iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

New blog post: Review of Neuromancer, the novel (1984) hackerfiction.net/blog/2026/au... #booksky

1990 leather-bound Collector's Edition of Neuromancer.

John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Swedish origin. The Swedish pronunciation, as I'm sure you're familiar with, is maahl-urt with the urt sounding like yurt. And the intonation is up on the urt. The best Swedish one I know is Bäska droppar, literally "Bitter Drops." Danes have the famous Gammel dansk, literally "Old Danish".

A bottle of Swedish Bäska droppar. The liquor is golden yellow.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

This review of my latest novel "Submerged" came in a couple of days ago. 😍 You can find it on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, and Spotify. And it's available as ebook, print, or audio.

A four-star review reading "This book was a thrilling ride that felt reminiscent of authors such as James Patterson and Tom Clancy. In this sequel, West is dealing with his grief when he gets a cryptic message so he goes off on a frantic search of answers. This digital age thriller was tense and very well written, probably more so than the first book because I could connect a little more to West and his fight. I felt more anxious with this book due to the deep sea theme but that also made it more fun for me as a reader!"

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

The pandemic had all sorts of effects. I doubled my reading in 2020, with for instance two of George R. R. Martin's thick novels in the Game of Thrones series. During the work from home years I got an incredible boost in cardio fitness because I did a lot of running. #booksky

Horizontal histogram from Goodreads showing how John doubled his reading to 6196 pages in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The stats then fell back gradually 2021-2023 but came back to pre-pandemic level in 2025.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

My next newsletter issue will feature photos and impressions from my trip to Hong Kong, a.k.a. Cyberpunk Ground Zero. I went to the grounds of Kowloon Walled City, the Monster Building, and the skyline+water from the diving scene in Ghost in the Shell. Subscribe here: hackerfiction.net/subscribe/

Hong Kong Island skyline in the night. Neon lights beam into the sky and glitter across the water.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

When you log in to that page, you enter credentials including email address on secure.login.gov, which features Google Tag Manager and google.com subresources. See screenshot.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

The audiobook version of my hacker thriller "Submerged" is finally out! Just in time for the holidays. Audible: www.amazon.com/dp/B0G7M5ZZWH/ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3TEIdTl... Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/audiob... Apple Books: books.apple.com/us/audiobook... #booksky

The audiobook cover of "Submerged" with the nose of a submarine pointing directly at the viewer. The title is split into SUB above the submarine and MERGED under, and the U in SUB is upside down. The color scheme is dark blue and teal with an underwater feel. Light is coming in from the water surface above. Subsea cables lie on the ocean floor.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Starting the weekend Dec 6-7, my newsletter will feature a read-along of William Gibson's Neuromancer. We read it together, starting easy – just 30 pages “Chiba City Blues,” chapters 1-4. I'll review it as we go. Sign up here: hackerfiction.net/subscribe/

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

I just donated to three charities: · Razom for Ukraine · Wikimedia Foundation · Electronic Frontier Foundation If you have the means, consider donating too. ❤️

Screenshot of donation receipt to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The donation amount is not shown.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

This claim is getting legs so I checked. Indeed, Google Trends in the US is currently very close to the February 2009 peak for "help with mortgage." 😔 trends.google.com/trends/explo...

Screenshot showing Google Trends for "help with mortgage" and two peaks on the curve – one at February 2009 and one now.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

The first rating of my new novel is up on Amazon. And it's ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! www.amazon.com/SUBMERGED-ha... #booksky

A screenshot of the book "Submerged" on Amazon, with so far one rating of five stars.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Do people really read 99k words in 7-8 hours? There are fast readers for sure, but this kind of metadata always puts me off. It kind of tells me I'm not a good (enough) reader. #Booksky

Screenshot of data about an ebook, saying 99k words / 336 pages takes 7-8 hours to read.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Victoria's Secret: "Valued customer, we identified and are taking steps to address a security incident. We have taken down our website and some in store services as a precaution." www.victoriassecret.com

Screenshot of the website with the message about the security incident.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Bluesky uses a Google Docs form to collect personally identifiable information to get accounts verified. The form requires a Google login. They present the link to the form with "Trust is everything." @bsky.app, please change this and don't send people's data to Google. Thank you!

A screenshot of the Bluesky page on account verification, with "Trust is everything" and "please fill out this form" highlighted, and a reveal of the link to Google Docs.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

The day has come – my new hacker thriller is out! Including hardcover and paperback. Amazon: www.amazon.com/SUBMERGED-ha... Apple Books: books.apple.com/us/book/id67... Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/... Internet sovereignty, superpower conflict, and the continued saga of West Wilder. #Booksky

The cover which features a submarine headed straight at the viewer and subsea cables on the ocean floor.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

My Google Play Books account has been in preliminary policy review for three weeks. My next novel will be released on Saturday, just not on Google. I've emailed them twice and get responses that don't make sense. I may give up. 😔

Screenshot of the message on the Google website telling me that my account is in preliminary policy review.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Pre-orders for my new hacker thriller "Submerged" are active! · Amazon: www.amazon.com/SUBMERGED-ha... · Apple Books: books.apple.com/us/book/id67... · Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/... Release on May 3rd. That's when the paperback and hardcover become available too. #Booksky

A mock of the paperback version of the book. The cover features a submarine headed straight at the viewer.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Finally push notifications for the web have a good design. "Meet Declarative Web Push" webkit.org/blog/16535/m...

