iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

A 18 Sep CNN report, unverified by other major outlets, describes how the US “almost started a war” with China, based on an intelligence report claiming a Chinese ship was transporting nuclear weapons components. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #AI #WWIII

theguardian.com

Forget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender

The risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 1h

Here are Jerry Weinberg's Ten Laws of Pricing. If you like them and want to know more, do yourself a big favor and buy his book! www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/un... #consulting #pricing #SettingYourPrice #SecretsOfConsulting #JerryWeinberg

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 13h

How can you help your board members better internalize your association's strategic goals? Here are three suggestions that may help. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/as... #association #nonprofit #StrategicPlanning #StrategicGoals #assnchat

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 14h

Design events with an overall structure in mind — and where you and the participants are open to the unexpected www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/le... #meetings #EventDesign #impromptu #serendipity #bagpipes #events #eventprofs

bagpipes event: photograph by Adrian Segar of a bagpiper whom he discovered attending and invited to play at an event

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 16h

It’s useful to distinguish between three different categories of learning: factual information acquisition, problem-solving, and building a process toolkit www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/le... #learning #training #InformationAcquisition #ProblemSolving #ProcessToolkit

three key kinds of learning: an illustration of a computer keyboard with the shift key replaced by a green "learn" key. Photo attribution: Flickr user jakerust

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 17h

Two experiences taught me why I try to avoid intermediaries as a consultant: divided authority, conflicting demands, and uncertainty about getting paid. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/co... #newpost #Consulting #IndependentConsultant #Freelancing #ClientRelationships #Business

A diagram illustrating potential problems with relationships between clients, consultants and intermediaries. Three parties are shown in a chain: a consultant on the left, an intermediary in the middle, and an ultimate client on the right. Arrows from both sides point toward the intermediary, who appears caught between the competing demands of the other two parties.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 19h

Can we do better than novelty at our meetings? Yes! Don't fob off your meeting attendees with new" or "different". Go for "better"! www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #novelty #better #different #eventprofs

novelty at our meetings: a photograph of a neon sign saying "novelties". Image attribution: Flickr user dopey

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 20h

We need to re-envisage event technology to significantly improve our events www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/te... #meetings #EventTech #improvement #technology #events #eventprofs

re-envisage event technology: photograph of a plastic sales blister-pack containing four AA batteries and a nail clipper. Photo attribution: Flickr user pierre-francois

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 22h

Is paid influencer marketing ethical in the meeting industry? Frankly, I doubt that it's an ethical practice. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #events #sponsor #sponsorship #EventMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #ethics #eventprofs

paid influencer marketing: an illustration of a human silhouette flanked by a heart and a dollar sign

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 23h

RIP, Conference Curator! The fantasy of the conference curator is dead. Instead, let conference attendees choose conference content. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #curation #myth #ParticipantDrivenEvents #eventprofs

RIP Conference Curator: photograph of two people walking in a high-ceiling art museum with large paintings on the walls

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 30/09/2026

Supporting connection between participants at our events allows them to take full advantage of the collective wisdom in the room. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #connection #ActiveLearning #SocialLearning #eventprofs

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 30/09/2026

9 Practical Tips for Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You in a Chaotic World www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/li... #LettingGo #Mindfulness #MentalHealth #SelfCare #Wellness #Meditation

A black and white photograph of (on left) fingers holding the cuff of a sweater over the hand (on right) fingers letting go of the cuff of the sweater from the hand "Let Go" by JFXie is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Super PACs aligned with Anthropic and OpenAI have spent a combined $55.7 million and counting on the midterm elections. Almost none of their ads mention AI or data centers. Know their names and don't fall for their lies.

youtube.com

Meet the Biggest Super PACs of 2026

Voters are increasingly opposed to U.S. aid to Israel, cryptocurrency, and AI data centers.That's why the Big Money grou

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Representative Becca Balint @balint.house.gov · 29/09/2026

It came up at my Middlebury roundtable: Vermont farmers are feeling the effects of the staffing cuts at USDA. The backlogs are long, staff are overwhelmed, and farmers can’t get their questions answered. We need urgent accountability from those responsible for this mess.

vtdigger
Vermont farmers feel impacts of staffing cuts at USDA
Reduced staffing means there are fewer people on the ground to help farmers submit applications, explain the reason behind funding priorities and ensure that the federal government works for farmers, said an agricultural policy analyst.

