iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It's infuriating, my downloads folder was catastrophic during my dissertation 💀

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Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 23/09/2026

I’m not clear on why this isn’t a major disciplinary crisis. Both for statistics (which seems unable to distinguish slop from real work), for UChicago (this seems to violate their rules), and for his peers (salami slicing studies is unethical), to say nothing of Polson‘s own ethical stance.

washingtonpost.com

One professor’s AI-assisted output: 200 papers and 14 books this year

An online platform removed 257 papers written or co-written by the University of Chicago’s Nicholas Polson after other academics raised questions.

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Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 28/09/2026

11. And, sigh, there’s also a whole human layer that seems primed to identify steal-able work and feed it back into the mothership. Honestly, I don’t see how anyone can use this for anything substantial and trust their work will remain their own. It’s SO risky!

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Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 28/09/2026

Two things worth considering dude by side, with AI in research:

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

To be absolutely fair, it's not a Kobo restriction, it's an Overdrive one, they're no more fans of it than we are.

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Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

So the answer to "during his time on earth, did Jesus ever see an armadillo?" is: "the armadillo is nocturnal so it really all depends on what time of day it was when the Devil got round to showing him the Americas."

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

From @buds-disability.bsky.social a while back: bsky.app/profile/buds... "assertively marketed" to free up care home places. Gross.

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Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

When disabled people oppose Assisted Dying, it’s almost never from a religious point of view. It’s not because we’re anti-choice or that we want to force people to suffer. We oppose it because society devalues disabled lives and uses these programs in an unethical manner. They become eugenics. 🧵

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Well shit. GNU Dr M, mind how you go.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

That's what I ended up with -- I'd skipped straight over it being presented in terms of inches so I'd gone off in the wrong direction!

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I thought it might be a millimetre, but that reference says 1/720 linea parisiensis = ~3.4 [mu]. And the maths don't work for l.p. to be a mm. This is, of course, assuming that [mu] means microns in the first place. Can anyone help?

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

OK #histsci / #histtech bods, I'm trying to work out a measurement from a diatom description. It's given as 1/80-1/21 ''' (yes, 3), which the book gives as "linea parisiens." I'm assuming this is short for "linea parisiensis", fine and fair enough, but Google can only find one reference...

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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Or, in fact, not really a news story at all. I don’t believe at all that this was nationally important and certainly not “third on the BBC 6 o’clock news” important as a story. Cofnas started all of this because he’s a racist and the media ran with it.

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Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 29/07/2026

For non-academic people, this how much UK universities pay publishers to publish their researchers’ articles. The publishers don't pay the researchers, and don't pay the peer reviewers. They also frequently cock up your paper at the typesetting stage. Academic publishing is the worst grift.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Anyways I'm here, the driver was great, the solidarity from the passengers was lovely, but ye gods, it's a lot for a Friday afternoon 😅

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I got the vibe English wasn't the buggy-pusher's first language and they seemed stressed, so the threat wasn't super great. I'm still dreaming of the day when there's room for everyone and we don't have to do all this, but until then, it's a faff.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Interesting that this time, other passengers remonstrated with the person who left the buggy. One saying they shouldn't have left it (sensibly, yes, technically it's fine), and when they folded it down and put it in front of a seat, one threatened to throw it out of the door.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

New one on me today – buggy in wheelchair space, no human with buggy. Very confusing, but massive props to my fellow passengers who made it work! I'm a little flabbergasted at the choice to leave the buggy in the first place but the driver said it was allowed so fair enough.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Pish, the rambling was an entirely joint effort 😁 It was good fun though!

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

If you've (somehow) not seen the issue on Asexuality in Tolkien's works, here's the link! scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftol...

scholar.valpo.edu

Journal of Tolkien Research (JTR) | Vol 24 | Iss 1

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

@clarelmoore.bsky.social and I were on the Entmoot podcast a few weeks ago talking about our special issue of JTR on asexuality! It was lovely, Sam and Kenny are great hosts and we both loved getting up on our soapboxes 😁 Available here/wherever you get your podcasts: shows.acast.com/entmootpod/e...

shows.acast.com

Asexuality in Tolkien's Legendarium (w/ Clare Moore and Rory Queripel) | The Entmoot Podcast

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Even accounting for it being hot and everyone having precisely no fucks to give (understandably) there was absolutely no call for any of it 💀

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Ironically, you absolutely know that if I'd caught the dog in any way with my wheels, there would have been A Problem. Usually dogs on the bus are fine and their owners are awesome about keeping them and my wheels apart, to everyone's benefit! Today's, not so much.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I said it was unsafe for me to be steering while the bus was moving. I also asked her to move the dog off my feet just before said animal moved itself. So she had a go at me saying "well we're getting off so you can stop stressing about the dog, Jesus Christ".

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Today's bus journey: apart from the heat, which is just abominable, the real delight is the small dog wandering around the end of the wheelchair space, with an owner who clearly had no interest keeping it out of the way. I ended up steering in while the bus was moving, which is obvs Non Ideal 😒

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Another vote for Storygraph – social features aren't obtrusive, plus it's an independent, Black-woman-owned Amazon alternative with really awesome, swift support if you need it! They also have Kobo integration if you ever want it, though as others have said, the barcode scanner rules for print 😁

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Ooh thank you! That sounds really cool!

