iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 30/03/2026

Observation for authors of ghost stories: the only sense of dread inexplicable spreading stains on the ceiling evoke is the terrifying certainty you're going to need to shell out for a new roof.

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 06/03/2026

Nothing takes me out of a story like the author assuming that people can find parking on -- or near -- the Berkeley campus. I can suspend disbelief for magic, but that's a bridge too far.

010

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 22/12/2025

My reading habits have shifted unexpectedly in 2025. Still horror, but a surprising number of crime novels. So -- here are my top 10 (actually 11) favorite reads of the past year, alphabetical by author. What are yours? #booksky

110

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 13/12/2025

So I'm reading a book where a paranormal investigator from a university in the US takes on a research project with a woman who recently lost her husband in a car accident. And I can't maintain suspension of disbelief because I can't accept that an IRB would ever approve this. What's wrong with me?

110

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Ergative Absolutive @ergative-abs.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

WELCOME TO THE DRACULA PAPRIKA DISCOURSE!! (meme from tumblr, not my own, original link seems to be dead now)

Galaxy brain meme.

Panel 1: Jonathan Harker found paprika hendl spicy because he is pathetically English.

Panel 2: Hungarian paprika ranges from mild to very spicy; it's perfectly possible our friend Jonathan was served the spicy stuff

Panel 3: "paprika hendl uses sweet paprika" recipes change quickly over time an dplace, Jonathan may have been served a regional variant

Panel 4 (text running off bottom): PAPRIKA USED TO BE SPICER holy shit it used to be spicier before sweeter peppers were cultivated in the 1920s. plus the machine to remove the spicy pith and seeds was only invented in the 1860s. 19th century Hungarian cuisine was simply spicier than its modern counterpart. not to mention how even "mild" paprikca can cause indigestion which is why it's so frequently served with sour cream

241414487

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 29/11/2025

It's been a dog's age since I ate at Langer's Deli. Their pastrami is absolutely as good as they say, though perhaps not quite as good as Hershel's in Philly's Reading Terminal Market. And it's the only place I know where you can get kishka. So that's worth the price of admission all by itself.

A wide-angle picture. In the foreground is a pastrami sandwich on rye with coleslaw. In the background is a second plate with 4 pieces of kishka and a cup of gravy.

010

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 29/11/2025

LA coffee adventure day, part I: Dayglow and Loquat both have delicious pourover and a delightfully well curated selection of beans. All told, though, Loquat wins on both atmosphere and pastry. I would definitely try either again!

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 26/11/2025

I've been thinking that I'm enjoying Ann Cleeves's Shetland books so much because they're mysteries for folklorists. Jimmy Perez is an ethnographic detective, piecing together the web of a community through its narratives, and through their multiple existence and variation. #booksky

050

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 25/11/2025

If you ever find yourself in Gallup, New Mexico, check out Java Drip Coffee. They're super nice and they're competing with a Starbucks across the street. So every coffee you buy from them is one less for Starbucks.

020

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 23/11/2025

A movie that takes place where you're from.

A movie poster for Absentia (2011). Features two women looking scared next to a missing poster.

030

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 18/11/2025

Apparently Abraham and Mary were far from the only prominent Flexner siblings. Thanks to a Wikipedia rabbit hole, tonight I learned about Simon and Bernard, as well as daughter Eleanor, and nephew Louis. They're like the Beechers... if the Beechers were a clan of Jewish scientists from Louisville.

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 12/11/2025

Godzilla: Final Wars is a bold top choice!

010

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 12/11/2025

Why Australian crime novels? That's a weird sudden obsession, right? That said... if anyone has any recommendations, I'd be happy to have them. I've got the basics -- the Jane Harper, Patricia Wolf, Candice Fox, etc. covered. But beyond that? 💙📚

340

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 09/11/2025

One more Frankenstein (2025) thought: the aesthetic of big-budget fantasy/horror has changed in the past few years, much for the worse. Swooping camera work and 60fps VERY digital crispness has created a class of film that looks like a video game. And I am very much not here for it.

