iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

I make my kid’s breakfast and lunch almost every day. It’s an honor and privilege I feel very grateful for. Should I have to pay for everyone else’s kids?? Absolutely, unequivocally, one thousand percent YES. And in California, I do! No child should ever go hungry.

California Universal Meals
Includes background, policy, provisions, webinars, resources, FAQs, and contacts regarding California’s Universal Meals Program.
Overview
In School Year (SY) 2022–23, California became the first state to implement a statewide Universal Meals Program for school children. California’s Universal Meals Program (UMP) builds on the foundations of the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). There are three key pillars to ensure the program's success:

Pillar One: California’s state meal mandate requires local educational agencies (LEA) to make available both a nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch for, not just needy children, but all children each school day.
Pillar Two: High poverty schools are required to participate in a federal provision.
Pillar Three: The California State Legislature allocates funds to provide state meal reimbursement to cover the cost of the UMP.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Thought I’d lost this over a dozen years ago, but my wife just found it in a long forgotten box! Gotta do some research on restoration, but I’m so happy to have this back in my life 😍 Crazy thing is I’ve had the instructions and empty box for years and just couldn’t ever quite throw them out.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

My favorite in this amazing thread is this certified banger:

The Mountain Fairy hears Adams’ desperate pleas, and enlists the aid of a Giant Bald Eagle (named Freedom, of course) to do battle with this serpent… Together, they perform and epic takedown! Teamwork makes the dream work!

Then there’s a picture of a page from this illustrated history showing that description in Japanese-style ink-and brush illustration of a popular style from the time period.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Thank you for reminding me that I need to delete this app.

Phone notification from Paramount+. “UFC Makes History! The biggest UFC event of all time takes the greatest stage. Watch all the action from the White House now!”

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I don’t actually expect this to lead to a Destiny 3 or Destiny Infinity or whatever, but it really is kinda cool to see a community come together to vote with their time like this.

ONE MOMENT PLEASE . . . Due to increased traffic, login services to Destiny 2 are currently being throttled. Please stay on this screen until login services stabilize and you are logged into Destiny 2.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

And the servers are down. Ah the bittersweet pre-nostalgia of launch day issues.

ATTENTION Destiny 2 servers are not available. Dismiss this message to try again. For more information, visit help.bungie.net.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

This is such a crazy mix of emotions flooding my system right now.

Character select screen of Destiny 2 with an announcement banner overlaying the screen that says “Congratulations, you earned the old lights emblem! You have been here since the beginning. From the Red War to Renegades you never wavered in singing [typo here that omits another “in”] to play Destiny 2 each release. For your dedication, you have earned the Old Lights emblem. Claim it now! Collections > Flair > Emblems > General.”

The Destiny 2 “Director” is back! A UI convention where you navigated into activities around the solar system by clicking on individual planets / locations instead of just clicking on menu items like a standard UI.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Oh. Oh. Okay. I see how it is. Now we’re gonna get trolled by the algorithms, too?!

Off-screen photo of a YouTube feed of videos, the one centered has the thumbnail of a Destiny guardian facing us, partially silhouetted in a semi-barren outdoor landscape, mountains in the distance with a huge ship looming overhead in the sky. The guardian is wearing a helmet and trench coat with a gun rifle strapped to their back. The text below the video thumbnail reads: “Official Destiny Gameplay Reveal Video.” The creator is “Destiny 2” and below that it says “3.7M views – 12 years ago”

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

This is exactly what happened / is happening. The Supreme Court, under the ridiculously stupid idea that racism is over so we don’t need protections against racism, has legalized Jim Crow. It’s what the racists have been dreaming about for 60 years. This isn’t a horse race. It’s racists vs. woke.

In a stunning display of racism, white Republican leaders throughout the South are stripping Black people of their franchise in order to retain political power.
The catalyst was a 6-3 Supreme Court decision on April 29 that gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, landmark legislation that gave Black people the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
Six right-wing justices insisted that intentional voting discrimination is a thing of the past. Southern legislators immediately responded by redrawing election boundaries to dilute the Black vote, in many cases making it virtually impossible for Black people to be elected to Congress.
What has happened in a matter of days amounts to a wrenching reversal of 60 years of racial progress — a revival of the Jim Crow era when Black people had no political power, no matter their number.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Well my timeline shows at least some signs of genuine humanity.

