Michael Engard
@engard.me
Writer and web developer. Rochester, NY. Of late: WordPress, TTRPGs, the open web. You may never read my book but at least I’m writing it.
“Do you want to smell it?”
Taskmaster show was so fun! Now the long trek home 🤪
January 18, 2026 at 3:18 AM
“Do you want to smell it?”
When Bills fans complain about Bills defense: ugh I know right?
When anyone else criticizes Bills defense: THOU DARE SULLY THE BUFFALO NAME WITH THY STYGIAN TONGUES
When anyone else criticizes Bills defense: THOU DARE SULLY THE BUFFALO NAME WITH THY STYGIAN TONGUES
January 17, 2026 at 10:40 PM
When Bills fans complain about Bills defense: ugh I know right?
When anyone else criticizes Bills defense: THOU DARE SULLY THE BUFFALO NAME WITH THY STYGIAN TONGUES
When anyone else criticizes Bills defense: THOU DARE SULLY THE BUFFALO NAME WITH THY STYGIAN TONGUES
My favorite feature, having a large library of self-uploaded music from the iTunes days, is how Music will decide that an album is actually two identical albums that each get a randomly selected half of the songs on the original album.
January 17, 2026 at 10:12 PM
My favorite feature, having a large library of self-uploaded music from the iTunes days, is how Music will decide that an album is actually two identical albums that each get a randomly selected half of the songs on the original album.
Apple’s Music UX on all platforms has been steadily decaying for years but this really is a low point. It does not feel like a product made by people who love or listen to music.
January 17, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Apple’s Music UX on all platforms has been steadily decaying for years but this really is a low point. It does not feel like a product made by people who love or listen to music.
Reposted by Michael Engard
This administration is to tyranny what vibe coding is to computer programming
Smarter people than me are obviously going through the details on all of this stuff but I genuinely don't see how any of the multiple insane things Trump is doing right now ever actually work out
January 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
This administration is to tyranny what vibe coding is to computer programming
Reposted by Michael Engard
damn what is wrong with me, i am having the hardest time concentrating on work, i lament as i compulsively refresh live feeds of unspeakable horrors
January 17, 2026 at 7:52 PM
damn what is wrong with me, i am having the hardest time concentrating on work, i lament as i compulsively refresh live feeds of unspeakable horrors
Someone stole (borrowed and never returned) my original paperback copy of Fellowship of the Ring. I told my now-wife about it, and she, in secret, not only tracked down another copy in the same edition and bought it, but then snuck it back on my bookshelf and waited for me to discover it.
January 16, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Someone stole (borrowed and never returned) my original paperback copy of Fellowship of the Ring. I told my now-wife about it, and she, in secret, not only tracked down another copy in the same edition and bought it, but then snuck it back on my bookshelf and waited for me to discover it.
Reposted by Michael Engard
behold, courtesy of my amazing wife, the coolest thing anyone has ever made for me
the Imperial Ministry of Silly Walks
the Imperial Ministry of Silly Walks
January 16, 2026 at 8:15 PM
behold, courtesy of my amazing wife, the coolest thing anyone has ever made for me
the Imperial Ministry of Silly Walks
the Imperial Ministry of Silly Walks
Lots of people here still talk like the two possible states of America are “liberal democracy” and “full-blown Nazi Germany,” and they just can’t deal with the wider spectrum of transitional scenarios, some of which are behind us, but others still many steps away and can absolutely be averted.
January 15, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Lots of people here still talk like the two possible states of America are “liberal democracy” and “full-blown Nazi Germany,” and they just can’t deal with the wider spectrum of transitional scenarios, some of which are behind us, but others still many steps away and can absolutely be averted.
man I had no idea America was so big you can fit like nine Americas in it
January 15, 2026 at 9:01 PM
man I had no idea America was so big you can fit like nine Americas in it
The question then is: in the scenario where Trumpist insurrectionists successfully occupy the physical Capitol and their fake Congress starts passing laws, what does that mean *functionally*? Who follows those laws? How do journalists report it? Whose orders do federal institutions actually follow?
January 15, 2026 at 8:44 PM
The question then is: in the scenario where Trumpist insurrectionists successfully occupy the physical Capitol and their fake Congress starts passing laws, what does that mean *functionally*? Who follows those laws? How do journalists report it? Whose orders do federal institutions actually follow?
(Since we’re on social media, for the record, this is not a statement of my actual belief.)
January 15, 2026 at 8:38 PM
(Since we’re on social media, for the record, this is not a statement of my actual belief.)
“In the beginning America was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
…too real?
…too real?
January 15, 2026 at 8:26 PM
“In the beginning America was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
…too real?
…too real?
I also never discount the passive longing for Something To Happen™ that afflicts people, especially people with the combination of privilege and ignorance that means they don’t fear the consequences of bona-fide political instability as deeply as the ones who would be its chief victims.
January 15, 2026 at 8:20 PM
I also never discount the passive longing for Something To Happen™ that afflicts people, especially people with the combination of privilege and ignorance that means they don’t fear the consequences of bona-fide political instability as deeply as the ones who would be its chief victims.
