iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 10/10/2026

Oh wow, just learned that Ian Hill retired from Judas Priest. The man’s a legend. The news hit me surprisingly hard despite the fact that I haven’t followed the band since KK left.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 10/10/2026

Lifting Russia’s sanctions is such a huge fuck you to all European allies (especially us who are neighbours to Russia) that I think this is a now or never moment for EU to stop acting like Trump wasn’t a dangerous piece of shit. But I doubt that will happen. My death champagne continues to chill.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 06/10/2026

I don't know whether I should feel embarrassed that I created a jingle for the latest conference recordings with a preset named "Clap And Blip Blip Bass 2".

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 06/10/2026

Quarter and half stars are for people who have trouble committing. Hate it. But I personally prefer a three point system anyway (shit, ok, great). www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3199

goodreads.com

The (Half) Stars Have Aligned

Half stars are here! And quarter stars, too. More ways to say exactly what you mean.Every reader has their own opinions about rating: You...

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

helsinkiruby.fi @helsinkiruby.fi · 28/09/2026

#tinyruby is almost here and we still have tickets left, so it's a fire sale! Get a ticket for just €15. We've also dropped the price of the Helsinki on Rails tour. tickets.helsinkiruby.fi/tiny-ruby-co...

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 23/09/2026

Bought some films for the spooky season. Just finished Phenomena with my wife. What a fever dream! #moviesky

UHD releases of Hellraiser, Deep Red (Profondo Rosso), and Phenomena

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 14/09/2026

Final stretches of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. So much unnecessary exposition, drawn out character interactions, and constantly gameplay pausing cutscenes. Bores me out of my mind.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 11/09/2026

Following the discourse around Sony giving up funding Kojima’s next game and I don’t see anyone saying ”What if the game just happens to be a mess?” Knowing Kojima, a beautiful mess. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t hitting their development milestones.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 08/09/2026

Control Denied’s The Fragile Art of Existence may not be Chuck Schuldiner’s finest album, but the DiGiorgio basslines are wicked as hell. #musicsky

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 04/09/2026

Got the Anagram! Super excited! But what’s with the discrepancy between the labels? Only the cardboard is made in Finland?

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 01/09/2026

Finally beat Gold Steak in Balatro and I feel like I don’t want to play it ever again.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 01/09/2026

I know this isn't a hot take, but goddamn I hate film/TV adaption covers for books. Imagine if the Steam page for Max Payne would just have Mark Wahlberg's face plastered everywhere.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 31/08/2026

Decided to treat myself and ordered a Darkglass Anagram. Now if only I actually learned to play well.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 31/08/2026

Watched A Night to Remember over the weekend and it really hit me how the Jack & Rose romance is the least interesting part of 1997’s Titanic. #movies

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 29/08/2026

My proposal for the Canada-EU trade negotiations to increase partnership: no import fees for Dingwall instruments.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 26/08/2026

Goodbye, Tim Curry! One hell of an actor and one I remember well from movies from my childhood. So many great performances, even in some crummy films. m.youtube.com/watch?v=U_U5...

m.youtube.com

Tim Curry as Premier Cherdenko - Space!

YouTube video by Athrun Talan

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 25/08/2026

Just discovered that Split Second is fully available on Youtube. That's awesome, since I've been trying to find a way to watch this for years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qISR...

youtube.com

1992 - Split Second - He's seen the future...Now he has to kill it. He'll need bigger guns

YouTube video by Cult Cinema Classics

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 22/08/2026

Goddamn I miss Anathema. Fortunately I had the opportunity to witness them live a few times, but wouldn’t mind experiencing it yet again. m.youtube.com/watch?v=Angk...

m.youtube.com

Leaving It Behind

YouTube video by Anathema - Topic

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 20/08/2026

Finnish metal scene lived its golden era in the 90s and early 2000s. I always think of Lordi winning the Eurovision as the day that marked the death of the era. I still go back to Sentenced's mid-90s stuff and Amorphis's early albums. They're the best: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWh...

youtube.com

SENTENCED - Noose (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

YouTube video by Century Media Records

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 06/08/2026

Still making my way through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It’s crazy that despite the advancements in graphics and animation, the writers felt that characters need to be explicit about what they feel. Whereas the original, with its limitations, didn’t constantly feel the need to explain everything.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 29/07/2026

Oh man, RIP Kavinsky. The 1986 EP was among the early synthwave recordings I discovered and led me to find other great artists like Carpenter Brut and Perturbator later on. #musicsky www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErQN...

youtube.com

Kavinsky - Testarossa Autodrive (Official Video)

YouTube video by Record Makers

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 23/07/2026

Check out the #tinyruby lineup and contact me if your company is interested in sponsoring the event!

