iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

When hearing Nick Cave’s song “Red Right Hand” does anyone else start to hear ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” during the chorus? No? Just me? fine.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Watched some of #netflix #wonka series. Whatever you feel about the return of Wilder's voice via AI, the extent and detail of the practical sets and the effects were impressive. The first episode hit on a lot of cylinders (and missed on a few). But then it all decayed exponentially.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

An opponent who should have crushed me was showing off and lost. They played “Famished Worldsire” and “ate” 19 lands, giving the creature a power of 57 on entry. Entry of FW triggered the effect in the pop up to scan 57 cards and place all lands tapped. There were only 27 cards left to scan. Boom.

A Magic the gathering arena board. There are a ridiculous number of creatures and lands on the opposing side and a lone creature on mine. Ots the end phase of the opponent’s turn .A set of three pop ups is on the right, and the top one says how the opponent should look at the top number of cards equal to a conjured creature’s power (57). The issue is that there were only 27 cards remaining in the pile, so the opponent list when they attempted to draw the 28th card.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

So are we allowed to play Outlier or not? I ask because I like it. My understanding is it uses an LLM in a responsible way: as a machine assist with a human activity. Specifically it aids the development and operation of a software product. Is a roofer wrong to use a nailgun instead of a hammer?

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Accidental double feature. Last night watched Taxi Driver and this afternoon watched Killers of the Flower Moon. Both were journeys. Didn’t remember that KotFM was Scorsese until I saw DeNiro. It was interesting to realize both featured returning veterans who couldn’t find their way back.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Another interesting Philosophy Club. Regarding gentlemen walking closest to the curb, @trufelman.bsky.social and @dieworkwear.bsky.social, it wasn’t about getting hit first by a car, but being in the more likely path of chamber pots being emptied from the building’s upper floors.

podcasts.apple.com

The Philosophy Club: Chesterfield

Podcast Episode · Articles of Interest · S8 E13 · 36m

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I really like that the enumeration of consequences goes to eight. It felt to me like a little slice of Hanukkah— eight little lights commemorating a miraculous event. I guess that makes @djrothkopf.bsky.social the shamash?

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

An incredibly moving story, well told.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Nicely played. I’m frankly not sure how I feel about this production. The voice thing is truly disturbing. Yet using a story that so brilliantly conveys the consequences of selfish and foolish behavior as the basis for a production that breeds selfish and foolish behavior is kinda smart.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Discrote Duck? Anyway, I think she may have stolen @lastweektonight.com ‘s LBJ prop and Bedazzled(tm) it?

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Definitely go back for the full context. I was first ready to be enraged, but then noticed the URL preview and just laughed. Well done @snowden.st! Parenthetically, Mx. Street, does your handle have anything to do with Detroit? I lived on Snowden from age 0-2, and my grandparents were on Prest.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Driving done for the Day 0.03 — camping tonight at Schulze Vineyards. Tasting order: Old Barn Red (dry), Riesling (semi-dry), Lake House Red (semi-dry), Mon Cheri (cotton candy grapes and cherry juice, lightly carbonated). For Day 0.01 and 0.02 and an explanation, YouTube.com/@OneLapLower48

A wine tasting board in this order: Old Barn Red (dry), Riesling (semi-dry), Lake House Red (semi-dry), Mon Cheri (cotton candy grapes and cherry juice, lightly carbonated). From Schulze Vineyards.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I guess in the end we couldn't save the cheerleader? It certainly helps explain what's going on in the world.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

@xkcd.com regarding xkcd.com/3279/ hover text: If you're thinking of "galloping Gertie" (aka the former Tacoma Narrows) the wind didn't cause any of the stress; it was the resonance. The only stress came from the bridge being angry about someone making waves and got all bent out of shape over it.

xkcd.com

Main Span

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Been watching Foundation, and enjoyed Pace’s interpretation of “The Empiric Lebowski” in S3E1.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Finished watching _Stick_ on AppleTV. Really enjoyed this “found family” adventure. Equal parts comedy and heartache. And FINALLY some representation where I FEEL SEEN! it’s about time that a cantankerous, aging, white, male Jew gets some screen time. Well done @marcmaron.bsky.social

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

New candidate just dropped for shortest sad story: Toddler bed disassembled; never used.

An ad from NextDoor with an image of a disassembled toddler bed with a caption of "Toddler Bed Disassembled".

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Hey @hankgreen.bsky.social , I was listening to the first ep of Humans (which I enjoyed) and realized that you and John are not my pastors. You’re my rabbis! The way that you both approach and discuss life, the universe, and everything is very Talmudic.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

If there were a Fountain of Youth, it would probably be marketed under the name Senescex(TM) - possible side effects include : ennui, diarrhea, and feeling stretched, like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I'm really enjoying _Spider-Noir_. As much as I'm enjoying Mr. Cage's performance, I am occasionally struggling a little with seeing "Ben Reilly" instead of "Nick Cage performing well in a role". Perhaps my recent viewing of _The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent_ short-circuited my brain?

