iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 20h

In the office all day processing endangered and #lostmedia donations, and trying to work around the occasional visit from the cat. Stop by and see how media gets rescued from a fate in a landfill and processed for eventual upload to @archive.org. uncom.cc/03b6y

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 23h

Meeting a dear old friend who’s in town for breakfast, then back to work processing recent donations. Don’t know when I’ll actually get some tapes in the deck but I’m really looking forward to it.

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 03/10/2026

Making progress! Day 2 of checking in #filmstrips, #vinyl, and #cassettes from recent donations. Those filmstrips are stacked four rows deep in the middle there. Not shown: 50 more records, and 20 filmstrips that are being sorted to another box.

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 03/10/2026

In the office tonight processing all the wonderful #filmstrip and #lostmedia donations before they're uploaded to @archive.org. Watch real media preservation as it happens -> uncom.cc/hbknz

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 02/10/2026

Here are the #filmstrips, and soundtracks on #vinyl and #cassette I got checked in today from the massive donations we opened yesterday. More to come over the weekend!

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 02/10/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This U.S. government #filmstrip, part of a series on colors, has lost its most important feature due the relentless fading of Eastmancolor, and it's missing its soundtrack to boot. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/xq9f9

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 01/10/2026

Missed any part of last night's unboxing event? Watch the replay on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0mEHnXUSrA

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 30/09/2026

LIVE NOW: Opening a TON of #filmstrip and #lostmedia donations! Join us while we see what's in the boxes for the first time! Watch now --> uncom.cc/9vc0e

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 30/09/2026

Uh, if you’re not going to support what I do because I’m forced to use YouTube to reach a wider audience, you’re not understanding what’s important

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 30/09/2026

LIVE TONIGHT 7PM EDT: Look at all these #filmstrip donations! Join me and Mrs. Ephemera as we open them tonight on YouTube and Twitch. Then they get digitized and uploaded to @archive.org. Please share and join us tonight! uncom.cc/2

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 30/09/2026

LIVE TONIGHT 7PM EDT: Look at all these #filmstrip donations! Join me and Mrs. Ephemera as we open them tonight on YouTube and Twitch. Then I'll start getting them digitized and uploaded to @archive.org. Please share this and join us tonight! uncom.cc/2

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 30/09/2026

Due to the recent @nytimes profile on my filmstrip preservation work, I've gotten a TON of donations! My wife and I will be opening these donations live Wednesday September 30 at 7pm EDT. Please share & join us! uncom.cc/nexum

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 30/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1948 #filmstrip from a Christian publisher with Disney-esque art seems to be talking about Native Americans and astronomical constellations, but it's missing its soundtrack, so who knows what it's about? VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/kfel3

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 29/09/2026

Due to the recent @nytimes profile on my filmstrip preservation work, several donors have found me and offered more stuff to save. This is all the stuff I've gotten in the past month. My wife and I will be opening these donations live tomorrow night. Please share & join us! uncom.cc/w3gwv

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 28/09/2026

LIVE NOW: Searching for endangered and #lostmedia on #VHS we can upload to @archive.org. IS THIS ANYTHING? is live now on Twitch. uncom.cc/yc412

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 28/09/2026

LIVE TONIGHT 7PM EDT: What's on all these #VHS tapes? Commercials? Weird stuff? Home movies? Endangered or #lostmedia we can upload to @archive.org? There's only one way to find out. IS THIS ANYTHING? is live tonight on Twitch. Which tape should we start with? uncom.cc/yc412

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 28/09/2026

LIVE TONIGHT 7PM EDT: What's on all these #VHS tapes? Weird stuff? Commercials? Home movies? #lostmedia we can upload to @archive.org? There's only one way to find out. IS THIS ANYTHING? is live tonight on Twitch. Which tape should we start with? uncom.cc/yc412

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 26/09/2026

SPECIAL EVENT WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30 7PM EDT: I've gotten EVEN MORE donated media to save since Thursday! Join Mrs. Ephemera and me on Wednesday night as we see what we got! uncom.cc/w3gwv

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 26/09/2026

“Adult content,” lmao. Never change, Bluesky

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 26/09/2026

Could be the worst album cover ever. This album should be called “A Lunch Is Lost.”

