iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I haven't identified the newspaper this came from, but the same essay was posted today on a Substack operated by the "Iosco County Dems." Tawas City is on the eastern shore of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

U.S. can be described as an ‘Elective Autocracy’

Editor,

Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the power to pass legislation and make new public law. Executive orders cannot create new law or appropriate funds; they only direct how existing law is administered.

Since January 2025, only 108 bills have passed through Congress. Meanwhile, approximately 300 executive orders have been signed, with roughly half being legislative in substance. Let that sink in. Political scientists have a term for a system where one person rules by decree while the legislature sits idle: an Elective Autocracy which might be closer to describing the United States today.

Here’s the concept: an elective autocracy is what happens when a country keeps the outward form of democracy – elections, a legislature, courts – but power actually concentrates in a single office. The vote still happens. The other branches still technically exist. But the real decisions are made by one person, unilaterally.

The Constitution was built to prevent exactly this. Congress legislates. The President executes. Courts interpret. Three separate powers, each checking the others. That’s the design – the complete opposite of autocracy.

So how do you get from a constitutional democratic republic to an elective autocracy? Not with a coup – all it takes is a little drift. A legislature passes fewer and fewer laws. An executive then fills that vacuum with orders, mandates and directives, one after another, on immigration, spending, regulation, whatever Congress won’t or doesn’t touch. Nothing about the system officially changes. You still vote. Congress still meets. But the actual lawmaking moves into one office.

That’s the mechanism of an elective autocracy: legitimacy borrowed from elections, power exercised like a decree-issuing executive. It doesn’t announce itself. It accumulates. This isn’t about any single leader – it’s about the structure that allows it. An elective autocracy doesn’t require anyone t…

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Everyone knows that "kablooie" is for literature; science goes "boink." [Watterson, 1991]

Two comic panels.

Dad: "What story would you like tonight, Calvin?"
Boy: "Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie!"

Two comic panels.

Tiger: "I'd hate to be accused of inhibiting scientific progress … here you go."
Button: BOINK

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"let's write STUPIDLY TASTY on the inside of the beef jerky package" "what if someone opens it halfway to hold the food in the plastic while eating" "only a moron would do that"

A beef jerky wrapper is halfway open, with the word STUPID prominently visible on the inside.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Shelby Bottoms Park, Nashville, August 30.

A black butterfly perches on a red flower.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The "Glance" advertising tool for lockscreens on Motorola phones crosses the line from "dark patterns" to "malware." Unacceptable. I submitted a "policy violation" complaint in addition to this dumb review, but I'm not optimistic.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

A new neighbor (politely located outdoors). Best guess seems to be a "polyphemus moth," which shares a name with Odysseus's one-eyed (later zero-eyed) antagonist. Hopefully sharing these photos does not offend Poseidon. Make sure to zoom on in the cute feathery antennae!

A polyphemus moth on a vinyl-sided wall, with a man's hand for scale.

A polyphemus moth on a vinyl-sided wall. The view is head-on, showing eyes, antennae, and the bushiness of the back at the expense of any detail on the wings.

A polyphemus moth on a vinyl-sided wall. View is from above-behind, showcasing the brown wings with their black and pink lines. Three of the four large eyespots are visible.

Close-in view of the antennae of a polyphemus moth.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

A great blue heron at Cummins Falls State Park, outside of Cookeville. This was where the trail leaves the side of the canyon and runs upriver towards the waterfall. Crawling around the waterfall was a blast, but is not for the faint of heart.

A great blue heron fishes in a rocky stream.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

An excellent crepuscular volumetric cloud shadow stretching over this volleyball game during last night's #sunset. Took me a few tries to get the ball in the air.

The shadow of a cumulus cloud stretches across the sky at dusk. In the foreground is a volleyball game, with the ball hanging in the sky.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I'm not sure about the provenance of the image, but it (a) roughly gels with other predictions that I've seen, and (b) perhaps explains why Bluesky has been so full of astounding #sunset photos lately.

Map of the northeastern United States. A bright band stretches southeast from Lake Superior to the Chesapeake Bay and out to the Atlantic, with the words "Thick smoke" over the Washington, DC area. Caption text below the bright band: "Predicted wildfire smoke Friday afternoon (HRRR model)."