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Reposted by Rob Fagen

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 27/05/2026

I don't care who you are, there will always be times when hell is other people. Not because other people are horrible - quite the opposite! Other people are *wonderful*, but boy are they ever *stubborn*. 1/

A hand-tinted image of elderly people in the lounge of a nursing home. Three killer robots have been inserted into the scene.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Hey @jelenawoehr.bsky.social , if Allison Long (known to her friends as Allie L.) grew up to be a geneticist, would that be a case of nominative determinism?

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Saw this in my gmail inbox and mis-read the subject as "A faster way to slop". My gut reaction was "Huh. Truth in advertising." Then I read it correctly.

A line from a gmail inbox. The sender is "ChatGPT". The subject is "A faster way to shop".

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Those picket signs should all be in a museum somewhere.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

So @xkcd.com , is the hover text of xkcd.com/3236/ saying that sometimes the map _is_ the territory?

xkcd.com

Border Message

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Saw an article that Google is working with Gucci on high-end smart glasses. I'm still waiting for my Zeiss-Ikon implants.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Watched “Nobody 2” last night. Had a lot of fun. It reminded me of: John Wick, Spy Kids, and The Muppet Movie.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

My grandfather once told me that inside of you lives two vowels. One is dyslexic, and the other tells dad jokes.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Happy Pi Day to those who celebrate. Post your favorite part of the sequence. Mine starts at the 3,141,592th digit, which is coincidentally: "...3141592..."

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

I was sooooo close to pressing Send, but then just clicked Spam instead.

An image of an incoming text from an unknown number saying “Hey! What was the happiest thing that happened to you this week?”. Beneath that is a warning how this might be spam, and a Report Spam button. Below that, an unsent reply saying “I didn’t receive any spam texts at all! … oh… wait. Damnit!”

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Get Claude a Truth Social account.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Feels like this should have been a valid entry. What do you think @barackobama.bsky.social ?

The New York Times "Spelling Bee" puzzle for February 16, 2026, containing the letters b, o, c, m, r, k, all surrounding "a". The proposed word is "barackobama". Not pictured is the "Not in word list" message when attempting to submit this entry.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Dear @hankgreen.bsky.social, Did you ever make the movie about the magnificent mucus molecule that connects your sinus to your… um… “sewer”? Water and non-covalent hydrogen bonds, Rob

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Just watched Apatow's documentary on Mel Brooks, which I recommend. It put me in mind of a song I heard once at a seder... If he had given us The 2000 Year Old Man and not given us The Producers, Dayenu! If he had given us The Producers and not given us Blazing Saddles, Dayenu! /1

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Random discovery while preparing dinner. Making chicken parm, I had a lump of mozzarella that didn’t feel large enough to save, and I didn’t want to just pop it in my mouth. So I put it in the hot pan with a little residual oil left from frying the chicken cutlets.

A red plate. On the plate in the upper right is a pair of metal tongs with blue silicone tops. Centered is an irregular disk of white, with browned and crispy looking edges. It could be a fried egg white but is actually a puddle of fried mozzarella.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Finished “Wonder Man” earlier today. It was just delightful. A tight eight episodes running under four hours, no filler _at_ _all_. Characters I cared about with actors able to convey the depths of the relationships, both loving and troubled. Lots of humor (both subtle and broad) along the way. 5⭐️

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

This is beautiful, @sassytealady.bsky.social. My only additional wish would be for Ken dressed as John Wick, sliding down the slide, holding Taffy. Or maybe Barbie Yaga herself dressed in the style of Wick, holding a gold coin, with Taffy at her side? Either way, an inspired work as it is.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

In lighter news, my commute started with drawing aces and eights, and I’m still alive at the end. I don’t think a five is the canonical kicker for Hickok’s hand, though — some say a queen, some say a nine — probably why I made it to work unscathed.

An image of a car’s odometer showing the vehicle has travelled a total of 51881 miles.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

I’m not sure whether to read this as imperative (“leave Twitter”) or descriptive (“ ‘get off’ twitter “)…

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Very strong “keep off the moors“ energy today at Rancho San Antonio near Cupertino.

A green hillside from Rancho San Antonio Park near Cupertino, with a cityscape shrouded by low scudding clouds.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Hey @jelenawoehr.bsky.social , wish your son a happy birthday for me.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Something of a milestone. Just removed parental controls from the boy’s Switch. Relatedly, kind of amusing (to me) that to install the iOS app parental controls onto the Switch that it displays a “link” code (not capitalized… perhaps a missed bet there…)

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

May have mentioned before, but my wife and I were walking down a street in Manhattan one evening. Walking the other way was Henry Winkler. We didn’t say anything, merely made eye contact, smiled at each other, and maybe half-raised a hand that was almost a wave. That’s about as minor as it gets.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Went for a walk and some guys from Cal Water were testing a new water main segment. Open hydrant on one end, no water coming out the other. If I'd had my novelty teeth, pliers and some 30-weight ball bearings, I'd have asked if they'd checked the Fetzer valve. It's all ball bearings these days.

Chevy Chase, in his role as Fletch posing as "Gordon Liddy", examining an exposed jet engine looking for either the Fetzer value or the bypass line.

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Rob Fagen @robfagen.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Given that _Die Hard_ is a "christmas movie", by the transitive property of holiday-movie logic, then _A Christmas Story_ is an "action movie". They both involve climactic gunplay scenes, and you can directly map McClane walking on glass to Ralphie sticking his tongue to a frozen pole.

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