iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 01/07/2026

Reminder that 13 years ago today Google Reader was killed.

Picture of younger Fitz wearing a Google Reader tshirt and frowning. He is sad.

5708

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 11/05/2026

Thanks to @cdibona.bsky.social, this has been me for the last 6 months. Sorry not sorry.

A schoolgirl, labelled "me" playing a tuba labelled "Dungeon Crawler Carl" aimed point blank at the face of another schoolgirl. labelled "Basically Everyone"

7191

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 09/10/2025

You should read this essay. This quote. This quote.

People only complain about the turkey being dry when the company is terrible. There is never enough gravy to make regret feel like anything but your soul leaving your body.

12911

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 09/09/2025

End of an era. The Storage Media Boneyard is headed off to storage for a while. What's the oldest piece of media in here that you have used? (detailed photos here: photos.app.goo.gl/oPwSvGqyJhKu...)

Half of my collection "The Storage Media Boneyard"

A History of Analog and Digital Storage Media
This is a sampling of the thousands of types of media that humans have used to store information over the past several hundred years. From punch cards that stored a few dozen bytes to flash drives that store tens of billions of bytes, storage media have gotten smaller, lighter, cheaper, and faster to read and to write.
The majority of this collection consists of paper, tape, spinning disks, solid state (cartridge), and film storage media, but you can find a few more unusual media types, such as wax cylinders, recording wire, and ferrite core memory.
Today, the entire contents of this exhibit could fit onto a single hard drive that you could buy at the average computer store.

Formerly part of the Google Chicago museum

The other half of my collection "The Storage Media Boneyard"

A History of Analog and Digital Storage Media
This is a sampling of the thousands of types of media that humans have used to store information over the past several hundred years. From punch cards that stored a few dozen bytes to flash drives that store tens of billions of bytes, storage media have gotten smaller, lighter, cheaper, and faster to read and to write.
The majority of this collection consists of paper, tape, spinning disks, solid state (cartridge), and film storage media, but you can find a few more unusual media types, such as wax cylinders, recording wire, and ferrite core memory.
Today, the entire contents of this exhibit could fit onto a single hard drive that you could buy at the average computer store.

Formerly part of the Google Chicago museum

The empty case that housed The Storage Media Boneyard for over a dozen years. I've packed it up and will be storing it until I find a new home for it.

11262

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 05/08/2025

Here are a few of my favorites

Soda fired mug with drippy glaze with hares fur effect

100

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 01/07/2025

12 years ago today Google killed Reader. I took a photo to remember how I felt. Still haven't forgotten.

1330143

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 05/06/2025

Orchard Field Award for Exemplary Service, River Reversal Division Commandant Brian W. Fitzpatrick, ORD Camp

140

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 04/06/2025

Years ago @johntolva.bsky.social and @dansinker.com bought Zach and I these massive 5 foot tall trophie. John's wife and kids went to pick them up and the kids were just *flabbergasted* that you could just *make up something* and buy a trophy for it.

Fitz and Zach holding MASSIVE 5 foot tall trophies

2423

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 01/04/2025

This is one of the best repeating calendar reminders I've ever created.

2442

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 10/03/2025

JoCo 2025 now in the history books. This year we brought almost a dozen friends along and it was even more amazing than in years past. Always a bit sad at the end when the boat is empty, but a reminder that it's the people that make it special. Always the people that make it special. #jococruise

2180

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 14/01/2025

A single image from a film that immediately makes you hear the song from the soundtrack playing in your head

Indiana Jones in the Map Room in Raiders of the Lost Ark

2140

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 14/01/2025

A single image from a film that immediately makes you hear the song from the soundtrack playing in your head

Amanda Plummer in Pulp Fiction wielding a pistol and yelling

081

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 07/01/2025

Hope you have a REALLY BIG YARD for this sixty-six FOOT long drying rack.

Clothes drying rack described as "66 ft. (20m) W 75.2 in. x H 35.4 in.T-Model Drying Rack in Fresh White"

380

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 30/12/2024

Inject it DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS

A horse with its head on a post and the text I LOVE THIS POST

3221

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 29/12/2024

My Grandmother asked him to sign a book for me and a book for my brother. And I still have it today.

Book cover: "Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, Jimmy Carter"

Inscription: "May this book serve as a lasting memory throughout your lifetime, and maybe -- days past. Christmas 1982 All My Love Grandma Fitzpatrick"

Signed by Jimmy Carter "To Brian"

1180

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 29/12/2024

To be clear: Rosalyn wasn't mad at all, and they all had a good laugh at it when my Grandfather pointed out the obvious (that the president knew how to pose for a photo). And Jimmy Carter remembered this a few days later when he had a book signing.

My Grandmother and Former President Carter. He is preparing to sign his book for her.

1110

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 29/12/2024

And that's how we wound up with this photo of my Grandmother with Former President Carter and his wife Rosalyn

1160

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 29/12/2024

This person followed me 3 hours ago and at that time was following 2.2K people. Now they're following 17.1K people. WTF Blockity-blockity-block-block!

060

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 24/12/2024

I just love stumbling across art like this alameda-preservation.org/programs/tab...

A girl in pigtails holding a bottle of golden bridge beverages soda that is larger than her

A sign painted on the side of building that says drink golden bridge

030

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 23/12/2024

Post your favorite Star Trek character. Wrong answers only.

3242

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 20/12/2024

Gorgeous day for a hike in the redwoods.

A trail with a wooden fence around it, amidst the redwood trees, with sunlight streaming in through the trees via a light fog

3490

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 14/12/2024

What in the cinnamon toast fuck is a copyright mark for a cable network doing ON THE BOTTOM OF A PLATE?

Bottom of a plate that says
"YELLOWSTONEtm
(C)2024 Spike Cable Networks Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Paramount Network is a trademark of
Paramount Pictures Corporation

Made of Stoneware
Microwave Safe
Dishwasher Safe
Made in China

7140

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 14/12/2024

Airports are grotesquely beautiful.

A picture looking down in airport terminal taken with a long lens so everything is flattened and compressed

3370

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 12/12/2024

I picked a hell of a time to come back for a visit

Screenshot showing that the weather in Chicago right now is 9 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -6

6190

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 10/12/2024

Do you still have the Kindle?

"bought a kindle for 45 bitcoin ... april 2011

170

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 10/12/2024

"So what kind of holiday lights do you want on your car?" "idk just fuck my shit up lol"

A car with an incredibly long strand of tiny LED holiday lights TAPED on with hundreds of tiny pieces of yellow tape.

1170

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 09/12/2024

Another classic for a classic bakery. Looks like it's seen some repairs and needs a little Block-out but otherwise still ticking.

060

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 07/12/2024

Hot damn this is a *gorgeous* sign

Massive blue and red/orange neon sign that says CASTRO

320011

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 07/12/2024

Post someone you've been told you look like who you definitely don't look like.

041

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 05/12/2024

You may notice that there were only 13 things in that last picture. The last two were on the next whiteboard. #15 was the thing that I probably repeated most the first year:

14. web-case, no hardware.
15. Don't fuck it up.

290

Brian Fitzpatrick @therealfitz.com · 05/12/2024

I'm not sure how much of the exact details of that first meeting I would remember if not for two photos I took. After hours of discussion (and a break for lunch) we distilled it down to 15 primary goals: