iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The last line in the story details how the State Department was contacted during the reporting and didn't respond.

Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I found out this morning my daughter calls coffins "wooden vampire beds" and I think I'm going to let her hang onto that one for a while.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

We're 3 games in and the top of the Devils subreddit is "Fire Keefe." C'mon folks.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Also we don't currently publish AI-content. I'm not aware of any plans to, but am heartened that, if it's proposed, it will have to go through an advisory committee of reporters and editors.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Negotiations generally don't end up where everyone would like.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Proud to be at a news organization where reporters help set the rules for how AI is used. 🤖 No AI generated imagery/videos 🤖 No AI mimicking employees 🤖 Right to remove byline from any AI-content 🤖 A guild-staffed advisory committee www.inquirer.com/business/phi...

inquirer.com

Philadelphia Inquirer employees secure new union contract with raises and AI protections

Under the new three-year contract, members will see healthcare costs increase for the first time in 20 years, the union said.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Crazy satellite for a nor'easter. Are there clear skies on LBI as the 'eye' makes landfall?

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Winds have been howling at the coast. Tropical storm-force gusts from Delaware to Massachusetts. Peak so far is 74 mph in Surf City.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Wind gusts have peaked at 74 mph (Surf City) thus far as the nor'easter approaches the region.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Major flooding now occurring in Belmar as high tide approaches along the Jersey Shore. Locally, widespread structural damage becomes possible at this stage.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Tides are rising and expected to peak at major flood stage this morning up and down the Jersey coast. Stay safe out there.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Gonna be a long weekend at the Jersey Shore. Major flooding now predicted up and down the coast.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick's voting record has been a point of contention in his race for re-election, so we analyzed it. With @fallonroth.bsky.social www.inquirer.com/politics/nat...

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A lot of the people I see fondly remembering Reporter's Roundtable are reporters, and I think that's telling. I hope @njpbs.org can revitalize the idea in a way that's more inclusive of NJ's changing press corps and the audience they hope to reach.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

After legislators clamored for changes following a string of deaths along Route 55, Lizzie Mulvey and Sarah Nicell looked at every 0.5 mile stretch of highway in South Jersey. inquirer.com/south-jersey...

inquirer.com

South Jersey highways have seen hundreds of fatal crashes in the last 6 years. Here are the most dangerous spots.

NJDOT's fatal crash data gives a glimpse into how dangerous South Jersey highways are.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

So is this to say that there were no Bergen County emergency officials stopping these runners from going down a dangerous path? I'm not endorsing the runners' behavior, but I just don't understand how they weren't stopped if Bergen officials knew this was a problem. www.nj.com/news/2026/09...

nj.com

Did runners caught in flood ignore safer route? Cops investigating shocking video of N.J. race.

The Bergen County's Sheriff's Office is reviewing the conduct of participants in a half marathon who got caught in rising flood waters.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Whoops wrong map. The above is property taxes. *This* is home values. They show a similar thing, just a different measurement.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

In the spirit of the above, I posted the wrong map. The above is property taxes. *This* is home values.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Ah dang it. You're right. I was initially looking at prop taxes. Wrong map. I'll repost in a min. Good catch.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

This message, as usual, is brought to you by me waking up too early in my 40s, and tinkering with public data.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Asbury Park's revitalization is undeniable, but is it equal? The median home in Asbury Park has risen in value by 4.3x since 1996 (compared to 1.88x in NJ). But you can also drive less than a mile from many places in the city and watch the property value dip by nearly $1M.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

"What happens is when you get everything you wanted then you’ve got it made. Then you don’t need anything. Then you find out the people are what’s left, ya know? The people are the most important thing."

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

"Most people never get everything they want, because they want too much."

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

"See I have Alzheimer’s. It’s great though. You know when you have Alzheimer’s, every morning when I make love with my girl I think it’s a different girl. So I’m waiting for her to get it and we’ll have the perfect relationship."

