iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 18h

If we live in a world where, RW concludes, "the bond market truly can intimidate everyone," doesn't that story belong on the same shelves with histories of smallpox, great battles, and refrigeration? History of medicine doesn't go in the health section. Business history is History, ppl!

031

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Kevin Wilson @kwilsonhfx.bsky.social · 18h

Q: What's the most important urbanism concept you'd want to get across to people? A: The urban geometry problem. As cities grow in population they have to get better and better at using space. Most of the things you hate about cities come from a failure to understand and apply this concept.

1103

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 18h

Excited to have in my hands @robinwigglesworth.ft.com's A Fabulous Debt. Grumpy that the bookseller had it in the Business section, not History. in 2017, I was similarly annoyed when my tax history book was treated this way. I wrote about it: www.halifaxexaminer.ca/government/p...

A copy of a book by Robin Wigglesworth called A fabulous debt: the epic history of how bonds built the modern world

160

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 22h

The solution is gonna be to annex Campobello Island, isn't it? 🙄🙄🙄

140

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Red maple, yellow birch, greens of many kinds, and rivers of golden ferns. It's a good moment.

A sea of trees, red, yellow, orange, green. A foggy horizon

A big patch of golden ferns among evergreens

A path of white granite framed by yellow birch leaves and dark red huckleberry shrubs

A big patch of red huckleberry, distant greens, reds, yellows

2475

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Matt Stickland @landofsticks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This is a stupid headline. We will pay for it. If it's public we'll pay through taxes, if it's private we'll pay some other way. But make no mistake, we are going to be the ones paying for it, not the private company.

cbc.ca

Fixing or replacing Halifax's MacKay bridge could cost up to $3B. Who’s paying? | CBC News

The MacKay bridge enhancement was one of three projects the province brought to the Canada Investment Summit.

45313

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Yes. And yet I know "legislator" doesn't hit my nerves so hard. So I suspect myself of just being a Canadian traditionalist. And I'm ok with that. But yes, "parliamentarian" is great.

081

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is a great example. I remember reading primary sources in immigration from the early 1950s and realizing that "Asia" included some parts of the Middle East. The fact that two specific nationalities were specifically excluded for 2 months in 1930 makes it even more satisfyingly weird

180

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Heather is 🎶 for Science 🎶 @heatherwgaona.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

if you are driving and you want to let a pedestrian know you are stopping so they can cross, the best way to do that is by stopping. Not driving at them while making impatient gestures.

2240635

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Periodic reminder that "Ugh, having to speak more than 1 language is hard/annoying/woke/etc." is the dumbest North American white people shit. Speaking multiple languages is standard practice in the vast majority of the world.

1524744

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Does more press freedom lead to more responsive government? Short answer: yes. Every time. Why are we going backwards? newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/…

1232981

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I suppose it's normal to plan your urban runs / rides / hikes around bakeries? Today, it was Mrs P's in Spryfield that got me through the last 4 km, on wings of lemon square joy. At the magenta arrow

Map of a Garmin route with the location of Mrs P's bakery marked with abmagenta arrow

1340

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/09/2026

I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility

5776142100

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Michelle Cohen @docmcohen.medsky.social · 26/09/2026

It's been a rough week, and ranting is my therapy. I wrote about the seemingly COVID conspiracist-inspired shooting at my local synagogue and the simultaneous promoting of COVID conspiracism by Jesse Brown. medium.com/@michelle.co...

medium.com

Guns, Threats, and the Clown King of Jewish Safety

It’s been a bad week. It’s been a weird week. I awoke Monday to photos of bullet holes in the beautiful stained-glass windows of my local…

716856

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

There's a great Canadian story in today's Maptap. It really juices my score when one of the "hard" ones is a small town in Canada.

Two "reward" badges from the maptap game, one for scoring 100 on a location in Africa and the other for scoring between 925 and 949 out of 1,000

010

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Girl Friday @girlfriday.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On the pending closure of the homeless shelter in New Glasgow - shame on osd. Shame on community. Removing shelter doesn’t remove the people using it / it just forces them out to the street and parks and makes folks more vulnerable and more desperate. I’m so disappointed.

2293

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The best birthday present imaginable. #DollyDay 💖

923193463044

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Fresh off the tree, in a friend's backyard. A Nova apple. It's a cartoon apple. A live emoticon.

An apple with very white flesh and very red skin, with three bites out of it. It looks like the cartoon drawing of an apple.

0281

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Andrew D Wilson @adw.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Having them do stuff in words is psychologically equivalent to whacking googly eyes on them

17314

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Tobias Wilson-Bates @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

There was a bloom of stories maybe ten years ago about older professors creating problems for the job market by not retiring, and just checking in now to point out that they’ve since retired and almost none of their jobs continue to exist.

1041271

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I have been very impressed by some of the moves Concordia has been making to deal with its budget challenges. The right response isn't cuts: it's shared understanding, revenue-sharing and, above all, getting the university out of its own way. Rapid collegiality in action. More like this, please.

higheredstrategy.com

Concordia’s Quiet Revolution | HESA

Okay, so Canadian higher education is pretty cautious and risk-averse, and so perhaps the bar for calling something a ‘revolution” is pretty low. But everyone needs to take a look at what has been goi...

1239

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

On Wednesdays we wear black (because black is for whatever reason standard-issue workout style at my local gym)

A white woman in black T-shirt and black shorts smiles as a man wearing all black clothing walks by and gives her a thumbs up

0101

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Yesterday, among my favourite boulders

Photograph showing on the horizon a large, white granite erratic boulder. A stretch of exposed granite leads the eye from the foreground to the boulder. A band of clouds near the horizon bends toward the boulder. It is framed on the left by a stand of skeletal trees.

