{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Mark Stoneman","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/markstoneman","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"1615036","username":"markstoneman","bio":"This is my blog on the social web, hosted by Micro.blog · On 🦣 I am @markstoneman@zirk.us and on 🦋 I am @markstoneman.com · Historian, editor, and translator for hire (🇩🇪 to 🇺🇸) · Longtime resident of Washington, DC, now caregiving in Conway, NH · he/him · 🏳️️🇺🇦🗽","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":62,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2025/06/1615036.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"99406455","content_html":"

@tinyroofnail Thanks for this.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/99406455","date_published":"2026-10-17T17:34:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-17 17:34","date_timestamp":1792258476,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99238071","content_html":"

The latest craven betrayal by Dumpty Trumpty and his brain trust will not make Ukraine submit to Russia’s terms. It will only kill more people. May these grifting war mongers choke on the billions they plan to earn from Russia, an ally of Iran, the country they are fighting an illegal war against.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/10/14/the-latest-craven-betrayals-of.html","date_published":"2026-10-14T21:32:14+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-14 21:32","date_timestamp":1792013534,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98941227","content_html":"

Dominic Lieven relates Russia’s war in Ukraine to the histories of imperial collapse and nation state making in 30 minutes: youtu.be/nkXTdRgTv… (Monterey Summer Symposium 2026 via @CivilNetTV).

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/10/09/dominic-lieven-relates-russias-war.html","date_published":"2026-10-09T14:41:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-09 14:41","date_timestamp":1791556902,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97869256","content_html":"
\n

Above all, Trump learned one very big thing from Cohn: that the veneer of morality in the American upper class is very thin. Cohn proved conclusively that there is no limit to its tolerance for corruption. Trump got that message—and so did Jeffrey Epstein.

\n

—Fintan O’Toole, “Devils in America,\"The New York Review of Books, Oct. 8, 2026, 12.

\n
\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/20/above-all-trump-learned-one.html","date_published":"2026-09-20T15:29:07+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-20 15:29","date_timestamp":1789918147,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97710661","content_html":"

@adders I’m not sure I follow. Denunciatory behavior in authoritarian states often occurs behind closed doors. It also can relate to neighborhood or workplace grievances. The overlap with social media behavior eludes me.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/97710661","date_published":"2026-09-17T17:40:03+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-17 17:40","date_timestamp":1789666803,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"97339980","content_html":"

Rüdiger Suchsland’s “Hitler’s Hollywood: German Cinema in the Age of Propaganda” (Kino Lorbeer, 2018) made for interesting viewing this evening. It weaves a fascinating array of scenes and themes into a personal rumination of what Nazi Germany’s cinema might reveal about mindsets in the country. The result...

markstoneman.com","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/11/rdiger-suchslands-hitlers-hollywood-german.html","date_published":"2026-09-11T05:51:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-11 05:51","date_timestamp":1789105919,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97391832","content_html":"Rüdiger Suchsland’s “Hitler’s Hollywood: German Cinema in the Age of Propaganda” (Kino Lorbeer, 2018) made for interesting viewing this evening. It weaves a fascinating array of scenes and themes into a personal rumination of what Nazi Germany’s cinema might reveal about mindsets in the country. The result is good cinema, but I found it less satisfying as history. The pathos in the narrator’s voice and in the filmmaker’s script also made me uncomfortable at times.","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/11/rdiger-suchslands-hitlers-hollywood-german.html","date_published":"2026-09-11T01:51:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-11 01:51","date_timestamp":1789091519,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97284402","content_html":"

Sore body, restless night. Yesterday’s vaccinations seem to be hard at work.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/10/sore-body-restless-night-yesterdays.html","date_published":"2026-09-10T09:59:19+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-10 09:59","date_timestamp":1789034359,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97086627","content_html":"

Sometimes I prefer social media at times I should be sleeping so I can hear about the misery and insanity in other countries with a lot less pestilential news oozing out of the White House. Dumpy Donny does bad stuff overseas, but people seem to be taking him less seriously these days.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/06/sometimes-i-prefer-social-media.html","date_published":"2026-09-07T01:55:12+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-07 01:55","date_timestamp":1788746112,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3muvfx64abi23"]}},{"id":"97086217","content_html":"

@manton Ugh. Blurgh. Yikes!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/97086217","date_published":"2026-09-07T01:42:11+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-07 01:42","date_timestamp":1788745331,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"97086033","content_html":"

