iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Gryneos @gryneos.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Darth Maul now narrates USCSB videos 😅 Sam Witwer has taken over from Sheldon Smith as the latter retires from voice acting. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmiQ...

youtube.com

Alarming Mistakes, Deadly Decisions: Fatal Fire at BP-Husky

YouTube video by USCSB

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therealspike.bsky.social @therealspike.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Surface parking is an untapped gold mine of value, especially city-owned lots. Here’s the surface parking acreage within Houston city limits. Some of the city’s most valuable land is parking lots generating little property tax and near-zero sales tax. Your taxes subsidize those lots downtown.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Tomball. Makes if feel exclusive.

New space city weather app location selection dialog. The Woodlands and Tomball. Houston

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mgbesq @mgbesq.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Hey Houston if you haven't seen them yet, the huge alebrije sculptures at Discovery Green are amazing.

sculpture of a rainbow-colored folk art dragon alien

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Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

„[Musk] admitted to his biographer that the reason the Hyperloop was announced—even though he had no intention of pursuing it—was to try to disrupt the California high-speed rail project and to get in the way of that actually succeeding.” gizmodo.com/silicon-vall...

gizmodo.com

Silicon Valley's Push Into Transportation Has Been a Miserable Failure

The titans of tech brought plenty of disruption to our broken transportation system but delivered little in the way of innovation.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

At some point it becomes obvious that Carney is posting endless “hanging with my bros” world leader editionto make T angry.

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Grits for Breakfast @gritsforbreakfast.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

When Blue Bell's ice cream killed ppl they concealed the fact and kept selling their product. After that episode, IMO it's journalistic malpractice to keep promoting their every new product like some fun news story w/o ever mentioning it. To me, they've lost all benefit of the doubt.

chron.com

Fans have been begging for this Blue Bell flavor. It's back.

It pays homage to a treat that was discontinued in 2015.

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Farm&City @farmandcity.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

We are hiring for two Fall paid internships at 15 hours a week helping with research & education on the problem of traffic crashes in Texas and possible solutions. One position will focus on data & GIS & the other will focus on policy analysis & communications. farmandcity.org/2026/09/17/f...

farmandcity.org

Farm&City is hiring two Fall 2026 interns – Farm&City

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Thanks to Whole Foods weekly cheese selloff, I enjoyed Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam for the first time. I thought I was eating butter and Google informed me I am…

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Emily Takes Notes @embaleez.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Here are my notes for the Houston city council meeting on September 16, 2026. Highlights include an update on the HISD takeover of Grimes Park and budget woes at the parks department. emilytakesnotes.com/2026/09/10/s...

emilytakesnotes.com

Houston City Council Meeting Notes: September 9, 2026

Notes on the Houston City Council meeting on September 9, 2026, including public comment, council member comments, and spending.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Good thing tariffs can’t stop the flow of Canadian Indie music. New Land of Talk coming this year… youtu.be/C7C8o0weAeU

youtu.be

Land of Talk - 4:44 [Official Video]

YouTube video by Saddle Creek

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John Smillie @johnsmillie42.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Facts worth repeating: It would be cheaper to pay the ~40,000 or so people employed by the coal industry $1M a year to do nothing than to pay for the health damages (not including climate change) caused by burning coal in the U.S. publichealth.hsc.wvu.edu/news/story?h...

publichealth.hsc.wvu.edu

Counting up the costs of coal

Regular readers know that WVU’s Dr. Michael Hendryx has done work on that issue (subscription required), reporting that:

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Olraca @olraca.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Props to this hero.

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Olraca @olraca.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Ummm... how did this car get onto the I90 multi use path? Video from a user in the Seattle Cyclist Discord.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Did not realize Houston has had Uniqlo for almost 2 years.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I wasn’t aware of the connection between baguettes and labor movement in France.

Screenshot from NYTimes Falshback game:

France bans bakers from working at night. They shift to a quicker-rising bread: the baguette.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Stamping a campaign logo on a 9/11 never forget post feels disrespectful to be honest.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

This is one of the best general explanations for the broadening wealth gap crisis.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

If Canadians call dollar coins loonies, will they call these goonies?