110

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 09/11/2025

One of my favorite things about Frankenstein is that Shelley is like: Victor thinks he's doing science but nah. She has him talk about his genius for natural philosophy, then 1) list 3 occultists as his influences, and 2) dismiss Newton's followers as children picking up shells, ignoring the ocean.

193

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 01/11/2025

It's the cursed Gilmore Girls! That's why I love The Fog!

000

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Nome @nome.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

The Cortylorhynchus considers my problems, nods sagely, and says, "have you tried basking in the sun about it? While being as spherical as possible?"

A goofy looking quadruped, something like a shell less turtle, with wide-splayed legs and a vacant expression.

211678586

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 31/10/2025

You know, happenings aside, Antonio Bay seems like a nice place to live.

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 31/10/2025

With 2025 rolling to an end, maybe I can stop singing "if man is still alive, if woman can survive" every time I write the date. Stupid brain.

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 26/10/2025

Reddit is at it again. Another thread of "best" covers without Opeth's Bridge of Sighs. Tsk.

100

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 25/10/2025

So I'm not rendering any judgement until I've finished the book but so far, Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist reads like Stephen King and Koji Suzuki cowrote "Shadow Over Innsmouth." So far, I think I figured that vibe.

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 22/10/2025

Fun project that was more costly in time and blood than I bargained for. I really went all in on the inlays and I think it paid off. #woodworking

A hand mirror from the front. The frame is cherry, inlaid with geometric shapes in mahogany and maple. You can also see the mahogany clad handle.

The back of the handmirror. Most of it is cherry, with a mahogany crescent moon inlay.

071

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 21/10/2025

I have been listening to this album for more than 30 years and I still find there are new and subtle depths to plumb.

110

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 20/10/2025

Almost... Alien > Prometheus > Aliens > Covenant and Romulus > not worth mentioning

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 19/10/2025

They Bloom at Night by Trang Tranh Tran is excellent and original. Coastal horror without being Shadow Over Innsmouth. Microbial creep without being Mexican Gothic. Like its protagonist, it finds its own skin. @hollylynchez.bsky.social you might like this one.

The book cover of They Bloom at Night. A vietnamese girl underwater with red tendrils around her.

131

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 17/10/2025

No! We don't need a detailed mythology for every old thing. Pennywise is scary when he's a mystery. Add in the Great Turtle, and the Crimson King, and whatever other BS, and he's just boring. Learn from the X-Files, people. The truth is only interesting and fun when it's an object of speculation.

A news headline that includes a picture of Pennywise the clown with the headline "It: Welcome to Derry Blows Open the Legend of Pennywise. It'll Shock You."

120

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Dr. Jim Getz @jimgetz.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Hell yeah.

193

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Holly Fernandez Lynch @hollylynchez.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

"HHS--through the FDA--is conducting its own review of the evidence" re: mifepristone's safety + effectiveness. Signed by RFK and Makary. Given what we just saw w/ tylenol + leucovorin, I'm sure this will be done to the absolute highest scientific standards. democracyforward.org/wp-content/u...

democracyforward.org

154

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 24/09/2025

Obviously I am a sucker for anything with the Nine Inch Nails logo on it, even if it's plainly a marketing ploy. To be fair, the new songs on the soundtrack are *very* good. (I very much doubt I'll see the movie.)

The first record of the Tron:Ares soundtrack sitting on a gray turntable. In the background is the album cover. Both the record and the album cover have a red and black color scheme.

0131

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 21/09/2025

one thing about me is that I will easily spend a morning going through contractors’ social media before deciding who to hire. and listen I also share a lot of content under my real government name but Christ I am still surprised by what people will happily share in public in 2025

82626

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 19/09/2025

Tron:Ares sound track is excellent. I hope that its sound, plus the Nine Inch Noize set at Coachella, inspire a collab studio release with Boys Noize. I would really like to hear high fidelity versions of the Closer and Sin reinterpretations from the Peel it Back B stage.

