iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 04/10/2026

They finally made the bunny face the front after years of requiring "a thumb in the bum" to get to the mac and cheese.

The side of a mac and cheese box with a smiling bunny over the words PUSH TO OPEN.

Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 27/09/2026

Empire of AI by Karen Hao. Imperfect and sprawling, with a common flaw of tech books: the author's too close to the action and assumes you know key players / events. First and last parts are page-turners, but the middle gets bogged down in humanizing tangents and weak thematic connections.

Kindle cover of Empire of AI by Karen Hao.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 25/09/2026

This might be the most beautiful, perfectly cooked, generously portioned delivery pizza I've seen in years. Nice job, anonymous Jet's Pizza worker.

A Detroit-style pizza with black olives, mushrooms, and pepperoni sits in a box.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 22/09/2026

My parents purchased Zork I for our monochrome 8086 in Fall 1986. I played it constantly then "programmed" my own game as a transcript in WordPerfect. This led to a book on BASIC programming in 3rd grade and the release of my own text adventure, Augmented Fourth, much later in 2000.

An ancient letter on lined paper.

12/15/86

Dear infocom,
This is Brian Uri a zorker. I have Zork I. I have 330 points. I was thinking: how do you get to the "land of the dead". I tried to "ring the bell. light candles and read the black book, but it says that the bell becomes red hot and the candles drop and blow out. If you know please write back at 493 N. Pickett St. alex VA. I need to get the crystal skull and put it in the trophy case. Then I'll have 350 to go to stone barrow. I have the hintbook and map. A Master Zorker, Brian Uri

A crude line map of the Land of the Dead in Zork I is drawn below the letter.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 22/09/2026

Update: They spent 2.5 hours last night designing an adventure for me to play through after school today.

A Hero Quest board game covered in figurines. A piece of paper reads "500 gold, broadsword, chainmail".

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 21/09/2026

Perfect activity for a rainstormy afternoon: Letting the kids explore a dusty copy of Hero Quest (1989 edition).

Two children inspect the contents of the Hero Quest board game.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 21/09/2026

It's a good morning for adding things.

Trending box showing 3 headlines:
1. Disney adds ads to all plans
2. Trump adds snipers, drones to arch plan
3. Bluesky adds checkmarks to all accounts

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 18/09/2026

Totally tried to wipe the food off this capital O on my Kindle before realizing it was a turkey emoji.

Close up on text on a Kindle screen, showing a turkey emoji presenting itself as a capital O covered by a booger.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 17/09/2026

Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold. I bounced off this one. Interesting ideas (that are only shallowly explored) used as the backdrop for a pulpy detective story. Ending feels muddled.

Kindle cover of Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 17/09/2026

After growing tired of seeing the same fox, raccoon, cat, and 800 deer in the woods behind our house, we moved the trail cam to the mouse trap on the back porch.

4 stills from a trailcam pointed at a mouse trap. Upper left and lower left feature a tiny mouse. Upper right features a skunk. Lower right features a rat.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 10/09/2026

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. Probably impossible to top Curse of Chalion, but it was a valiant effort. I liked the central conceit of linked fates, but found the plot to be too logistical and repetitive -- people and armies moving this way and that with a few too many info recaps.

Kindle cover of Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 10/09/2026

In before the inevitable wine grape design submission...

A blank Virginia license plate template. On the left is an inset map of Data Center Alley in Loudoun County, VA. A giant adult lanternfly (Virginia's new state bird) appears atop the map.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 06/09/2026

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. Loved this one. Very methodically paced (not slow) start builds into tense layers of political intrigue and the supernatural. Very well planned, plotted, and executed, like many of Carol Berg's books.

Kindle cover of The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 05/09/2026

New Teams background just dropped.

A barren landscape with a single dead tree in the center, from the series, Silo.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 31/08/2026

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief, Book VI). Great conclusion to the series that even redeems Book V a bit and gives it more context in the story's world. Books 2, 3, and 6 are the high points for me.

Kindle cover of Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief, Book VI).

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 31/08/2026

Make America Use the Letter E Again.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 29/08/2026

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief, Book V). Not my favorite -- a plot that hinges on characters' unwillingness to communicate, repetitive action, and similar character development points that were already explored in the previous book.

Kindle cover of Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 27/08/2026

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief, Book IV). Not quite as surprising as what came before it, and some of the reveals and motivations felt incomplete -- however, it was a pleasant, fast read.

Kindle cover of A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief, Book IV).

