iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Happy Teachers' Day to all who celebrate! #TeachersDay

Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for moon cakes. This is a non-Taiwanese one. It lacks the salted egg yolk and flaky pastry of the typical ones here. This one is mung-bean paste and pretty darn good. I much prefer these. #Taiwan #MidAutumnFestival #MoonFestival

A round pastry with a flat top on a plate. The top has some Chinese characters embossed on the top of the pastry. It is about 8cm in diameter.

The same mooncake cut open showing the thick filling inside. It's about 3cm thick.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Freshly husked coconut water pulled from the freezer on a hot day FTW!

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

ME: Be careful. My wife runs across the street. A scooter slams on its brakes. ME: What did I say? MY WIFE: You said, "Be careful." 🙄 Hearing and listening are two different things.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I just tried an apple juice + espresso cafetail. It tasted a little like beer. #Coffee

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

NOOOO!!! 😭 Our favorite brunch place in Taipei (Supranormal) is going to close because rent has become too high (some places in that area even jumping 4x.) They have good coffee & amazing pastries, especially their egg tarts. A pox upon all greedy landlords! #Taipei

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

My grandmother has finally got new dentures. I guess she has convinced herself she's going to be around long enough still to make use of them. She turns 103 on the 28th.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Y Lee @YLee For a more expanded view on the 2025 PISA rankings, this shows the top countries (Science, Math, Reading): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program... Other countries of note are Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Estonia, and the UK. (Taiwan has to be listed as Chinese Taipei.) #Taiwan

en.wikipedia.org

Programme for International Student Assessment - Wikipedia

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Apparently, Red Wings are supposed to be slightly unpleasant to break in. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks (months?). 😁 #RedWing #RedWing9111

A pair of crossed legs and brown boots resting on a coffee table.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I'm teaching a few hours a month this semester at the school where my wife works. She asked her students last night which one of us they thought looked older. Let's just say she was not impressed with their answer. 😁

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Our favorite beef noodle soup restaurant had a major fire last year. They've now reopened! #Taiwan #Taichung #BeefNoodleSoup

Two very full bowls of beef noodle soup. The noodles are thick cut, the beef slices are round and medium thickness, and there are scallions and leafy vegetables floating in there, too.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I bought this coffee grinder (1Zpresso J-Ultra) a few months ago. I've used it exclusively for single shots on my La Pavoni espresso machine, and it has done a remarkable job. Highly recommended! 👍 #Coffee #Espresso #1Zpresso #LaPavoni

A small coffee hand grinder in its travel case.

The same grinder lying on a table with the handle unfolded.

The same grinder standing next to a lever espresso machine on a counter.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

What's the first historic event that you remember? ⬇️ The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. But I have vague memories of various conflicts in the Middle East, too. I don't know if those were from before or after.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Saying hello to Lithuania from Taiwan! 👋 #Lithuania

A stack of fifteen 100g jars of smoked Riga Gold sardines.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Follow up to the coriander-scented pen. How does a stinky-tofu-scented pen sound? 😁 #Taiwan

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I had leftover pizza and a cappuccino for breakfast. Please tell me that's how they do it in Italy. #Italy

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Buried in The Guardian article in my last post was a link to a website called Worse On Purpose. It has a Brand Ledger where they, among other things, list companies that are still making good-quality items. It's worth checking out: www.worseonpurpose.com #PayMoreBuyLess

worseonpurpose.com

Worse on Purpose

The brands you trusted quietly gutted quality to protect margins. Investigative essays on corporate enshittification. Free newsletter.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I'm trying to buy most of my clothes (and other things) made in Japan. Europe is good, too, but less available to me. It costs more, but the quality is still there. Here's a very good article: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... #PayMoreBuyLess

theguardian.com

Not your imagination: from backpacks to food, consumer goods are getting worse

Is it possible to avoid the continuing decline in quality of consumer products brought on by corporate greed?

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Name: Wiley Age: middle Zodiac: n/a Bday: July Fav musical artists: Garth Brooks, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Alan Jackson, George Strait, G 'n' R, Roxette, Celine Dion, Dua Lipa Country: 🇨🇦Canada🫎, 🇹🇼Taiwan🧋 Fav colour: Platinum Carbon Black, Sailor Seiboku, Taccia Kurocha Fav season: fall

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I've posted about the (Spiced) Four W Daiquiri before, but that was with Foursquare Spiced rum. Very different flavor from this Cargo Cult (heavy vanilla), but both are good. The secret? Go heavy on the maple syrup to offset the grapefruit.🍹😊 www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/re... #Rum #Cocktails

A bottle of Cargo Cult Dry Spiced rum, a small bottle of dark maple syrup, a quarter of a grapefruit, and a cocktail in a very basic glass.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I actually half agree with her, but I half disagree, too. The Odyssey was too rushed and needed 4-5 hours, maybe even two parts à la Dune. But to say there's nothing convincing about it is to misunderstand the medium. #TheOdyssey www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ju...

theguardian.com

‘I would be ashamed to have written any part of this’: Odyssey translator Emily Wilson attacks Nolan blockbuster

Wilson, whose work on Homer’s epic was praised by Nolan, said his film was grandiose and superficial with ‘nothing convincing to say’

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Just saw #TheOdyssey. Decent, but it was more The Dark Knight Rises than it was Oppenheimer. Pros: - the acting - practical effects - the sheer scale of it (go see it while it's in theaters) Cons: - too rushed - sound editing (typical Nolan) See the ALT text for more.

