iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

A delicious AI-generated tub of chilli con carne.

A plastic tub of mealworms at a garden centre.

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That was my friend Phil Bliss on “Blockbusters”. We’re still in touch. He’d been the singer in a band I played synth in a few years before. I may have already told you this.

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I might WLF for some of it!

Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultramarathon training COMPLETE! Over the last 14 weeks, I spent 67 hours 43 minutes running 404.71 miles. On Saturday, starting at 6am, I'll be running 57 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh, the longest run of my entire life. I'm ready. Bring it on. I'm going to do it.

Map of central belt Scotland, showing route of Glasgow to Edinburgh ultramarathon.

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I've just been to see rock singer, showman, and motivational speaker Blaze Bayley at Bannermans. What a beautiful, positive man he is. I've never before audience-participated so vigorously.

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Yes. I was remembering it from the late Spring 1985 DWAS Social at the Novotel, Hammersmith. It was in “my” feature on conventions around 1996. I was in the hall for her interview, thankfully, so hope I was remembering incident and not anecdote.

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Area man hurriedly tells supermarket delivery driver that all this indulgent high-carb food is because he is going to be running an ultramarathon this Saturday.

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Doctor Who 21st century showrunners have been; someone I knew slightly socially, someone I knew well socially, someone I used to go to DWAS local group meetings with, and may soon be someone inspired by seeing my medic-to-be friend on "Blockbusters" to join the NHS, where he worked with my sister.

The Doctor (Peter Davison) tells the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) "What worries me is the level of coincidence in all this."

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Has there ever actually been a Jeffrey with a J who wasn't an appalling human being?

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

We experienced this on a bus recently. A elderly chap who we at first took to be living rough turned out to be neatly dressed and recently washed but with bulky dressings on both feet. Other passengers were standing to avoid sitting near or holding cloths over their faces. Poor old bugger.

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This is fascinating. The only comparable thing I experienced was DJH coming to an MLG meeting at my house in 1983 and bringing studio audio from the yet-to-be-broadcast “Enlightenment” recorded from the visitors’ gallery at TVC.

Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I think I’m now a convert to this advice. And I’m very good at giving things up.

Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultramarathon training week 13 of 14 complete. Just 29.1 miles including a dress rehearsal with all my mandatory kit. My cold has just five days now to abate while I focus on sleep, massage, and carbs. I received a bombshell from the race organisers regarding my little helper.

The author mid-dress-rehearsal run on the course of the coming ultramarathon.

The author, risking a mouth-open smile during a run along the pier at Berwick-upon-Tween. He is dressed in garish colours and a head torch. Like a twat.

A notice from GB Ultras banning the use of Ibuprofen on my forthcoming ultramarathon.

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Bloody brilliant, wasn’t it?

Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This is a Whitaker vestige of the TARDIS doors closing when Ian walks towards them in “The Edge of Destruction”. Weird horror repurposed as slapstick.

100

I’m retired. And a political party local organiser. And a conservation volunteer. And a parkrun director. And a marathon runner. And a piano student. I’ve never been so busy and motivated.

Today I listened to The X Factor and Virtual XI in preparation for seeing Blaze next week. I have questions about Steve’s bass sound on the former. Did he forget to plug it in?

141

Nasally is an adverb. Your grammar is poor. You write poorly.

Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yes. Kinda 2. Had to go out that night so wasn’t going to see it until weekend on friend’s VCR. But I did set the audio recording on the way out, and listened to it in bed with the lights off later. It shat me up proper.

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CORRECTION! I'm nearly EIGHT minutes inside the cutoff. Fingers crossed...

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

London Marathon have published the Good for Age qualifying details for 2027. Good news - the qualifying times are unchanged, and I'm nearly six minutes within the cutoff. Bad news - despite it being a two-day event, the GFA places are still capped fastest-first at 3,000 men and 3,000 women.

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If you were planning to get something done by the end of September, then Professor Sir Fred Hoyle FRS has some bad news for you, sunshine.

Paperback cover to "October the First Is Too Late" by Fred Hoyle

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It’s great, isn’t it? The look on Ged and Al’s faces as they get to play the songs again and enjoy a rehearsal room vibe is so heartwarming.

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Geoffrey Palmer did a far longer list and didn’t stumble over any of it, and, crucially, was portraying an absurd fictional character and not expecting to be taken seriously.

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Nothing tell you you’re autistic more than reading this post and screaming “FILMED, on VIDEO TAPE?!” at your phone.

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Pete and Dud appear to be on the set of "The Seeds of Death" or "The War Games" here, which I find very comforting.

Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Latest Film Is Fabulous! announcement, “unexpected”, say collectors.

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I've seen Marillion live between fifty and sixty times. Watching tonight from the lower circle, front row centre, at Usher Hall reminded me why. These songs are threaded through my entire adult life. They and their creators feel like friends. It's so good to have regular get-togethers.

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Dave Owen @wavenode.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Yes. I think it suits the cold harsh dictatorship and minimal sets. KIngsland, say, would not have done this one any favours.

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“Glinner” of hope, more like, eh readers?!

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In 1985, the only way of securing the best possible quality recording of a TV programme was to make an off-air video recording. Accidentally taping over one felt catastrophic. In "A Maze of Death" the planetary colonists accidentally tape over their mission briefing before hearing it. Horror.

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I didn't know this at the time, and was genuinely convinced that the self-developing Polaroid Land Camera was so named because it was completely unsuitable for maritime or aerial use.

A Polaroid Land Camera, viewed from the front, showing the product name.

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I'm revisiting Philip K. Dick's "A Maze of Death" having previously read it in early 1985. This time I've noticed a reference to the retinex theory of colour vision of scientist Edwin Land. He is also the Land after whom the Polaroid Land Camera is named.

I had become drunk for the first time ever at the "wrap party" for the school Shakespeare production the night before. The following morning, in assembly, the usual organ voluntary was enlivened by someone having superglued the instrument's keys together. Still pissed, I giggled unselfconciously.