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

While searching for something this morning, I found an old interview with an NJ legend: Spiro "The Greek" Drake. The Greek ran Greek's Playland, a bizarre, homemade amusement park he designed for special needs children. Admission was free. He was an NJ original. Some interview excerpts:

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The thing that's struck me most about Gloria Steinem's death — how many women I know have personal stories about how she touched their lives through some kind of interaction. She always seemed to make time for people. A true life of service.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Putting this here so someone doesn't have to

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Can we stop with sea-level rise inundation maps? Sea-level rise is real, but these maps present a non-reality where humans do nothing. There are so many impacts of sea-level rise that are *actually happening*. Tell people what's changing instead of doomsday scenarios they've seen, and can ignore.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Back in 2014, I quit drinking. The most underrated thing I learned through that process was being able to ask for help when I need it. If you can do this in life without shame or guilt, it will pay dividends endlessly. And it will lift your spirits, because you are rarely alone.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

There have been more flash flood warnings issued in 2026 by NWS Mount Holly than in any year since 1986, and we still have four months to go. Reporting with Tony Wood: www.inquirer.com/weather/phil...

inquirer.com

The Philly region has been a national hot spot this year — for flood warnings

"Ring of fire" thunderstorms and a warm ocean may help explain the summer of floods in the Philly region.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Did your phone seem to be constantly buzzing with flood warnings this summer? It wasn't your imagination. The NWS at Mount Holly has already issued more flash flood warnings in 2026 than in any year since 1986, as Summer Storm Season nears its end. www.inquirer.com/weather/phil...

inquirer.com

The Philly region has been a national hot spot this year — for flood warnings

"Ring of fire" thunderstorms and a warm ocean may help explain the summer of floods in the Philly region.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Some of them are live/not formally released. I've always had good luck searching YouTube for rarities. That one in particular looks like it was performed live occasionally.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Regardless I would encourage everyone to seek out the full versions themselves!

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Most of the links simply go to Apple Music, which allows me the audio snippets where available. A description of how all the information is used is at the bottom of the page.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

50 years and 100 versions of "Jolene" Dolly Parton's "Jolene" is one of my favorite songs. One of the things I love is how it's taken on a life of it's own since its release in 1973. I put together a timeline of 99 versions. A minor tribute to a major icon. RIP. sstirling.github.io/jolene/

sstirling.github.io

50 years, and 100 versions, of Jolene

I found 99 different versions of Dolly Parton's Jolene since she released the original in 1973. Here they are, oldest first, with 30 seconds of each.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Two people in PA died from measles, the first deaths in more than 30 years. More PA kids are vulnerable to measles than at any time in recent history. That number is rising fast. @sarahgantz.bsky.social, @aubreywhelan.bsky.social and Lizzie Mulvey report www.inquirer.com/health/schoo...

inquirer.com

New vaccination data shows hundreds of Philly-area schools vulnerable to a measles outbreak

Measles vaccination rates continue to decline in the Philadelphia area as an outbreak spreads across Pennsylvania.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

My success is less documented but I assure you it was glorious

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Following my friend as he e-foils Lake George.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The city maintains several programs available to homeowners to help lower or curb taxes. They can be tough to navigate! As a reminder, @inquirer.com has a tool homeowners can use to see if they are eligible for city tax programs. www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...

inquirer.com

Use our tool to see if you're eligible for property tax relief.

Complete our survey to see what assistance you can apply to and how much you’d save on your real estate taxes.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

A double-edged sword. Home values are increasing in Black and Latino neighborhoods in Philly. Not a bad thing. It also means some will see a major hike in their property taxes, which in this moment could be difficult to deal with. www.inquirer.com/politics/pen... via Anna Orso and Yaelle Tang

inquirer.com

Thousands of Philly homeowners are facing property tax increases of 50% or more after this year’s reassessment

Homeowners across the city saw a median 3% increase in their property assessments this year. Steeper property assessment hikes are concentrated in predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Went deep into e-bird data. Based on 19.6 million observations, these are the spots in NJ birders find the largest diversity of birds. Go birds

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Near perfect morning on Lake George

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Bald eagle encounters in NJ via iNaturalist. Shows two cool things. There are more citizen nature observers than ever before, which is great. But more importantly, nesting pairs of bald eagles more than doubled in this timeframe. From one nesting pair in 1980, now visible in every corner of NJ.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

It's interesting data! It can tell the story, for example, of how the spotted lanternfly came to be a part of our lives. This is where the pest has been spotted by citizen nature observers since 2012.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

It seems like the pandemic was a boon to some citizen science efforts. Exploring NJ's biodiversity using iNaturalist data. More than 1 million nature sightings have been reported in NJ through the service. Look what happened to sightings/reporters in 2020. Big, sustained growth.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

To me the debate over AI-assistance labeling on news stories is silly. We should go further. People don't innately know how newsgathering works. Why don't we just normalize putting "methodology" or "how we did this" sections on most articles? My hot take: Tell people how you did it, every time.

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Stephen Stirling @sstirling.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

My favorite synopsis of the general plot of Field of Dreams is from John Mulaney: www.youtube.com/shorts/lfDkr...

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