Margaret
@mappenso.bsky.social
Reader, thinker, worker, writer, enthusiastic but mediocre knitter. Occasional sleeper, expert worrier, decent in a crisis but not great at hanging up my clothes.
Pinned
Margaret
@mappenso.bsky.social
· Jan 3
Reposted by Margaret
“Careless People,” the new tell-all memoir by the former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams, chronicles the social network’s moral bankruptcy. It's a familiar story—yet it feels surprisingly urgent today, Charlie Warzel writes:
The Careless People Won
A controversial new book about Facebook serves as a field guide for the DOGE era.
www.theatlantic.com
March 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
“Careless People,” the new tell-all memoir by the former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams, chronicles the social network’s moral bankruptcy. It's a familiar story—yet it feels surprisingly urgent today, Charlie Warzel writes:
The thrill of the aughts
broadcasting life minutiae to
500 friends like breaking news.
The holiday letter dissolved to extinction — we said it already.
How could we know
we were inhaling a #radioactive frontier, invisible but
right there,
eroding our core and bonds
unable to hold fast. #vss365
broadcasting life minutiae to
500 friends like breaking news.
The holiday letter dissolved to extinction — we said it already.
How could we know
we were inhaling a #radioactive frontier, invisible but
right there,
eroding our core and bonds
unable to hold fast. #vss365
March 22, 2025 at 2:34 AM
The thrill of the aughts
broadcasting life minutiae to
500 friends like breaking news.
The holiday letter dissolved to extinction — we said it already.
How could we know
we were inhaling a #radioactive frontier, invisible but
right there,
eroding our core and bonds
unable to hold fast. #vss365
broadcasting life minutiae to
500 friends like breaking news.
The holiday letter dissolved to extinction — we said it already.
How could we know
we were inhaling a #radioactive frontier, invisible but
right there,
eroding our core and bonds
unable to hold fast. #vss365
The challenge: In March, post a book by a woman author every day (or as often as you can).
Rules:
It has to be a book you’ve read.
It has to be a book you enjoyed or learned something from.
#TheWriteWomen #booksky #books
Rules:
It has to be a book you’ve read.
It has to be a book you enjoyed or learned something from.
#TheWriteWomen #booksky #books
March 22, 2025 at 12:32 AM
The challenge: In March, post a book by a woman author every day (or as often as you can).
Rules:
It has to be a book you’ve read.
It has to be a book you enjoyed or learned something from.
#TheWriteWomen #booksky #books
Rules:
It has to be a book you’ve read.
It has to be a book you enjoyed or learned something from.
#TheWriteWomen #booksky #books
Reposted by Margaret
The logic of the coup that is going on now. And how to resist it.
snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-...
snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-...
The Logic of Destruction
And how to resist it
snyder.substack.com
February 2, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The logic of the coup that is going on now. And how to resist it.
snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-...
snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-...
Reposted by Margaret
An inflatable snowman
hangs onto twelfth night
in seasonal fog
and a #measure of resolution
‘Leave him be’, the old people at the bus stop say, as they gather in their stories of a harsher snow
and all the light
is already packed away,
with none of us ready
to face the winter alone.
#vss365
hangs onto twelfth night
in seasonal fog
and a #measure of resolution
‘Leave him be’, the old people at the bus stop say, as they gather in their stories of a harsher snow
and all the light
is already packed away,
with none of us ready
to face the winter alone.
#vss365
January 6, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Your continuous curiosity
kept me
on my toes,
inspiring debate.
Uneasy #questions foreshadowed
a promising generation.
Queries quieted.
Turning to
artificial
intelligence, you
swallow answers with ease.
Discussion erased by
the right answer.
It's not your fault, though.
We saw it coming. #vss365
kept me
on my toes,
inspiring debate.
Uneasy #questions foreshadowed
a promising generation.
Queries quieted.
Turning to
artificial
intelligence, you
swallow answers with ease.
Discussion erased by
the right answer.
It's not your fault, though.
We saw it coming. #vss365
January 5, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Your continuous curiosity
kept me
on my toes,
inspiring debate.
Uneasy #questions foreshadowed
a promising generation.
Queries quieted.
Turning to
artificial
intelligence, you
swallow answers with ease.
Discussion erased by
the right answer.
It's not your fault, though.
We saw it coming. #vss365
kept me
on my toes,
inspiring debate.
Uneasy #questions foreshadowed
a promising generation.
Queries quieted.
Turning to
artificial
intelligence, you
swallow answers with ease.
Discussion erased by
the right answer.