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Gutenberg and the Digital Horizon – printed books and what happens if they're not digitized. Plus photos from the Gutenberg museum. That's all coming in tomorrow's newsletter issue! Subscribe here: hackerfiction.net/subscribe/ #booksky

A generative AI depiction of the Digital Horizon. Books laying in the foreground and a digital highway in the middle pulling books towards the horizon. The backdrop is digital rain with ones and zeroes.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Rest In Peace, Angie Stone: apnews.com/article/angi... She died in a car crash. 💔 What a great singer and composer she was! I've watched her concert "Pure Sessions" so many times. Here it is on YouTube: youtu.be/WrypF2OuMq4

Cover of the DVD Angie Stone: Pure Sessions, with Angie in a white blouse singing up on stage.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

New hacker review – Source Code, the movie. Enjoy! hackerfiction.net/blog/2025/fe...

The movie poster for Source Code with the main character running away from an explosion, towards the viewer in a whirlwind of photos.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

I guess I’m not the only one spending the holidays trying to reach my 2024 reading goal. 😄

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

Regarding the H1B immigration debate, I was reminded of this dark quote:

”First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Martin Niemöller, Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

OK, I’ve read the whole draft and taken notes. Time to make all those changes. Should be done by Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Time for the final draft read of my hacker thriller "Submerged." Monday after Thanksgiving it goes to the copyeditor, and three years of work leave my hands. It's a sequel to "Identified" and should be out January.

A photo of a white desktop with a hardcopy of the novel "Submerged," a mug of coffee to the left, and a sharpened pencil in-between.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

From the latest review of my hacker thriller ”Identified”: ”Fantastic read! While this is rather technical in some places, it is realistic in a really frightening way. This is the kind of realistic thriller that keeps me up at night, even after I've finished it.” www.amazon.com/IDENTIFIED-h...

The cover of Identified, with a vector graphic model of a face.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 09/11/2024

New blog post: Review of I, Robot – the First Three Short Stories (1940-1942) hackerfiction.net/blog/2024/no... Enjoy!

Photo of the book "I, Robot" with four boxy robots on the cover.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 03/01/2024

The latest review of my hacker thriller “Identified.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You can buy it here: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09N...

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 26/11/2023

I just got the hard copy of Draft 0 of my next novel! 😍 The cover art will change but it’s neat, huh? Now there are several editing steps but the race toward publication has officially started. You can follow along through my monthly newsletter. Sign up here: hackerfiction.net/subscribe/

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 18/11/2023

Looking for a good book to read over the holidays? 📚 Or a nice gift? 🎁 Look no further than my hacker thriller “Identified.” It’s rated 4.6 out of 5 on both Goodreads and Amazon. Check the recent review in the screenshot as an example! Here’s the Amazon link to buy: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09N...

Recent review of the novel, giving it a five star rating. You can read the review as text on the Amazon page.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 05/10/2023

The latest Amazon review of my novel “Identified.” 🤩 Its rating is currently at 4.6 stars. You can buy it here: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09N...

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 16/07/2023

New blog post! My hacker review of Minority Report, the movie: hackerfiction.net/blog/2023/july/mi… Enjoy some tracker-free reading. 💙 I reviewed the novella it's based on un my last blog post: hackerfiction.net/blog/2023/march/m…

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 07/07/2023

@xychelsea.tv Spotted at a bookstore in central Stockholm. Note the Swedish translation of the subtitle.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 25/06/2023

Next issue of my hacker fiction newsletter is going out soon. This month’s topic: A review of Blade Runner! Subscribe and get it tracker-free in your inbox: hackerfiction.net/subscribe

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 17/06/2023

Ten years at Apple today. 🎉❤️ What a journey. I’m so happy I took the chance and that my family took the leap of faith in moving to the US. Apple is a place where you can change the world for the better, and that’s what I’m focused on. Here’s to another amazing ten!

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 08/06/2023

Normally, I never drink this kind of mass produced, watery beer. But tonight I did it, in the face of all the duckers who spread hate.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 05/06/2023

I'm #hiring a Privacy-Enhancing Technologies Engineer to work on WebKit! This is your chance to apply MPC, DP, unlinkable tokens, and homomorphic encryption to the web platform. In Cupertino, CA. jobs.apple.com/en-us/details/200483…

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 01/06/2023

In my inbox on the bird site today. This is apparently very hard to detect as spam/bots. 🙄

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 27/05/2023

I'm wrapping up the May issue of my newsletter Hacker Chronicles. Feature article: The Turing Test and Our Fear of Humanoids. It's going out soon, all tracker-free. Sign up here: hackerfiction.net/subscribe

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 23/05/2023

A LinkedIn “top pick for you” later in the hype cycle.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 18/05/2023

Some old school spamming going on here.

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 15/05/2023

I saw this in an ad and my brain went “Oh no, another company laying off 20%.” 😔

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John Wilander @wilander.bsky.social · 03/05/2023

I got a new nice review. ❤️

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