iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 19/09/2026

Today I got to meet Enrique the Capybara at our local zoo. They are the coolest creatures on earth.

The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 09/09/2026

I wish politicians asking for my money would stop calling me "friend." We're not friends, pal; I'm electing you to fix the mess. Don't fuck it up.

Snippet of a screenshot from a political email that reads:

"Friend, look at this:

If the election for Governor of Texas were being held today, who would you vote for?"

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 30/08/2026

Microsoft, doing their best to keep the early 2000s alive.

Screenshot of a Microsoft Windows page that time forgot.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 24/07/2026

I could not possibly give less of a fuck.

You've been selected to try new AI features

For a limited time, your account is eligible to try AI features typically reserved for paid accounts*.

Try them today to help save time and boost creativity.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 13/06/2026

I usually regret wading into the comments section of a website, but this made me smile. (I still feel a little icky that I was reading this article on the New York Post.)

Screenshot of a wholesome exchange in the comment section of a new article on the New York Post. I'm sadly unable to post the entire exchange, but the link to the article is here: https://www.openweb.com/share/3F5hzyilCkNk7paMWSdkNV6hnOS. Scroll to the comment section for the exchange depicted in the screenshot.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 04/05/2026

I was looking at other sources as well and came across Pew's political typology survey, which categorizes me as "progressive left": www.pewresearch.org/politics/qui...

Screen capture of the results of a survey for the Pew Research political typology quiz. It shows a result of "Progressive Left," which it defines as follows: "Progressive Left, the only majority White, non-Hispanic Democratic-oriented political typology group, have very liberal views on virtually every issue and support far-reaching changes to address racial injustice and expand the social safety net. They are among the smallest typology groups, but also one of the most politically engaged. They feel less warmly toward the Democratic Party than Establishment Liberals or Democratic Mainstays, but those who voted in the 2020 general election were nearly unanimous in their support for Joe Biden. They are the only group in which a majority say they like political leaders who identify as democratic socialists."

It also indicates that those on the progressive left are highly politically engaged, deeply concerned about racial justice, and supportive of strong action to address climate change.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 04/05/2026

It was time for my regular check-in to see where I fell on the political compass. Turns out, I'm farther to the left than AOC, Zohran Mamdani, and Bernie Sanders. Source: www.politicalcompass.org/analysis2?ec...

Screenshot of a PDF showing that The Ordinary American (that's me!) falls on the left, libertarian quadrant of the Political Compass. Source: https://www.politicalcompass.org/analysis2?ec=-7.0&soc=-7.08

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 12/04/2026

Look, far be it from me to rain on LinkedIn's toxic positivity, but nothing about this makes me think about success. Dude climbed a rock. Big fucking deal. I climbed a rock once, too. What's next? He's going to go back to his shitty job as assistant manager of regional sales.

Motivational poster that reads:

DREAM BIG.
WORK HARD.

STAY FOCUSED.
NEVER GIVE UP.
MAKE IT HAPPEN.

SUCCESS AWAITS.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 15/03/2026

In today's installment of LinkedIn hot takes...

Screenshot of a LinkedIn post that reads as follows:

"Everyone thinks Sam Altman made a
massive mistake taking the DoD contract.
He didn't. He checkmated Anthropic. ♟️

A year ago, I was OpenAI's biggest critic. I wrote viral posts calling their business model unsustainable (which is still true). But after re-watching Sam's old startup lectures, his real strategy became clear:

He is absolutely obsessed with hoarding talent.

Look at the board right now: Anthropic publicly declined the Pentagon. OpenAI took it.

Yes, Sam made an unpopular move and probably lost 1-2M "ethical" users overnight. But he's playing a different game.

Anthropic's only real moat is its top-tier talent. By turning down the DoD, they just capped their own resources and growth and their top engineers know it.

Sam knows it too. He will bait them.
Big tech will try to poach them.

Unless Anthropic pivots and embraces the DoD, their greatest asset is at massive risk.

In the AI wars, compute buys you a seat at the table.

But talent? Talent wins the war."

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 14/03/2026

Some days, I'm grateful for Reddit and the laughs it gives me.