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 26/09/2026

SPECIAL LIVE SHOW WED SEP 30 7PM EDT UNBOXING FILMSTRIP DONATIONS! I've received hundreds of filmstrips because of the NYT article! Join Mrs. Ephemera and me on Wednesday when we open them! More info: uncom.cc/w3gwv

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 25/09/2026

NEWLY RESTORED at @archive.org: Part of a 1985 series on robotics, this #filmstrip showed students how robotics technology was used in industry at the time, and is a cool time capsule of the then-modern technology. uncom.cc/o653u

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 25/09/2026

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 25/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This very old #filmstrip is a tour of the southern highlands and southern coastal plain of Brazil, and seems to be missing a script the teacher would read along with it. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/sog2z

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 24/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1969 #filmstrip teaches viewers how to design multimedia-ready learning spaces for children and adults alike, with lots of retro tech and hand-built models. Sadly, no soundtrack. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/avuro

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 24/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1967 #filmstrip from a Lutheran publisher is a measured, Christian-focused look at human reproduction. Sadly, it's missing its soundtrack. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/gtgv8

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 23/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: A 1981 #filmstrip adaptation of Marc Brown's book "Arthur's Valentine." Sadly, it's been separated from its soundtrack. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/5t2vq

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 23/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1955 #filmstrip from Life magazine presents the history of mammals, from the paleocene epoch to the pleistocene epoch. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/o6lcv

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 21/09/2026

LIVE NOW: Searching for endangered and #lostmedia on #VHS we can upload to @archive.org. IS THIS ANYTHING? is live now on Twitch. uncom.cc/yc412

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 21/09/2026

LIVE TONIGHT 7PM EDT: What's on all these #VHS tapes? Old commercials? Weird stuff? Home movies? Endangered or #lostmedia we can upload to @archive.org? There's only one way to find out. IS THIS ANYTHING? is live tonight on Twitch. Which tape should we start with? uncom.cc/yc412

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 21/09/2026

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 18/09/2026

I have no idea, I haven’t been on Reddit in years. If you know, just go ahead.

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 18/09/2026

I’d appreciate it if you’d share the post there!

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 18/09/2026

Preserving rare, systemically-marginalized media such as this takes time and money. I am the only person in America saving this format. I'm not eligible for grants. If you believe this work is important, please consider a donation: uncommonephemera.org/donate

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 18/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1949 #filmstrip is an introduction to fractions, and features colorful, wholesome mid-century illustrations. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/gedgi

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 17/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: Part of a 1963 series on music, this #filmstrip focused on the concept of key signatures. Sadly, its soundtrack is long gone. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/m6865

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 17/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1949 #filmstrip introduces students to mixed fractions decades before Two And A Half Men. It's got colorful, wholesome mid-century illustrations, too. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/q2pst

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 16/09/2026

Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: This 1955 #filmstrip from Life magazine is a comprehensive overview of the evolution of reptiles, from their evolutionary origins to the end of dinosaurs. VIEW AT YOUR OWN PACE: uncom.cc/k0ixb

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 16/09/2026

I’m not even sure the band would appreciate me uploading it to the Internet Archive, much less make a page on a music retailer for it. That’s why I was asking this way, because, y’know, social media having the function of being able to reach people outside my circle, y’know, like the band?

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 16/09/2026

I’d be interested in such a thing but limitations in my scanning hardware brought on by fundraising challenges means I’d have to do a crop/straighten pass on scans before they were usable; but after that work it’s just an hour or so to make a video so it’s usefulness is limited at the moment.

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 16/09/2026

But if someone was going to do that, we might as well define an open format that doesn’t rely on hacks or licensed codecs. In reality the first place it would be useful is the browser, so better to use opus audio and JavaScript or CSS animation to do that, with a .json file describing the timing.

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 16/09/2026

Sadly the format has been so neglected that I also find myself preserving *how* filmstrips looked when they were viewed, which is a specific thing that traditional “slideshow” type display would break. However that could probably be built into a bespoke viewing app that could take a file like this.

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Uncommon Ephemera @uncommonephemera.org · 16/09/2026

Anybody familiar with the band #Pseudopod? I found this dub of their 1998 debut album "Pod" which was independently produced/released; looks to be nearly-lost and certainly super-rare. There are show recordings on @archive.org, should I upload this as well?

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