iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 06/10/2026

1. No, but I'd like to if this computer thing doesn't work out 2. OK, that one is a fair cop.

Amazon's synthetic preferences for me, saying I maintain bicycles professionally (I don't), and my default department is "Coffee products."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 02/10/2026

Bha mi a' dol a freagairt ann an Beurla gus an faca me seo.

"The post you're replying to was marked as being written in English by its author. Would you like to reply in English?"

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/10/2026

I went to the website to see if I could figure out how to make the stupid stop and it just gets stupider. For people who aren't in on the joke: REI closed both our local stores in the last year because the employees had unionized. Our nearest store is now Hingham (I think).

A screen from the REI website showing they still list the Boston store as "Open until 8PM today."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/10/2026

Hey REI, did you sack the people who maintain your databases because they were part of a union, too?

The banner from an email from REI. The top line says "Your closest store: CLOSED - BOSTON," followed on the next line by "Not your closest store? Update address here."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 08/09/2026

It seems to me that someone with a public profile like Trump's should be easy to track down on specific days in the past. Esp. if he had required rescue by FDNY. And lo, he _is_ quoted in the NY Times from 9/11. But not quite how he remembers it now.

Donald Trump, who owns some 20 buildings in Manhattan, including the 72-story 40 Wall Street, said employees there scrambled over piles of debris a foot or two high to get out and, in many cases, made their way to Brooklyn.

Mr. Trump said some occupants of his buildings decided on their own to leave, but many opted to stay because of the difficulty finding transportation home. He said he and other building owners would re-examine safety, but he acknowledged how difficult it was to guard against an air attack.

''When they start dealing with airplanes, that's beyond anything you can do but bring in the Air Force to get them before they get you,'' he said.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 04/09/2026

OTOH 35+ years in Boston has definitely had an impact on my dialect. Honestly, it would have been weird if it still pegged me as being from the Rio Grande Valley, where I spent less than a third of my life so far.

A dialect map of the United States, showing a lot of orange and red in New England, mostly concentrated around Boston and Maine, but with a secondary hot spot near Las Cruces, New Mexico (and some orange in Los Angeles and Alaska).

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 26/08/2026

I can't tell if Worldle is messing with me or if my screen has some schmutz on it.

A worldle map showing two vertical lines with a couple of dots on either side of them. Or maybe there's just dust on my screen.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 13/08/2026

Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy. I admit, some philosophies have more depth than others.

Worf is holding Data's cat Spot, as Data says "he answers to 'asshole' or pspsps. He is a needy little butthead with one braincell." Worf replies "Do you even like this creature?" Data responds "I would die for him." Worf then says "he's biting me," to which Data replies "he likes you."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 06/08/2026

Cats are such graceful, dignified creatures.

A tuxedo cat lying sprawled on his back on a window perch. Every limb is sticking out at a weird angle.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 02/08/2026

At 8AM I ticked past 60km so far today.The DJ at the Brewster water stop is playing "Sweet Caroline". Y'all this is already physically challenging w/out doing that to us

Commemorative painted rocks which all say PMC2026.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 02/08/2026

We join day 2 of #pmc2026 already in progress.

A man in cycling kit looking extremely tired, and also like he didn't rub his sunscreen all the way.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 02/08/2026

This was the final data on day one of #pmc2026

A garmin ride report showing 160.57km in 7:10:58, for an avg speed of 22.4km/hr

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/08/2026

And now I'm sitting on a bag of ice in Lakeville.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/08/2026

and now for everyone's favorite game: What Will My Stomach Tolerate Today

A very odd luncheon plate of one PB&J sandwich, two hard-boiled eggs, two orange slices, and. Stonyfield Organic 'banilla' yogurt in a tube.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/08/2026

It is way too goddamn early for this. #pmc2026

The eastern sky over Worcester, Mass, just before sunrise.

A very under-rested man in a PMC jersey and. bike helmet.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 16/07/2026

I'm sorry I can't make it to your dumb meeting, I'm kind of tied up with something else right now.

A gorgeous tortoiseshell-and-white cat is lying atop a grey blanket with someone's hip underneath it. The cat has pretty green eyes, and little white does on each of her forelegs. The human isn't going anywhere for a while.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 10/07/2026

As long as the cat is comfortable, I'm sure I must be comfortable, too.

A portrait of a bald man lying on his back, with the tail of a black cat drapped across his face.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 27/06/2026

When Baldric was a kitten, he would wake me up by head-bonking my face, so I'd sing "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" to him. I sang it to him the last day at the vet, 19 years later. I still miss that little lunatic.

A man with a red beard is holding a black and silver tabby cat. The cat is, inexplicably, covered in flour.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 21/06/2026

I just realized Garmin didn't include the elevation profile. so here that is

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 21/06/2026

Memo to self: Trapelo Road is a *bastard*.

A ride summary showing a route outbound through Waltham and Lincoln before looping around via Concord and Carlisle to Bedford and then back to the start. Total distance 83.43km, time 4:12.

A storm blowing into Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 19/06/2026

That was some pretty intense post-storm scenery tonight, huh?

A view of a salmon coloured post-sunset cloud bank over railroad tracks.

A very full, prominent rainbow over a couple of old factory buildings (one of which is actually a circus school now).

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 16/06/2026

Sometimes one finds some amazingly weird shit on Wikipedia.

Pierce Charles de Lacy O'Mahony (9 June 1850 – 31 October 1930), known up to 1901 as Pierce Mahony, and from 1912 also as The O'Mahony of Kerry, was an Irish nationalist politician and philanthropist, who practised as a barrister from 1898 to 1900. He was remarkable in having had successively three names, two wives and three faiths, and for being honoured by the Kings of two opposing countries in the First World War.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 06/06/2026

This is another one of those headlines some journalists wait a lifetime to write.

