iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Rebel Fire by Ann Sei Lin. As ever my thoughts are in the ALT. #bookreview #booksky

Cover for Ann Sei Lin's Rebel Fire. at the top it says "one flame can burn an empire". "Rebel Fire" is in large white letters that are breaking down into paper pieces. in the background is a lake in a crater. In the mid ground is the Shikigami Phoenix Suzaku. In the foreground, the protagonist, Kurara, stands on a rock facing Suzaku, holding a katana.

Review:
Kurara is a Shikigami and a crafter. Something that has never been seen before or since as far as anyone knows. Now that she knows this fundamental truth about herself, she will stop at nothing until she is able to free all Shikigami from the blood bonds to crafters that keep them captive.

Kurara is a complicated protagonist, who freely admits she has no idea what she is doing and only hopes she is making the right choices along the way. Rather than being a chosen one plotline, Rebel Fire is a tale of trying like hell to follow your own moral compass to do good.

This book was just as brilliant and fast-paced as the first one. I really enjoyed the deepening of the lore around Shikigami, and crafters. The introduction of celestial magic adds a new layer of complexity. The world building is just as rich as in the first book. Ann Sei Lin is a master at weaving complex fantasy worlds with a glimmer of reality to keep it grounded.

040

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I am a Feminist: Claiming the F-word in Turbulent Times. Review in ALT. #bookreview #booksky

This book was a great starting primer on early waves of feminism. Ideal for youth and adolescents seeking to get started on their knowledge base. There is much more depth to be gleaned from further reading on the subject than can fit in this book.

180

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

QP with a gif of your favorite Pokémon! (wrong answers only)

Pudge the Fish with his Sandwich from Lilo & Stitch.

010

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Salient discussion regarding ai harms from tumblr. Plus a reading list for anyone interested in educating themselves on the matter. #noai #aiharms #aieducation

moonshinemagpie:

I'm finding it immensely helpful to read books about AI, because my past grumblings of "it's bad for the environment" really pale in comparison to what I'm learning.

But im not finding it easier to talk about AI with the people in my life who use it. The evils are both enormous and complex. I cannot, on the spot and in casual conversation, recite the colonial and political history that led to entire towns in Chile being devastated by AI data centers. It is unseemly to bring up how many women have had miscarriages because of lack of access to drinking water worsened by data center usage in places like Uruguay. How racist surveillance of the public in South Africa has been used as training data for AI companies. How AI companies would not limit their use of drinking water even during Arizona's most severe drought in history. How this whole paragraph isn't even scratching the surface of what is evil about AI companies.

It's actually so much harder now to articulate my absolute hatred or to know how to approach these conversations.

EDIT: So far this year I've read, in order of quality/relevance:

Empire of AI by Karen Hao
More Everything Forever by Adam Becker
Enshittification by Cory Doctorow
More Than Words by John Warner
planning to read these next:

Data Empire by Roopika Risam; not sure how specifically AI-focused it will be
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Pollution Is Colonialism

It's been important for me to learn about AI companies more deeply because I see a lot of AI critics ask questions that reveal that they don't really understand what's going on in basic ways, and that makes me nervous about whether we're all going to be able to organize against it.

Example: In response to an article about Sam Altman asking Congress to regulate AI, I saw a lot of comments like, "What, even HE doesn't think his own company can get its shit together?! He's that desperate for outside help?"

And that's not what's going on. Sam Altman talks to Congress because he's directing the conversation around AI concerns. He wants laws passed that make it harder for other companies, especially Chinese companies, to compete with OpenAI. He wants us all to be worried about theoretical future AI models triggering apocalyptic scifi scenarios because that kind of panic distracts us from tackling the problems that are actually happening now, like extreme surveillance, water shortages, destruction of land, and abuse of workers.

Anyway, even if you hate AI—especially if you hate AI—it's important to learn about what's happening.

000

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Really good point here. at one point in time any keyboard also by default had braille on it. #accessibility

Replacing physical buttons and controls with touchscreens also means removing accessibility features. Physical buttons can be textured or have Braille and can be located by touch and don't need to be pressed with a bare finger. Touchscreens usually require precise taps and hand-eye coordination for the same task.

Many point-of-sale machines now are essentially just a smartphone with a card reader attached and the interface. The control layout can change at a moment's notice and there are no physical boundaries between buttons. With a keypad-style machine, the buttons are always in the same place and can be located by touch, especially since the middle button has a raised ridge on it.

Buttons can also be located by touch without activating them, which enables a "locate then press" style of interaction which is not possible on touchscreens, where even light touches will register as presses and the buttons must be located visually rather than by touch.

When elevator or door controls are replaced by touch screens, will existing accessibility features be preserved, or will some people no longer be able to use those controls?

Who is allowed to control the physical world, and who is making that decision?

010

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

QRP Of A Show You Liked Ultra Hard Mode: No Marvel, DC, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney, And Star Wars/Star Trek. AND Warner Brothers. AND SONY.

poster for pretty guardian sailor moon crystal.

010

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

#restinparadise You Absolute Legend. Champion of queer rights. Timothy James Curry 1946-2026. Another role he did extremely well was as a serial killer on Criminal Minds. My personal favorite will always be that "sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania". Watch Rocky Horror. That is all.

Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter from the elevator reveal sequence from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). A role which he originated on stage.

Tim Curry. photo taken somewhere around 2006-2008.

Tim Curry in Muppets Treasure Island. Surrounded by treasure Curry wears a tri-corner hat, red coat, and maniacal expression.

