Mark Sawchuk
@snarkmawchuk.bsky.social
Historian, Ph.D., recovering academic, cartophile, transit advocate (board, San Francisco Transit Riders), trolleybus stan, bridge player. 🏳️🌈 Anonymous accounts get ignored or blocked.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
there's a parallel between nonprofit world and academia, where there's a constant tide of idealistic, hopeful people coming in the door, and the people on top are able to lever that commitment to The Cause to extract from them in a way that's harder when everyone's just there to make a buck
December 7, 2025 at 6:09 PM
there's a parallel between nonprofit world and academia, where there's a constant tide of idealistic, hopeful people coming in the door, and the people on top are able to lever that commitment to The Cause to extract from them in a way that's harder when everyone's just there to make a buck
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
Calling it now that she'll eventually end up at CBS www.wsj.com/business/med...
Vanity Fair, Olivia Nuzzi Agree to Part Ways
Nuzzi and the magazine will let her contract expire at year-end, following new allegations and revelations about her conduct while she reported on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
www.wsj.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Calling it now that she'll eventually end up at CBS www.wsj.com/business/med...
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
This dreadful cold makes me want to curl up on the sofa and watch vintage Smurfs
December 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This dreadful cold makes me want to curl up on the sofa and watch vintage Smurfs
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
Trolleybuses pull power directly into efficient, hill-climbing engines without need for massive, pavement-crushing batteries. Next gen trolleys with in-motion charging offer significant off-wire travel, allowing incremental wire extension. SF and Seattle partnering:
www.sfmta.com/media/43118/...
www.sfmta.com/media/43118/...
October 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Trolleybuses pull power directly into efficient, hill-climbing engines without need for massive, pavement-crushing batteries. Next gen trolleys with in-motion charging offer significant off-wire travel, allowing incremental wire extension. SF and Seattle partnering:
www.sfmta.com/media/43118/...
www.sfmta.com/media/43118/...
This is exactly the pattern in San Francisco. If any parking spots are threatened by any infrastructure project, the city gives in to citizen protests and the project gets delayed or canceled.
Too many cities have loudly declared that they don’t know what the word “emergency” means. #ClimateEmergency
City: We unanimously declare a climate emergency! We must make change no matter what the cost, humanity's survival depends on it!
Community: Can we put in a protected bike lane to get more people cycling.
City: No, we'll lose parking spots.
Community: Can we put in a protected bike lane to get more people cycling.
City: No, we'll lose parking spots.
December 3, 2025 at 5:19 PM
This is exactly the pattern in San Francisco. If any parking spots are threatened by any infrastructure project, the city gives in to citizen protests and the project gets delayed or canceled.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
it should probably be a bigger story that the richest man on earth and leading Republican is a fucking Nazi
media needs to stop beating around the bush. this is Nazi shit.
media needs to stop beating around the bush. this is Nazi shit.
December 3, 2025 at 5:03 AM
it should probably be a bigger story that the richest man on earth and leading Republican is a fucking Nazi
media needs to stop beating around the bush. this is Nazi shit.
media needs to stop beating around the bush. this is Nazi shit.
Purple skies under the trolleybus wires
December 3, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Purple skies under the trolleybus wires
And confirm via text three times
December 2, 2025 at 6:23 PM
And confirm via text three times
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
There’s just nothing left of a university’s mission if instructors can be disciplined and fired for teaching the current state of knowledge in their fields, the degrees they issue are worth precisely the value of the paper they’re printed on and not a jot more
December 1, 2025 at 12:42 AM
There’s just nothing left of a university’s mission if instructors can be disciplined and fired for teaching the current state of knowledge in their fields, the degrees they issue are worth precisely the value of the paper they’re printed on and not a jot more
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
This thing where we engaged in commerce once and now you get to email me for the rest of my life needs to stop.
November 30, 2025 at 3:52 PM
This thing where we engaged in commerce once and now you get to email me for the rest of my life needs to stop.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
Who would have guessed that David Sacks would be doing unethical shit in the White House? Not a single guy in that cohort who’s not a raging sociopath www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...
Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Who would have guessed that David Sacks would be doing unethical shit in the White House? Not a single guy in that cohort who’s not a raging sociopath www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...