Screenshot of a Reddit post that shows a collage of photos of famous people from the early 2000s posing with their hands prominently featured. The caption reads, "Why was everyone in the early 2000s doing this [sic]" Below, the top Reddit answer is highlighted and says "Back in the early 2000's it was common for peasants to lose at least one hand to disease, so amongst the cultural elite (eg Fred Durst) it was customary to show off how many hands you had." The answer is attributed to Reddit user @sealyonscreator.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 03/01/2026

WTF, Reuters? Look, Maduro was a hardcore strongman who oppressed his people, but this (as with Iraq, and our previous interventions in South and Central America) was not our battle to fight.

Various headlines covering the capture of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's President

Axios
World leaders denounce U.S. operation to capture Maduro
15 minutes ago
By Lauren Floyd

AP News
Photos show people reacting to a US attack on Caracas, Venezuela, and the capture of the president
2 hours ago
By Matias Delacroix & Hernandez Christian

Reuters
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump
52 minutes ago
By Frances Kerry

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 31/12/2025

I agree with all the points made in the post. However, I hope whoever wrote it didn't get their Master's degree in English, and that they're not teaching English. Otherwise, they'll be turning out scores of students who don't know the difference between “populous” and “populace.”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 27/12/2025

Google Photos reminded me of our cat, Moe, who died about 14 years ago, not long after this photo was taken. This was my wife's and my first “child,” who joined us in 1999 when we moved in together. He left us in early 2012 after a battle with cancer. We still have his ashes and remember him fondly.

Photograph of a Maine Coon/Tabby cat mix named Moe, with long hair that ranges in color from black, gray, brown, to white. His eyes are green, and he's looking directly at the camera, lying down on a bed.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 24/12/2025

I think it's commendable that Rep. Thomas Massie is one of the few Republicans vociferously pushing for more transparency on the Epstein files. However, we should also not forget that Massie and his ilk are responsible for ensuring that mass shootings will continue in the U.S.

A photo of Rep. Thomas Massie and his family posing for a Christmas photo. Each family member is holding an automatic weapon.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 16/12/2025

It's like LinkedIn doesn't know me at all. I think I'd sooner shovel coal in the pits of hell than work for Ken Paxton.

Screenshot of a LinkedIn promotion that encourages the user to explore job opportunities at the Texas Attorney General's office. It reads:

“explore relevant opportunities with Texas Attorney General

Get the latest jobs and industry news”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 13/12/2025

I'd never heard that before! It wasn't the only time, either, that he did something like that at Sands. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sands_H...

Entratter granted them permission but continued his objection to admitting other black guests. In 1961, an African-American couple entered the lobby of the hotel and were blocked by the security guard, witnessed by Sinatra and Davis. Sinatra told the guards that they were his guests and let them into the hotel. Sinatra subsequently swore profusely on the phone to Sands executive Carl Cohen at how ridiculous the situation was, and the following day, Davis approached Entratter and demanded that Sands begin employing blacks. Shortly afterwards the hotel changed its policy and it began hiring black waiters and busboys and permitting blacks entry into the casino.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 20/10/2025

One day, I'd like to not throw my hands up and yell, "Holy fuck, we have children working at the White House." Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/trump-...

“In response to HuffPost’s query about who suggested Budapest, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, 'Your mom did,' and White House communications director Steven Cheung replied: 'Your mom.'”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 20/10/2025

Thanks to Merriam-Webster. I really don't love being the person who has to say, “it's not 'per say',” even though not saying it nearly makes my head explode.

Screenshot from the Merriam-Webster Twitter account that reads:

“Not to be THAT dictionary, but…

It's 'per se,' not 'per say.'
It's 'dog-eat-dog world,' not 'doggy-dog world.'
It's 'hunger pangs,' not 'hunger pains.'
It's 'one and the same,' not 'one in the same.'
It's 'buck naked,' not butt naked.'”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 13/09/2025

I just don't think Kash Patel has the chops to fake sadness and empathy, y'all. 2/10, tops.

“FBI Director” Kash Patel at a press conference with Utah's governor, Spencer Cox.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 10/09/2025

Our Peter has a bit of a cold today. He's fine, but he's got the sniffles and the sneezes.

Photo of a large, orange tabby cat laying on his side, alseep on a lounge chair. There is a throw pillow behind him.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 12/08/2025

Fascism assumes control over all things, including the economy. Chilling, and indeed, banal.

