iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 9h

Depending on whether or not you consider Frankenstein's undead revenant a variety of zombie, House of Frankenstein (1944) has all three, plus a mad scientist and assistant with back problems thrown in as a bonus.

Theatrical release poster for House of Frankenstein (1944) shows The Monster looming over a prone woman above the title and the faces of the cast: Boris Karloff (Frankenstein's Monster), Lon Chaney (Jr.) (The Wolf-Man), John Carradine (Dracula), et al.

In one of my favorite tag lines ever, the film promises: "All Together..! Monster! Wolf Man! Dracula! Hunchback! Mad Doctor!"

262

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 18h

did not honestly expect the ts elliot reference. in hindsight, that seems naive of me. always read Brian's footnotes.

2267

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 15h

To recap: three GOP-led states that wanted the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in order to "send abortion back to the states" are now asking the Court to strike down abortion protections in blue states

12090961

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 15h

Now, telling them to get sober... well, that's different.

130

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Tyler, from the Internet @tylerfromtheinternet.com · 15h

"How is this not an Onion headline" is the wrong question. That's the old question, from the old world, from the time of the Old Republic. The question now is, "How is reality now contained entirely within the paradigm of the Onion?"

26319

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Bard & Raven @bardandraven.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If you’re into #Daggerheart and like spooky, scary things, October will be THE month for you! In collaboration with @heartofdaggers.bsky.social, we’re organising FEAR FEST – a Halloween-themed event that brings creators together and will result in over 20 new supplements 👻 We’ll keep you updated 🐦‍⬛

static.klipy.com

Halloween Pumpkin Man Dancing in Cemetery

Alt: Halloween Pumpkin Man Dancing in Cemetery

0228

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Copper Moth Collective @copper-moth.bsky.social · 17h

October is less than 24 hours away and with it comes a wealth of #Daggerheart spookiness over on @heartofdaggers.bsky.social ! 🎃

083

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

xenia hospitality princess @m01r4.bsky.social · 17h

this is fucking outstanding, one for the goddamn ages

051

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 17h

A great read. Completely beside the point: while I read it, I couldn't help thinking that all this could be a prequel to Frank Herbert's Dune in which there's no ACTUAL AI, the Butlerian Jihad is just a massive schism amongst all these yutzes' factions + an uprising by everyone sick of their shit.

010

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 20h

They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”

106101552485

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 26/09/2026

As a former pretentious little shit who grew out of it, rationalists (et al) annoy the piss out of me because they are adults with the mentality of tweens - they are somehow still convinced they are the greatest geniuses who have ever walked the earth. It is the worldview of an arrogant baby.

372472292

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Bill Corbett @billcorbett.bsky.social · 20h

“Infinite personalized music” was already solved, it’s called learning to play an instrument

2591688

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 20h

There's music that literally kept me alive through high school because it was proof I wasn't alone with my fucked-up emotions. "Infinite personalized music" is just you alone in a box with sonic wallpaper without having visceral, vicarious connections to other human beings having human experiences.

271

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The party that wants to check kids' genitals to protect the "sanctity of women's sports," y'all. www.msn.com/en-us/news/n...

Behind the scenes, a source familiar with how Schmitt got it wrong told CNN the Republican senator checked what men’s college and NBA games were scheduled that day and found only the Atlanta Hawks set to play — but he failed to consider that Smith may have been at a women’s basketball game.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, after clearing up the matter, said Schmitt should apologize.

Instead, he laughed it off, telling CNN later Tuesday: “Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlan Clark fan?”

The Republican defended his pointed line of questioning, saying, “That’s what these hearings are for. You ask questions, you get answers. You know, Jack Smith has perjured himself before, but if he says he’s at the game, maybe he’s a Caitlin Clark fan. We’ll accept that.”

031

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Joe Uchill @joeuchill.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Independent has a photo of the slide we weren't able to see during the Smith hearing. No texts from Smith in it.