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Farm&City @farmandcity.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Crashes cost Texans $54B a year while congestion costs us about $15B. Our funding system is built for the smaller problem. The Legislature can fix that. Farm&City submitted these comments today to the Texas House Subcommittee on Transportation Funding: farmandcity.org/2026/09/02/c... #txlege

Photo from the side of 290 of a bad crash in the middle of Elgin. There are police cars and emergency vehicles from multiple agencies and a helicopter in the middle of the road waiting to take someone to the emergency room.

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Becca Dzombak @rdzombak.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

A floating forest on the waters of British Columbia's largest lake has captured the attention of boaters and scientists alike. It's a "phenomenal sighting," said @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social — one that's rare today, but used to be common. Read why: www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/...

nationalgeographic.com

Canada Has a New Forested Floating Island. Scientists Think It Used to Have Many More.

Researchers explain how it’s possible for a forest to float.

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Craig Newmark @craignewmark.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Who says corner stores can’t offer fresh fruits and vegetables? Read this piece from @wtopnews.bsky.social on the @dccentralkitchen.bsky.social Healthy Corners program and learn what 50+ corner stores and 27,000 annual SNAP customers already know… wtop.com/dc/2026/08/d...

wtop.com

DC nonprofit marks 15 years of making fresh food a corner store staple – WTOP News

For years, most D.C. corner stores were convenient, but most didn't carry much in the way of fresh foods.

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Sam Russek @samrussek.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

FINALLY: I wrote about "the last mayor of Houston," ft. a second office ~5 min from City Hall, an Israeli data firm monitoring public outcry RE: HPD-ICE, and the city's attempts to barter with state Republicans while pressure from below intensifies. www.texasobserver.org/john-whitmir...

texasobserver.org

The Last Mayor of Houston

As the strong mayor of Texas' largest city, the former dean of the Texas Senate should be able to get his way in Houston. But he faces a shrinking ability to do so without vindictive state Republicans...

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Megan Menchaca @meganmenchaca.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras. The order came as @texastribune.org was preparing an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30M to building the state’s Flock network. www.texastribune.org/2026/08/28/t...

texastribune.org

Abbott blocks state agencies from spending money on Flock cameras

The order came as The Texas Tribune was preparing to publish an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30 million to building the state’s Flock surveillance network.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

New Yosemite development plans look great!

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Set these up at the Memorial Park speed tunnels in Houston. Tired of non-stop noise from people wanting to make racecar sounds.

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Sara Cress @saracress.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

lol we love “Texas Sun Krugbhagin,” don’t we, folks?

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Twonks @twonks.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Nothing to worry about

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Sundance @sundance.bikesky.social · 19/08/2026

Car ads DNGAF anymore… They straight up tell you to be an entitled jerk now.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Meanwhile, the US was the only country in the world to oppose a recent UN declaration about the need to reduce crash deaths. The vote was 162 to 1.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I’m getting very tired of all the @nytimes.com reporters making videos from their cars while driving. It’s unnecessary distracted driving that could get someone hurt.

New York Times correspondent River Akira Davis distracted driving while reporting.

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Simon @simontrose.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Mike Miles is cheating the system to game the numbers.

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InfoWars @realinfowars.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Is dying safe? Jim Haggerty is about to find out.

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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Clip Art > Science > Failure > Cute My latest @newscientist.com cartoon.