“Fascism desires the State to be strong and organic, based on broad foundations of popular support. The Fascist State lays claim to rule in the economic field no less than in others; it makes its action felt throughout the length and breadth of the country by means of its corporative, social, and educational institutions, and all the political, economic, and spiritual forces of the nation, organized in their respective associations, circulate within the State. A State based on millions of individuals who recognize its authority, feel its action, and are ready to serve its ends is not the tyrannical state of a mediaeval lordling. It has nothing in common with the despotic States existing prior to or subsequent to 1789.”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 06/08/2025

It seems to have been “fixed” as of this moment, and though I'm pretty sure coding was involved, this was no error: — Article 1: constitution.congress.gov/browse/artic... — Full Text: constitution.congress.gov/constitution/ The coding issue was either incompetence (unlikely) or intentional.

Section 9

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Section 10

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce …

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 04/07/2025

Happy Friday, July 4th. Independence Day is a misnomer.

South the PLEDGE of CONSTITUTION in the FLAG of 2ND AMMENDMENT be FREEDOM with UNDER GOD? 98% Won't!

Like = 1 JESUS
Share = 1 REAGAN

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 03/07/2025

Added bonus: entirely human generated!

Screenshot of the results of a scan for signs of AI generation that says: “We are highly confident this text is entirely human”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 02/07/2025

You almost don't even have to look it up to see if it's real with Fox News, but I do anyway because I can't fathom this degree of idiocy. (www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...) Also, the number of Mexicos is threeve. Everyone knows this.

Screenshot from an SNL parody of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” in which Darrell Hammond, playing Sean Connery, gives a numeric answer of “Threeve” to a question.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 30/06/2025

I hate writing Ted Cruz, but we do what we have to sometimes. Pardon me while I wash my eyes out. For those in TX — Cruz: www.cruz.senate.gov/contact/writ... — Cornyn: www.cornyn.senate.gov/share-opinion/

Screenshot of the response page after submitting a web request to Sen. Ted Cruz's office that reads:

“Hello! Thank you for reaching out to our office.

Ted”

The text appears to be a scanned image of a handwritten note from the senator.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 23/06/2025

Not everyone on LinkedIn is a self-promoting, insufferable, douche canoe. I hope you're all having an ok day despite the brewing apocalypse.

everything is on fire but i hope ur having a nice day and shit ❤️(heart emoji)

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 21/06/2025

Sorry, Gwen. It's Saturday, Mama's not home, so I'm blasting *my* music. You'll learn to love it. #caturday Credit: “Les Barres de la Prison”, sung by Courtney Granger (RIP)

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 17/06/2025

I reposted this in my previous post, and I couldn't add comments because the original author disabled reposts, but y'all really need to watch this. Cuomo is the Democratic Party version of Trump, and we need to excise him from the party. NYC, do not let this guy be your mayor.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 02/06/2025

LinkedIn has a few people that get it (but far too many who don't).

Screenshot of a LinkedIn post that reads: “im sorry i was thinking about how billionaires are inciting a class war through big tech could you repeat that” [sic]

Corrected for grammar and punctuation, it reads: “I'm sorry, I was thinking about how billionaires are inciting a class war through big tech. Could you repeat that?”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 24/05/2025

I shared this on LinkedIn, and because it's a professional social network, I told LinkedIn they were lazy freeloaders. Since this is Bluesky, I'll just express my disappointment that I still am not a cat. #catsofbluesky #catsky

Two cats snuggled together on a soft lounge chair. One is a small tuxedo cat that's curled up on its side in a “C” shape, facing a larger, orange tabby who is also laying on its side.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 18/05/2025

Just getting my professional brand out there on LinkedIn. I heard that's what you're supposed to do these days. 🤷

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 17/05/2025

Happy #Caturday! May your kitties be as happy and willing cuddlers as Gwen. #catsofbluesky #catsky

A cat laying next to her human. The human has his arm surrounding the cat, and is dozing, while the cat, a petite black and white tuxedo cat, has a disgruntled expression. The word “Joy” appears on the image, with an arrow pointing to the cat's face.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 11/05/2025

A sobering reminder to secure all of your accounts with strong passwords/passphrases, passkeys, and multi-factor authentication. These are attempts over the past 36 hours to break into my Microsoft account. The logs date back a month, but it's likely been happening for much longer.