@mitch Oh, I agree. I just couldn’t resist the additional snark. Some days I take the opportunity to vent where I can. Thank you for humoring me.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/97086033","date_published":"2026-09-07T01:39:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-07 01:39","date_timestamp":1788745162,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"97046701","content_html":"

@mitch If the US supported the change, Dumpy Donny might have to feel stupid about Greenland. I’m assuming that’s not the reason, but still…

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/97046701","date_published":"2026-09-06T06:57:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-06 06:57","date_timestamp":1788677876,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"97046657","content_html":"

@jaheppler Happy birthday!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/97046657","date_published":"2026-09-06T06:55:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-06 06:55","date_timestamp":1788677722,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96840263","content_html":"

Russian 'Democracy': markstoneman.com

","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/02/russian-democracy.html","date_published":"2026-09-02T18:10:20+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-02 18:10","date_timestamp":1788372620,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96799157","content_html":"

Ukraine identifies another asymmetric weakness in the terrorist state—its size, its underdeveloped transportation system, its reliance on air transport. “Zelensky vows ‘Russian sky will be de facto closed,’ warns airlines, foreign governments…” kyivindependent.com/the-russi…\n#RussoUkrainianWar

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/09/01/ukraine-identifies-another-asymmetric-weakness.html","date_published":"2026-09-02T01:35:17+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-02 01:35","date_timestamp":1788312917,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96719062","content_html":"

\"Ultimately, we depend on the stories we tell each other.\"

–Yaroslav Hrytsak, Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, trans. Dominique Hoffman (PublicAffairs, 2024), last paragraph.

","summary":"","url":"https://social.vivaldi.net/@markrstoneman/117191436148526405","date_published":"2026-08-31T18:03:24+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-31 18:03","date_timestamp":1788199404,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96718611","content_html":"

@mitch Very cool.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96718611","date_published":"2026-08-31T17:55:20+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-31 17:55","date_timestamp":1788198920,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96689846","content_html":"
\n

Ultimately, we depend on the stories we tell each other.

\n

–Yaroslav Hrytsak, Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, trans. Dominique Hoffman (PublicAffairs, 2024), last paragraph.

\n
\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/31/ultimately-we-depend-on-the.html","date_published":"2026-08-31T05:27:38+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-31 05:27","date_timestamp":1788154058,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3mue6jwsh642k"]}},{"id":"96631581","content_html":"

I just watched Oz Katerji’s “The Battle for Kyiv” (Byline Media, 2024). It covers events that happened 4 1/2 years ago, but it still feels immediate. It begins with the initial full-scale invasion and ends with the Bucha atrocities.

\n

Bucha was not a one-off. Russia continues with their barbaric sport, for...

markstoneman.com","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/29/i-just-watched-oz-katerjis.html","date_published":"2026-08-29T23:40:45+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-29 23:40","date_timestamp":1788046845,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3mub34scdvk22"]}},{"id":"96619284","content_html":"

Solovyov the Unhappy: markstoneman.com

","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/29/solovyov-the-unhappy.html","date_published":"2026-08-29T18:12:06+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-29 18:12","date_timestamp":1788027126,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3muaibnfr5w2e"]}},{"id":"96526669","content_html":"

@drwalt I think most of us already know.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96526669","date_published":"2026-08-28T02:02:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-28 02:02","date_timestamp":1787882520,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96504912","content_html":"

@manton Agreed, but I believe such small gains are also relevant to the likes of Google, assuming one even cares about that outfit.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96504912","date_published":"2026-08-27T18:21:26+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-27 18:21","date_timestamp":1787854886,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96504409","content_html":"

If a subscription-based app requires a login just to look at it, I delete it.

\n

If a website requires me to disable my ad blocker before I’ve even seen it, I move on.

\n

#LifeIsTooShort

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/27/if-a-subscriptionbased-app-requires.html","date_published":"2026-08-27T18:09:30+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-27 18:09","date_timestamp":1787854170,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3mu3heoif6223"]}},{"id":"96469392","content_html":"

“How a Ukrainian [youth] survived FSB filtration and escaped Russian occupation” (Kyiv Independent, Aug. 26), youtu.be/pdCwslqd-…\n#RussiaIsATerroristState

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/27/how-a-ukrainian-youth-survived.html","date_published":"2026-08-27T04:40:31+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-27 04:40","date_timestamp":1787805631,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96453520","content_html":"

“Former Pussy Riot member escapes Russia after 3 years of forced work for FSB” by Kate Tsurkan, The Kyiv Independent, Aug. 24, 2026. ICYI, here’s my response. #RussiaIsATerroristState