It's not your fault, though.
We saw it coming. #vss365
Finally, the little engine turned over. She popped it in reverse. Thump. Thump. She put it in first and the thumping accelerated as the car did. Pulling over to inspect the sound’s source, Mel saw the problem wasn’t #mechanical. Her tire was slashed, spilling like liquid on the asphalt. #WIPSnips
January 4, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Finally, the little engine turned over. She popped it in reverse. Thump. Thump. She put it in first and the thumping accelerated as the car did. Pulling over to inspect the sound’s source, Mel saw the problem wasn’t #mechanical. Her tire was slashed, spilling like liquid on the asphalt. #WIPSnips
Reposted by Margaret
Can you hear it?
That little click,
Subtle but insistent.
Something out of place.
A glitch in the system,
A hitch in the plan
Almost perfect but not.
That is music,
When the polish crumbles,
And we wield our flaws as shields,
Defiantly human,
Broken cogs each #turning
In their own time.
#vss365
That little click,
Subtle but insistent.
Something out of place.
A glitch in the system,
A hitch in the plan
Almost perfect but not.
That is music,
When the polish crumbles,
And we wield our flaws as shields,
Defiantly human,
Broken cogs each #turning
In their own time.
#vss365
January 3, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The jagged edges
refuse to line up, a
telltale sign of
the highest order.
Baskerville cuts deeper
embossed on the page
rather than glowing blue.
My fingers glide across
what I already know,
revisiting your world,
pressing your words in,
sure to last long after
the final #turn
of the page. #vss365
refuse to line up, a
telltale sign of
the highest order.
Baskerville cuts deeper
embossed on the page
rather than glowing blue.
My fingers glide across
what I already know,
revisiting your world,
pressing your words in,
sure to last long after
the final #turn
of the page. #vss365
January 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Mel circled the block, but each way she turned, roads were unlit and parking was forbidden. #Accepting her situation, Mel parked her Civic next to the Burns’ SUV, a go-cart next to a spaceship. Their driveway was a long road, its curves drawn by the sparkling lights illuminating each side. #WIPSnips
January 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Mel circled the block, but each way she turned, roads were unlit and parking was forbidden. #Accepting her situation, Mel parked her Civic next to the Burns’ SUV, a go-cart next to a spaceship. Their driveway was a long road, its curves drawn by the sparkling lights illuminating each side. #WIPSnips
The sunlight woke her. She was in the same supine position as when she fell asleep. Typically she thrashed, turning and turning like a gas #station hot dog, her covers in a tangle. But she slept hard and, for once, felt rested. Her roommate’s bed was vacant and neatly made. #WIPSnips
January 2, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Margaret
‘Moonlit Seas’
I became glass—
your shattered mirror,
and resolution in rivulets,
weeping gaps.
The valley below,
and the sea beyond—
Won’t you join me there
in that bay blue pensive,
where the churn of the moon
makes saline, a solution?
#vss365
I became glass—
your shattered mirror,
and resolution in rivulets,
weeping gaps.
The valley below,
and the sea beyond—
Won’t you join me there
in that bay blue pensive,
where the churn of the moon
makes saline, a solution?
#vss365
January 1, 2025 at 11:31 PM
‘Moonlit Seas’
I became glass—
your shattered mirror,
and resolution in rivulets,
weeping gaps.
The valley below,
and the sea beyond—
Won’t you join me there
in that bay blue pensive,
where the churn of the moon
makes saline, a solution?
#vss365
I became glass—
your shattered mirror,
and resolution in rivulets,
weeping gaps.
The valley below,
and the sea beyond—
Won’t you join me there
in that bay blue pensive,
where the churn of the moon
makes saline, a solution?
#vss365
Reposted by Margaret
Every year, a midnight celebration.
We cheer, exchange kisses
All alcohol and sugar.
Then, in the quiet hours,
In the waning moments of the bacchanal,
We see the blank canvas,
An unknown future,
Ready to paint.
Our resolutions,
The first shades of color
Added to a new year.
#vss365 #resolution
We cheer, exchange kisses
All alcohol and sugar.
Then, in the quiet hours,
In the waning moments of the bacchanal,
We see the blank canvas,
An unknown future,
Ready to paint.
Our resolutions,
The first shades of color
Added to a new year.
#vss365 #resolution
January 1, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Every year, a midnight celebration.
We cheer, exchange kisses
All alcohol and sugar.
Then, in the quiet hours,
In the waning moments of the bacchanal,
We see the blank canvas,
An unknown future,
Ready to paint.
Our resolutions,
The first shades of color
Added to a new year.
