iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The AI Harry Potter fanfic sex cult isn't even the only Harry Potter fanfic cult. I know of at least 3. That seems ... well. That is something.

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Amanda Mull @amandamull.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

New Buying Power is out! This month, I wrote about the current consumer backlash to polyester clothes and how society’s relationship to synthetic materials tracks its larger mood about technology. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

bloomberg.com

Hating on Polyester Is Back in Fashion

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"Is academia easier if you are rich?" ... is there anything that isn't?

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the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Yo. This is the union calling for a boycott. Here in America people like to say "Well I was already boycotting Starbucks!" No you were not. You were just choosing not to buy their stuff. That is not a boycott. A boycott is an organized, collective activity. "I" don't boycott: we do.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

🚨 The NIH is moving to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in infectious-disease research projects to the DOD under a secret 10-year pact. Here’s what’s happening inside “Operation Prevailing Edge” 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Revealed: inside the US military's plan to tap huge sums from the NIH

An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defense.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I'm re-reading McLuhan because I took on a class that was very directly engaging with his work, and, y'all. I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW HIS THOUGHTS ON FISHNETS VS. HOSE.

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Roopika Risam @roopikarisam.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

A lot of us have pointed out that attacks on higher ed have broader economic implications for local communities. The Boston Globe has a story on the impact of higher ed cuts on the Massachusetts economy. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/18/b...

bostonglobe.com

Almost 130,000 people work at Mass. universities. Many are now on the ‘chopping blocks.’ - The Boston Globe

Higher education has long felt like the most stable sector of the Massachusetts economy. Not anymore.

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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 15/08/2026

If you want to know more about the excruciating decisions Wikipedia power users make on a daily basis on top of their day jobs, I commissioned this @thexylom.com interview for you! bsky.app/profile/thex...

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Boo-tros Boo-tros Ghoulish @dlbowman76.com · 14/09/2025

“The Sentinel” (acrylic on canvas board).

A seascape with a mysterious creature hovering above. There’s a pier in the foreground and buildings in the distance.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Spending basically all my money on craft supplies, because if I don't keep making little cuties and stabbing things, I'll slow down enough for my thoughts to catch up to me.

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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

READ THE WHOLE FUCKING ARTICLE AGAIN Build cognitive endurance again Sacrifice ease to not support environmental racism again Rely on your own skills and limits again.

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Bill Savage @rogersparkman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

All my Chicago followers: please reskeet this!

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Halcyon Daze just won Best Documentary at Gen Con!

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Truly baffled to see tattoo artists using AI flyers. That seems like ... not a thing to do if you want to inspire confidence in prospective clients.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

If you're interested in Halcyon Daze -- The Final Voyages of Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, we're screening at San Diego Comic Con, Gen Con, and Flyover Fest in the next couple weeks! We, as a collective, would love to see you there! We've got 1+ team members at each screening planned.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

We finished the Walking Dead prime and The Ones Who Live, and we're now watching Daryl and Carol in Peril.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

A while back I compiled a list of some of the *public* reasons why the Trump administration fired career public employees. Merit has fuck all to do with it. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/at-will-wh...

Not fetching Kristi Noem’s travel blanket as a US Coast Guard pilot.

An online monitor of the “deep state” accuses you of being disloyal to Trumpism. Such accusations are often erroneous: a prosecutor falsely accused of not willing to be part of the Comey investigation was fired. An FBI agent was fired after being falsely accused of participating in Mar-A-Lago investigations.

Sharing accurate information to a judge: A DOJ lawyer was fired when he acknowledged that the administration had erred when it deported an immigrant.

Not recommending that a prominent celebrity supporter of the President have his gun rights restored.

Signing a public statement that existing policies are undermining the ability of agencies to complete their tasks.

No reason at all. The President merely asserts that he has an Article II power to fire you and decides he wants someone assumed to be more loyal in your place.

Being a relative of a disfavored former employee: Maureen Comey, a respected DOJ prosecutor, was fired shortly before Trump demanded her father be prosecuted.

Refusing to illegally fire people: Kash Patel is being sued for firing senior FBI agents who asked him for adequate reason to fire their fellow agents.

Investigating corruption and abuses of power: For example, ethics officers at Fannie Mae were fired after they raised questions about how Bill Pulte obtained documents as part of his effort to prosecute Trump’s political enemies.

Investigating an insurrection or allegations of corruption by the President.

Providing an intelligence analysis that contradicts the President’s claims.

Being a trans person.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

One time in a Facebook group, people were complaining about AI and the CTO of Facebook showed up like Beetlegeuse to argue with us that AI tools were Good, Actually & his example was that it helps moderating in a mushroom foraging group, but AI slop related to mushrooms has LITERALLY KILLED PEOPLE.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Still thinking about the kid who yelled, "That's not a coconut, that's a snake!" to correct another kid who thought an armadillo was a coconut. The animal program at the library was A+.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

The state of Texas decided to celebrate America's 250th anniversary by eliminating the storied American Studies department I graduated from.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Sometimes I still think about the Marc Jacobs nail polish I bought myself as a fancy treat in 2013, and how it was THE WORST NAIL POLISH I HAVE EVER USED IN MY LIFE.

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Tanya D. || Writer || Narrative Designer @cypheroftyr.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

If you got the money to spare this #Juneteenth put it to use in supporting Black business, creatives and others. Find a Patreon, tip someone via ko-fi, chip in to a Go Fund Me or support by sharing folks work if you ain't got the coin.

static.klipy.com

Juneteenth: Celebrate Emancipation

Alt: Juneteenth: Celebrate Emancipation

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

All gender identities are valid, except "boy mom."