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

According to leaks, Anthropic reported a $42B net loss in 2025. This was revealed as Anthropic is preparing a massive IPO and even bigger investments in AI infrastructure. How worried should we be about the AI bubble bursting?

youtube.com

Brace Yourself for the AI Bubble

Are we watching an AI revolution, or a slow-motion economic disaster?

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

I answer five questions about event process design, including: who designs the facilitation, what level of training is needed, and more… www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/de... #meetings #EventDesign #AskAdrianAnything #ProcessDesign #eventprofs

event process design: a diagram with three colored boxes with arrows between them from left to right. The first red box is labeled "Vague ideas concerning event objectives, and resources"; the second yellow box is labeled "EVENT DESIGN MAGIC"; and the third green box is labeled "Fully realized successful event!"

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

A glossary of 38 conference participation techniques that I cover in my book "The Power of Participation". www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #facilitation #participation #SessionFormats #GroupWork #eventprofs

conference participation techniques: a black and white photograph of jazz dancers leaping in a dance studio. Photo attribution: Flickr user teo_ladodicivideo

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026

🤡 Schmitt beclowns himself 🤡 Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong. Here's the whole sequence:

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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

FBI Director Kash Patel this week has faced the worst data breach in FBI history, a deputy who quit because Patel was doing too many unconstitutional things, and partied with a suspected double agent. And it's only Tuesday. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/the-disgra...

doomsdayscenario.co

The Disgrace and Danger of Kash Patel, Part II

A quick check-in on the FBI director's latest raft of scandals (including, of course, the bestiality).

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

Here's a great introduction to working smarter: Harold Jarche's "Working Smarter with Personal Knowledge Mastery" free downloadable guide. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/le... #learning #WorkingSmarter #HaroldJarche #PersonalKnowledgeManagement #FreeGuide #assnchat

working smarter: An image of a window, a bicycle, and a plant box in front of a yellow wall. On the wall is a quote from Jay Cross: "Visualize the workflow of a physical job: produce, produce, produce, produce, produce, produce, produce, produce, produce. Now visualize the workflow of a creative knowledge worker: nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, flash of brilliance, nothing, nothing, nothing."

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026

LMAO Trump's new AI website confirms that he lost in 2020

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Donate to his Super PAC? He'll pardon your crimes. Donate to his Super PAC? He'll appoint you to a government position. Donate to his Super PAC? He'll grant you favorable regulatory rulings that help boost your bottom line. We must not become numb to this blatant corruption.

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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 29/09/2026

Reported admission to investors of AI’s ‘self-preserving behaviours’ comes as company prepares for a potential $2tn flotation

theguardian.com

Anthropic ‘warns of existential AI risks to humanity’ in IPO document

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Representative Becca Balint @balint.house.gov · 29/09/2026

It’s almost as if there are more ways to measure the value of work than just the amount of money it makes people.  A country with fewer social workers and teaching aides, with less study of the arts and history, is a country that’s not investing in its own future.

newrepublic.com

Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees

Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

How did I get here? My first school environment was creative and playful. But my later education affected me in ways that took years to fade… www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/li... #education #play #LifeLessons #Froebel #school #connection

How I got here…a pile of old Froebel blocks used to immerse young children in play

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

Two experiences taught me why I try to avoid intermediaries as a consultant: divided authority, conflicting demands, and uncertainty about getting paid. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/co... #Consulting #IndependentConsultant #Freelancing #ClientRelationships #Business

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

Here are five fundamental questions about conference design. Have you answered them to your satisfaction for your events? www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #questions #improvement #eventprofs

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

How can we make conferences better? Here are two suggestions, plus my comments, by Samantha Whitehorn of ASAE's Associations Now. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #associations #concierge #connections #events #eventprofs #assnchat

make conferences better: photograph of two seated attendees talking at a conference. Photo attribution: Flickr user michigancommunities

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

Instead of inviting guest speakers to give a lecture, hold an Ask Me Anything, where participants get their questions answered and needs met. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #learning #AMA #AskMeAnything #presentations #lectures

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 29/09/2026

How can we build connection and engagement with the people with whom we work? By giving up control over the choices they're offered. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #GivingUpControl #choices #connection #engagement #eventprofs

build connection and engagement: photograph of a square yellow plastic sign clamped to a wire mesh fence. The pink sign says "CONTROLLED AREA" with a radioactivity symbol underneath.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

What makes attending conferences worthwhile? Some of the most useful conferences are those designed to solve participants' problems. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #cynefin #ProblemSolving #eventprofs

solving participants problems: Cynefin illustration by Edwin Stoop (User:Marillion!!62) - [1], CC BY-SA 4.0