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 26/08/2026

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (Queen's Thief Book III). The plot is a little more amorphous this time around, but I'm totally invested in the world and the characters. Lovely, simple writing style that moves fast and sustains my interest.

Kindle cover of The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 26/08/2026

Just realized that we're 15 years and 2 days out from the infamous Virginia earthquake, which everyone barely noticed. I was also on Google Plus at the time, something else which everyone barely noticed.

National Park Service reports crack in the Washington Monument. Councilman Barry is first on the scene.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 25/08/2026

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner (Queen's Thief, Book II). I really enjoyed this next segment of the story. The frugal writing style and mythical mashups deliver great reveals and flashbacks that gratify without being gotchas. Convinced me to start Book III directly.

Kindle cover of The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 23/08/2026

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. A short, understated story that saves all of its satisfying surprises for the final chapter. Promising enough for me to continue the series, but not amazing.

Kindle cover of The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 21/08/2026

Son of Interflux by Gordon Korman (reread). Korman was one of my favorite YA humor authors growing up, and this standalone holds up well 40 years later. It sits on a basement shelf with other carefully preserved books from my youth that I hope my kids will enjoy someday.

Paperback edition of Son of Interflux by Gordon Korman.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 21/08/2026

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (reread). Such a unique story, told in a sing-song dreamy fashion and full of unsettling innocence and menacing truths. Would have been the perfect pandemic / quarantine read had I discovered it when it was first released.

Kindle cover of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 15/08/2026

Channeling our front yard fig surplus into a homemade fig prosciutto pizza for dinner.

A fig prosciutto pizza with balsamic glaze in a radial pattern.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 13/08/2026

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. A cozy found family story without any serious depth or conflict. I enjoyed it as a beach read although the world-building sections sometimes felt like preachy disruptions.

Kindle cover of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 10/08/2026

Hey ChatGPT, invent the perfect name for a seafood restaurant.

Kream N Kone
The Finest Fried Seafood Anywhere

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 09/08/2026

A vacation at an urgent care facility? In this economy?

A brochure labeled Urgent Care above a sign "Free Tourist Information".

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 08/08/2026

Local vacation beers are representing very well.

Pint can of Aquatic Hibiscus Shrewd Saison.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 03/08/2026

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (reread). This book is as amazing as its sequel is disappointing. Would make for a great movie adaptation or TV limited series.

Kindle cover of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 03/08/2026

My website (www.urizone.net) is thirty years old this month, which means that everyone I went to college with should look into colonoscopies. If there were a Hunger Games but for blogging, I'd likely be the winner.

A yellow caution sign reads URI! Zone 1996 - 2026. A road bisects a flat desert plain under a blue sky. The tagline is "Thirty years of camp and creativity..."

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 31/07/2026

My wife and I have been twice, enjoying the Montreal Center of History (full of snark and sociology) and the Biodome. Buses and metro are great. Had a great fancy dinner at Mondavie. The Contemporary Art Museum was an expensive bust.

The only misstep in Montreal was the Contemporary Art Museum, which cost us $20 to enter. It was sort of interesting, but focused more on art that makes you question what to classify as art rather than cool pictures you'd want to put on your wall. Each work was accompanied by an awful thematic write-up which reminded me of my A.P. English days in which I faked my knowledge of Beloved. After a line of dead rats hanging from a tree and a five minute video of a wolf standing next to a fence, we entered a courtyard with a pissing long-necked monkey. That was about as good as it got, and the museum was so small that we couldn't even dawdle for more than two hours. The museum ended with a video of a Rube Goldberg machine that seemed interesting at first, but after the 80th rolling flaming tire and continuous fade-out shots which proved that the artist couldn't get it working in a single take, we noticed that the whole video was thirty minutes long and left.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 29/07/2026

There's a finite amount of time I'm willing to bake chicken fingers for my kids, regardless of how good they are, and it is far lower than 27 minutes.

THAT ARE EASY FOR YOU

1. PREHEAT oven to 400 F.
2. PLACE frozen strips on a foil-lined baking sheet
3. BAKE on the center rack for 27-29 minutes or until
reaches 165 F and flip halfway through heating
4. Let cool for 1 minute. ENJOY!

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 23/07/2026

Why bother even using a bar chart at this point?

A two bar bar chart.

