iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A Design Intelligence Substack by Paul Fillingham. Where else are you going to get AI Design Tips, A Stolen Tiara, Atomic Earrings, Science Fiction served with a side-order of Spaghetti Hoops? thinkamigo.substack.com/p/art-ai-and...

Digital Producer Paul Fillingham working with headphones on in front of computer screens at Studio thinkamigo

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Where else are you going to get AI Design Tips, A Stolen Tiara, Atomic Earrings, Science Fiction served with a side-order of Spaghetti Hoops? thinkamigo.substack.com/p/art-ai-and...

A man sat on a wooden bench in an art gallery with a colourful window design behind him.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Mice, Macs and Mystery A brick-shaped mouse from 85. A hockey puck that skates like Bambi. A missing Bluetooth dongle. InDesign purgatory and some AI Magic from Houdini Window. Listen to the Design intelligence Substack: thinkamigo.substack.com

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

On this day, 7th September 1978. Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated with a ricin pellet as he walked across Waterloo Bridge. The pellet was fired from a specially-designed umbrella by a Bulgarian secret agent.

Depiction image showing people with umbrellas in London in the 1970s.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

On this day, 4th September, 1815. Sir Humphrey Davy invented the Flame Safety Lamp (Davy lamp) to solve the problem of fatal gas explosions in coal mines in the 19th Century. The colour of the flame behind the wire gauze was used to identify the presence of different gases.

Excerpt from ‘A History of Coal Mining in 10 Objects’

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

On this day, 3rd September, 1995. AuctionWeb was launched by Pierre Omidyar. The first item sold was a broken laser pointer for $14.83. The site secured the eBay.com domain in 1997, (named after Echo Bay Technology Group). In 2011, bids on a 1st edition SuperMan comic exceeded $2 Million.

A first edition Superman Comic showing the superhero lifting a car, and logos for Auctionweb and eBay

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

On this day, 2nd September, 1666. The Great Fire of London started in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane. The fire spread rapidly, assisted by easterly winds and the narrow layout of the medieval city streets. The fire burned for four days, displacing people and destroying around 13,000 buildings.

On the left, an oil painting of the Fire of London by an anonymous artist. On the right an illustration of the Fire of London Monument and a detailed close-up view of the top.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

On this day, 1st September 1977. Pioneer 11 became the first man-made object to fly by Saturn. Pioneer 11 and 10 both carry small golden plaques informing any alien civilisations who might find them who made the spacecraft and how they might contact us. It was the idea of the astronomer Carl Sagan.

Picture of Saturn with the Pioneer 10 and 11 plaque showing a diagram of a man and a woman and our planetary system.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Born on this day 28th August, 1906. Poet and TV broadcaster, Sir John Betjeman. Founder of the Victorian Society and responsible for saving Sir George Gilbert Scott's magnificent gothic building that is St Pancras Station.

John Betjeman statue in St Pancras Station, London.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

On this day, 27th August, 1900. Britain's first regular long distance passenger bus service was established between London and Leeds. A journey lasting two days.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

On this day 26th August, 1959. The Mini was launched by the British Motor Corporation as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor. The space-saving transverse engine was the idea of British-Greek designer Sir Alec Issigonis. The 'Mini' went on to become a familiar icon of 1960s pop culture.

A cutaway image of the iconic Mini motor car, exposing the innovative transverse engine and spacious interior. (Image - Creative Commons)

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

On this day, 25th August, 1944. Allied troops liberated Paris, ending four years of occupation by German Nazis. The victory restored French sovereignty, boosted morale and represented a turning point during World War II.

Crowds cheer a liberation parade on the Champs Elysees Paris, August 1944.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

On this day, 24th August, 2011. Apple founder Steve Jobs resigned from the company due to failing health. Passing away 43 days later as a result of a tumour-related respiratory arrest.

Steve Jobs at the WWDC (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) 2007. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

On this day 23rd August 1999, the first International Remembrance day for the Slave Trade and its Abolition was held. The depiction image is a statue for the 17th Century Bristol slave trader Edward Colston which was graffitied and dumped into the harbour by protesters in 2020.

The red face of the graffitied statue of 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston at the M Shed Museum, Bristol.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

On this day 22nd August,1962. The Beatles first live TV appearance at The Cavern Club, Liverpool was recorded by Granada Television.