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

Associations exist only in the mind. As evidence, here's the story of the birth of VISA, an association of tens of thousands of member banks. www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/as... #associations #assnchat #eventprofs #VISA #CommunityOfPractice #agreements

associations exist only in the mind: A 1979 Visa credit card advertisement

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Representative Becca Balint @balint.house.gov · 28/09/2026

In case you missed it, the White House announced that they're illegally canceling nearly $1 billion in funding appropriated by Congress. Republican leadership is so weak and so subservient to Trump that they're just letting it happen. It's a betrayal of all our constituents.

politico.com

Trump cancels $1B in federal spending in latest challenge to Congress

Many lawmakers, including some top Republicans, say the "pocket rescission" tactic is illegal.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

How I work productively: including Getting Things Done, work environment, reliable backup, and working in sprints rather than marathons www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/pe... #PersonalEffectiveness #working #productivity #tips #breaks #GettingThingsDone #OfficeEnvironment #pomodoro

working productively: a photograph of the view out of my office window in early winter

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The rich would prefer you to believe that the "free market" is subject to the immutable law of supply and demand. But for years, the wealthy and powerful have manipulated the market for their own gain. There is nothing “free” about it. Watch.

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Representative Becca Balint @balint.house.gov · 28/09/2026

The FDA approved mifepristone 26 years ago today and it’s been safe and effective since. Still, the GOP has tried to abuse an antiquated law to ban the distribution of mifepristone and sneak into a national abortion ban, bringing us back to the 1800s. I intro'd the Stop Comstock Act to stop them.

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We don’t allow corporations to come up with new nuclear weapons or biological pathogens. If a product is potentially dangerous, it should be regulated and corporations should be held accountable for wrongdoing. Why would AI be any different? www.commondreams.org/news/ai-securi…

commondreams.org

AI Giants Probe 'Tens of Thousands' of Security Incidents—Some Involving Government Sites | Common Dreams

Security researchers investigate tens of thousands of artificial intelligence security incidents, fueling fresh calls fo

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We’re all counting on them following through after the midterms.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

How you program conferences depends (or ought to) on your answer to the question: Do conference attendees know what they want? www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #sessions #choice #ParticipantDriven #events #eventprofs

Do conference attendees know what they want? Photograph of a puzzled woman holding a camera lens to her ear.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

AP's decision didn’t sit well with #AI experts and adherents, who called it a “completely insane” declaration. “I’m not sure a *style book* should be making such confident metaphysical pronouncements,” fumed Alan Rozenshtein, an #Anthropic employee. futurism.com/artificial-i... #AP #AICan'tFeel

futurism.com

AI Bros Are Having a Meltdown Because the Associated Press Stylebook Clarifies That AIs Don't Have Feelings

The Associated Press Stylebook posted a reminder not to anthropomorphize AIs because they can't think, trigger a meltdown among AI bros.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

"Interaction is at the heart of cognition," say 28 scientists. I think they're right—and it's at the heart of events too! www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #MeetingDesign #interaction #cognition #eventprofs #assnchat

A representation of two people conversing, emphasizing interaction, heart, and cognition

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

We're seeing fewer decent-paid jobs and the need for universal basic income as we install more machines that replace former high-level work www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/te... #BasicIncome #technology #AI #TippingPoint #PaidWork

The end of decent paid jobs and the need for basic income: a fisheye view photograph of a production line of industrial robots devoid of humans. Photo attribution: Flickr user jurvetson.

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

Two experiences taught me why I try to avoid intermediaries as a consultant: divided authority, conflicting demands, and uncertainty about getting paid. #newpost #Consulting #IndependentConsultant #Freelancing #ClientRelationships #Business www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/co...

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Adrian Segar @segar.com · 28/09/2026

If you want people to be transformed by an experience and find passion and engagement at an event, don’t lecture or test www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev... #meetings #EventDesign #passion #engagement #DontLecture #DontTest #eventprofs

passion and engagement: photograph of the backs of a happy couple, arm-in-arm, sitting on the shoreline looking out to sea. Photo attribution: Flickr user 98810885@N07

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It's already estimated that the richest 1% alone evade $163 billion in taxes every year. But Trump gutted the IRS — including the unit tasked with auditing billionaires. The agency's audit revenue fell 35%. Now, Trump's IRS is not publishing data on unpaid taxes. See the problem?

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

You know, if you *really* cared about the wellbeing of women in college, instead of carping about the statistically insignificant number of trans athletes in sports minding their own business, you’d be railing against these Cornell fraternity cretins who drugged and gang-raped a passed-out women:

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