iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I just started reading David Graeber and David Wengrow’s “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” and I literally busted out laughing when I read this line about why Oscar Wilde was an advocate of socialism. (Thanks to @onlydans.bsky.social and @aussie-himbo.bsky.social for the book!)

Page 20 of David Graeber and David Wengrow’s “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity.”

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

In my ongoing effort to digitize old media and eliminate redundancy, I bought a little cable off Amazon that transmits audio content from a microcasette player to my laptop. It seems that back in 1983, my father would record conversations with my older brother as they would stare at me in my crib.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Whaaat? This is the first perfect pokémon that I’ve ever captured in Pokémon GO that’s actually decent! 😦🥹

Screen capture from the Pokémon GO mobile app. A captured Mewtwo assessed with perfect stats.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Just had a very weird thing happen. I opened my MacBook only to discover that the password I’ve used since getting it in 2020 wasn’t authenticating. I needed to use an Apple Recovery Code from my iPhone in order to reset the laptop’s password! Why did it do this? 😳😰

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

It's either a terrible, elaborate scam or I just paid $30 for an external Iomega Zip drive. Lesson of the day: make sure you don't archive data on formats that could very easily become obsolete in 10~15 years! Quite annoyed by the number of 3.5" floppy disks, Zip disks, & CDs that I've encountered.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Starting “Widow’s Bay” on AppleTV+ based on the recommendation of (birthday boy!) @mcs-phd.bsky.social and @onlydans.bsky.social

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I had my 25th high school reunion this past weekend. 👴🏻

A group of ten adults pose together on a green lawn in front of the Patuxent River.

A steaming bucket filled with live Chesapeake Bay blue crabs.

A table covered with newspapers and freshly steamed blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. The steamed crabs are now red in color.

A table covered in the picked remains of a crab feast.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

My Pantone Birth Chart Palette pantonecolors.net/pantone-birth-chart Now if only I had the *slightest* clue what any of this actually means… 🤔

My Big 3 + Venus Pantone palette: Aquarius Sun, Capricorn Moon, Pisces Rising, Pisces Venus - #2FA7C9 #5C6571 #87C8C5 #B6A4D8

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Conducting a general cleaning of my office, and it's incredible how many things you come across. Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac (run Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional on your Macintosh!), Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional, VMware Fusion 4, Microsoft Office: Mac 2011 Home & Business... the list goes on!

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Take me back to this past weekend’s pool session 🥲

A man takes a selfie while sitting on the ledge of an in-ground pool. There are green trees, grass, and shrubs behind him.

Two men pose for a selfie in the foreground; next to them is a wooden coffee table with snacks on top of it. In the background is an in-ground pool filled with revelers.

A man takes a selfie while sticking his tongue out and sitting on the ledge of an in-ground pool. There are green trees, grass, and shrubs behind him.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Happy Pride from the LeDroit Park neighborhood archway! 🌈

Two men stand underneath a neighborhood sign covered in hanging flowers of different colors. In the foreground, another man is taking their picture.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Post a photo from 2019, you say? 🤔

A man wearing a forest green puffer jacket standing in front of a mirror taking a selfie. West Elm furniture displays are scattered throughout the background.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Frustrating when you try to be strategic with your public library holds (for me this is via the @libbyapp.com) but then your careful planning goes out the window when two or three books all become available for you simultaneously.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Managed to pull this guy out of my very first Paradox Drive pack!

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Eating a Jimmy Dean sausage egg and cheese griddlecake sandwich at five o’clock in the afternoon. AMA.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

My Stonewall DC bocce league team finished out the regular season 4-4! All that’s left is the close-out tournament next Saturday!

A collection of nine individuals grouped together celebrating the end of their bocce league regular spring season. They’re wearing a uniform of orange t-shirts.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

One thing I find really annoying is how concert venues don't transparently advertise a show's ticket price. "VIP Tickets Available Now: All Things Go DC 2026!" Yeah, that's great, but could you have also just included how much those tickets are going to cost in that same marketing email?

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Reposted by Justin

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 06/05/2026

From term limits for justices to cameras in the courtroom, here are six reforms that would help rebuild public trust in the Supreme Court: bit.ly/4dbN1qI

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Felt a terrible sensation on my tongue and realized that it was probably an errant strand of hair. I started to try and get it with no luck and ended up with my fingers covered in saliva. I had to get up and go to the bathroom and try to get it off. I’m sure you’re beyond thrilled reading this.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Who just knocked over a mug full of scalding hot water all over their desk, soaking everything in the deluge's path? This guy!

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

If anyone ever tells you that changing out your car’s windshield wipers with J-hooks is easy, don’t believe them! 😵‍💫

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

I've been helping a friend out, acting as an advanced reader for their first novel. I reallyyy need to sack up and finish reading the latest assignment before the next discussion session this Saturday afternoon!

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Reposted by Justin

Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The Iran War has cost $25 billion so far, Jules Hurst tells the House Armed Services Committee. Hurst is acting Under Secretary of Defense and CFO. First time a top DOD official has put a price tag on this, after weeks of Trump officials dodging the Q.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

When you finish up something at 01:30 am, and now you're still wired and not sleepy at all 😵‍💫

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Finally decided to call my own bluff and just throw away the flour I bought at the beginning of the COVID lockdown since I will never actually make my own bread in my kitchen. 🤦‍♂️

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

When your entire apartment building’s HVAC system went down three weeks ago and it’s now 80° F, even with all of your windows open, inside of your bedroom.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Today I went to The Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle to see their “Miró and the United States” special exhibition! I also learned that Alexander Calder and Joan Miró were such close friends that Calder made a wire mobile of Miró’s likeness and gave it to him as a gift!

