iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 8h

In one of those places where the course of Scottish history changed in the blink of an eye. "Then awa tae the hill to the lee and the rocks Ere I own a usurper I'll crouch with the fox So tremble false wigs in the midst of yer glee For you've no seen the last of my bonnets and me"

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This is what climate change actually looks like

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It's the other side of the "always contactable coin" that if you don't want X to contact you, then you have to be a lot more direct about it. Once upon a time you could just move out of the local town.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Can't stand modernity! Went to see the King about a problem, and he had a clerk in the corner just writing things down in Latin. And even worse he gets paid for the privilege. Told my liege-lord "this is unnecessary waste" but supposedly "having writing records" is now "useful" & "efficient!"

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Did the BBC finally do the Cbeebies Doctor Who show they've been talking about doing for ages?

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Might go and see Digger for a second time tomorrow Very few films feel like they need a second viewing soon after the first, but then very few films reveal their final blow half way through the credit Also it was really funny & I'm the sort of person who'd go see a play called "Fossil Fools" IRL

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Reminds me when I properly laughed out loud during the Fassbender Macbeth when they named this blasted mountainous moor village as Ellon.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I think the poem is quoted by Walter Scott at the start of a chapter - but honestly have no idea why I added it to my "to read pile" Though it's actually really fun so no complaints from me!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Book 22 of 2026 Before there was Robert Burns, 18th century Scotland had John Armstrong and his epic poem on the importance of exercise, good diet and fresh air. (Amazingly it is a fun read - written in a mock serious tone to the Goddess Hygiene!)

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

What makes it doubly worth reading is how pro-human the text is rather than anti-technology. This isn't a neo-Luddite text calling for the banning of thinking machines. Instead it provides a useful framework for societies to wrestle with technological change whilst building the common good.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Book 21 of 2026 About 5 months late to the party but Pope Leo's intervention on artificial intelligence really is worth reading. An intelligent, thoughtful and robust attempt to understand the current wave of technological changes through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Is Digger a great film? Nope, it's a flawed mess of a film which fails as much as it succeeds. Did I enjoy Digger? Yes, I was chuckling away the whole time. Should you go and see Digger? I think so, at the very least it will mean I will have someone else to talk to about it!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

All of this is true - but the only way to solve that mentality for direct lines is to make sure "you will need to change stations" doesn't also mean "so I need to add an extra hour to my journey in case of delays." Simplifying ticketing would also help IMO.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Scoring lots of points on the Glasgow Southside bingo card by attending a gig where plants are going to play the organ to raise awareness of climate change! It's going to be fantastic!

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Reposted by Stephen Watt

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The ability to pour hundreds of millions of pounds into a loss-making TV channel, bent on wrenching British politics sharply to the right, is yet another of the ways in which extreme wealth is trying to remake UK democracy. It needs to be part of any serious conversation about political funding.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Me: That seems like it's AI ***Pangram says 100% human*** Me: Ah, so it's just really badly written

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

What seems to have happened is that whoever cares for the - very nice orchards - is also cutting the grass around the church; but it does feel like Historic Scotland have abandoned it.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Lincluden Collegiate Church in the north of Dumfries was very beautiful but sadly all the information panels about it were destroyed/covered by foliage. At first I thought it was a site that was half abandoned, but the only surviving sign says everything was done up in 2014!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

September Weekend means a great opportunity for a road trip. Took the A76 route to Dumfries - and beyond - and ended up on a Keir Hardie pilgrimage in surprisingly sunny Cumnock!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Made Welsh Rarebit rather than just grilling cheese on toast and honestly might be one of the best life decisions I've ever made. (No picture cause you've got to eat it as soon as the cheese is out of the pan!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

*All the Arthurian elements in the Mabinogion are great but my favourite is "Peredur son of Efrog" - which is a retelling of the Perceval myth with lots of added Welsh elements such as Arthur fighting the Nine Witches of Gloucester!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Book 20 of 2026 Le Morte d'Arthur remains my favourite non-Welsh medieval Arthurian text* but the 13th century Parzival is surprisingly funny and actually well-paced! Also Sir Gawain fights a cursed bed at one point so what's not like?