JP Cooley: Is 109 Row 1 reserved for Jack?
JP Cooley: Damn. Thank you for saving -- but we are good. Ask Harbach.
Gavin Wallach: He is already down here. Thanks.

71669136

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

[SENATOR ERIC SCHMITT]: So you’re telling me under oath you've never Alien v. Predator? [JACK SMITH]: No, I don’t think— [SCHMITT]: WELL THEN! Explain this post on r/movies where you say you've seen every Paul W.S. Anderson movie except The Master! [SMITH]: That was about Paul Thomas Anderson.

022

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Why would anyone hit us with a nuke when the Republican party hit us with Donald J. Trump? It's a lot more damaging if they just let the dude cook instead of risking a moment of American solidarity.

011

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Lucy will not pull the football away this time. Promise. Get a good running start, Charlie Brown.

000

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Mine was the Tandy knockoff. It only recently became unusable, though it's still plugged in for some reason. I think I've had the thing for 40 years at this point. It was with me though high school, college, law school, years at the PD office until I got a cell phone send used that for an alarm.

100

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Emily Gorcenski @emily.gorcen.ski · 28/09/2026

Here’s the most incredible story you’ll read today. A small plane with four people aboard crashes in a field. Another pilot witnesses it. That pilot happens to be flying a bunch of skydivers. They offer to jump to assist, are given permission. The skydivers happen to be EMTs. Everyone survives.

wisn.com

Skydivers alert emergency crews, assist after plane crashes near East Troy airport

Four people were aboard the single-engine plane when it went down in a cornfield near Carvers School Road in East Troy at about 1:30 p.m.

122102572643

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

at splice today got to write about the new/old Cramps album, and how they look a lot more like part of the original rockabilly movement now, from this vantage, rather than a retro exercise. www.splicetoday.com/music/origin...

splicetoday.com

Original Rockabilly Ravers, The Cramps

Gravest Gravy puts Lux and Ivy in context. || Noah Berlatsky

2186

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Funny, if you think about it, that the resistance to ICE in Blue cities led to ICE shifting focus to targeting workers in Red counties. Almost as if the Blue cities were some kind of civil rights bulwark all along and when the regime goes around it rural America can't actually protect itself. 🤔

000

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I would go as far as saying this mentality is what paved the way to the GOP being consumed by fascism, which is a revanchist ideology premised on the idea that "those people" destroyed a mythical golden age by sabotaging the volk from within.

031

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I guess my biggest issue here is Tillis is sort of on the right track now that he's liberated himself with lame duckdom, but he still frames it as "not smart before an election" as if the real problem with the massive corruption is the timing.

000

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Players' hopes of getting a good price for their old and superseded gear dashed when the first thing their characters see as they approach the magic shop is a basket of +1 swords beside the door with a sign "FREE WITH ANY PURCHASE".

120

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Of course, this description of middle-aged sex (not that I agree with it, mind you) is also an explanation of why people start seeing other people and get divorces.

000

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

MTH @megt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Pygmy raccoons make balls from a specific type of paper (learned) & teach others...described as material culture. It plays into the raccoon's natural method of washing food and manipulating it with their front paws. But you need to be sober(!) 🦝🌿🏺 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/s...

nytimes.com

On This Mexican Island, Raccoons Make and Play With Toys (and Also Sip Margaritas) (Gift Article)

Scientists observed a family of pygmy raccoons near a Cozumel beach club learning from one another how to craft balls from paper, an indication that the animals have a culture.

074

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I just started reading and ended up skimming an "old person yells at cloud" Substack piece written by someone I'm 90% certain is at least a decade younger than me. 🫤

100

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Good thing nuclear weapons famously don't cause any reproductive complications, then.

010

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

repost with an image of your favorite James Bond (wrong answers only)

020

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

best of lists are fun and interesting for what they show about the listmaker, and maybe because they point you to things you didn't know about. that means that individual lists tend to be more worthwhile than crowd-sourced expert ones.

