iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 30/09/2026

@mark.mastodon.fixermark.com.ap.brid.gy You were right. I'm fed up with matrix and looking into moving to XMPP. I just installed prosody. Thanks for pointing out the alternative. I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't considered it until you posted about it.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 29/09/2026

My DeWalt chainsaw has been leaking oil all over the place, destroying my clothes. Then I noticed the chain was dry, so today I took it apart. There's no barb on the oil outlet nipple and the tube slid off. It was just filling the chainsaw body with oil :facepalm:. It's fixed now.

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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

100% endorse this thread. I teach consent, violence prevention & bystander intervention for a living - It is my area of expertise. There is *no* evidence of the existence of an "Oops, my bad!" rapist. "Sexual assault is a miscommunication" is a myth without any evidence. It is an intentional act.

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OK Jabroni @okjabroni.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Private pilot here, but a piston engine pilot not a jet pilot. Yes "heat soaked" can mean the cabin got too hot for the plane AC to keep up; passengers have a pretty narrow comfort zone. But also "heat soaked" can mean the engines idled for too long other parts got too hot for take off...

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 28/09/2026

Had to turn on grid power this morning for the first time since I turned my array on almost 3 months ago. It's rainy for the second day in a row and I messed up and ran the food dehydrator into the evening 2 days ago. The plan was always to remain on grid but it's worked better than anticipated.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 27/09/2026

I used to listen to and enjoy modern country music, but stopped because the content of what's allowed to be popular has deep ties into an extremely problematic culture and I can't listen to it without thinking about that... Which sucks the joy out of it for me. www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

rollingstone.com

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Philo of Alexan @philoof.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The folk protest music scene is back

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Shepseskare in Love @upfromsumdirt.blacksky.app · 25/09/2026

that time when black men from greensville sc enlisted for ww1 & their wives wanted to stay home & take care of their kids & other community folk in need but white officials "no, no, no!" & called them "loafers" and said they had to do domestic work for white folks or be fined or jailed.

newspaper headline saying "negro women to be put to work" or face severe punishment.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 25/09/2026

While this contains references to super-intelligence, I think it's useful to pick out the differences between this is and the rhetoric of AI doomerism from folks like Sam Altman. Of particular note is the recognition that AI is already doing harm in it's current form.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 23/09/2026

This is depressing, especially the claim made by a media company that redirects all fault for the failure of said media away from them, substantiated by a weak correlation at a time when everything about how people relate to media is in flux. AI doing its job as fault sink. Amazing work all around.

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iamangieromero.bsky.social @iamangieromero.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

@brewergnome.bsky.social Best autumnal equinox surprise!!!!

Angie smiling in a green sweater next to Matthew half hiding behind beautiful red pitcher.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 21/09/2026

My wife is brown, loves hiking and backpacking, and has noticed she has few POC to share that with, so this is something we've talked about a lot. And yet, I'd never thought about the real safety at the root of this racial divide. Trevor Noah's bit about black people camping didn't touch on this.

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Mekka Okereke @mekka.mekka-tech.com · 21/09/2026

ICE shooting unarmed innocent people is bad. Really bad. Inexcusable. Racist and gullible people really believe that all 50 million immigrants are dangerous and deserve this violence. But... cops are way worse than ICE. There have only been 13 days in 2026 when cops *didn't* shoot someone.🤷🏿‍♂️

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Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Instead of workslop, now we have warslop. Some dipshit analyst asked a chatbot "what's on this ship" and it said "nuclear materials" and then put that in a report that he also made with AI, and sent it off. Possibly the best example of how a "human in the loop" just human-washes the generated text

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A catboy among men @miqomuscles.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Look folks, there basically is no ICE rapid response group in the country that is not running at capacity all the time. I'm asking everyone to find their group, we're tired and we need more help

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 17/09/2026

This is really exciting, especially if they keep following through on the logical implications. For example: if Signal isn't tightly tied to a phone-number, why not a first-class desktop application / Linux Mobile application? I'm also glad to see they aren't tying it to Google play long term.

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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 14/09/2026

Some Dems are running away from trans people. Abdul El-Sayed, Dem Senate Candidate in Michigan, is running towards them. When asked, he fully and unequivocally support trans youth care as a matter between parents, patients, and doctors. Subscribe to support our journalism.

erininthemorning.com

"The Decision Ought To Be Between A Patient And Their Doctor," Says Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed On Trans Care

Even conservatives “agree that the decision about healthcare ought to be between a person and their provider,” El-Sayed said.

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Amanda Janoo @janooforvt.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It was an immense honor to grand marshal yesterday’s Pride Parade in Burlington! 🏳️‍🌈 The sun was out and the vibes were high. What an incredible celebration of community and love 💙☀️ #janooforvt #vtpoli #pride

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 14/09/2026

Angie and I are getting vaccinated this morning after breakfast. Flu as well of course. It'll differ by state, but here in Vermont to book the appointment they did not ask us a single question about being in an at-risk group. Same as last year.

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Cheryl Lynn Eaton @cheryllynneaton.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

As a Black American, I have always felt that the primary was my real election. Because at the end of the day, America is going to America. So for a candidate to switch up AFTER the primary? To advocate for my harm after agreeing to help me? That is a transgression deserving of punishment.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 13/09/2026

Yes. This. Trans people and their allies will be blamed when Talarico loses, and yet trans and their allies "don't matter" so they can be safely ignored to shift towards the center. People still blame Palestinians + allies for Harris' loss, but never suggest her stance might've been unelectable.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 12/09/2026

There is a style of (apparently to me at least) purposefully obtuse writing where the author feels smart for making you jump through hoops to understand what they are saying, and the reader is supposed to feel smart for being able to jump the hoops... and I hate it. And LLMs seem to copy it a lot.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 12/09/2026

Holy shit, end of 2018 MacBook Pro keyboards are the worst to repair of anything I've ever dealt with. My L key fell off a little while ago. I spent hours replacing the *glued on* key and ended up dremeling part of the butterfly component down because it seems to have changed *slightly* mid-model.

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Jessica Luther @jessicawluther.com · 10/09/2026

Really proud to have had the Texas Observer's cover story earlier this year about why trans inclusion in sport is good, actually.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 09/09/2026

I was just talking with Angie (my wife) about how the DNC is a financial scam. Once a candidate wins the primary, apparently they still have to earn a certain amount of money before the DNC will help, and they will only help if the candidate agrees to share their own earnings with the DNC.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 08/09/2026

Excellent thread hammering home a great point. Stop staring and go build something or revive something already there. Build and maintain something sustainable, sustainably. There's diapers that need changing. I suggest this framework: unitedpantherparty.substack.com/p/lesson-one

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 08/09/2026

Tried out my new woodchipper this afternoon. It's a Woodland Mills TF68, to be run by my '06 Kubota B3030. I expected the Kubota to be a bit underpowered for the chipper, but I only managed to lug the engine once with it, besides when I popped the sheer pin on the base of a 4" ash tree.

Small B303 Kubota tractor with a Woodland Mills TF68 3-point mounted woodchipper on the back sitting in the grass under some trees

Woodchipd from the TF68 spread under an apple tree

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 07/09/2026

Ooof. I had already pretty much given up on Sanders. I think he's lost it; too many bad calls lately, he should've retired a few years ago: Platner, then the AI stuff. I am unfortunately unsurprised to learn that it all ties back to billionaire longtermist Nazi affective altruism eugenicists.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 06/09/2026

We Pressed ~14 gallons of cider with our friends today. I took 1.5 gallons to drink fresh. The rest is getting turned into hard cider. There are tons more apples at various friends' places, and a couple of our trees are still unpicked, but it's a lot of labor and we're done for today at least.

A very rich red apple cider drizzles out the front of a classic wooden apple press into a plastic catch tray.

A couple of bushel-sized containers of apples yellow and red, and green and red apples

A couple of trash cans of red with a little yellow apples, and yellow with a little red apples.