Do I think they could cobble together enough support among members of the outgoing Congress, the Capitol Police, federal department administrators, etc. to make a credible attempt at another coup? Maybe.
But will it *stick*? Will the media, the states, the military—The People™—accept it?
But will it *stick*? Will the media, the states, the military—The People™—accept it?
January 15, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Do I think they could cobble together enough support among members of the outgoing Congress, the Capitol Police, federal department administrators, etc. to make a credible attempt at another coup? Maybe.
But will it *stick*? Will the media, the states, the military—The People™—accept it?
But will it *stick*? Will the media, the states, the military—The People™—accept it?
One of the lessons from Minneapolis should be that there is a chasm between what a would-be dictator can do in terms of wielding state power, and what will actually stick in terms of popular legitimacy and acceptance.
January 15, 2026 at 6:50 PM
One of the lessons from Minneapolis should be that there is a chasm between what a would-be dictator can do in terms of wielding state power, and what will actually stick in terms of popular legitimacy and acceptance.
Groups like the Proud Boys are basically the ceiling for them. To go beyond that kind of mafia-style coercion, they’d have to 1) be way more popular and populIST than they actually are, and 2) do the quotidian organizing work that very obviously just bores the shit out of them.
January 15, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Groups like the Proud Boys are basically the ceiling for them. To go beyond that kind of mafia-style coercion, they’d have to 1) be way more popular and populIST than they actually are, and 2) do the quotidian organizing work that very obviously just bores the shit out of them.
Right. They have the mob. And the mob can do a lot of damage, especially with modern media and the Internet. But the kind of party apparatus that the Nazis or the Soviets had, with chains of command that lead down to local chapters & individuals who can act on their behalf, doesn’t exist for Trump.
January 15, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Right. They have the mob. And the mob can do a lot of damage, especially with modern media and the Internet. But the kind of party apparatus that the Nazis or the Soviets had, with chains of command that lead down to local chapters & individuals who can act on their behalf, doesn’t exist for Trump.
That person-to-person loyalty enforcement system just does not exist in America and they show absolutely no interest in building one. They’re too lazy and Twitter-pilled to do anything like the necessary legwork.
January 15, 2026 at 5:47 PM
That person-to-person loyalty enforcement system just does not exist in America and they show absolutely no interest in building one. They’re too lazy and Twitter-pilled to do anything like the necessary legwork.
One of the crazy things about MAGA is that they haven’t even tried to build the social infrastructure to buttress the political structure of authoritarianism. If you lived in Nazi Germany, you weren’t just worried about the Gestapo, you were worried about your neighbor/boss/mailman turning you in.
January 15, 2026 at 5:47 PM
One of the crazy things about MAGA is that they haven’t even tried to build the social infrastructure to buttress the political structure of authoritarianism. If you lived in Nazi Germany, you weren’t just worried about the Gestapo, you were worried about your neighbor/boss/mailman turning you in.
Reposted by Michael Engard
Not sure who needs to hear this, but the Insurrection Act isn’t the same as “martial law.” It authorizes the molitary to engage in civil law enforcement. And not clear that even then, whether they can enforce state criminal laws
January 15, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Not sure who needs to hear this, but the Insurrection Act isn’t the same as “martial law.” It authorizes the molitary to engage in civil law enforcement. And not clear that even then, whether they can enforce state criminal laws
OG authoritarians made you scared to disobey because your neighbor, your boss, your mom, your mailman might turn you in. And they were scared of the same. MAGA doesn’t have that and they honestly seem way too lazy & Twitter-pilled to bother with the legwork. That’s really good for us.
January 15, 2026 at 5:29 PM
OG authoritarians made you scared to disobey because your neighbor, your boss, your mom, your mailman might turn you in. And they were scared of the same. MAGA doesn’t have that and they honestly seem way too lazy & Twitter-pilled to bother with the legwork. That’s really good for us.
Lots of comparisons to the Nazis/Soviets, but one of the differences with MAGA is that they have totally failed—sort of haven’t even tried—to build a *social* infrastructure to buttress the political one. “The Party” hasn’t infiltrated institutions at a person-to-person level. It’s just marketing.
January 15, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Lots of comparisons to the Nazis/Soviets, but one of the differences with MAGA is that they have totally failed—sort of haven’t even tried—to build a *social* infrastructure to buttress the political one. “The Party” hasn’t infiltrated institutions at a person-to-person level. It’s just marketing.
Oh, yes, rightly so! I think we’re on the same page.
January 15, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Oh, yes, rightly so! I think we’re on the same page.
Fair. Maybe I read that implication into it because of the both-sides-y framing of the overall message. I know Tim Walz isn’t exactly a flamethrower but I had higher expectations of him in this moment.
January 15, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Fair. Maybe I read that implication into it because of the both-sides-y framing of the overall message. I know Tim Walz isn’t exactly a flamethrower but I had higher expectations of him in this moment.