BlueSky post by Congressman André Carson which reads: “A genocidal threat from a U.S. president is beyond dangerous. Escalating strikes while threatening to wipe out an entire civilization puts innocent Iranian civilians and Americans at risk. These are intentional war crimes. We need to invoke the 25th Amendment now to stop these violations.” Currently has 322 replies, 1.1K reposts, 4.5K likes.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Me worried about how “unrealistic clipping” looks when working for days on my in-game builds: “Fuck. I have to start over.” Reality:

A square floor on top of a round one. The inverted started supports below the square floor “clip” into the rounded brickwork in a way that almost makes them look like fake 3D art or a video game level.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Anyway, looking forward to digging into this treasure trove! The games, sure, but I’m guessing there’s all kinds of old family documents on these drives. We used this computer for EVERYTHING for nearly two decades.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

For those that don’t know, the IIC was meant to be “portable.” See? It had a handle! Weirdly? The monitor’s “handle” leaves a bit to be desired ;)

Apple IIC being held like a briefcase by its foldable back handle

Apple IIC Monitor being held by its ”handle” which is really just an indentation atop the back side of the screen.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

LOL! She put in a backup note underneath the computer. Because of course she did 🥹 And yes, I’m pretty sure those are my old Donald Duck bed sheets. Wrapping up and protecting the components.

An open box, the Apple II C sitting on top and to the side, showing a copy of the same note underneath inside the box.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say that I have my mom and her foresight to thank for huge swaths of my life and career. I miss her and my brother every single day.

An old Apple Computer box with tape on the flaps with the repeating words “Computerland”

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Such a lovely, sweet, but definitely tinged with bitter thing to find while unpacking ye olde family Apple IIC. 2/3 people on this list are no longer with us, but we did so very much love our little 🍎.

A printout from an old dot-matrix printer reads
“MAY 17,2000
DEAR APPLE IIC,
THIS IS A SAD DAY FOR ME. DUE TO MODERN UPGRADING OF EQUIPMENT AND THE LACK OF SPACE ON THE DESK TOP SURFACE IT IS TIME TO RETIRE AND TENDERLY PACK AWAY OUR DEAR AND BELOVED APPLE IIC COMPUTER, WHICH BY THE WAY WORKS AS GOOD AS IT DID WHEN NEW! TO WHOMEVER FINDS THIS, THIS LITTLE COMPUTER WAS OUR FIRST AND MOST LOVED AND PLAYED WITH COMPUTER AND WILL ALWAYS HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF MANY HOURS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND FUN.
MARK S. CHANDRONAIT
MATTHEW S. CHANDRONAIT
DONNA M. WEST”

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Hawaii is the best the US can get and there are still 63 other countries ahead of it. #1, as always, is Monaco. This screenshot from this article has a few reasons which should be no surprise. (howlonglive.com/average-life...)

Monaco’s Government Initiatives to Support Longevity

Monaco’s high life expectancy is also a result of proactive government policies aimed at improving public health. Here are some key initiatives:

1. Universal Healthcare.
2. Preventative Care.
3. Encouraging Physical Activity.
4. Elderly Care Programs.
5. Environmental Sustainability.

Source: https://howlonglive.com/average-lifespan-in-monaco-why-its-the-highest-in-the-world/

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Wrote my first-ever podcast review—for an audio fiction podcast, and I mean every word of it. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Screenshot shows a 5 star review in Apple Podcasts of the show Star Trek: Khan. The text reads: Title: Top Tier Production. Review: Everything about these first couple episodes has me yearning for more. The meticulously crafted sound design enhances the stellar performances by placing them so expertly in a space that I can see said space as vividly as if I were standing there with them. The excellent script is done justice by a terrific cast of newcomers and familiar voices alike—I personally got a huge kick out of hearing Tim Russ reprise his role, though this time as a young “Ensign” Tuvok, but it was also a delight to hear George Takei’s Sulu. The final, very smart choice amongst a sea of smart choices is this series telling a “lost history” portion of Star Trek lore through the lens of a Federation historian attempting to uncover the self-same piece of lost history. I can’t wait for the next one.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

This is a very Matt list of games 🤣. Here’s the thing, though, I know I’ve been using Steam since it launched in 2003, so I guess purchase history just doesn’t go back that far?

