iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Oddly, it might be better that it's on fire. I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that crude sinks and causes big long-term problems. Some refined products (like gasoline) float and might burn off (or even evaporate) on the surface. Not great either way, but sinking is worse.

000

Yeah, or they shot down a Ukrainian drone which happened to fall on the tanker. 🤷

020

It would be unusual for Ukraine to strike a laden oil tanker at sea; they usually hit them when they're empty to reduce environmental damage.

130

It's unusual for Ukraine to strike a laden oil tanker. They usually hit them when they're empty to avoid environmental catastrophe. 🤔

230

This is odd. Ukraine doesn't usually strike laden tankers; they hit them when they're empty to avoid environmental catastrophe.

230

This doesn't really seem like Ukraine's usual MO. They don't usually hit loaded tankers like this at sea, to avoid environmental disaster. Most of the time, they hit then when they're empty.

000

Supposedly Russia has new special-purpose warheads designed for cutting through cables and that kind of thing--I don't really understand what that tech is. But it sounds like it involves precision. Maybe netting can deflect those from a critical hit to a regular one?

130

The repeated command changes explain why a major was in command of a regiment, I guess.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Which increases altitude and makes the incoming drones easier to take out using some other forms of air defense.

000

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Which then used up one of your drones on something that was likely cheaper to manufacture. That's a win for the defense.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Lycanthropy. That guy is definitely a werewolf.

000

And yet she's often described as the first woman to get a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Harvard, which feels to me like it sells her short.

Cecilia Payne, at around the same time, became the first PERSON to get a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Harvard. (Hers was technically from Radcliffe, but Harvard considers her to be the first.) They invented the academic department so they could give her the Ph.D.!

If she was co-founder of the New York Entomological Society, then of course she was (at least tied for) being its first female member. If there was one other co-founder, and he was male, then he was the first male member.

100

I rewatched a few years ago. Surprisingly complicated plots for a 30-minute (less ads) Saturday morning cartoon show. It did not follow a predictable formula. Animation quality was poor, as is typical for the era, but background art was clever, detailed, and non-repetitive.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Strength toward Europe, South Korea, and Canada?? How many times has Trump announced and then pulled back on tariffs, demands, and so on with those countries? He uses the same bluster/TACO playbook with every other country, whether formerly friend or foe.

000

That astounds me. You've showcased a great many female athletes from the era, including women swimming the English channel. And yet somehow women were not running marathons before this? Surprising.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

It feels modern to me in part because dumb luck and careless mistakes do play a part, without that having some tragic message. Ironically, that means that competence and cleverness are crucial, anticipating a lot of 20th century pulps and novels.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I'm kind of surprised any train line in Tokyo stops that early. I haven't been as an adult, but I imagined Tokyo was a 24-hour type city.

000

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The fact that Ukraine is still losing them in large numbers suggests they are still useful.

011

I get the light-headed tone in the article, but come on--the ones who were kidnapped and forced to strip naked are the ones who were arrested?? Not the kidnappers? That's messed up.

000

One difference is "biggest"; they were only allowed to choose one option. The other is "holding back" as opposed to "obstacle." The KI phrasing makes it sound like "if it wasn't for this one thing we'd have EU membership," the poll itself used more nuanced phrasing.

100

That phrasing is confusing. I thought that Ukraine has had a "foothold" in that area for years. This presumably refers to some new activity around there, but I'm not clear what the nature of it is.

060

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The phrasing in the English language press release from the pollster is "What, in your opinion, is the biggest obstacle to Ukraine moving towards membership in the European Union?" That's a bit different from "what is holding Ukraine back..." www.kiis.com.ua?lang=eng&cat...

100

That's remarkable. How often do we see that combination of flags side by side?

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Isn't that equally off-brand?

101

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I think we give this sort of thing too much attention. "Far right group fails to win 334 of 348 seats in French Senate" is another way to report it.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I feel like if Garner had made the field for the 1950s Lead Actor tournament he would have won it.

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I have never seen the word "daredevilkin" before!

020

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

AI image or it didn't happen. 🤣 (No, I don't really someone to make an AI image of that...)

040

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

And that goofy Burt Bacharach theme song!

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I had a tough time with that decision. And then the image of Denzel as Macrinus, chewing the scenery in Gladiator II, popped into my head, and so I went with him...

static.klipy.com

Curious Macrinus in Gladiator II

ALT: Curious Macrinus in Gladiator II

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Funny that Washington and McQueen were both in a version of the Magnificent Seven!

SLC Scott @slc-scott.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Yeah, not an all-time great. Roger Rabbit and Barbie, probably the two movies it owes the most to, were both way better. But it was good enough to deserve to see the light of day.

000

For Russia, yes. But not for Putin. Stopping the war means admitting that he's been lying about the necessity and progress of the war. Russians would tolerate lying to help Russia become more powerful, or even lying for personal enrichment. But lying to cover up failure? That's how regimes end.

000

Well, I am going to take Sally Field over Eddie Murphy. Field certainly fits my trope in spirit, if not in detail: Gidget and the Flying Nun to Norma Rae and Steel Magnolias is quite the leap. Murphy did three of his best known films while still at SNL; it wasn't so much one and then the other.

Frankly, as an actor, Smith has shown more range than Eastwood. Worth noting that Smith has an Oscar and a Golden Globe for acting; Eastwood has won a slew of those awards, but they're all for directing or producing. Interestingly, neither has an acting Emmy.

So I'm going for "leap and don't look back," just because that was a fun way to think about it for me. Fox and Garner both came back to TV in pretty significant ways, so I didn't vote for them, even though they're both big stars who could shine in both media.

Absolutely! I sort of made up these criteria for myself, but I expect others will choose based on different reasons (including just how much they like them): * Big TV star first * Became a big film star * Didn't go back to TV much * Both aspects of their career roughly equally important

It just occurred to me: The Clint Eastwood vs. Will Smith match-up has an interesting coincidence: in each case, one of their best known film roles is of a character where we never learn their real name.

This is a tournament by and for classic film/TV fans, so what people think of may be very different than for the general population! But out of curiosity I used Google ngram to look at mentions over time of those characters, and Rowdy Yates is barely a blip:

130

I chose Smith over Eastwood. Even for someone who was around for it when it first aired, when they think of Eastwood now is Rawhide the first thing that comes to mind? For many people, Smith is still the Fresh Prince first, while others think of his movies first. I chose based on that balance.