very relaxing 🍻

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Nice to see my local station featured. At certain times of year and lighting conditions, the position lights can be under glare which, when standing on the up platform, can give the illusion of them being off when they're not. (Don't worry; that's not the case for drivers approaching the signal.)

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I'll be in Tokyo in a few weeks. Wonder if I can persuade the Mrs to go there for a look?!

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

My hotel has a very similar view 😀

A photo of the view from a hotel near Belfast Grand Central train station.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Today I visited Lidl's sole pub, The Middle Ale, at Dundonald. I had a superbly-served pint of Guiness. I'd say the clientele was split 50/50 between locals and curious folk, like me. Top marks to Lidl for giving this a go.

An external photo of The Middle Ale pub at Dundonald, County Down. The name of the pub is prominently displayed, as are the opening hours. The pub door is on the left; on the right is the door to the associated off-licence.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Yeah it's been great. Home tomorrow, though, sadly. I really want to come back with the Mrs. to show her the sights too.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I caught one out to Dundonald this afternoon to visit the Lidl pub. Quite a nice bus and a good service, I thought.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Hehe, I'm in Belfast this week too. Grand Central is a fantastic station.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Early start this morning; catching the 0710 from Belfast Grand Central to Derry. (Note the chap in orange on the track; he was examining the delayed 0700 Enterprise to Dublin.)

Photo of my train in the foreground, with the delayed 0700 train to Dublin in the background. A railway worker dressed in orange is standing between the trains.

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

On the one hand, some people want to make it so that kids and other people aren't crushed to death by cars. On the other hand, some people are upset that they might have to pay attention, slow down or be inconvenienced by about 15 seconds. So you can see how it's a "war on cars."

bbc.com

Birmingham 20mph limit: a 'life saver' or 'a war on cars'?

Birmingham City Council is proposing the city becomes England's first 20mph city.

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Iceland is not in the EU, but it is a member of the Schengen area. It’s also a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and is part of the Single Market, meaning it enjoys freedom of movement with the EU. Good to know that doesn’t impact their independence. Maybe we should try it, Nige.

Nigel Farage
@Nigel_Farage
Congratulations to Iceland on voting to keep their independence.
09:40 • 30/08/2026 •

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

Gareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 29/08/2026

In 2025, John Edgley (Network Rail’s chief engineer of infrastructure and asset strategy) stood up and showed that graph to a conference of engineers. He said the following words, and they should be seen as a stark warning:

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Hehe. It's not rocket science to press Stop or Go, is it? But actually operating railway, that's a different kettle of fish 😂

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This one outside St Pancras always seems quite wide to me. maps.app.goo.gl/gatH6pUGHXNw...

maps.app.goo.gl

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike @gazza-d.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The EU (including northern Ireland) mandated automatic geo aware speed limiters on all new cars back in 2024. They can be turned off but they turn back on every time. The UK didn't adopt that because of Brexit. I wonder how many deaths and injuries that has cost.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

As soon as I read that I thought, ah, that postcode is a lyric in the track Flesh by Luxuria from 1988: "the worst case of resemblance in N16". Funny how the mind works 😀🎵

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

What do the people who claim they can't keep to 20mph do when they come up behind a vehicle doing say 18mph? Presumably they are continually crashing into them? Or do they find there's actually an adjacent pedal that *checks notes* slows them down? 😉

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

No, Windows. If I was 100% there, you wouldn't have displayed this message to me for over 5 minutes! #Windows #WindowsUpdate #FirstWorldProblems

A screenshot from Windows Update, with the 'dancing circle' and a message saying "You're 100% there. Please keep your computer on."

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I rarely go to concerts these days, but did go to see Devo and the B-52s the other week. And I can't miss Saint Etienne's farewell tour later this year (perhaps your era too, Ruth, as they emerged in the early 90s?).

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Growing up in Southern England I'd never heard of Runrig! Until in 1990 a German chap also staying in the youth hostel in Lochmaddy told me about them (and about the 10,000 Maniacs too). Both became firm favourites.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I'm driving up to Cumbria in a couple of days. Looking forward to reasonably hot weather instead of ridiculously hot down here! 🥵

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I really enjoyed reading all of your not-blog-post. The bit about friendships resonates, as I found out recently that a friend of mine has phobic views on something that struck at my own core values. It's really making me think.

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

Engineer Like A Girl @engineerlikeagirl.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Some people say that we can't afford to address climate change, it wouldn't be good for the economy. Do they think that schools, businesses, shops closing early or not opening for several days at a time is good for the economy? We can't afford NOT to address climate change!

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Will do. Luckily there are plenty of hostelries to shelter in 😄

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I've got a day trip to BXS booked for Friday. Would be happy to rearrange it to avoid the heat, which Eurostar has said I can do, but there's no availabilty for any other date this side of Christmas! (Probably nothing showing because I'm on a FIP.) Oh well, hot Brussels here I come! 🆒🧊

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The scheme was actually cancelled in October *2024* by Labour, which the BBC would have known had they read their own article from then! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Government scraps Northumberland A1 dualling plan

The transport secretary decides "not to progress with unfunded and unaffordable road schemes".

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike @gazza-d.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Perennial. @davewalker.bsky.social at his finest. Although I particularly enjoy the irony when someone kicks off about how a bike store or similar ruins the ambience of a street lined with parked SUVs.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Great set by #DEVO at the #O2Arena last night. (The B-52s were OK too, but I wasn't there for them 😀)

A long-distance photo of the band Devo on stage at the O2 arena in London on 20 June 2026. A large screen in-view shows the word "DEVO" in capitals.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Ah, Thriplow. My wife and I enjoy going to their annual daffodil festival. Never seen so many daffodils in my life! 🌷(emoji may not be a daffodil!)

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

I love that station too. Such a historic building.

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Reposted by Raretrack Rob

Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike @gazza-d.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

If the USA's war with Iran is now over then when can we expect the "temporary" fuel duty cut to be reversed then?

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

A rare miss from @kagi.com Kagi Assistant. Planet Earth by Devo very much exists, and came out the year before Duran Duran's same-named song. Still love Kagi, though!

A screenshot from Kagi Assistant claiming that Planet Earth by Devo does not exist.

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Raretrack Rob @raretrack.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Driving for a profession ≠ being a professional driver 😊

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