It takes real effort to be this stupid
Throughout history technological developments have promised great wealth for all. However this has proved widely over optimistic. Farming, the industrial revolution, automation, the internet and now ai. Greater wealth has only been for those who control the means and systems. The rest get poorer
November 30, 2025 at 6:23 AM
It takes real effort to be this stupid
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
feels like one out of three cars on the road in SF is a Waymo. but not for me!!! waiting for the bus is hot girl shit
November 27, 2025 at 4:04 AM
feels like one out of three cars on the road in SF is a Waymo. but not for me!!! waiting for the bus is hot girl shit
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
My new VP reeeaaally wants me to go on LinkedIn, and I have already emailed her more than one like 1000+ word essay about why I'd rather swallow a bunch of rusty nails and claw my eyes out with a dull grapefruit spoon.
November 24, 2025 at 10:50 PM
My new VP reeeaaally wants me to go on LinkedIn, and I have already emailed her more than one like 1000+ word essay about why I'd rather swallow a bunch of rusty nails and claw my eyes out with a dull grapefruit spoon.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
Design review exempt too. Because only apartments change “neighborhood character”
November 22, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Design review exempt too. Because only apartments change “neighborhood character”
What in the world is going on
November 22, 2025 at 1:53 AM
What in the world is going on
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
Help prevent massive cuts to Caltrain, sign up to support the By Area Transit Funding Measure!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Help prevent massive cuts to Caltrain, sign up to support the By Area Transit Funding Measure!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Someone found out Connie Chan running for Pelosi’s seat.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHH
November 21, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Someone found out Connie Chan running for Pelosi’s seat.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
In a city full of NIMBYs, Connie Chan is one of the biggest. she’s also super anti-transit and opposed measure RR that saved Caltrain during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Scott has led the cause for almost every pro-housing and transit bill
Scott vs. Connie is the definition of good governance vs. bad
Meanwhile, Scott has led the cause for almost every pro-housing and transit bill
Scott vs. Connie is the definition of good governance vs. bad
November 21, 2025 at 12:23 AM
In a city full of NIMBYs, Connie Chan is one of the biggest. she’s also super anti-transit and opposed measure RR that saved Caltrain during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Scott has led the cause for almost every pro-housing and transit bill
Scott vs. Connie is the definition of good governance vs. bad
Meanwhile, Scott has led the cause for almost every pro-housing and transit bill
Scott vs. Connie is the definition of good governance vs. bad
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
It’s truly remarkable the levels of disgusting they’re prepared to go to just to try to distract everyone from Trump’s starring role in the Epstein Files.
Bipartisan Outrage Over Noem's Swastika Embrace
Lawmakers react with bipartisan disgust to the Coast Guard's policy change removing hate symbol status from swastikas and nooses.
migrantinsider.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:13 PM
It’s truly remarkable the levels of disgusting they’re prepared to go to just to try to distract everyone from Trump’s starring role in the Epstein Files.
Chan is a disaster for public transit, alternative mobility, environmental protections, and housing construction.
As someone currently represented by Connie Chan, I can’t really wish this on anyone else.
In our upside-down world of our politics, it’s called “progressive” to try and lock our neighborhood in amber and fight new housing, to stump for highways and cars. I reject that sfstandard.com/2025/11/20/c...
In our upside-down world of our politics, it’s called “progressive” to try and lock our neighborhood in amber and fight new housing, to stump for highways and cars. I reject that sfstandard.com/2025/11/20/c...
Connie Chan launches 2026 bid to succeed Pelosi in Congress
The progressive would be the first Asian American to represent San Francisco in Congress.
sfstandard.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Chan is a disaster for public transit, alternative mobility, environmental protections, and housing construction.
Reposted by Mark Sawchuk
Judge Jeffrey Brown is a Trump appointee.
Whoa: A federal court just barred Texas from using its new congressional map, drawn by the GOP to target Dems.
"Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."
Court says the old map must be used in 2026. Appeals are certain. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map."
Court says the old map must be used in 2026. Appeals are certain. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 18, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Judge Jeffrey Brown is a Trump appointee.