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Well, complaint to TfL went in same day, response came back today! The driver will be identified and there'll be disciplinary action. Sounds harsh and I'm trying not to feel weird about that, but also solid response from them. Can't really say much fairer than that 🤷🏻

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

@imc-leeds.bsky.social last-minute paper prep brought to you courtesy of Blazin' Fiddles and tea 😅 Wish I was there in person, but my partner did make sure we had mead around so I don't have to feel too far away... youtu.be/zELzWM80BbU?...

youtu.be

Blazin' Fiddles perform 'The Windmill' live from Real World Studios

YouTube video by Blazin' Fiddles

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Glad I'm not the only one on the last-minute track! Looking forward to hearing yours later 😁

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Driver 1's numberplate has been noted and I'll let TfL know they refused to let me on for want of moving forward 3 feet. Driver 2 will get my customary cheery "thank you" because it wasn't their fault that dog/humans didn't quite move fast enough.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

...or that moving dogs plus wheelchairs in confined spaces is Not Great. Bus driver tried to pull away while I was at 90° waiting for the dog and humans to move. Fortunately stopped when we alerted them to what was happening, and I got in just fine. But honestly the whole thing is an absolute joke.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Anyway, back to the bus. Fortunately the next bus was literally just behind and was fine letting ramp down. Less fine was waiting for the rather boisterous (though gorgeous!) dog to move out of the wheelchair space, their humans didn't seem to realise I needed the whole space...

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Incidentally, second piece of awesome allyship in the last 10 minutes as someone noticed another pedestrian about to walk in front of me and asked them not to do that. That's a genuinely new experience for me and I thanked her profusely!

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

That's what normally happens, they're normally really apologetic and it's easy. Not this time. He refused. For reasons unknown. I felt for the passenger, who was trying their best. Also got a pic of the ramp and I suspect may make their own complaint.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Haven't rated a bus journey in a while – had some highs and lows recently but today's is weird. Driver pulls up, I can see they're not far enough forward for the ramp to clear the bus stop (pictured). No worries, passenger getting on lets driver know, he'll move, right?

A ramp sticking out of the side of a London bus, caught on the base of a bus stop and sitting an inch or so off the floor.

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Abbey @abbeyarletto.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.

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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Both totally unnecessary and extremely funny that the Guardian has an interactive graphic for you to change the color of the US flag's blue to the color of the Reflecting Pool from 8 to 19 June and counting

Screenshot of the article's graphic, showing color swatches derived from the Earthcam archive, illustration the color of the reflecting pool calibrated against satellite imagery, from 8 June to 19 June 2026. I chose yesterday, 19 June, so it rendered the US American flag with a green hue instead of blue.

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🌈 Dr Ross Brooks @rossbrooks.co.uk · 21/06/2026

It's #FathersDay! ‘"Nursing Fathers": A Humorous Commentary,’ The Sphere, April 1927. It depicts good king penguin and seahorse dads. The seahorse fry are being eaten by a jellyfish, though. Not sure what's humorous about that, but it's nice that male parenting in nature was celebrated in 1927! 🌈🐧🗃️

B&W picture titled ‘“Nursing Fathers”: A Humorous Commentary’ by L. R. Brightwell. The caption reads: 'The upper section shows the king penguins "changing guard." The male and female stand shoulder to shoulder, the eggs resting on the lady's insteps. By a deft movement of her ankles she twitches the egg on to those of her husband and leaves him in charge. The lower portion shows the male sea-horse liberating the young from the brood pouch. As shown in the drawing, many fall victims to the small jellyfishes'.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Also if anyone hasn't read it, Tourmaline's biography of Marsha is absolutely incredible, it's so rich in detail and research and ways of looking at her life and legacy, everyone neeeeeeeeds to read it 😭

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

This is probably my favourite pic of Marsha P Johnson. Apparently she had quite the collection of stuffed toys!

A picture of Marsha P Johnson, a Black person with their hair in bunches tied with big red ribbons and wearing a yellow silky dressing gown over a pink top. In their lap is a clearly well-loved Snoopy toy, and their face is split in a huge, beautiful smile.

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Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

By happenstance, I googled a philosophy colleague’s distinctive terminology today to find her papers on it. The first dozen search results were ALL her papers, or citations of them. The AI Overview didn’t mention her once. It falsely attributed her (non-tech) concept to some tech bros at Stanford.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Oh amazing! I actually haven't read it yet, but I have my own masters dissertation to write at the moment so I probably don't need to take on too much extra reading 💀💀

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Yeah, it's a shame because I think there's some great scholarship to be had, we just end up with too much dogma and exclusion. Tom Emanuel, @realtomemanuel.bsky.social, is one of the few Tolkien/theology bods I trust, I super appreciate his work! Worth looking up if you find yourself interested 😊

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Oh absolutely that too. My other "thing" with Tolkien stuff is ecology, currently working on botanical colonialism (including this exact thing) and how ecology works in adaptation. Aldarion has thoroughly earned his place on everyone's shitlist 😅

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

...and we can acknowledge that people make legitimately dickish decisions in a context that *also* didn't leave them with a whole lot of great choices to begin with. Aldarion is not off the hook, no one has to like him, but we can still acknowledge there are multiple factors involved.

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Rory (they/them) @roryq.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Also, I do make sure that Aldarion maybe being ace *doesn't* let him off the hook for being a giant bellend. He made terrible, hurtful choices that had huge repercussions, and I don't think he's a nice person. BUT, as I say in the paper, "queer pain is queer pain"...

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