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Wild to think that when the Aberdeen Craft guilds held pro-Chartist pageant in the 1840s they wrre channelling a tradition that goes back before the Reformation.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"The Empire Long Divided, Must Unite - Emperor Palpatine's Restoration of Galatic Civilisation", Journal for Imperial Security and Stability, (44, 18 AFE), pp 14 - 32

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The deeply worrying implication being that Morris Dancing once cast it's terrible shadow over Lowland Scotland! Thankfully those day are past now, and in the past they must remain!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Don't know what I've done to deserve it but my Facebook algorithm is now just AI generated maps of Scottish local government reform. Always knew I shouldn't have renegaded on that deal with the Chaos Gods!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

To be honest AI slop has already become a massive thing in the parody music video space on YouTube - obviously any views are views human creatives could have had, but the algorithm already led to a big drop in effort by creatives. So it makes a bad situation worse rather than being the cause.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Well there's the general British "who cares" about the Caribbean but if you look at say, Jamaican politics, it's only in the last few weeks with the agreement that they will be a processing place for American immigration that people are starting to realise the US might have greater goals then before

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

But I don't think any country in Europe has really recognised the risk we are all under IMO

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I just keep going back to how Carney is someone who probably doesn't want to rock the boat, but realises if he doesn't try to desperately do something to halt American ambition then they will be intervening to support Albertan independence (and then integration) in a few years time.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Think I have a new favourite piece of artwork in the Scottish Parliament!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Queen Street can't obviously compete against Glasgow Central, but even in it's far more utilitarian set-up I enjoy the rows of columns painted gold. A small reminder thst the public realm can (and should) have beauty in it.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Personal growth is buying a tea at the cinema rather than a Flat White at 8:30pm.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Plenty of people have tried - I remember the hostility Labour councillors got bsck in 2013 for daring to suggest getting tourists in might be wise. The important thing is that the longer the denial, the less likely the skilled supply chains will be saved.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Meanwhile Aberdeen continues to be in perpetual recession as propping up a dying industry without any real plan to introduce new ones is a very bad long-term plan.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

For a certain type of personality - the alternative, which I think is more common, is basically "Rapture Fears" where a childhood of going "if you are not right with God you will come home and the home will be empty because your family will be rapture" really does create long-term trauma.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Does feel like this type of novel that has largely disappeared since the rise (and dominance) of YA. Game of Thrones is one of the last survivors of the brutal fantasy genre - and that's because Martin still hasn't finished the thing!

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Book 19 of 2026 Despite having one of the most generic fantasy novel names of all time - this is actually a really good and brutal folk horror-esque fantasy story from the ancient past of 1991.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

***Elf coming to visit the neighbouring mine after a brief millenia*** "How's my good friends in the House of Durin doing?" ***Dwarf looks up*** "Ain't no Kings around here mate, but the Lord Gaffer's son is around if you want to speak to someone in charge"

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Reposted by Stephen Watt

Tom Ewing @tomewing.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Narnia books as Isekai Manga

1. My Sweet Tooth Made Me The Villainess’ Slave
2. In Another World, The Dwarves Picked Me To Lead The Revolution
3. All At Sea With My Level 0 Sailing Skills
4. On A Mission In Another World And I Can’t Remember The Cheat Codes
5. That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Horse
6. Help! My Uncle’s In Love With The Demon Queen!
7. Reincarnated In Another World Just As The Game’s Ending

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Unfortunately all that remains of the incident is a blurry video of something walking backwards and forwards through the patio.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The British response to Live at Folsom Prison was not quite as successful...

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

For a second confused Daniel Craig with Daniel Radcliff and got very confused! Anyway strong Wizard of Oz vibes for Uncle Andrew - which works since he's basically a failed occultist who only accidentally manages to do real magic.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Ah, I was just meaning populations at all - let alone languages - don't think I've been to a place where every working age person is near retirement. Increasingly reminiscent of much of rural Italy (demographically speaking)

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

That's a better population churn then much of rural Scotland where the young people leave, the elderly pass on & no-one moves in. There's still an economy in the Western Isles - and plenty of working age people still want to go there - that's at least a potential. Don't know how you save Galloway.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Wouldn't be cheap but you could ramp it up - everything doesn't have to be ready on day one.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Make it a right to interact with the Scottish State in Gaelic - in the same way as it is in Wales - and you overnight create middle-class Gaelic speaking jobs that need to be filled. Provides opportunities for the kids learning Gaelic in Partick, while also incentivising language acquisition.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Obviously it is not just language but housing, education and jobs etc. But Gaelic is very lucky it has retreated to areas of such natural beauty thar plenty would learn the language if it was a condition to moving there. There's still a window of opportunity though it gets narrower every year.

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Stephen Watt @stephenwatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Oh absolutely - but Gaelic areas are some of the most desired places to move to in the UK. NHS Highlands & Western Isles don't struggle with the initial recruitment, it's the lack of housing, schools etc that make it very hard to move. It's a very different picture to Cathness and Galloway.

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