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/26/former-pussy-riot-member-escapes.html","date_published":"2026-08-26T21:16:20+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-26 21:16","date_timestamp":1787778980,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3mtzb6tdyea2f"]}},{"id":"96326844","content_html":"

@numericcitizen This also fits the pattern of needy apps. What you describe is more insidious, but I’m usually put off by such behavior before I get to the point of analyzing the rest.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96326844","date_published":"2026-08-24T20:03:51+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 20:03","date_timestamp":1787601831,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96293712","content_html":"

@apoorplayer We used to rub the nose on a brass head everyone passed on our way through the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College. The bust was of Warner Bentley. The act was supposed to bring us luck, and the nose was very shiny.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96293712","date_published":"2026-08-24T06:49:09+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 06:49","date_timestamp":1787554149,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96292860","content_html":"

\"Short

\n

Here’s a picture I took with my iPhone SE 3rd gen. on the Boulder Loop Trail in Albany, NH, on Saturday. I used the camera’s panorama mode. The elevation gain to the top is only about 925 feet, but that was meaningful for me. It’d been too long since I walked on granite ledges with a view.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/24/heres-a-picture-i-took.html","date_published":"2026-08-24T06:24:20+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 06:24","date_timestamp":1787552660,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3mtsomuu3ih2a"]}},{"id":"96291399","content_html":"

My Phone's Unreliable Activity Measurements on a Hike: markstoneman.com

","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/24/my-phones-unreliable-activity-measurements.html","date_published":"2026-08-24T05:38:27+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 05:38","date_timestamp":1787549907,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3mtslta4bfb2d"]}},{"id":"96290421","content_html":"

@markstoneman BTW, I don’t even know what to make of the label “AI antagonists.” That says more about the people who employ it than the people whose positions it purports to describe.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96290421","date_published":"2026-08-24T05:05:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 05:05","date_timestamp":1787547928,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96290382","content_html":"

@manton I know nothing about AI and coding, but verbosity and unnecessary detail sounds par for the course when LLMs deliver other kinds of everyday outputs. Isn’t lean coding better for physical resource use? And for being readable and revisable by humans?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96290382","date_published":"2026-08-24T05:02:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 05:02","date_timestamp":1787547775,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96290144","content_html":"

@danielpunkass Technologies and their applications are about human choices. Many people reject the notion that changes as far-reaching as this one promises or threatens to be can be left to the crowd in Silicon Valley. Moreover, the rapacious history of capitalism suggests that society has every right, even a duty to regulate. Natural resources are there for all. From that point of view alone, we need to hold these businesses and politicians in their pockets to account. They do not get to shape our physical environment without our input. If they want us to have this technology in a bigger way, they need to make a better case than the tired old arguments of yesteryear about the unstoppable march of “progress” or the endless benefits of unregulated greed. Forcing this stuff down the population’s throats is dumb. Get their buy-in. Accept the limitations this will entail. That might not yield the payoffs that justify the radical expenditures and hype, but it could keep the pitchforks at bay.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96290144","date_published":"2026-08-24T04:56:44+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 04:56","date_timestamp":1787547404,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96293245","content_html":"Short trees and shrubs on granite ledges in milder weather than they often face. Green trees below, a mountain in the distance. Gray sky.\nHere’s a picture I took with my iPhone SE 3rd gen. on the Boulder Loop Trail in Albany, NH, on Saturday. I used the camera’s panorama mode. The elevation gain to the top is only about 925 feet, but that was meaningful for me. It’d been too long since I walked on granite ledges with a view.","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/24/heres-a-picture-i-took.html","date_published":"2026-08-24T02:24:20+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-24 02:24","date_timestamp":1787538260,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96130959","content_html":"

@rscottjones Your test is our gain.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/96130959","date_published":"2026-08-21T03:31:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-21 03:31","date_timestamp":1787283118,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"96130872","content_html":"

The Ukrainian–English dictionary seems to have had an upgrade in iPadOS 27. When I trigger the contextual menu with a long press and select “look up,” I no longer come up empty when the word has been declined or conjugated in some way. (I’m still very much a beginner, so others' mileage might vary.)