Headline: "Laxative-laced brownies rattle Nantucket School Committee meeting"
Subheadline: "It’s my understanding they do have a non-detect level of Ex-Lax in them, but I figured since we’re OK with a non-detect level of PFAS, it would probably be OK."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/06/2026

This is a cat checkpoint. Relinquish your most recent cat photo on your phone.

Two cats are sitting in a window. On the left, a tuxedo boy is looking out at the wildlife. On the right, a tortie girl is looking back toward the left, as though the boy shoved her out of her spot (again).

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 16/04/2026

Other Zwifters will appreciate that this is the advanced technique for descending Alpe du Zwift

A woman in bike clothes is sitting back in an office chair with her feet on the top tube of a stationary bike. She is looking at her phone and eating a stroopwafel.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 06/03/2026

"Don't You Wish That We Were Dead," a 2015 documentary about pioneering punk band The Damned. This is a fun film as the band rumbles and lurches and bickers their way toward the 50th anniversary of releasing "New Rose." They're still touring, still recording, and I've seen them live 30+ times.

A promo poster for "Don't You Wish that We Were Dead," featuring an early promo photo for the band. Captain Sensible is on the left wearing ludicrous glasses and a red shirt under a white jacket. Rat Scabies is wearing a leather jacket over a black shirt and red tie. David Vanian is wearing a tux and velvet cape. And the late Brian James is wearing dark glasses a leather jacket, and blue jeans, and looks remarkably normal.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 03/03/2026

I have eaten much sushi standing up and holding my plate over my head because of this little criminal.

A tiny tortoishell cat is half-curled up, and is looking at the camera as though she has just been awakened by HISTORY'S GREATEST MONSTER.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 01/03/2026

@gloomshadows.bsky.social These are maybe slightly more reasonable quick builds than the 6000 piece monsters

A close-up of a miniature Lego floral set.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 26/02/2026

Fascinating. This flyer was included with my proxy voting materials regarding the sale.

A full color flyer encouraging voters to vote "for" the Netflix offer. It also has Superman on it for som reason.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 24/02/2026

This is just such credulous nonsense. Consider the highlighted text, and think for a moment: what is it about Door Dash that gets the food to your door. Is it the app on your phone, or is it the fleet of gig workers? God save us from "smart" business people. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

"Instead of using DoorDash, developers – and civilians – code up their own food delivery apps, all of which compete, fragment the market, and destroy the margins of legacy businesses. Business for Uber and other ride-sharing apps also evaporates. Instead of using Visa and Mastercard, AI agents decide to do all business in cryptocurrency, because transaction costs are cheaper. This guts traditional payment providers."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 19/02/2026

What's the Gàidhlig version of "rubbing salt in an open wound"?

A duolingo Gaelic exercise that translates as "Scotland will win against Italy at rugby"

A Six Nations rugby score: Italy 18, Scotland 15

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 14/02/2026

I knew I was slow, but I didn't think I was *that* slow.

A Zwift climb portal summary: showing I climbed virtual Mount Fuji in 2:39:19, which it notes is "faster than 2% of other riders."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 20/01/2026

Hey, look, Tags sells cats now!

A tortoiseshell-and-white cat looks up at the camera from inside a reusable shopping bag.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 15/01/2026

Apparently I didn't learn my lesson from PMC2025. As with last year, I promise to try not to be _too_ annoying about fundraising. OTOH, it _is_ a fundraiser, and also fuck cancer.

A confirmation message that reads "Thank you for registering for the 2026 Pan-Mass Challenge."

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 10/01/2026

On one hand, we're losing Tampopo; OTOH, we're getting City Slicker back next week, several months after a fire.

Dear City Slicker Cafe Community,
We are happy to announce that we will be opening our doors once more beginning Tuesday, January 13, 2026. We look forward to seeing you again soon and serving up your favorite creative comfort foods. Thank you for your patience and support. We appreciate you!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at City Slicker Cafe

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 08/01/2026

Well this sucks: Tampopo in the Porter Exchange is closing. but I can't begrudge the owners for wanting to go do something else after all these years.

Happy New Year!
As we welcome the new year, we would like to share some news about the future of our restaurant.
We opened Tampopo in February 1992, and it's been an incredible 34-year run. This journey has been made possible entirely through your warm support and continued patronage, for which we are deeply grateful. However, we've decided it's finally time for us to move on to our next chapter (and maybe get some rest!). We will be officially closing at the end of June 2026.
Serving this neighborhood has been the honor of a lifetime. We hope you'll stop by over the next six months so we can thank you in person.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Tampopo
Owner
Yasumasa Ito

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 08/01/2026

I wish she'd try napping at 03:00 for variety's sake.

A tortoiseshell can is curled up to nap in a sunbeam

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 03/01/2026

I think we could all use a cat right about now.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 17/12/2025

You would never tell just by looking at them, that these two precious, innocent-looking creatures spend an hour every night screaming like their buttholes are on fire.

Two cats snuggling together. On the left is a tuxedo boy, and on the right is a calico-and-white girl. Her left forepaw is wrapped around him in what may be affection, or she may be about to strangle him. It could go either way.

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R. S. Y. Buchanan @rsybuchanan.com · 14/12/2025

Apparently Union Square Donuts has fancy sufganiyot for sale

A bakery display of various types of filled donuts. Front and center is a "banoffee pie sufganiyah," about which I will shortly learn more.

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