iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 4h

The joy of today...well, one of them: watching a video of recommendations for worthy public domain piano exercises, finding them, downloading them for free, then beginning to go to town on them. Also, revelation: I was a bad sight reader because I was pushed to sight read too difficult pieces.

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Reposted by Uncle Spike

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Innovation ys not just tech. For a bettir future we need poetrye, creativitye, historical studye, love of languages, dreames, dialogues, new storyes, & intellectual curiositye. We must fund & expand higher educacioun yn HEART: H umanityes E thiques A rtes R hetorique & the crafte of T eaching

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I never cared for Ed Sheeran. Bland, faceless pop to appeal to the most while being the least controversial. And that bent has come through in his actions—or inactions—on his tour. He's learning that not rocking the billionaire's boat will still fuck you over. End this heinous, hoarsome genocide.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Despite the fact that the autumn equinox was observed on September 22, the actual occurrence of equal sunlight and nighttime is actually around today. Same thing happens in the spring: equal day and night occurs on March 17, not March 21. Yeah, I'm that pedantic soul.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Happy Dolly Parton Day! Yeah, you forgot it was today too? Snuck up on you too? How do we celebrate this day? Ideas, anyone?

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Kinda mourning the loss of St. Mary's Glacier up in Colorado. Went there once in June to go skiing. No lifts...had to hike up to wherever we wanted to ski. Not the greatest snow, either. But loved the idea of a glacier near me. No more. Kinda doubt it will come back, too. Yay, climate change. 😔

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Inspired to work on "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and make a great arrangement of it. Guitar, synth/bass/rhythm section, and me singing. I was even coming up with a bass line for it in my dreams this morning. Appropriate song for these days, right? I mean...not to be too on the nose about it, but...

nbcbayarea.com

California declares statewide emergency ahead of El Niño storms

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency as California braces for what officials say could be the strongest El Niño on record.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I like to share things that make my life better, easier, more healthful, yummier, etc. Over my lifetime, I have had multiple experiences of people who don't appreciate my sharing and mock me or think my input is stupid. I've learned to keep things to myself. It hurts, but being mocked is worse.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I don't have anything against tattoos. I don't have a tattoo primarily because I can't decide on something that resonates with me enough to make a permanent mark on my skin. What symbol would work? At this point, maybe a tiki or palm tree. But I'm too in my head about it to decide and commit.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

NGL...love the idea of Taftmaxxing (even if the whole ____maxxing thing is gonna age like curdled milk). But living in a desert doesn't lend itself to three piece suits...or much formal wear, really. Anyhoo, with hopes this link works, take it away, Chris:

instagram.com

Instagram

Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Happy Friday evening, y'all. Nothing outwardly exciting to report. Lots of internal work going on though. Deep stuff, somewhat dark. But for now, some Becherovka and quietude. All is good.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Okay, yes, the curmudgeon is in. Unapologetically. Get that goddamn football off the screen at the gym. I HATE football. EVERYTHING about it.* BEGONE. That is all. *okay, oversized linemen can get it, but they don't get enough air time and are far too clothed

Me enjoying the pre-pre-pregame chatter. Loving it. Every bit of it. 😒

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Kinda into Dr. Bronner's soap again. I got enticed by their seasonal sandalwood jasmine soap, and bought some. All the T: ain't no jasmine in there. But it does smell nice. Warm. Yes, sandalwood, and patchouli too...but not harsh.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Got hit on hard a few days ago at the store. Like...what? I thought this stopped at...well, a much younger age. I guess chubby daddies are a thing. It wasn't pleasant, for the record. I'm more comfortable being just another guy shopping.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Y'all. POG is LIFE. I live for this.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'm not 100% out of the woods yet, but so much better than yesterday. I'ma call it after 12 hours: Grated horseradish: 3 Otherwise-stubborn cold: 0 Such powerful stuff. Food as medicine. Wish I'd had this as a teenager suffering from chronic bronchitis every winter.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Absurd. C'mon, leggies and genglefens*, this is not rocket science. Don't overthink it. The variety show format WORKS. Just do it. Sabrina did a great job. Let others enjoy the fun she had and let us all enjoy watching it. It's contagious. *gratuitous original Muppet Show reference

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." Plus lots of support from colleagues for that statement...and no rebuttals. So this is life in the post-Partonian world. Yipes.

open.substack.com

The Last 24 Hours Are the Opening Scene in a Horror Movie

Eight different insiders have issued warnings—and you need to hear them out

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Cozy. The new consolidated* Uncle Spike work and music corner. Still in progress, but here's my new little piece of the world. May all I produce be melodic, clear, free of errors, brilliant, fun, fascinating, and quixotic. *previously scattered hither and yon

Corner with a table and chair, laptop, monitor, keyboard, music stand, selfie tripod, guitar, and guitar stand. Hidden: microphone and amp. Not yet pictured: studio for recording narration. Imagination and inspiration come separately.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I figure...if I'm a mediocre white man (which...yup...checks out), I will try to keep my head down, my profile low, and my influence as negligible as possible. I'll just love my man and our dog as best I can, do my work, stay healthy, and not achieve a position of power. Up with the matriarchy!