Left is the current bill: 1205 kWh for $214.63
Right is last year's bill: 1253 kWh for $188.08

The right bar is slightly higher (measured in kWh) even though the cost is far lower.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 21/07/2026

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by KJ Parker. A fun, twisty embellishment of a medieval siege that satisfies right up until its too abrupt finale. Reads like a roller coaster that goes up and up and up, then you get out at the top.

Kindle cover of Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 20/07/2026

The tracker map is so confused!

DoorDash tracker map showing an extended route through DC.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 20/07/2026

This is a new one to me... a DoorDash driver obfuscating their location data.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 20/07/2026

These school photo green screen backgrounds are getting out of hand.

President Trump stands to the side of Spain's winning FIFA team.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 20/07/2026

Made a last minute egg drop soup out of only what I had in the fridge and finally nailed the perfect "Chinese takeout" broth flavor. Unfortunately I measured nothing, so it's unlikely to be reproducible.

Light reflects off the surface of a pot off egg drop soup.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 13/07/2026

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman. A slog with few high points. Weird for an author to start with a disclaimer, "Don't worry about the setting", then spend 80% of the book describing the setting. The trains had me skimming, and the payoff of the setting's reveal fell flat for me.

Kindle cover of The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 11/07/2026

I know what I'll be listening to this weekend.

A Photoshopped album cover with the title, "Saturday Night - Sing Along With Mitch". Below the title is a picture of Mitch McConnell's smiling face replacing Mitch Miller's.

Additional text:

includes special sing along lyrics

IRAN (icon of Iran) UKRAINE (icon of Ukraine) NATIONAL SECURITY
THE UNFOLDING SITUATION IN MAINE (icon of Graham Platner)
A LITTLE BIT OF SENATE HISTORY (icon of the Senate seal) THE
NEED TO PASS THE NDAA (icon of a bill) MY VISIT TO
THE TR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY (icon of 3 books)

EXTENDED PLAY
20 MINUTES

COLUMBIA RECORDS

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 10/07/2026

And if you haven't kept up, there are 96 older original puzzles (for a total of 104) that you can get lost in...

A text list of puzzlehunt treks at puzzlepeak.net.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 10/07/2026

Puzzlehunt Trek #15 is now open for solving at puzzlepeak.net. 8 free, solo-friendly puzzles for puzzle fiends. Enjoy!

Trek #15: A Very Special Birthday

Prologue

Your puzzling puzzling reputation has broken containment with so many successful treks under your belt. Most recently you have been contacted by an unexpected party, the United States of America, in search of a new slogan to commemorate a very special birthday.

Clearly, an exhaustive study of the entirety of American history would take too long (probably longer than it took you to infiltrate that church cult in Trek #12), so you've decided to accelerate the process by ordering and viewing a massive series on DVD. It has just arrived in the mail!

"AMERICA by BEN KURNS" the giant spindle reads, with a smaller card declaring that the series was made by Chinese reseller "WAXNOOXYGHUI" as an Amazon.com exclusive. As you pull the DVDs off the spindle and load them into your 250-DVD platter changer, you're disappointed to find that only 8 of the DVDs have any data on them. Still, this should be enough to come up with a clever new slogan and earn a new badge for your puzzling sash.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 09/07/2026

An America-themed Puzzlehunt Trek has moved out of development and into testing & polishing. Should be able to release it tonight or tomorrow at puzzlepeak.net if no major issues are unearthed!

8 cascading papers on a black desk with titles of puzzlehunt puzzles:
Episode 1: Declaration of Independence (From such discrete beginnings rise great empires).
Episode 46: Johnny Appleseed
Episode 78: Birth of a King
Episode 87: Emancipation Proclamation
Episode 107: The Brooklyn Bridge
Episode 180: The Interstate Highway System
Episode 197: The Oil Crisis
Episode 250: Series Finale

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 08/07/2026

Getting old is when you look up the periodic table (for a puzzlehunt puzzle) and realize that not only are the 4 unnamed, unknown elements from high school now named and known, but also there are 4 more to enjoy.

Top: Partial row from a periodic table of the 1990s, showing elements 110-114 as unknown, unnamed elements.

Bottom: Same row from a modern periodic table showing elements 110 - 118 with real names.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 07/07/2026

Just learned my first lesson of DIY wood staining: Wood filler purporting to be "stainable" probably isn't. Apply the filler after the stain.

A recently stained staircase shows lighter patches where wood filler was used.

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Brian Uri! @urizone.net · 06/07/2026

Getting old means having to double-check if it's a zero or an eight.

A gas receipt shows a total of $50.52. The zero has a dot in the center that makes it seem like an eight.

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