000

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Ghostly Bree @mostlybree.kitrocha.com · 16/09/2025

9am: VP says we're all terrorists 10am: focaccia dough 11am: fuck I still need a root canal 12pm: Trump is invading Memphis 1pm: jalapeño bacon foccacia 3pm: why does food cost so much 5pm: buying paint! 9pm: oh so they fired her for being mean to the idea of white men 11pm: fire all TV critics??

114920

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 12/09/2025

Just saw a thread of answers to the question, "what is the greatest cover of all time?" that never once mentioned the Indigo Girls' American Tune. I mean sure, All Along the Watchtower and Hurt. But seriously, how can you talk about great covers without the Indigo Girls? tidal.com/browse/track...

tidal.com

100

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Amal El-Mohtar @amalelmohtar.com · 10/09/2025

Simply the best slide I have ever seen in a powerpoint presentation care of @premeemohamed.com’s talk at @banffcentre.bsky.social re: Putting the Science in Science Fiction

Text mounted on a screen reads as follows:

WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION?

1. DOESN'T MATTER
2. WHO CARES
3. MARKETING DEPARTMENT'S PROBLEM
4. NOT YOURS

353765955

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 08/09/2025

I know I say this every time I watch Hellraiser, but: Andrew Robinson playing Frank wearing Larry's skin has to be one of the most frightening performances in cinema. It never stops unnerving me.

010

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Mara Wilson @marawilson.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

I keep seeing kids in their late teens and early 20s romanticize the year 2016. “It’s 2016 and you’re listening to this song…” Guys, nobody liked 2016. Until 2020, it was considered one of the worst years anyone had ever seen. Everyone cool died. It was fucking miserable. Stop it.

2062971121

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 07/09/2025

I am loving the mix of aggressive and melodic on this album. It's kind of a weird comparison, but it's kind of scratching my Insomnium itch. In any case, definitely worth buying! #metalsky aliciacordisco.bandcamp.com/album/the-bu...

aliciacordisco.bandcamp.com

The Burden of I, by Alicia Cordisco

4 track album

1132

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Jamie McKelvie @mckelvie.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Two people to take the Ring to Mordor? I mean

Bill S. Preston Esq. And Ted "Theodore" Logan.

2245045

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 29/08/2025

I adore my weirdo scrub plane. It seemed like a silly thing to build when I made it. But today I had to flatten a panel. And -- wow, life-changing! #woodworking

A wooden plane sitting on its side, on top of a cherry wood panel, with plane shavings spilling out.

030

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 28/08/2025

On that branch there was a nest, and in that nest there was an egg, and like that egg, these are part of a complete breakfast.

020

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

This is a man who took out full-page ads calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, teenagers at the time, despite their not having been convicted. Even when their eventual convictions were vacated, he never apologized.

0115

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 24/08/2025

Alright #woodworking bluesky: question. I made this plane from osage and maple. The bed and sole are flat. The wedge is a perfect fit. But I can't make the wedge and iron stay seated. I've tried tweaking the wedge geometry and making a new one out of a softer material and neither worked. Help?

A small wooden plane made from osage orange and maple. It's at a three quarter angle and has the blade seated.

140

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 23/08/2025

Let's go with one I don't think I've mentioned yet on bluesky: The Madness, by Dawn Kurtagich

000

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 22/08/2025

Tonight is a Leviathan / Crack the Skye double feature. I think it'll be a while before I can listen to Hushed and Grim again...

000

Reposted by Adam D. Zolkover

Sen. Danica Roem @pwcdanica.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Awful to hear Brent Hinds died in a car crash. I know things with him and the Mastodon guys went south during the last year but he was one hell of a guitarist who wrote great music. I first saw Mastodon in '01 at Jaxx and often afterward. "Remission" is an A+ classic. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uShq...

youtube.com

MASTODON - "March of the Fire Ants" (Official Music Video)

YouTube video by RelapseRecords

5643

Adam D. Zolkover @zolkover.me · 20/08/2025

OMG Black Flame by @scumbelievable.bsky.social just blew my mind. It's the Hellraiser I didn't know I needed.

1141