Depiction image of the Beatles playing in the Cavern Club in 1962

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Ninety years ago. On this day, 21st August, 1936. The BBC made its first television broadcast from Alexandra Palace in North London.

TV Mast superimposed over an image of the first BBC TV announcement

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Reposted by Paul Fillingham

Colin Smith @colinsmith.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

If the culture pages of a newspaper - including TV & film reviews dealing with things I know something about, like neurodivergency and, yes, superheroes - are marked by snobbery & ignorance, then how can I trust the paper on other matters, on things I don’t know anything about? Truth is, I can’t.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

On this day, 19th August 1960. A summons was issued against Penguin Books under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 for planning to publish an uncensored edition of D.H. Lawrence’s novel Lady Chatterley's Lover.

A copy of the book Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence and a bronze cast of the author's head.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

On this day, 18th August, 1783. A huge fireball meteor was seen across Britain. Entering the Earth's atmosphere over the North Sea, passing over the east coast of Scotland, England and the English Channel. Disintegrating over a thousand miles across south-western France and northern Italy

A meteorite burning-up as it hits the Earth's atmosphere

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

On this day, 17th August, 1982. The first Compact Discs were successfully manufactured by Polygram's West German technical labs. The prototype editions of ‘The Visitors’ by ABBA predate commercially available CDs and are highly collectible.

CD suspended in a smoke-filled space bearing the title ABBA The Visitors

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Television Talk - A Creative Chinwag with James Walker substack.com/@thinkamigo/...

substack.com

Television Talk

A Creative Chinwag with James Walker

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

open.substack.com/pub/thinkami...

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Meet Cordelia Kim and Carlos Basquez Gallego. Present day computer engineers who get drawn into the Houdini Window mystery. This illustration was created in Google Gemini and Adobe Photoshop. More story characters to follow...

Young programmers Cordelia Kim and Carlos Basquez Gallego in the upper floor of a former Nottingham lace factory, stare out of the picture in amazement.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Abandoned getaway vehicle from riverside heist.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

The famous quote from George Orwell's 1984 describing oppressive power is: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever"

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Just for a second I thought it was Sean Connery in Zardoz.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

2025 scrolls out of shot whilst 2026 in bold white type against an crisp blue horizon comes into view.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Valerie Fillingham, née Wass, 11th January 1940 - 20th November 2025. Jolly Boys, Great Yarmouth, circa 1959. Gemini colourised image

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

The 12” singles were brilliant. Always loved ‘Memorabilia’ on a club PA.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Just learned Dave Ball keyboard player from 80s pop duo Soft Cell has passed away. His growling bass lines and Northern Soul influences combined with Marc Almond’s clever lyrics were pretty special. Both fine art students from Leeds Poly - they were our voice in the limelight. Dave Ball. RIP.

Two original hand painted canvases from Leeds Polytechnic pop duo Soft Cell. One says ‘Soft’, the other ‘Cell’ and they have a motif taken from a molecular diagram. They were salvaged from a skip at the Poly in 1983.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

This is a great question. My story begins in the present day but most of the action takes place in the 1950s and 60s, so lots of changing fashions to consider.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

It’s not the only thing to worry about. Strange things coming soon in my sci-fi thriller that features the Lincs coast town of Binley Bay, a kind of cross between Skegness and Morecambe.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

You get a follow for both your excellent name and the illustration

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Surely this is fake, it can’t be real 🤣

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

The old doorway with the intercom is brilliant

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Mining heritage piece on the University of Illinois website by Dr Helaine Silverman. publish.illinois.edu/mining-herit...

Paul Fillingham and David Amos standing in front of the historic coalmining headstocks at Brinsley, Nottinghamshire.

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Houdini Window ready to launch… A story of light entertainment, dark secrets and deadly technology houdiniwindow.com

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Evening walk along the jetty to Roker lighthouse with clear blue sky and a calm tide.

Jetty and lighthouse in a calm tide at Roker

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Paul Fillingham @thinkamigo.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

The evening walks have become quite dark and Autumnal in Sherwood Forest. But enjoying a little read-through of my sci-fi thriller using Google docs and ElevenLabs voices. Really useful for proofreading and getting a sense of flow. #WritingCommunity #WriterLife #AmDraftin

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