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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

If you're worried about the elections- There's actually a lot we can do keep them on track? One of the best things you can do is sign up to be a poll worker! They train you, AND it's paid work! powerthepolls.org/creator-sarahtaber

powerthepolls.org

Power the Polls

Poll workers power democracy. We help recruit them! Sign up now to make sure we have safe, fair, efficient elections for all!

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Orion Kidder @orionkidder.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I am rambling a bit, here. It's late. My point is that if "success" in movies for people who are outside whiteness is to be placed into whiteness then we're just contributing to white supremacy. Aren't we?

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 04/09/2026

I'm, too sexy for my cat Too sexy for my cat Poor pussy, poor pussycat.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 04/09/2026

"Trump announces plan to put daggers into the hearts of everyone who's name starts with a 'J' and grind their children in to soilent green. Critics raise questions about the legality of this new policy."

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 03/09/2026

Angie got quite enthusiastic about picking basil at a local farm today, and I ended up making something like 8.5 quarts of Pesto. We had to go back to the store to get more ingredients 'cause I ran out halfway through. Now I am tired. I sure hope it's tasty!

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Amanda Janoo @janooforvt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The standard economic playbook isn’t working for Vermonters. Instead of always looking to the outside for the solutions to our problems, it’s time that our government invests in our Vermont communities. #vtpoli #janooforvt

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 01/09/2026

This shit reads like an onion headline, not that it's any different than my recent post about mullvad. :sigh: I don't use it, so this doesn't affect me, it's just... WTF.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 31/08/2026

Ah, so he knows he's responsible for starving them.

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🎃 Killy Witches 👻 @tillybridges.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

if you watch it you tell WB to keep making more Potter stuff and you show them that directly funding JKR’s transphobia, that she LITERALLY uses to strip trans women’s rights away, is not a dealbreaker how could i ever feel safe around someone who buys her the boots she uses to step on my neck?

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 30/08/2026

Reading the thread linked is pretty interesting. A lot of strong anti-AI sentiment, but also realization of the social implications of *enforcement* of that sentiment... causing them to come down with a relatively mild overall stance. Makes a lot of sense actually.

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Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 30/08/2026

I never thought Google would have to apply the India/Pakistan/China disputed territories shown according to local law thing to the US-Canadian border and landmarks, but apparently that's what's up now.

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rahaeli @rahaeli.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Okay, I have to read the exact text of the law to see if they specify a percentage, but I think, hilariously, this may also exempt Android and MacOS

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jess m. ☕🍂 @jametc.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

if you're Canadian, there is a petition active right now to have him removed and sent back to the US for signaling his obvious allegiances here. There's already a quarter million signatures. Get him out of our country, we don't have time for this bullshit rn www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

ourcommons.ca

Petition e-7531 - Petitions

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 29/08/2026

Have you noticed that when Dem politicians talk about why e.g. the Iran war is bad, they never talk about it being ethically wrong to be... say... killing civilians? It's always that gas prices are high, or American soldiers have died. Both Welch and Warren posted like this recently.

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 28/08/2026

Well shit... I just learned that Mullvad has strong Nazi ties. I've simply never thought to research them for that. Now I gotta go switch VPN providers. Besides proton any recommendations? Rather detailed article on it: www.flyingpenguin.com/mullvad-vpn-...

flyingpenguin.com

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mbrewer ↙↙↙ @smalladventures.net · 28/08/2026

I finally closed and deleted my LinkedIn. My wife recently pointed out that I could find a job through social connections if I really needed one. So I got to ragequit with a little rant about how it was useful for finding jobs but I'm not interested in all their new social network bullshit.

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ACLU @aclu.org · 27/08/2026

It's not just Flock. Other companies like Axon and Motorola are also trying to invade our privacy with their automatic license plate readers (ALPRs).

aclu.org

Beware of Other License Plate Surveillance Companies Besides Flock | ACLU

Flock deserves the heat it’s getting, but switching to another provider won’t necessarily improve anything

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