Alexander Calder (b. 1898, Lawnton, PA-d. 1976, New York, NY)

JOAN MIRÓ (1930)
Wire

Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, on loan from a private collection.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Stumbled upon the infamous Georgetown Transformers sculptures while walking through the neighborhood today! I’m usually never in this part of town and I’d never actually seen them in person before!

Man standing in front of a sculpture depicting Optimus Prime, the Autobot Transformer.

Sculpture depicting Bumblebee, the Autobot Transformer.

Sculpture depicting Optimus Prime, the Autobot Transformer.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Love nothing more than receiving a bill in the mail for my visit to the hospital emergency department two weeks ago plus needing to pay for four new tires and wheel alignment on the same day. 💸

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Zoro: When the rudder is fixed, I’ll use this to poke that big punching bag-looking thing on the roof of his mouth. Nami: The uvula? Zoro: … Zoro: So it’s a girl whale. #OnePiece

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I recently joined a bocce league and tonight I’m supposed to meet team members for the first time but no one really committed to actually showing up. 😓

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

This group text was really going through it this afternoon. It was probably the 7th name change in 24 hours by this point!

A cropped screen capture of an Apple iOS iMessage group text. Between 02:15 pm and 03:35 pm, iMessage notifies all members that the name of the group text has been changed no less than four times.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Was the little boy that Bad Bunny gave the Grammy award to Liam Conejo Ramos??

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

That Bad Bunny halftime show was great!

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Just turned on the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. I’ll just say that, so far, it’s no French death metal shredding from the Conciergerie on the banks of the Seine during an epic rain storm.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Spent an hour in the cold tonight (majority of it walking to and from Union Market) trying to help a friend jumpstart the dead battery in their car. It’s been so cold recently that the hood has frozen to the body of the car! We were trying to pry it open w/ an ice scraper with absolutely no luck. 🥲😅

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

My (almost!) 3-year old nephew insisted on giving me these for Christmas. I don’t have the heart to get rid of them, but what on earth am I going to do with eight ugly dolls in my apartment?? 😩

A brown cardboard box that contains a variety of Fuggler (Funny Ugly Monster) figurines. Each figurine is different, multicolored, and displays a variety of unsightly rictuses, mottled fur, and garish colors.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Thank you for my once-a-year cappuccino, @onlydans.bsky.social! ☕️ (Celebrity guest appearance inside of his own home by @aussie-himbo.bsky.social)

A large coffee cup filled with foam is in the foreground. In the background, a man lays on his back on a couch while scrolling through his smartphone.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Finally took down and put away all of the Christmas decorations inside of my apartment. Please clap.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

It turns out I participated in the ten-year challenge back in 2016, so here is me in 2006 (left) and then 2016 (right).

Side-by-side selfies of the same man. The left-side image is a man wearing a black crew neck sweater; the right-side image is a man wearing a red, green, and blue plaid shirt.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

A friend suggested that I give The StoryGraph another try. It’s an app similar to Goodreads but without the concerns associated with incorporating more of your life/data into an Amazon-controlled ecosystem. Do other Bluesky book readers have experience with it? app.thestorygraph.com/profile/virt...

app.thestorygraph.com

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

About last night. Happy new year, everyone!

A man with dark brown hair takes a selfie in a bathroom mirror. He is wearing a blue and white striped shirt and wearing a pair of paper eyeglasses with a paper crown affixed to its “bridge.”

Celebratory paper garland hanging on a living room wall. The garland says “H-A-P-P-Y-N-E-W-Y-E-A-R-2-0-2-6.”

Custom printed Oreo cookies with an image of a dog on its back in front of the US Capitol Building.

A kitchen table with a variety of snacks on top of it.

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Justin @virtualjustin.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

I managed to read 31 books this year. Most were from @foreignaffairs.com’s Best of 2024 list that they released last December. With few exceptions (I’m primarily looking at you, “What Is Queer Food” 😒), I enjoyed or loved every book I mashed to get through in 2025!

Front cover images for the following books:
Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
Why War by Richard Overy
Underground Empire, by Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman
Paper Soldiers by Saleha Mohsin
The Last Colony by Philippe Sands
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama by Nathan Thrall
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
The Privatization of Everythjng by Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian

Front cover images for the following books:
Let Only Red Flowers Bloom by Emily Feng
How the World Ran Out of Everything by Peter S. Goodman
The Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer
Anansi’s Gold by Yepoka Yeebo
The Golden Road by William Dalrymple
When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris
Takeover by Timothy W. Ryback
Tequila Wars by Ted Genoways
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Front covers of the following books:
Strangers in the Land by Michael Luo
A Great Disorder by Richard Slotkin
The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman
The Rebel’s Clinic by Adam Shatz
What is Queer Food by John Birdsall
Proto by Laura Spinney
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard

Front book covers of the following books:
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
‘Tis by Frank McCourt
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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