2181

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Like Joseph Heath, I had a moment when I realized that my politics required a much more robust understanding of how the institutions in my society actually worked. That ended my philosophy career and led to history. (But, dear phil friends, mine is not the 1 true path) substack.com/@josephheath...

substack.com

On becoming less full of shit

This post is inspired by a series of articles that Dan Williams wrote on the subject of “becoming less left-wing.” While I found that series interesting in several respects, it seemed to me unlikely t...

140

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Kavzar The Blind @kavzar-the-blind.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I am not guzzling vodka right out of an Absolut bottle while naked and alone on a beach near San Gregorio, so no, I’m afraid your email did not “find me well”.

021

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I was just now reflecting on a crucial, life-altering bad choice I made in 1974, so no, I'm afraid your email did not "find me well"

090

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Michael Wiebe @michaelwiebe.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This is a strawman. Of course we should build attainable homes. The point of housing ladder spillovers is that *even* high-end supply helps improve affordability. 4/

2603

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Steve Lafleur @stevelafleur.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Would be good if there was a public discussion on the issue that didn't fall back on GREEDY INVESTORS or BIG GOVERNMENT. The world is a messy place. If it takes five seconds to come up with an answer, it's probably wrong.

092

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

David Cochrane made Lesley Church work hard on the collective bargaining question. She held up well. Good interview.

160

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Nomi Claire Lazar @nomiclairelazar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

That’s three, by my count, this high holiday season.

22410

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

One of THE fundamental weaknesses in US political culture has been the confusion of consumer and democratic choice. Thank you for coming to my TED talk

16616

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Steve Schwinghamer🇨🇦 @sschwinghamer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Oops. Sometimes the #CdnImm folks say the quiet part out loud. Here, after the usual boilerplate about "does not encourage" and "fully comply with all the laws" wrt to "Greeks, Armenians, Jews and Mohammedan population from Turkey," we get a surprise last line on the ordinary form letter...

121

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

1951 (Korean War) anti-inflation PR from the US industrial lobby

010

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I once went to a foodie-sustainability dinner where I was served “organic salt” [sic] and the only time I have seen something so ludicrous was on the Maine coast where someone advertised “free-range lobster.”

2161

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

In the most university-dorm post ever (@nomiclairelazar.bsky.social), I am super excited to have found the description of inflation in H.G. Wells's Outline of History (1920). He is just so good at capturing the weirdness of inflation. A thread of some delicious snippets

2106

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

By today, tiny slug will have taken down the 3" tall bolete. Enjoy, little slug!

Close up photo of a freshly sprouted bolete (probably 3 inches tall). A small slug, maybe a half inch long (if that), munches away on the stalk of the mushroom. A white arrow points to the well camoflaged muncher.

051

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Trevor Bennett @tgabben.me · 22/09/2026

Staff: holding Purdy’s face in their hands, making unwavering eye contact “It’s bad, Trish. It’s so bad. It’s so very, very bad and it isn’t good, ‘cause it’s bad.” Purdy: “…but you’ll tell us when it’s bad, right?”

0144

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Nomi Claire Lazar @nomiclairelazar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Bluesky as a university dormitory: you wander the halls overhearing snippets of ridiculous conversations, some folks are studying, some watching sports, tankies are tanking, foodies are fooding. People up past their bedtimes. Sometimes, you overhear a truly great joke. Everyone is procrastinating.

625348

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Nomi Claire Lazar @nomiclairelazar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Miss academic freedom (US) and / or job security, decent wages and pensions (UK)? @gspia-esapi.bsky.social in 🇨🇦’s beautiful capital is mega-hiring! We have two posts in security (one open rank) and one in democracy and technology (open rank). Open as to field. French an asset. DM if interested.

11314

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I swear, even the Canadian Dry Gods Review has points of interest

150

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

In 1900, it seemed to this Canadian expert in the cotton trade that the US Civil War war far from ancient history He refers to the Civil war years as a time when "our Southern neighbors were trying to settle a trouble that is yet unsettled." Always ask "What past shaped the past present?"

The foundation of his fortune was laid during the prosperous times that prevailed in Canada 1862-66, when our Southern neighibors were trying to settle a trouble that is yet unsettled.

2111

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Trevor Tombe @trevortombe.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The University of Calgary's @policy_school completed an independent analysis of the potential economic and fiscal consequences of Alberta separating from Canada. All of the results and documentation are available here: open.alberta.ca/publication... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

22510

Reposted by Shirley Tillotson

Shirley Tillotson @stillots1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

From the report of the Dominion Parole officer, 1920, a reflection on (in his view) the sorry state of modern culture, especially in novels. "You who read fiction know this weakness. The gospel of modern novelists is that we are all in a sea of circumstances without compass" Government documents!

One of our problems in working with the criminal is found in the lack he has of will-power to regulate his conduct, to keep straight and to pursue with any degree of steadiness the path of rectitude, and that lack of will-power is not peculiar to the criminal in fact, it is found a general weakness in all humanity especially in modern life. You who read fiction know this weakness. The gospel of modern novelists is that we are all in a sea of circumstances without compass, that we are unable to choose a course or sight the land and that we are the sport of fate. From general doctrines of fiction-mongers the popular mind is coming to feel and believe that we are simply unfortunates and that we are not morally or virtually responsible for our lives or how we live. We have inherited, or we have fallen into certain environments, and th at is the whole sum given out in experience.

041