1192

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Abigail Larson @abigaillarson.com · 25/09/2026

Happy Autumn 🍂

illustration by Abigail Larson depicting the ghost of a woman walking under a ruined stone arch. Three goblins watch her from the top of the ruins. The image has an Autumnal atmosphere, dead leaves are falling.

162938770

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I think the AI bros have this fantasy that they can make all these fields that they don't really get and seem to exist just to vex them (from their perspective) go away. No more graphic designers they have to hire, no more lawyers who say no, no more writers writing difficult books.

150

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I usually have more than one going at a time because that's how I do. (I like to joke that I can't die if I'm in the middle of a book. If only that were true.) I recently wrapped up a couple. I think these two are the only ones current that aren't comics or RPG rulebooks:

121

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Personally I think it's fine to point out that policies intended to harm minorities also harm the majority! People respond to messages rooted in self-interest and it also emphasizes that we're all connected. "Trans bathroom bans harm cis people" isn't the only argument, but it's true & worth noting

521192114

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

TFW you realize that your brilliant way to simplify your story and lose a kinda dumb plot point also writes your character's pockets out of the story and she needs them. 😕

100

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I would watch the heck out of a Columbo episode in which interviews 20 bears.

3216

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Uncle Duke @uncleduke1969.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

i’m no hercule poirot but

“Outside” headline reads “She lived with 20 wild bears for 28 years. Then they found her clean-picked bones. What killed her is a mystery.”

1012037290

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

JONATHAN KENT: Son, I'm sorry, but your Ma and I agree, you can't just sit in your bedroom all day. We want you to get a job and move out. CLARK KENT, PICKING UP NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABOUT WARREN G. HARDING: Hmmmm.... [rubs chin thoughtfully]

000

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Tobias is an absolute treasure and a brilliant writer. I have learned so much about writing from him, and he's a total mensch. This situation is fucked. Please please give if you can.

03624

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I've launched a GoFundMe to help me get my cats to a safer home in Scotland, and you can pay-what-you-want using the GFM system and get 15 of my books as eBooks as a Thank You every Friday as an update! www.gofundme.com/f/help-autho... That's almost 700,000 words of fiction, pay what you want!

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Author Tobias Buckell and His Cats Move to Scotland, organized by Tobias Buckell

Hi, I'm author Tobias S. Buckell, and these are my two cats, P… Tobias Buckell needs your support for Help Author Tobias Buckell and His Cats Move to Scotland

17305341

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Lee Heffner @leeheffer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Hemmingway to Fitzgerald “For Christ sake write and don’t worry about what the boys will say nor whether it will be a masterpiece nor what,” Hemingway writes. “I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of s**t. I try to put the s**t in the wastebasket.” #writingcommunity

032

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I think government should be transparent but I also don't think this is actually limiting freedom of the press. Frankly, I think there's a good case that the media and the WH having a genuinely adversarial relationship in which reporters don't rely on WH PR events is BETTER for freedom of the press.

110

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Michael Lobel @mlobelart.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'm not the kind to say it all points back to a single historical episode, but so much of what Trump is doing with ballroom & Kennedy Center—the wanton destruction, the callous indifference to the past—was evident when he destroyed Bonwit Teller's irreplaceable sculptures nearly a half-century ago

37745222

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

1) Naturally, I assumed this was @theonion.com until I checked the source. Satire is as dead as the 16th POTUS. 2) Upon consideration, Trump having his name on the place the first Republican President was murdered is probably appropriate. Indubitably poetic, for sure.

000

R. Eric VanNewkirk @sotsogm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Star Wars (A New Hope) remake where the Empire builds a gigantic space laser that destroys Alderaan by firing social media at it. "I have chosen to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan." "Nooo! My parents are old and still on Facebook! We have no defenses!"

041

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 19/09/2026

289174

Reposted by R. Eric VanNewkirk

Steve Gale @stevewg.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Colley Hill, Surrey: coffee break from birding the steep scrub. Love the plaque on the bench I’m sitting on

4397261233