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/20/the-ukrainianenglish-dictionary-seems-to.html","date_published":"2026-08-21T03:28:16+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-21 03:28","date_timestamp":1787282896,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96130692","content_html":"

Cringe: “Thank you for trusting us with your information.” In an email from a U.S. online pharmacy (owned by a huge health insurance company) requesting information outside its remit. Capitalism isn’t satisfied with leaving health to the patient and their health care team, it seems.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/20/cringe-thank-you-for-trusting.html","date_published":"2026-08-21T03:16:32+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-21 03:16","date_timestamp":1787282192,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96018190","content_html":"
\n

Few people anticipated this war; before it happened people said it was impossible. But nothing is impossible in history. We cannot take historical reality as something that is already provided, we have to work against it to create a new reality.

\n

–Yaroslav Hrytsak, Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, trans. Dominique Hoffman (PublicAffairs, 2024), chap. 6.

\n
\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/19/few-people-anticipated-this-war.html","date_published":"2026-08-19T06:22:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-19 06:22","date_timestamp":1787120579,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"95775305","content_html":"

@news Might this explain why using the web version on an iPad yields a site whose design is not responsive? (Text runs off the right-hand side of the page, if I dare to make it larger, i.e., legible.) Or do I blame the latest public beta of iPadOS 27 (even though I see the issue on both Safari and Brave)?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/95775305","date_published":"2026-08-14T17:59:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-14 17:59","date_timestamp":1786730395,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"95775108","content_html":"

@jabel Timothy Snyder has written about “superpower suicide”. Also, if you want to go really dark, check out Omar El Akkad’s post-apocalyptic novel American War.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/95775108","date_published":"2026-08-14T17:54:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-14 17:54","date_timestamp":1786730097,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"95658333","content_html":"

@manton I wonder what subsidies thay’ve extorted for this project. Also, just because they’re making solar panels doesn’t mean Texas will use them. I should think that’s a separate issue.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/95658333","date_published":"2026-08-12T19:08:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-12 19:08","date_timestamp":1786561736,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"95472924","content_html":"

Fascinating rumination on being human in an era shaped by frequent interactions with LLMs and their human-mediated output: “Life on the Uncanny Precipice” by Naomi Saphra, Aug. 8, 2026, nsaphra.net.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/09/fascinating-rumination-on-being-human.html","date_published":"2026-08-09T21:42:53+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-09 21:42","date_timestamp":1786311773,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3msol5n3v2s2n"]}},{"id":"95414401","content_html":"

@amerpie I’m the only one who will and sorta almost can, so I do. But feelings? I tend to swallow those unexamined. Not very healthy. Neither is feeling like I’ve no choice, so that part I kinda sorta face by reminding myself I’m making a choice every day. Better than despondency, but not by much.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/95414401","date_published":"2026-08-08T17:23:25+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-08 17:23","date_timestamp":1786209805,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"95385050","content_html":"

Odd Internet Speak -- Using 'Correct' to Express Agreement: markstoneman.com

","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/07/odd-internet-speak-using-correct.html","date_published":"2026-08-08T03:19:01+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-08 03:19","date_timestamp":1786159141,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mjwlqv743vswabzoofno4ziq/post/3msk4jaad3g2l"]}},{"id":"95373350","content_html":"

Sleepy day. The short visit from my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter wore me out. We spent much of our time indoors so that my mother could enjoy the wee one’s company, but we also managed to spend a little time in Swift River at a small public beach.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://markstoneman.com/2026/08/07/sleepy-day-the-short-visit.html","date_published":"2026-08-07T21:18:44+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-07 21:18","date_timestamp":1786137524,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"95051874","content_html":"

@rscottjones That is insane!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/95051874","date_published":"2026-08-02T00:33:25+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-02 00:33","date_timestamp":1785630805,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"94994092","content_html":"

@adders Ayuh.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/94994092","date_published":"2026-07-31T20:59:18+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-31 20:59","date_timestamp":1785531558,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"94994042","content_html":"

@tinyroofnail Adorable.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/94994042","date_published":"2026-07-31T20:58:18+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-31 20:58","date_timestamp":1785531498,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"94817263","content_html":"

@danielpunkass That would have to be a very loving god.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/94817263","date_published":"2026-07-28T22:29:23+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-28 22:29","date_timestamp":1785277763,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"94798816","content_html":"

@jaheppler Brilliant!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/94798816","date_published":"2026-07-28T15:41:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-28 15:41","date_timestamp":1785253318,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"94653836","content_html":"

@manton An utterly alien concept to the billionaires working to take over the place.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/markstoneman/94653836","date_published":"2026-07-25T19:25:16+00:00","author":{"name":"Mark Stoneman","url":"https://markstoneman.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2025%2F06%2F1615036.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"markstoneman"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-07-25 19:25","date_timestamp":1785007516,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}}]}