Tim Curry as the Butler Wadsworth in Clue (1985).

130

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Found this on a post about new endo spit tests being a thing. #endometriosis #healthcare why is Canada so extremely behind in its knowledge of endo. PS this company is also biased in thinking it only affects uterus havers.

Via tumblr user scooplery
"Endometriosis is not a gynecological disease at all. The reason it has been classed as gynecological for the last century is because the lesions need estrogen to grow. The strongest concentration of estrogen is around the ovaries, obviously. But the lesions aren't picky at all; it doesn't NEED ovarian or uterine tissue to develop. Just estrogen.

It is a full body disease that causes highly inflammatory lesions that can attack any kind of tissue, anywhere in the body. It has been found in the lungs and the liver. It REGULARLY sets up shop in the digestive system, getting cozy around the bowels and rectum, often requiring extensive surgery (including bowel resections requiring ostomy bags) to restore "normal" digestive function. Mine ate through my entire right ovary, no original ovarian structure left. Just a hemorrhagic cyst, full of rotting clotted period blood.

It just doesn't kill us reliably or quickly enough to be considered cancer. But in my experience and in the experience of other people with stage 3 to 4 endometriosis that I have spoken with, we suffer just as much."

100

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

This and Movie was one I was obsessed with, I think I single handedly wore out the VHS from my local rental shop!

Poster for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Featuring: Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, Chang Chen, and Zhang Zi Yi. Film Directed by Ang Lee.

020

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

yep it does, I've seen it. Apparently they are still just sequels, even if released out of order.

beauty and the beast enchanted christmas.

010

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This is an excellent coffee table book. The foreword alone is worth it. #arcread #booksky #bookreview

Cover for Wonder and Joy for the Wired and Tired by Dr. Pam Stephens Lehenbauer. Cover features the title prominently and several small stamp style illustrations of plants and birds.

This book is full of factoids and tidbits on everything from soil to space. a very enjoyable read.

050

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I have an idea percolating based on this #crochet in case anyone else wants to learn some history gilbertbaker.com

Pride Flag.
From the top to the bottom:
Lavender = Diversity
Hot Pink = Sex
Red = Life
Orange = Healing
Yellow = Sunlight
Green = Nature
Turquoise = Magic/Art
Indigo = Serenity
Violet = Spirit

Gilbert Baker added a 9th stripe shortly before his death, with the new stripe representing diversity. He added this stripe in reaction to the 2016 US election. It’s unfortunately not as well known as the 8 and 6 striped versions.

Here’s an image of him sewing together the 9 striped rainbow flag.

010

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Interesting way to measure one's books. And an excellent reason to start using librarything if you don't already. #booksky

A graph represent different heights of wonders of the world, factoids, and monuments. From left to right:
Nike of Samothrace, Double Decker bus, Michelangelo's David 9this is spelled wrong it the chart), Giraffe, Stonehenge, My Read Books (313), Cleopatra's Needle, Sphinx, Statue of Liberty.

All heights are expressed in feet.

Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England.

View is from standing across from the monument, some tourists are visible beside the stones indicating scale. Photo is attributed to Gareth Wiscombe via Flickr.

One of the pair of Cleopatra's Needles. This one is in London, England. There is a small sphinx in front of it, seen from behind.

The other of the pair of Cleopatra's Needles. This one is located in New York City's Central Park, New York, USA.

020

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

This will be a headbandana #whatsonyourhook fits for prompt variegated. Oh and headband, and headscarf/kerchief. It's also cotton! 😎✅ #crochet #crochetsky

A pink, yellow, purple, and white variegated yarn being made into a headband style bandana

050

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

To streamline and simplify things for this year since I started hosting late, lets adjust things so that the first two sets of prompts are fair game through the end of June. so quarter three will start in July, quarter four in October. Once again #crochetaway is getting a new name, see below for why

#whatsonyourhook
weeks 1-13: each week post either a WIP or FO that fits one or all of these themes; Shawl, Scarf, Lapghan, Variegated, Gradient

weeks 14-26: each week post either a WIP or FO that fits one or all of these themes; Toque/Beanie, Beret, Headband, Kerchief/Headscarf, Cotton, Raffia

weeks 27-39: each week post either a WIP or FO that fits one or all of these themes; Blanket, Rug, Coaster, Place-mat, Table Cloth, Lace, Filet

weeks 40-52: each week post either a WIP or FO that fits one or all of these themes; Tapestry, Stuffie, Amigurumi, Cosplay, Color work, Black and White

221

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

To further assist how time works when discussing ai see the replies

a post from threads that reads:
I just saw someone claim that Heated Rivalry, the book, published in 2019, had "obvious ChatGPT red flags". And so I have crawled out of my deadline cave to say this to people who were apparently born yesterday:

Babes. Sweethearts. Lights of my increasingly dim patience. ChatGPT learned to write by eating romance novels like a feral raccoon in a dumpster. You are not detecting AI. You are detecting the source material. Please go learn how time works.

141

The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Rest easy Tom Kane. Mr. Kane died of complications of a stroke May 18, 2026. #tvshows #tvnews

A photo of Tom Kane. The absolute legend behind such memorable animated characters as Lord Monkey Fist (Kim Possible), Professor Utonium (The Power Puff Girls), and Darwin (The Wild Thornberrys).

Lord Monkey Fist pouring himself some tea using his feet.

Professor Utonium (center) holding Blossom (left), Bubbles (right), and Buttercup (center). there is a bookcase in the background.

Darwin, wearing a blue and white striped tank top, and navy shorts. he has climbed part way up some vegetation.

030