It was extremely rushed, with too much exposition at the beginning. Almost every scene/episode needed more development. Doing it justice would've required 4-5 hours, releasing it à la Dune.

The casting and acting are excellent. Matt Damon does a perfect job, and it succeeds particularly when he's suffering. The supporting cast is mostly flawless as well, and I'd like to see Oscar nominations for Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.

But the flaws of the movie are Nolan's. In addition to the screenplay, you still can't hear all the dialogue. I saw it in Taiwan, and the other people in the theater could at least read the subtitles to know what the characters were saying. I think I missed a few plot points and emotional scenes because of that.

But, the sheer scale of it and the visuals are also on Nolan and his wife, who also produced it with him. What they did here is worth the price of admission alone. I bet we'll never see another movie like this again.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Your periodic reminder that Japanese snacks are next level (unless they have dried fish in them 😁). #Japan #JapaneseSnacks

A bag of salted caramel corn puffs (not popcorn, though).

Two small packages of Black Thunder chocolate. One is macadamia nut and the other is hazelnut and I want to say vanilla.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

My students have always had creative keychains dangling off their pencil cases and school bags, but these barrettes are something else entirely: a bessom, a stool, and a light bulb which changes color. #Taiwan

A barrette in the shape of a bessom in a girl's hair.

A barrette in the shape of a plastic stool in a girl's hair.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

If you're not making your daiquiris with funky Jamaican rum, you've been wasting good booze. Shame on you. 😞 That Mezan Trinidad 2009 is surprisingly good. A bit mild on flavor (not ABV), but good. I reserve judgement on the Cargo Cult until I've mixed more with it. #Rum

Three bottles of rum on an end table: Mezan Trinidad 2009, Cargo Cult Dry Spiced, and Mezan Jamaican XO.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

One thing I love about the ice-drip and cold-brewed coffee in Taiwan is the fruity, fermented flavor it has. It's almost like wine. #Coffee #Taiwan

A small cup and carafe, both filled with coffee, sitting on a bamboo tray, with a glass of water off to the side. Some scooters can be seen parked out the window in the background.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

TGIF, everyone! And TGTIATD! What is TGTIATD, you ask? Thank God tomorrow is a typhoon day. 😁 (Yes, I work Saturdays.) Stay safe, everyone! #TyphoonBavi #Taiwan #Beer

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I kid you not, it's sunny and raining right now. #Taiwan

Intense blue sky; some clouds; a dense, Asian city packed with flat-roofed, 4-story, concrete houses; and a faint, low-arcing rainbow.

Blue sky; some clouds; a dense, Asian city packed with flat-roofed, 4-story, concrete houses; and a very faint, low-arcing rainbow.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

What do you do when it's brutally hot and humid out? Why, go for mango ice, of course. #Taiwan

A cubical dish, with a layer of shaved milk ice, a layer of mango, then another layer of the ice.

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Well, now this is an unexpected delight. Not only do I get to go home during daylight hours Mon, Wed, and Fri during summer vacation, but I also have a 4-hour lunch break every Fri and no classes on Tue in July. Whatever will I do with a whole day off? 🤔 #ItsTheLittleThings

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Taiwan has a bumper crop of mango this year. We've been gorging on them almost every day. Cheap and plentiful in the traditional markets, and they're even being exported to France and the UK. #Taiwan #Mango #Mangoes

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

And read some of the follow-up posts in the comments, too.

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Reposted by Y Lee

Diane Tucker @theshymuseumgoer.com · 23/06/2026

ME: I provide more factually correct information to you, Google AI, than you do to me. What gives? GOOGLE AI: LLMs are trained on the internet. As more AI-generated content flooding the web gets re-scraped into Google's training loops, the overall quality of its data pool degrades. (Doom loop?)

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Reposted by Y Lee

E. A. Fredericks @efredericks.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

A new Ishiguro novel? Next year? Truly probably the best news I'll read all day (I immediately texted like five people about this and got a lot of very capslock responses.) 📚💙 lithub.com/kazuo-ishigu...

lithub.com

Kazuo Ishiguro’s next novel, out next year, will be a 1930s spy caper.

Kazuo Ishiguro, the feted Nobel laureate behind Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day, has announced his next novel. Miss Lambert Steps Aboard Danger—a spy caper set in the 1930s—will be published…

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

I'm looking forward to the next Smiley novel. #Booksky #JohnLeCarre #Books

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Y Lee @ylee.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Here's a readers' top 100 novels list in response to the critics' one a couple of weeks ago. www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int... I've read 18 off this one, but 3 were for school. 😁 John le Carré makes this list, but still no Philip Roth. #Books

theguardian.com