iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 03/10/2026

Which reminds me that some of our art from the avenue didn't survive the move ☹️

A ceramic olive oil bowl with a rough pattern in the bottom for scraping garlic. It's broken on the sides.

four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 02/10/2026

How does this happen? Did they get mashed into the curb so hard that they ended up on the sidewalk? (Seen on Wellington West)

A gray Honda SUV with a smashed rear left wheel. The car is partly on the sidewalk. There's a cop standing on the sidewalk behind the car doing paperwork. It's a beautiful fall day.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 30/09/2026

For. Fuck's. Sake. I still have my US phone number out of fear I've still got a 2FA setup on it somewhere but I may have to get rid of it just for this.

A screenshot of a list of text messages from electoral campaigns. Each one claims I've been unsubscribed from their list. The oldest text in the list of 8 is from 11:30 AM today.

Spoiler alert: the list goes back waaaaaay further.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 25/09/2026

Damnit, now I want their potato pave.

A photo of the potato pavé at Ada's on the River. The pieces of pavé are golden brown and perfectly seasoned pieces of laminated potato, served with aioli.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/09/2026

I will always be grateful for the kindness of the people of Cinque Terre, the people of Gander, the people everywhere who helped, until the end of my time. I try to repay it when I can, though undoubtedly never enough. Many of us still remember.

The town of Manarola in the Cinque Terre with dramatic puffy clouds behind it and blue sky above. The town's buildings are built on top of an incredible cliff, and they're illuminated with clear post-storm light. The sea below the cliff is churning the water into foam.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/09/2026

All the pioneers of our disaster: GWB and his "aw shucks" lying us into war, the snarling "wisdom" of Cheney, the legal excuses from John Yoo, all the cultural "boot in your ass" jingoistic 'entertainers', all the "with us or against us", "love it or leave it", "support the troops" repression.

A screenshot from a 2004 episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. It's a color-coded alert system, with five levels. "PEE PEE PANTS" is at the top (with a blackwatch plaid background), followed by "REALLY HIGH" on a pink polka dot background, followed by "HIGH" on a red background, "ELEVATED" on a yellow background, and "LOW" on a green background.

It's mocking the real "terror alert system" that we actually had, it was something they showed on the news and somehow expected us to pay attention to!

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/09/2026

The Cinque Terre Park held a memorial service the following day at the Riomaggiore Castle, a beautiful spot overlooking the sea. Nobody has ever been as unfailingly kind and generous to me as the people of the Cinque Terre were after 9/11. Tragedy brings people together like that. (see the alt txt)

A photo of two pasted up notices. One is in English, one in Italian. In English, it reads:
My dear AMERICAN friend:
we feel almost "adopted" by U.S.A. for quite a time, a sort of little "enclave" of a virtual adjoint nation; there are moments during which in shops or streets we hear only the American language, by night we share with you your time zone in a strengten shared sympathy.
By this time even our elderly people understand some words of yours and they try to use in their way by "interpreting" them to succeed in socializing with you, to help you during your stay when ytou need information making you save strenght and time. Our link is not based on economic advantages but on real love that we feel returned in all its intensit: your love, your care and your interest in the Cinque Terre are fully returned.
Now we are by your side, in this moment of tragedy. Feel our presence next to you against the barbarity, our solidarity towards the families of victims.
We are sure that many of them were here with us appreciating beauty and deep sensations given by our land, strengthtening the friendship among different populations that are able to find out and share the same feelings.
As far as we can, we are fully at your disposal: our structures, services are now yours, if you do not succeed in finding a place to sleep ask for help at our offices, those have succeed in lenghtening their reservations because of airports closing can present the relating receipts at the Park office and we will refunded them. For those who have any other problems we will be really pleased to help you in solving or making them lighter; our offices are at your disposal also if you need to contact your families by (free) phone or for any other thing you need.
Today more than ever we want you to consider us as an American Park

THURSDAY 13th September
At 5:00 p.m.
At Riomaggiore Castle

A woman laying flowers at a memorial to the victims. She's kneeling in front of a wall with a large wreath of olive branches and lilies. On the wall there's a plaque which reads:
"IN COMMEMORAZIONE
DELLE VITTIME
DELL'ECCIDIO NEGLI U.S.A
DELL'11 SETTEMBRE 2001
---
COMMEMORATING
THE VICTIMS
OF THE 11th SEPTEMBER 2001
MASSACRE IN U.S.A."

In the foreground a man is walking past, blurred.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/09/2026

In an act of supreme kindness, the owner of the tabacchi in the village opened his shop to all with no purchase required. I gathered with all the other dazed Americans to watch CNN until I couldn't take any more and wandered around to photograph. Life, it turns out, went on.

A bright yellow/orange building in the Cinque Terre. It's in bright sunlight, with green shutters and white trim. There's a sign for Gelateria Centrale 2 over the door, and two people sitting on a wall in front of the door having what looks like a relaxed conversation.

News pages hanging from a stone balustrade. They're in Italian, but one reads "ATTACO ALL/AMERICA MIGLIAIA DI MORTI". There are green plants on either side and a wooden door above.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/09/2026

Unfortunately I had plenty of time to contemplate it as I spent a few hours in the train station's waiting room trying to stay awake, staring at this memorial.