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

You know that kid who thought he was pretty cool, but his peers all barely tolerated him and didn't want to shatter his illusion? We all knew him, right? What if all along...you were that kid? And even that adult? That's the conversation I'm having with myself these days.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Made a video tonight of yours truly playing an Enya favorite on the piano. Slipped a few times, but oh well. Then listened to it. Piano: too quiet. Me: holy shit I'm breathing loudly. Guess that's what happens when you have childhood asthma and pack on weight as an adult. Oh, alright. Here it is.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Me: Yes! September! Cooler weather is on the way! Palm Springs: Aren't you pretty! My average highs won't dip below 100 until the first day of fall. Me: 😳

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Dafuq is this bullshit? I'm NOT in Texas. Not close.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I have some hamburger buns in the fridge ready to go for some homemade cheeseburgers. But...I don't want to buy US beef because now I don't trust it enough to keep me safe from, say, aplastic anemia. Also, the terms "US" and "beef" in this context are questionable now. What a lose-lose sitch.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Fuck. And now Tim Curry. RIP Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Suddenly I'm foreseeing one insanely wild Halloween ahead.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The next Atlantic tropical storm is expected to form this week. It will be called Dolly. Y'all, I've fuckin' had it with 2026. Dropkick this year into oblivion, along with everyone responsible for...for...*this.* (gestures generally at everything)

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

National day of mourning, everyone. No American will be untouched by this. Dolly, we will always love you, your smile, your laugh, your voice, your music, your beauty, your kindness, your heart...everything. You will always be an inspiration. And we will miss you so tremendously.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Checking the day's news. Needed to make an espresso martini to cope. I'm sure you all understand. (Not bad.)

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Wow. Angine de Poitrine. A guitar and drum rock duo that plays with microtones and irregular time signatures. Crazy. Like everything cool nowadays, they're from Canada. Rick Beato called them the future of music, that this is who he's been waiting for. High fucking praise. Anyhow, here they are.

youtu.be

Please STOP Sending Me This

YouTube video by Rick Beato

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Ugh...that tistic tendency of mine to obsess over one mistake in an interview that an expert makes repeatedly. It's a basic detail, which makes it more baffling. Biting my tongue...or knuckle. Must have grace...I've made basic mistakes in public too...it happens...we're human. *Le frustrated sigh*

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Logy and off today. Not enough energy to do shit, too much to take a nap. Here's how I'm feeling, in musical terms. Slow, fading, malfunctioning, but still pleasant.

youtu.be

Based Frequency - Summer Vacations

YouTube video by Virtual Lounge

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Second time I offer up a happy discovery in my life on the R-word sub community site and it gets mocked and derided. Okay. I get it. Y'all don't appreciate me offering up something that may make your lives easier or better somehow. Fuck y'all. Suffer for all I care. *kicks can*

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The pedantic copy editor is back. How did this headline escape the editor's red pen, @nytimes.com? The correct word is "borne," not "born." Oh, right...I forgot. The Times hasn't kept copy editors on staff for years. More's the pity. Not a good look.

An article with the headline "A Surfer, the Ocean, and a Pas de Deux Born on the Waves." The headline should correctly read "...Borne on the Waves."

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

A number of them for Christmas 1988. Could be clichéd and say Sgt. Pepper, but I'll be unpredictable and say Let it Roll by Little Feat. Never had another album like that since, but it was a good one. Fun Southern rock, updated with '80s-style keyboards and production. Check out the title song.

youtu.be

Little Feat - Let It Roll (Video)

YouTube video by Warner Records Vault

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Yo, @nytimes.com... there are important things to devote time and energy to, and to make a top/front page story. This is not one of them. Report on it, sure. But for the top story? This slop? SMDH...

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Unfinished rice from lunch today. Heavy cream. Rich syrup made with mulled spices. Damn. Yummy. I'ma have to make too much rice more often.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Started watching Lessons in Chemistry, an Apple TV series from 2023. The first episode was very promising. I was sorely disappointed to find that the second episode saw the series fail the Bechdel Test miserably. Still held out hope for a turnaround somehow. And...well, deus ex machina and DONE.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Dafuq is a stitch, y'all? It always seems to be coming. I can Google it, yes, but I'ma exercise my geezer rights and say I'm tired of googling today. And if it is what I think it is, why isn't it a sitch? Kids, edumacate yer uncle and he'll give you a butterscotch candy.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I post a lot of stuff here that goes unnoticed, unliked, or not commented on. My conclusion: I'm doing the right thing. To be great is to be misunderstood.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Tonight's 1980s throwback: this piece of synthpop gold. "Axel F" was inescapable the summer of 1984, and I don't recall anyone complaining about it. I learned how to play the main lick to it and felt like I had gained a new level of cool. Enjoy.

youtu.be

Beverly Hills Cop • Axel F • Harold Faltermeyer

YouTube video by HD Film Tributes

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Happy wide Wednesday, y'all. Guess I'm getting too big to be contained in this selfie frame.) Have a great day, kids. Play nice. And remember...we're going to your uncle's favorite buffet for dinner tonight, so be thinking about what you want to eat.

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I'm still convinced that the drug name Truvada was taken from Polari via Morrissey's song "Piccadilly Palare": "So bona to vada your lovely eek and your lovely riah."

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Uncle Spike @unclespike.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

L-lysine. Warts. Let's give it a whirl, shall we? We've tried every damned thing else under the sun, so why not? How great would it be to say "RIP periungual warts. 1987–2026"?

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