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Stephen Coles

@stewf.com

660 followers 110 following 260 posts

(he/him) Editorial Director & Associate Curator at @letterformarchive.org in San Francisco. Cofounder of @fontsinuse.com & @typographica.org. Primarily on Mastodon: https://mstdn.party/@stewf https://stephencoles.org End the genocide. Cease fire now!

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · Nov 17

#introduction
Hello, my name is Stephen Coles.

I am a writer, typographer, archivist, and amateur curator who was extremely lucky to get into type at a time that enables and embraces two of my favorite things: building resources and communities.

This penchant began at an early age…

A photo of a young, blond, white boy in a red-orange turtleneck, blue blazer, and plaid pants. He is wearing a tag that says “Hello my name is (in swashy 1970s type) Stephen Coles (handwritten)”.

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 3h

@jonkimball.bsky.social Shamelessly asking for free domain advice. Feel free to ignore…

Got type.town in 2020. Planned a site for folks in my font community but never got to it, and may not for another 3 years. Do I renew at $47? Or let it expire knowing I’ll find something as good when I’m ready?

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 1d

BTW, I also noticed that you have just the number of clerestory windows to spell out L O C A L E C O N O M Y in them. Not that you *should*, but as a typographic person I couldn’t help it.

Reposted by Stephen Coles

Emma Silvers @emmaruthless.bsky.social · 7d

tried to write a breezy lil show preview for @coyotemedia.org about Mabuhay Gardens’ reopening party

wound up twisting myself into knots over SF’s musical nostalgia issues and how to reconcile the words “tech week coworking space” with “birthplace of SF punk” www.coyotemedia.org/mabuhay-gard...

Mabuhay Gardens to Reopen, Attempt to Remain Upright Under Weight of Expectations

The birthplace of San Francisco punk can’t be what it once was. Is it time to let it be something else instead?

www.coyotemedia.org

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 5d

Attended Local Economy’s first event tonight (for the fabulous @coyotemedia.org—support them!).

@alexis-madrigal.bsky.social’s project is the real deal, bringing soul to Rockridge. A homey, sincere space, hosting a range of stuff I can’t imagine at any other venue. www.thelocaleconomy.com/events

Event Calendar — Local Economy

www.thelocaleconomy.com

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 11d

BTW, if you want to support the work @gelliottmorris.com is doing – supplying political data analysis for free here on Bluesky, and even doing his own polling – but, like me, don’t feel good giving any money to Substack, you can donate directly to G. Elliott here: donate.stripe.com/28ocOV3Kp3TG...

Stripe Checkout

donate.stripe.com

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 11d

This shocked me: “There’s more traffic to Strength in Numbers now than there was at 538 six months before the election.”

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 11d

in which paul krugman and i talk about politics and things: paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-ag...

Talking (Again) With G. Elliott Morris

What polls are and aren't telling us right now

paulkrugman.substack.com

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Reposted by Stephen Coles

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 11d

The backlash to Trump's immigration agenda has impacted broader attitudes about the value of immigration in America apnorc.org/projects/abo...

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 12d

Not just digital, the physical books are shipped to borrowers!

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 12d

The assumption that every tech company *must* throw massive amounts of money at this boondoggle, and launch bigger and dumber AI products, is part of the problem.

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 12d

I appreciate the AI skepticism coming from @techcrunch.com vs other tech media: techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/m...

The key: It “comes as Meta has recently invested heavily in revamping its AI efforts amid concerns that it was falling behind competitors.” Whose concerns? What does “falling behind” mean?

Meta launches 'Vibes,' a short-form video feed of AI slop | TechCrunch

Think TikTok or Instagram Reels, but every single video you come across is essentially just AI slop.

techcrunch.com

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 12d

One in three US counties do not have the equivalent of one full-time local journalist, and an average of 2.5 newspapers shut down each week.

Please support your local news. I donate to @kqednews.kqed.org and @oaklandside.org.

The Crisis - Rebuild Local News

www.rebuildlocalnews.org

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 12d

The Guardian(!) covering the closure of local news in Santa Cruz: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

It includes a link to this study revealing a roughly 75% decline in local journalists since 2002. www.rebuildlocalnews.org/local-news-c...

#SantaCruz #LocalJournalism #LocalNews

The Crisis - Rebuild Local News

www.rebuildlocalnews.org

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 17d

Not an Onion article sfstandard.com/2025/09/19/a...

It’s the city’s new most expensive private school — and AI is the teacher

At Alpha School, students do only two hours of academic work a day, and tuition costs $75,000.

sfstandard.com

Reposted by Stephen Coles

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 21d

Becoming increasingly clear we’re gonna have to build a parallel infrastructure for all the media we really love. The reason all of this is happening under the color of law is hyperconsolidation, dissent being traded straight up for merger approval, or fear of harassment.

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 21d

My fam is in SLC. They have never heard of this trend.

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 21d

Very strange! Maybe a non-UT thing? Where are your in-laws?

Reposted by Stephen Coles

Max Leibman @maxleibman.bsky.social · 23d

DHH doesn't appreciate being called a "Nazi," as he reminds us in the middle of his essay on [checks notes] how he prefers to live in cities full of people that look and think the way he does.

Screenshot of text:

That was then. Now, I wouldn't dream of it. London is no longer the city I was infatuated with in the late '90s and early 2000s. Chiefly because it's no longer full of native Brits. In 2000, more than sixty percent of the city were native Brits. By 2024, that had dropped to about a third. A statistic as evident as day when you walk the streets of London now.

Copenhagen, by comparison, was about eighty-five percent native Danes in 2000, and is still three-quarters today. Enough of a foreign presence to feel cosmopolitan, but still distinctly Danish in all of its ways. Equally statistically evident on streets and bike lanes.

But I think, what would Copenhagen feel like, if only a third of it was Danish, like London? It would feel completely foreign, of course. Alien, even. So I get the frustration that many Brits have with the way mass immigration has changed the culture and makeup of not just London, but their whole country.

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 22d

Who likes Liquid Glass?

Sincerely. I’m asking before I upgrade. Does anyone? Do you?

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 22d

My entire fam is Mormon. I know many Mormons. Never see any crosses.

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 23d

And yes, this is why I love Mastodon and Bluesky too. But the contrast between Flickr and IG is the most striking. And I’ve built a community on Flickr after 21 years that makes the home feed all the more fulfilling.

In short, the Pro account is still worth every penny.

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 23d

Every time I go back to the Flickr app after too long away it is almost surprising how nice it is. Like going back in time to when apps had no ads and everything was chronological. Such a relief. So inspiring. So pleasant.

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 24d

Sad to say I’m seeing more and more false or misleading posts here (a la Twitter) from the Left. Often these are from accounts who lazily repost stuff without really checking into it.

Or maybe it’s always been that way and I just started looking at Discover too much.

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 24d

Oh wow, the quote is actually from Robert Jones, Jr. It’s commonly misattributed to James Baldwin. www.snopes.com/fact-check/j...

Either way, that photo is of neither man.

James Baldwin Said 'We Can Disagree and Still Love Each Other'?

James Baldwin has a few talented intellectual heirs.

www.snopes.com

Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 24d

A great quote, but this is not a photo of the James Baldwin who authored the quote. AI?

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Stephen Coles @stewf.com · 25d

Please use the full quote. The context was that the killer was a Utahn. He was hoping it wouldn’t be.

This isn’t any better, really, but let’s not turn this place into X by spreading fire without facts.