A marble wall with a huge gash in it. Through the gash you can see train platforms. There's a plaque on the wall next to it which reads:

"2 AGOSTO 1980
VITTIME DEL TERRORISMO FASCISTA"

followed by two columns of the names of 85 victims of a neo-fascist bombing in 1980

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/09/2026

I grew up in the NJ suburbs an hour or so from New York. As a kid, I knew we were getting close to The City when I could see the Twin Towers in the distance. In the late 90s, I interned at a company across the street (22 Cortlandt); I'd often eat lunch sitting by the fountain between the towers.

A photo of the plaza in the middle of the World Trade Center. In the middle is a circular water fountain with a statue of Atlas in the middle and benches around the outside. It's bathed in afternoon light slipping between the towers.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 09/09/2026

Behold, Ottawa's newest supervillain, Anti-Pickleball Man! Nothing will stop him from... limiting! not stopping, just limiting! the spread of pickleball in our fair city!

Screenshot of a Nextdoor post: "Pickleball has to be the worst "sport" in history. Nevermind that it has "pickle" 🥒 in the name. It is loud, lazy, and obscene. The ball is made up of hollow plastic with holes in it. The racquet has a weird shape and is completely solid without any holes for aerodynamics. You can't swing quickly because of the air resistance. Don't get me started on the people who play it too. Always talking about their dinks and their donks like children making up words for their tiktoks. Talking about how it's the fastest growing sport. A sport with a "kitchen" in its court, I don't think so. Absolutely ridiculous, and honestly it makes sense since its popularity is probably a sign of the end of days. I will oppose every new pickleball court, every new club, I will even make signs and picket if I have to. Nothing will stop me from limiting the spread of this scourge in our beautiful city."

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 09/09/2026

You know the old saying: sometimes you just have to stop and eat the flowers

A tiny little baby rabbit with its face stuffed in a white hydrangea flower. It's standing on its hind legs, surrounded by flower greens and ornamental grass. Judging by the amount of effort it was expanding, they must taste really good.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 03/09/2026

Good to see Nextdoor in Canada is just as awful as in the US. Full-on white supremacist xenophobia.

Someone named "Loris C" from Bel Air Heights with a bunch of pro-Trump garbage:
"This isn't about competing with the U.S. or trying to become more like it, and our economy is closely linked to the U.S. economy and always has been. The reigning party is destroying that alliance and HAS been since they got into power. We've been trading with the U.S. for MANY years and our identity has never been called into question until recently. Those with TDS will blame it on Trump but what's happening has nothing to do with Trump, it has everything to do with poor Canadian leadership and lack of leadership. This is sabotage from the inside.

And our values and identity are also being actively destroyed by the same party, it began many years ago with this "multiculturalism" sham. The nail in that coffin is the mass migration that they've promoted and allowed. Canada is a nation that was built on Christian principles, which is why we've historically been a decent, law-abiding people (see the Canadian Charter of Rights and the Constitution). Mass migration from countries who don't hold those same values is rapidly eroding our culture and they're bringing their violence, which they have no desire to leave behind, to our home."

Seven people have liked their comment.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 01/09/2026

Honestly, not sure why y'all stopped using it.

A screenshot Winamp playing the new the Mountain Goats song Candlebox, from Days.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 31/08/2026

Like this guy my bunny-obsessed wife and I spotted outside our building today?

Bunny! It's sitting in a tuft of ornamental grass outside an apartment building that it has trimmed down. It's slightly fuzzy due to recent rain.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 28/08/2026

Cool mammatus clouds over Ottawa right now.

Bubbly clouds, lit from underneath with sunlight from the setting sun.

Bubbly clouds and a pink cloud over an apartment building. Above there's blue sky.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 19/08/2026

Some people go to the beach. Me, I'm happiest when I have a peak (and fire tower) to myself!

An expansive view of green mountains under a partly cloudy sky. The most prominent and pointy peak is Mt. Marcy, the highest point in New York State.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 17/08/2026

Look, it can't all be sunshine but at least it's beautiful.

Mist rising from behind a ridge, in front of another ridge. The sky above is gray.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 16/08/2026

Whew, that's good. I was worried I'd accidentally gone to the beach.

A sign hanging on a cabin wall. It says "Lake life" with a little silhouette of a cabin among conifers.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 13/08/2026

I did not expect to run into someone (much less a fellow Maryland grad) wearing a Cool "Disco" Dan shirt in the supermarket in Ottawa.

Closeup of a t-shirt with COOL "DISCO" DAN in a graffiti style on it as well as a lot of other graffiti logos of the era.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 11/08/2026

There are other ways to do this, but the people in charge have to actually care about what people want _and_ about people having a venue in which to be heard. An example (along with much more in-depth reporting from @ryanbelmore.com) Yes, there's a 10x pop. difference, but it's an alternate route.

"ALEXANDRIA, Va. -Alexandria's City Council voted 4-3 just after 8:30 p.m. Saturday to uphold the Traffic and Parking Board's February approval of protected bike lanes and parking removal along Braddock Road, ending more than 10 hours of staff presentation, public comment, and deliberation on one of the most contested transportation decisions of the council's year."

From the Alexandria Brief

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 10/08/2026

Look at that giant lake! It's pretty good -- some might even say great. I'll bet there's an even better lake out there somewhere though, something superior.

A kind of gray view of a large body of water with industrial buildings on a spit of land. It's not actually that nice looking, tbh, but it's Lake Ontario.

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four-oh-three forbidden @tom.secretworld.social · 10/08/2026

That's right, it's Rush again! One more item off the checklist of requirements for Canadian citizenship, done! (Pretty sure I saw this somewhere in the IRCC paperwork)