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 22/07/2026

Watched Don’t Look Up with my wife yesterday. What a depressingly accurate film. Loved it, though.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 19/07/2026

I wonder how anyone could think Final Fantasy 7 Remake/Rebirth are better games than the original game. I still think Remake was a fun twist on the original, but Rebirth’s storytelling and padding is kinda losing me (currently in Ch9 of Rebirth). And the Re-games over explain everything.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 11/07/2026

Went to Finncon and ran into an old co-worker I hadn’t seen in over a decade. First thing she told me: ”I will forever remember you as the person who told me Terry Pratchett has died” Talk about infamy…

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Today, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook. The investigation focuses on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the platforms’ highly personalised recommender systems.

ec.europa.eu

Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act

Today, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 04/07/2026

Seeing the John Scalzi Humble Bundle and wondering if it’s something worth getting. Have only read Kaiju Preservation Society and greatly disliked it, but I’m willing to give his writing another chance. #booksky

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 02/07/2026

Started reading Pratchett's Thud! and goddammit it's good. The Watch books always seem to take a hold of me. Dreading the time I get to Snuff based on what I've heard, though... (Reading the Discworld books in publication order)

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

Micah Lee @micahflee.com · 23/06/2026

I know this has been pointed out many times by many people but I just want to reiterate: Anthropic is basically using Kurt Vonnegut's drawing of an asshole as the Claude logo

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 22/06/2026

Starting to look like the only way for the US to back away from Iran is by casting Trump aside. And that’s probably not gonna happen.

static.klipy.com

Team Fails as Boat Sinks, Men Salute

Alt: As a small rowing Boat Sinks, Men Salute

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 18/06/2026

Sure, Maniac is a cool song. But what about the other Michael Sembello movie song: Mega Madness? Should probably watch Gremlins again one of these days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ0_...

youtube.com

Gremlins - Mega Madness

YouTube video by Toragzan Spiritsbane

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 13/05/2026

Every time I go to the gym, I consider getting a PT certificate so that I could correct all the bad forms and so that I could show the certificate every time I police the ego-lifters. Now I just keep quiet, because I’m polite.

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

J. Michael Straczynski @straczynski.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Remember when everyone was saying AI would replace/displace script writers and prose authors, and it was all over the news...then suddenly nobody was talking about it and it never happened? Here's part one of why...and why that was deliberate. jmichaelstraczynski.substack.com/p/silence-wh...

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 08/05/2026

Operation: Mindcrime is a fantastic album, but Geoff Tate releasing a Operation: Mindcrime III is really hitting the "beating a dead horse" territory.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 06/05/2026

A friend of mine gives me shit for not liking contemporary pop. But goddammit, I don't recall there being a song better than SWV's 1992 hit "Right Here" in recent years.

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

helsinkiruby.fi @helsinkiruby.fi · 06/05/2026

Any #railsgirls alumni about? The #tinyruby CFP is open until mid-June, and we'd love to have some talk proposals from you and your colleagues. cfp.helsinkiruby.fi

cfp.helsinkiruby.fi

tiny ruby #{cfp}

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helsinkiruby.fi @helsinkiruby.fi · 05/05/2026

A tiny ruby #{conf} ticket could be yours for just €75! #ruby #conference #cfp #helsinki #finland

tiny ruby ticket price: €75, followed by tinyruby.fi

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 05/05/2026

One of my favorite albums ever. Never thought I'd see it hitting streaming services due to the record company going bust years ago. Gonna play this on loop now that I don't have to go get the CD from the storage. Shine on Black Sun upon all Carthage! #musicsky open.spotify.com/album/68X3Z8...

open.spotify.com

King Fear

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 02/05/2026

I bought a bottle of Moët & Chandon to wait for a death of a dictator a couple of weeks ago. As an optimist, I put it to chill that same day. Fingers crossed I’ll get to pop some champagne soon.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 16/04/2026

Oh boy, has Bluesky blewskied?

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 15/04/2026

Latest track that I have on loop. Can't resist a simple and catchy darkwave pop song. darkchisme.bandcamp.com/track/beauti...

darkchisme.bandcamp.com

Beautiful Obsession Killer, by Dark Chisme

from the album Dark Chisme

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 12/04/2026

Been refreshing UPS parcel tracking like a maniac throughout the week in anticipation of getting an Arturia KeyLab mk3. Really excited to start taking advantage of the V Collection synths I bought recently.

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

helsinkiruby.fi @helsinkiruby.fi · 12/04/2026

Speakers at #tinyruby get two complimentary tickets: one for yourself plus one for a friend, partner, stranger, or anyone you want. The #cfp is awaiting your talk proposals. #ruby #conference #helsinki #finland cfp.helsinkiruby.fi

cfp.helsinkiruby.fi

tiny ruby #{cfp}

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Reposted by Simo Virtanen

helsinkiruby.fi @helsinkiruby.fi · 09/04/2026

tiny ruby #{conf} tickets are available now! For a mere €75 you get to hang out with some cool fellow Rubyists. #ruby #conference #helsinki #finland #tinyruby tinyruby.fi

tinyruby.fi

tiny ruby #{conf}

A tiny Ruby conference in Helsinki, Finland. Now in its second year.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 04/04/2026

Project Hail Mary was a delightful film. Not watching any trailers or other coverage or read anything about the book was a good choice. Made the film feel fresh in a way it wouldn't if you'd know the plot beforehand.

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 03/04/2026

RIP Gost. Non Paradisi is definitely one of the most profilic synthwave albums of 2010’s. He put on a great live show as well. youtu.be/PWzYY4PQcpc

youtu.be

GosT - "Maleficarum" [Music Video - "Non Paradisi" - 2016]

YouTube video by BlooodMusic

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 28/03/2026

Kinda sad to hear Final Fantasy IX remake being in development hell. It’s the only PS era Final Fantasy that would really benefit from a battle system overhaul. But who am I kidding? They wouldn’t make a good turn-based battle system at this day and age anyways…

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Simo Virtanen @simovirtanen.com · 16/03/2026

It's weird to listen to the Terry Brown Mix of Rush's Grace Under Pressure. It sounds like a completely different album. I like that on some songs, but not on others. Red Sector A loses something in the new mix. Super excited to see Geddy and Alex next year in Helsinki performing this stuff.

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