iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Went to see Paul Greengrass's The Uprising. Good film but the last 10 mins, oh no, no, no.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

"So you got into politics, but what for exactly?" "So I could livestream executions".

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Polanski trying to hold the line that he couldn't vote on the Green Party Conference motion because he was campaigning in Holborn is a pretty piss poor excuse - especially since the Conference was less than 50 miles away in Brighton.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Also will put a good word in for World Wonders. I wasn't expecting too much but it was actually a fun, brain-burny city builder. A solid 7/10.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Kinfire Council by Kevin Wilson probably the best game I've played this year. Once you'd 'learned' the iconography it turned into a 'greatest hits of worker placement' - specialised workers, semi-coop 'quests', even a possible traitor mechanic. Lords of Waterdeep with a PhD. Loved it. #boardgames

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Having a crack at Kinfire Council for games night this week. There is a lot of iconography .... #boardgames

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Did they have a by election (so everything is alright now)?

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Reposted by Ian Watoop

Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

"By using AI, tasks like essays that used to take hours can be completed in minutes!" Sure, like how if I arrive at the gym and immediately go for a shower, my workout is done in record time. And if I throw my sandwiches straight in the bin, I can finish my lunch in under 10 seconds.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

No doubt the gigabillions needed for this will all come from "cutting red tape".

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

And as sure as night follows day, The Guardian coughs up:

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Or a girl band put together for a Channel 5 'reboot' of Pop Idol.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Re: Tucker Carlson It's interesting how the Far Right have now got them themselves into a place where morality is completely superfluous. Good / Evil - it's all the same, you don't even need an ideology to justify it.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I find it endlessly amusing that supposedly cynical and hard-nosed journalists continually attempt to 'decode' what Trump is saying - when the obvious answer is he's just saying whatever comes into his head.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Dear oh dear. I used to have some time for Tom Watson but he's proved the trough is too tempting.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I was genuinely astonished when I was doing some research on YouTube to see that 90% of the ads that were being served were clearly straight up con jobs (spectacles that 'learn' your vision weaknesses, get 'free' solar panels on your house etc etc). It seemed like there is now zero accountability.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Especially when it serves up the weird grainy captcha pics that you can barely see what is on them. Or the awful letter / number ones which are impossible to get right.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I know I'm officially an old codger now as I look with dismay upon the need for every sporting event to have thumping DJ music to 'make it relevant to the young people' (+ 'how much money they are winning, front and centre'). www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/s...

theguardian.com

Keely Hodgkinson shows off Catwoman style to steal Athlos London event

Keely Hodgkinson destroyed a women’s 800m field dressed in a hooded black bodysuit, as Athlos London provided a radically different spin on track and field

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I don't think I'll ever fail to be astonished that the Americans elected this man. You have a president who doesn't understand the basics of trade.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

On the positive side, I had a spectacularly nice and helpful engineer visit today from Virgin Media. Sorted out the problem and upgraded the hub, as well as being a lovely person to chat to.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Google search is so comically bad on its own drive platform. I've just created a file and uploaded it to Google Drive. I search 'files modified today' - no results. I search 'files created in the last 7 days' - and there it is....

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I know it's pedantic but are they building doctors?

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Just seems that the marketers are in charge (perhaps they always were) - and they demand product, constant product, regardless of the quality or innovation involved.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Hi Tony - yes I'm very aware of this being a subjective thing but I do feel that the industry have moved into a phase of huge over-production (i.e. just too many games being published) and is swamped by rethemes, deluxe editions and FOMO crowdfunding of untested expansions etc.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Just take out that fulsome 'I owe it all to Margaret Thatcher' epigraph at the start.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

And in some cases "it's like X, but with X".

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Spot on. The 'pitch' process for board game publishing now seems to be "it's like X, but with Y".

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

If I have to play another 'cozy tile layer' where you collect resources OR place a tile on your turn .... and look, you are racing for end game objectives, I will top myself.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I don't think it's me being jaded but I'm finding over 80% of new games I play greeted with a "is that it?" kind of response. Subsequently I'm about to get rid of around a third of my collection as I just don't want to get them to the table. Feels like a massive glut of mediocrity at the moment.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Lisa has said an awful lot of soundbites in the last 2 years - but evidence of change, not so much.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Strong smell of enshittification from the Ultimate Athletics Championship.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Banshees Quicksand Spontaneous combustion Rolf Harris's feet in that 'learn to swim' public information film

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Enjoyed Merchants Cove last night (though it was a blowout for the Chronomancer). Felt there was 'enough' interaction with boat movement + everyone eager to try out a different faction next time. 50:50 on whether to try & get hold of the blighted Master Craft KS expansion (expensive!). #boardgames

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

BBC News constantly picking, picking, picking at the migrant boat scab - every day they push a story on it.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Having a crack at Merchants Cove tonight (why no apostrophe?). Will the asymmetric gameplay help or hinder interactivity? #boardgames

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Peston's eccentricity now rather playing against him - 'affable politics club' is not the approach we need against these grifters.

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

BBC Radio 5 Live 'both siding' the Reform scandal. Will they be doing the same for Andrew Tate later?

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Surely it's time for another by election? To check his integrity, like.....

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Ian Watoop @watoop.bsky.social · 03/09/2026