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Every ad for The Other Bennett Sister makes it look like a documentary about an FLDS fringe group.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I just saw an ad that was like "PICASSO DIDN'T USE DOLLAR STORE PAINT," and ok, but Rothko kinda did (which is why some of the paintings are degraded in particular ways) and Twombley loaded his paintings up with like, melted children's crayons. You can make art out of anything.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

If you're Chicago local, The Targeted by Red Orchid Theatre is open through the weekend, and there's $20 tickets: ci.ovationtix.com/27605/produc...

ci.ovationtix.com

AudienceView Professional

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 06/06/2026

Remember the current NIH director going on about protecting researchers from government censorship? Today his people called the police in to forcibly remove my colleagues from their own society meeting for sharing an editorial published in their flagship journal that was critical of him. Gift link

nytimes.com

Police Remove Diabetes Experts From Conference for Distributing Critique of Trump Administration

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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

"Being moved into the Death Master File can be devastating to someone who is still alive because it can cut off their financial access. Last year, career staff warned that falsely giving people death dates could be catastrophic, though the administration overrode those objections."

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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

It's been a week since Russell Vought unleashed his latest blueprint of destruction, and we are beginning to see how institutions are approaching the matter. I am calling on orgs, societies, and the left to fully, uncompromisingly, viciously oppose 100% of this rule proposal. Every single line.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

The Walking Dead: Carol is on caffeine pills. It's like a very special episode of Saved By the Bell.

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

🧵 Public science in the US has taken some heavy hits over the last year, but the White House OMB is proposing a series of changes that will result in a TKO for science as we know it unless we fight back. Here's what's happening, and why it matters. 1/n

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Darryl: "I don't really want to be here." Rick Grimes, the world's most clueless man, well aware Darryl was held prisoner and tortured here: "Why not?" WHAT A MYSTERY. I WONDER WHY.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

My best friend is kind of a big deal!

The Audacious Book Club Discussion: Roxane Gay & Adriana E. Ramírez. The Violence: My Family's Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramírez. May 27. 8 o.m. E.T. https://tinyurl.com/ytdcw8cr

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The general premise of the Walking Dead is that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are: plague; self-righteous misogynist cop; suburban political leader; evil gym teacher.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

I think a lot about how in my lifetime, we went from "Wow, they have a few buffalo now!" to "Please eat the buffalo, there are an excess of buffalo, we cannot handle the buffalo." Also how we fixed the hole in the ozone layer. But, basically, we're capable of good things, sometimes.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I went to see Obsession today -- delightful, campy but also super unnerving -- and it was a truly hilarious audience of only adults. It was a baby day out screening, but there were no babies. But also, I love that the baby day out screenings are like, terrifying. Because babies jut don't care.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

If you're going to GenCon, you can come see the documentary I've been working on! Great if you're interested in LARP or Star Wars or immersive design! Screening is free for badge holders. :)

gencon.com

Gen Con | Gen Con Indy 2026

The Best Four Days in Gaming

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Jaroslav Švelch @electroslav.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

If you ever wanted a taste of my book about monsters in games, here's a neat new excerpt on the @mitpress.bsky.social Reader about the melancholy of the monster killer and about who's the real monster in video games. The book is now 3 years old and it was nice to revisit it.

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

The Strange Melancholy of Slaying Monsters

From “Shadow of the Colossus” to “Undertale,” video games have turned one of their oldest rituals into an ethical dilemma.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Walking Dead thoughts: The Saviors seem like what happens when you don't make people adequately learn about the history of the early fire fighters and police forces. "We provide protection." Sure, dude.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

I assure you, grads booing commencement speakers is a time-honored tradition! The one at my graduation was *literally a war criminal*. People boycotted, turned their backs on him, and yeah, booed.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

The Walking Dead: do the Saviors have like, scheduled creepy whistling practice? Because it clearly isn't just organic.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

one time i wrote a post about how AI could never replicate the human experience of writing and someone accused me of using AI to write it, like as a bit, and anyway AI is cooking all of our brains and @jasonkoebler.bsky.social says it so well here:

404media.co

Your AI Use Is Breaking My Brain

AI writing is impossible to avoid, is making everything sound the same, and is driving us crazy.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Robert Jeffress was head of First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls when I was growing up. If any journalist has the resources/time/inclination to dig into this: c. 2001 or so, a man named Blaine Davis was both the band director at Burkburnett High School & music director at that church.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I just keep thinking about how technological affordances and infrastructure shape communication is all.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I keep seeing these memes of Millennial vs. Gen Z marketing, and what's driving me bonkers is that the former looks like that because it's all about trying to deal with SEO! Which has changed in the past few years! But, still.

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Will Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

In today's AIP History Weekly Edition, I ask Alex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social about how he developed a principal argument in his new book—that, through misapprehension, President Truman did not understand Hiroshima was a city rather than a military installation until after it was bombed.

aip.org

Q&A: Alex Wellerstein on the craft of nuclear history

AIP History Weekly Edition: May 8, 2026

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Students have told me they like the paper exams! They feel more fair. Also sometimes they write me weird little notes or draw me weird little pictures.

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Carly A. Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

They should just let us start shipping children via USPS again. Just really make it feel like the wild west.

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Victor LaValle @victorlavalle.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Being part of the fiction jury for the Pulitzer Prize means you read A LOT of books. Inevitably, there’s more excellent work than you can count. Since the prize has been announced, I’m recommending five other books that I read and loved during the process. Read ‘em all!

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