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

havin a stretch together on a lazy #caturday

Two cats stretched out on a paisley rug. Pandora, left with tortoiseshell colors, is twisted into a sort of corkscrew with her belly and hind feet in the air; her eye is open and she is watching the camera. Odin, on the right in long black hair, has his face near Pandora's. Their front paws are touching.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

I happened to be watching the sunset tonight from just the right place for this excellent crepuscular shadow to pass directly overhead. It was like having the sky split into bright and dark halves. (See alt text for an explanation.) #bluesky #sunset 🔭

A crepuscular shadow, facing west just after sunset. There is a layer of haze which is still illuminated by the setting sun. But on the right, some distant hill is cashing a shadow on this layer. The chiaroscuro boundary happens to pass directly overhead, splitting the sky into golden and blue halves. There is a hint of a bright ray near the "two o'clock" angle.

See the description in the previous photo — this is the same sky, but facing east.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Stunning colors with the sun setting after tonight's rain. #bluesky #sunset

A brilliant golden sky is visible through and above trees, framed by the wall and roof of a balcony. In the foreground is a wind chime.

A wind chime is silhouetted through a window against a stunningly lavender sky.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

My partner's phone randomly offered an unrequested analysis of their recent photos. Paraphrase: "This tortoiseshell cat is a juvenile, is obese, and is missing one eye. The remaining pupil is dilated in an unhealthy way." Like, "hi i'm a robot and your fat half-blind cat is sick" [she's not]

A one-eyed tortoiseshell cat is momentarily distracted from her playtime with some mouse-shaped toys.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I needed a red circle. Also with alt text. Cheers!

Page of a legal complaint.

Top, circled, the word "COMPLAINT."

Middle, a screenshot of a ChatGPT blurb: "Built with safety in mind. Safety and transparency aren't add-ons — they're built into how we design, test, and improve ChatGPT. We work with experts, test safeguards, and update our systems regularly to reduce risks. ChatGPT is trained to avoid showing harmful material and to respond in a respectful way for all users."

Bottom, circled, a two-word paragraph numbered "1", text "Not so."

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I took a walk. It was pretty. End of the story! Best wishes,

A shallow river glistens in the springtime sun, viewed through thick foliage.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Is there a way to tell #Duolingo not to make the app icon constipated in the afternoon? I'm on #Android. The first several search results all tell me it's really easy, all I have to do is install three other apps and change the way my phone launches all of its programs.

The face in the Duolingo app icon becomes progressively more distressed through the day to manipulate the user into doing a lesson. Here, around 3pm, the owl seems to be having an unpleasant bowel movement.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

for a beer called "voodoo ranger IPA," whose can is decorated with a skeleton wearing a motorcycle jacket, I feel like "mango" is an unexpected flavor choice it feels like discovering that Alice Cooper really likes golf

An orange beverage can. The upper shoulder says "NEW BELGIUM." Vertically up the side, "VOODOO RANGER." A skeleton is dressed in a hat with furred leather ear flaps, a checkered dome, and an upturned bright green bill. The skeleton is wearing the mock "sunglasses" which are just plastic strips, which wouldn't protect the skeleton's eyes from UV light if the skeleton had eyes. On its torso, the skeleton is wearing a denim jacket with red cobras on either panel of the unfastened front. In large letters and in multiple typefaces, "1985 MANGO IPA."

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

This preview image shows a moon which is (a) colored blue and (b) not full. It's like a detective story where a clue turns out to be a red herring, and this is illustrated with a scarlet flounder.

Screenshot of a headline and article preview image. Headline: "We're getting a blue Moon in May 2026. Here's how to see the extra full Moon this year | BBC Sky at Night Magazine." The preview image shows a waxing gibbous Moon, west up, colored with a blue filter.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Player 3 has entered the game

Top panel: Still from Disney's animated "The Little Mermaid" in which the silhouetted mermaid throws her head back, hair over her head, surrounded by sparkling backlit splashing water.

Bottom panel: actress Halle Berry recreates the image in the live-action remake of the film.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

i live 1000 miles from the ocean, so should i just put it in the river or

A bottle of Windex labeled "100% ocean bound plastic"

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Comments in alt text. Thanks for enjoying these with me!

Little purple trumpet flowers peek their heads above a few inches of asphalt wall, their heads in dawn sun but their trunks in shadow.

A tiny white flower in front of the grass, with some less interesting flowers in softer focus nearly blocking the view.

A tree blossom. White petals and long white stamens with yellow anthers (is that the word?) on the ends.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

I was a little late to my hill this morning and the sun was already up. But the dawn light was amazing and everything was beautiful. Nature photos within; some commentary in alt text. #bluesky #sunrise #nature #photos

The sun rises over a sprawling vista into a clear, colorful sky.

Little white flowers on long fuzzy stems are on the cusp of opening. A few tendrils in the foreground, and a near grassy rise and distant trees in the background, are in softer focus. Just over the hill on the left, a soft-focus rising sun.