Mar 8, 2008 The Longest Journey
Jun 22, 2008 Call of Juarez (US)
Oct 1, 2008 Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
Dec 22, 2009 Splintercell: Chaos Theory
Aug 22, 2010 Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Amtrak rules y’all. If you’ve never taken a train across state lines on a long distance vacay you are missing OUT. You can walk around! Drink booze! Bring your own entire dinner on board! (You can buy food on board. It’s… fine.) If you get a sleeper car you can lay down to nap! Observation cars!

Inside an empty, window-lined observation car at dusk. The warm lights are down low and the seats face outward toward the windows looking out over a snowy, forested landscape.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Pleasant Hill CA. Way more than I expected. #NoKings

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

“I know! Let’s cut anything anywhere that might have us doing a good. Doing a good is weak female shit. We’re a toughy manly men White House! Killing the only good we’re doing in the world will FORCE the world to respect me!” — Donald Trump, Probably.

Screenshot of a paragraph from the linked article over a photo. Paragraph reads: “The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, used to be the White Helmets’ biggest funder. But the Trump administration had cancelled millions of dollars in funds for the Syrian organization as it dismantles USAID and slashes foreign assistance.” The photo below the paragraph: a White Hat next to a tractor in a bombed out street. Caption: The White Helmets search for unexploded ordnance in Homs, Syria, on Jan. 29 Yahya Nemah for NPR

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Seemed a good day to support my locally-owned gaming store.

Two books atop one another lying on a flat white surface. The spine of the top one reads: Dungeon Master’s Guide and the bottom one reads: Monster Manual.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Not that Apple won’t bend the knee when the rubber his the road, but here’s Apple Maps

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

I think about this show like every 4-6 months and I haven’t seen it since I was 7 or 8. It wasn’t until I just looked it up that I even knew it was called “Automan.” To me it’s always just been “that Tron TV show.” I can only. really remember that it took place IRL and the car turned at 90° angles 🤣

Cover image for the TV show Automan. The text on the image reads “From the producers of Tron. Automan. The complete series.” The image is of a man in a glowing superhero suit behind a computer-generated black sports car.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 03/11/2024

It’s VEGAS TIME! (Tune in to Arthur’s Stream: twitch.tv/aegies)

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 17/09/2024

I seem to have joined at about the same time as most of my mutuals. Which makes sense because I got my invite from one of them :p

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 07/07/2024

They’ve never made a better one. (Basically I just want my whole kit to look like I‘ve just stepped off a Wipeout course. #SPL)

A screenshot of my Warlock from Destiny 2 with the Telstar Graphics emblem equipped.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 19/03/2024

At the #SFMoma for their exhibit with The Mix. It’s pretty cool to see games in a modern museum space and see that they “get it.” “Are games art?” debate is over, but if your exhibit doesn’t have them playable like this then you’re doing it wrong.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 11/03/2024

My mom never kept anything that wasn’t practical or didn’t have top sentimental value. The fact that she kept this means she was very proud of this very bad ass move.

A resignation letter, printed on an old dot-matrix printer. Dated February 13, 1997. It reads “Dr. Johnson; This is to let you know I am resigning my position in your employment due to the continued use of Gluteraldahyde in the office. The use of Gluteraldahyde was discussed prior to my employment and your agreement to discontinue the use of it has not been honored. As this chemical creates a very real threat to my health it does not allow me to continue service with you and I must resign my position. I am truly disappointed with this final outcome. Donna M. West”

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 04/03/2024

The kind of quality interactions you get in my friend group. Sorry, we’re not accepting applications at this time.

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Matt Chandronait @talkingorange.bsky.social · 29/02/2024

It’s already worth half of what it was. Wish I could get a cool $246 million compensation package for being this bad at my job.

A screenshot of a sentence from the Variety article that’s being discussed in this post. It reads: “WB Discovery shares are down 26% for the year to date and down 45% for the past 12 months.”

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