Title:
Clip art > science > failure > cute

Image:
A series of science-related items (glassware, robots, fires, scientists) with smiley faces labelled this:

fire_small.jpg
graph_error.jpg
cracked_glassware.jpg
sad_at_desk.jpg
fire_medium.jpg
broken_robot.jpg
disproved_theory.jpg
fire_huge.jpg
sad_on_floor
toxic_cloud.jpg
rejected_paper.jpg

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Parker Welch @parkerwelch.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Looks like Texas won $63 million in construction funding for 2 grade separations between Austin & San Antonio, one in Kyle and one in San Marcos Also won $567 million for 10 grade separations on the Sunset Limited, mostly between Houston & San Antonio, and $190 million for 3 separations in DFW

Texas – Kohlers Crossing Overpass and Siding Relocation (Up to $24,360,519)
City of Kyle
The proposed project was selected for Right of Way Acquisition and Construction activities and includes a single level grade separation over UPRR owned infrastructure in Kyle, Texas. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, because it will decrease rail-vehicle
and rail-pedestrian conflicts. The City of Kyle will contribute a 30 percent non-Federal match, which may include funding from Hays County and the Texas Department of Transportation.

This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for long-distance passenger rail routes and services: Amtrak’s Texas Eagle route.

Texas – Centerpoint Crossing Elimination and Safety (Up to $39,228,602)
Hays County
The proposed project was selected for Construction and includes constructing a grade-separated bridge carrying over UPRR owned infrastructure in San Marcos, Texas. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety by eliminating conflicts between freight rail operations and roadway users, reducing blocked crossings, lowering the potential for fatalities and serious
injuries, and increasing reliability for both intercity passenger rail and freight operations. Hays County will contribute a 20 percent non-Federal match, which may include funding from UPRR.

This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for long-distance passenger rail routes and services: Amtrak’s Texas Eagle route.

Texas – Houston Rail Safety and Mobility Project: Sunset Limited Route (Up to $80,578,430)
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
The proposed project was selected for Final Design and Construction and includes two grade separations in Houston, Texas, on UPRR owned infrastructure. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety through the elimination of at-grade conflicts between trains
and vehicles. TxDOT will contribute a 20 percent non-Federal match. The Texas Department of Transportation, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), and UPRR are co-applicants.

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited route.

Texas – FM 3009 and Amtrak Sunset Limited Route Grade Separation (Up to $101,200,000)
TxDOT
The proposed project was selected for Final Design and Construction and includes the
construction of a grade separated interchange over UPRR-owned infrastructure in Schertz, Texas. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety and improving system and service performance, because it will eliminate rail-vehicle conflict points and accommodate a potential future track for future service expansion for intercity passenger rail. TxDOT will
contribute a 20 percent non-Federal match.

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited route.

Texas – Sunset Limited Grade Separations (Up to $385,031,200)
TxDOT
The proposed project was selected for Project Development, Final Design, Right of Way Acquisition, and Construction, and includes a total of seven grade separations in Cibolo, El Paso, Missouri City, San Antonio, and Sugar Land. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, because the project will eliminate rail-vehicle and rail-pedestrian conflict points and accommodate rail and roadway traffic demands. TxDOT will contribute a 20 percent
non-Federal match, which may include funding from the City of San Antonio, the City of Cibolo, the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, and Fort
Bend County.

Texas – Texas Eagle/Heartland Flyer Grade Separations (Up to $189,840,698)
Texas Department of Transportation

The proposed project was selected for Project Development, Final Design, Right of Way Acquisition, and Construction and includes grade separations at three locations to eliminate nine crossings within the cities of Fort Worth, Dallas, and Terrell, Texas on UPRR, BNSF, TEXRail, Fort Worth and Western Railroad and Dallas, Garland & Northeastern Railroad owned infrastructure. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety and improving
system and service performance, because the project will eliminate the potential for rail-vehicle collisions and allow for reliable intercity passenger rail service through the north Fort Worth corridor with fewer delays. TxDOT will contribute a 20 percent non-Federal match, which may include funding from the City of Fort Worth, the City of Dallas, and the City of Terrell. The project will benefit Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer route, and related scope elements along this
route are contingent on the continued operation of this service.

This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for long-distance passenger rail routes and services: Amtrak’s Texas Eagleroute.

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Tommy Siegel @tommysiegel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

but seriously this fast food situation is getting out of control

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Ernest Luckman @ernieluckman.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

It’s ridiculous that I know more of what Mamdani is doing in New York than my own Mayor.

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