Looking into a park: a grass field with an asphalt path leading to trees in the distance. This is a low place on a western downslope seen just at dawn: the distant hilltops and treetops are in sunlight, but long shadows extend into and darken the nearby trees.

A grassy field in front of a line of trees. It is a low place at dawn: only the crowns of the trees are sunlit.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Maple seeds about to take wing, and tiny purple trumpet flowers.

Clusters of yellowing maple seeds letting their wings mature at the end of a twig, with darker green leaves moving in to replace them.

Tiny purple trumpet-shaped flowers cluster where moss gives way to leaf litter at an exposed tree root. In the background is a pine cone.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

I didn't realize I had this almost-horizon to the east. I'll probably keep climbing the hill at the park when I have time, though. #bluesky #sunrise

The riding sun peeks brilliantly through the trees behind an apartment building. The sky is pink and purple with hints of cloud.

A northwesterly dawn sky dappled with clouds, blue fading to pink lower right, with a purple-blossomed tree in the foreground. Clouds are dark where the sky is bright and bright where the sky is dark.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

In fact, the Moon is so far north that it will pass on the "wrong" side of the zenith for people south of Corpus Christi or Orlando (ish). If a person in Miami were to look the shadow of a vertical pole tonight, the shadow would go counterclockwise! (Next chance: mid-February 2027.)

Stellarium simulation showing the half-lit Moon overhead at dusk as viewed from south Florida. The ecliptic is in yellow and the orbital path of the Moon is in red. The Moon passes north of the zenith, marked with a green Z.

Also note that the Moon's orbit appears further north than from Tennessee, actually crossing the boundary into Auriga. A parallax effect.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Since we're at equinox right now, the half-lit Moon is near the direction of the northern solstice. And it so happens that the Moon is about as far north of the ecliptic as it gets. For northern hemisphere folks, the Moon at dusk will be really, really high — higher than the Sun gets at midsummer.

Stellarium screenshot showing simulated moonset from Tennessee in the small hours of 2026-03-25. The half-lit Moon, whose orbital path is shown in red, is about to cross from Taurus to Gemini. It is quite far north of the ecliptic, nearly crossing into Auriga. Jupiter is above left, quite close to the ecliptic, its label muddled with the label for a constellation.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Wait, 47 US states? Well, Hawai'i is tropical, so at times the sunward direction is to the north. And the Moon's orbit can carry it as far as 5º north of the ecliptic. I think this means you *could* get a waxing C-crescent moon as far north as Orlando or Corpus Christi, but it would be a rare thing.

Stellarium screenshot showing simulated moonset from Hawai'i on 2026-03-22. The illuminated part of the crescent moon (its west) is on the bottom. Above and very near the Moon is the Pleiades star cluster, with some stars labeled. To the left, the ecliptic slants off to the left/south.

Stellarium screenshot showing simulated moonset from Hawai'i on 2026-03-19. The moon is only 1% illuminated — this would have been tough to spot. The illuminated part of the crescent moon (its west) is on the bottom left. Above the Moon to the left is Venus. Between the Moon and Venus, the ecliptic is nearly vertical, tilted slightly to the right/north.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Here the big clue is the left-right direction. At temperate latitudes the plane of the solar system (the ecliptic) leaves the horizon at an equatorward angle. In 47 US states, a crescent moon setting in the west is always a little south of the Sun, so the lit side makes a D — not this C. 2/🔭

Stellarium screenshot showing simulated moonset from Tennessee on 2026-03-22. The illuminated part of the crescent moon (its west) is on the lower right. Above the Moon is the Pleiades star cluster, with some stars labeled. To the left, the ecliptic slants off to the left/south.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

I installed a fresh Stellarium today and the default Sky Culture option now shows only translations of the IAU constellation names — that is, only "Great Bear" and "Lion." It took a hot minute to make it say "Ursa Major" and "Leo." Here's a picture of the place to change them. "Both" is allowed. 🔭

Screenshot of the Stellarium v25.4 "Sky Culture" window, choosing the "modern" constellation names. A hand-drawn circle around the option "native" is labeled "Auriga, Camelopardalis." (Camelopardalis is misspelled.) A circle around the "translation" options is labeled "Charioteer, Giraffe."

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Had to start this morning before the sunrise proper. The waning moon was purportedly up but already invisible, as predicted by @watchinthesky.bsky.social . #bluesky #sunrise

Colors blend from red to gold to blue to grey in a cloudless predawn sky.

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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Here's a version with several other diseases, aligned by vaccination date. Apparently mumps and rubella were so common pre-vaccine that no data were collected. As far as I can tell the plots are from the Wall Street Journal, but the realignment comes from Edward Tufte.