A screenshot listing numerous failed login attempts to my account over the past 36 hours. The attempts originate from various parts of the world.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 08/05/2025

OK, which one of you added me to a Conserva-Fascist email list? Funny stuff, y'all.

Screenshot of an email from reply@conservative.blabber.buzz that reads:

"In case you missed it

BREAKING NEWS: Trump to Announce Another MAJOR Trade Deail TODAY!"

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 06/05/2025

LinkedIn, coming at me with totally legitimate job opportunities. I had no idea Apple did its recruiting on Telegram!

Looking for a part-time job that offers flexibility and simplicity? Look no further! 💼

- Work from the comfort of your home with no time constraints.
- Only 1-2 hours a day for straightforward tasks.
- Earn $20 or $200 per completed task.

🔹 What we offer:
- Stable part-time income with the freedom to work as you please.
- Reliable tasks to ensure your income and safety.
- Detailed procedures and guidance provided for a seamless start.

Interested? Reach out on Telegram: https://t.me/M1160768330 🚀 Join us now! hashtag #PartTimeJob #WorkFromHome #FlexibleIncome

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 02/05/2025

Everything is fine where I am. Totally fine.

Screenshot of the current weather radar for central Texas that shows a cluster of heavy thunderstorms near the author's location.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 28/04/2025

Gwen isn't having any of this Monday stuff, either!

A tuxedo cat, napping in a cat hammock, with a grumpy expression.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 27/04/2025

Guys, I think this what the kids call a ratio.

The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU proudly endorse Andrew Cuomo for Mayor of New York City.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 27/04/2025

Me, about 20 years ago, expressing my anger that America had elected Bush for a second time. In the 4th bullet, I made a prediction that actually came true. There's no fucking way I imagined the Fascist hellscape we're in now. (Please excuse the prose of 29-year-old me. I winced while reading it.)

America showed its collective stupidity in 2000 when it put George Bush in office the first time. After witnessing first hand how far south we've headed in the past four years, we chose to put him in office again yesterday. America, here's what you've given us to look forward to for the next four years:

1. A continued increase in anti-gay sentiment and legistlation. Yesterday alone, eleven states voted to approve anti-same-sex marriage constitutional amendments. Yes, it's anti-gay, and it's bigotry; there's no dancing around it.

2. A war with no end in sight. We've gotten into an unnecessary conflict, and now the hole in which we find ourselves grows deeper by the month. George Bush's approach to fighting global terrorism is ineffective, and has only served to strengthen the terrorists' motives for attacking us.

3. A shaky economy. We can blame the war, we can blame Bush (who, of course, started the war), or we can blame the natural cycle of the economy. however you explain the current economy, our President's policies have done nothing to help it.

4. A divided country. Maybe it was because I was younger, or less aware of politics at the time, but I don't remember this much divisiveness when Bill Clinton was in office, nor even George H.W. Bush. This lack of unity won't decrease over time. I wouldn't be surprised if it were to increase.
These are the major issues for me. I'm sure I could come up with more if I thought about them, but I have to move on, and find something else to bitch about.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 26/04/2025

I took this on a different day, but Peter and Gwen like to nap like this, too. Yours are gorgeous!

Two cats napping together on a chair. One cat is a petite tuxedo cat with a visible pink collar, and the other is a large, orange tabby whose paw is lightly resting on the tuxedo cat.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 15/04/2025

One of my programming heroes, Kent Beck, dropped this nugget on LinkedIn earlier, and I need it to be a poster. #softwareengineering #testing #tdd

Screenshot of a LinkedIn post from Kent Beck that reads: “My aspirational phrase is 'test until fear is transmuted into boredom'”.

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 14/04/2025

It's always the posts/replies that I put absolutely no thought into that get traction. The stuff I put thought into, and look for just the right wording? Crickets. At least I didn't make a typo in this one. 😁

Screenshot of a notification indicating that more than 36 people liked my reply to another post. It says:

“<redacted> and 36 others liked your post”

The original post was from TheYodelingDad and reads:

“They might also mention that the government admitted they made an error with Garcia. The press is an abject failure.”

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The Ordinary American @theordinaryamerican.online · 11/04/2025

It's kind of a caricature of our chunky cat, Peter.

A large, orange cat, lying down and facing the camera. Its front paws are tucked beneath it, and he appears symmetrical. This is commonly called a “cat loaf” position.

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