#vss365 #resolution
We cheer, exchange kisses
All alcohol and sugar.
Then, in the quiet hours,
In the waning moments of the bacchanal,
We see the blank canvas,
An unknown future,
Ready to paint.
Our resolutions,
The first shades of color
Added to a new year.
#vss365 #resolution
If I chased
an image
other than my own,
how would people
recognize me
when I showed up
richer, thinner, more
enlightened?
Good thing the #resolution
was poor,
lacking clarity.
I would hate to lose
my basic likeness.
My flaws remain
each year, but
I sweat
them less as my
vision fades. #vss365
an image
other than my own,
how would people
recognize me
when I showed up
richer, thinner, more
enlightened?
Good thing the #resolution
was poor,
lacking clarity.
I would hate to lose
my basic likeness.
My flaws remain
each year, but
I sweat
them less as my
vision fades. #vss365
January 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM
If I chased
an image
other than my own,
how would people
recognize me
when I showed up
richer, thinner, more
enlightened?
Good thing the #resolution
was poor,
lacking clarity.
I would hate to lose
my basic likeness.
My flaws remain
each year, but
I sweat
them less as my
vision fades. #vss365
an image
other than my own,
how would people
recognize me
when I showed up
richer, thinner, more
enlightened?
Good thing the #resolution
was poor,
lacking clarity.
I would hate to lose
my basic likeness.
My flaws remain
each year, but
I sweat
them less as my
vision fades. #vss365
The #government commissioned the famous architect to design it at the start of World War I as a meeting spot for soldiers. Now, in 1995, balconies provided diners with a unique vantage point, and as people maneuvered to tables, Mel saw its was a hub for VCs to broker the next startup. #WIPSnips
January 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
The #government commissioned the famous architect to design it at the start of World War I as a meeting spot for soldiers. Now, in 1995, balconies provided diners with a unique vantage point, and as people maneuvered to tables, Mel saw its was a hub for VCs to broker the next startup. #WIPSnips
Reposted by Margaret
The bud peeked awake,
infatuated with daylight #prompting it to play
Then recklessly opened, blossoming wildly in the
glow of a noonday star
Wilted back into itself
as the sun's warmth
faded from the sky
Yet its hope did not wither,
for it knew a secret:
The radiance would rise again.
#vss365
infatuated with daylight #prompting it to play
Then recklessly opened, blossoming wildly in the
glow of a noonday star
Wilted back into itself
as the sun's warmth
faded from the sky
Yet its hope did not wither,
for it knew a secret:
The radiance would rise again.
#vss365
December 31, 2024 at 5:56 PM
The bud peeked awake,
infatuated with daylight #prompting it to play
Then recklessly opened, blossoming wildly in the
glow of a noonday star
Wilted back into itself
as the sun's warmth
faded from the sky
Yet its hope did not wither,
for it knew a secret:
The radiance would rise again.
#vss365
infatuated with daylight #prompting it to play
Then recklessly opened, blossoming wildly in the
glow of a noonday star
Wilted back into itself
as the sun's warmth
faded from the sky
Yet its hope did not wither,
for it knew a secret:
The radiance would rise again.
#vss365
Slow and steady
rarely results in gold,
but
it sustains
me and those who count
on me
to have the heft
needed
to be unshakeable when the ground
quakes.
I've yet to stumble
across a post
selling the beauty of being
boring, but I remain
optimistic that
#promptness and reliability
will trend. #vss365
rarely results in gold,
but
it sustains
me and those who count
on me
to have the heft
needed
to be unshakeable when the ground
quakes.
I've yet to stumble
across a post
selling the beauty of being
boring, but I remain
optimistic that
#promptness and reliability
will trend. #vss365
December 31, 2024 at 1:51 PM
Slow and steady
rarely results in gold,
but
it sustains
me and those who count
on me
to have the heft
needed
to be unshakeable when the ground
quakes.
I've yet to stumble
across a post
selling the beauty of being
boring, but I remain
optimistic that
#promptness and reliability
will trend. #vss365
rarely results in gold,
but
it sustains
me and those who count
on me
to have the heft
needed
to be unshakeable when the ground
quakes.
I've yet to stumble
across a post
selling the beauty of being
boring, but I remain
optimistic that
#promptness and reliability
will trend. #vss365
“I didn’t recognize you,” he said.
Mel’s palm moved to the nape of her neck, now entirely bare. It had been weeks since she had it cut, and finally, she was no longer #surprised upon feeling the soft bristles at the back of her head. Looking in the mirror was still jarring, but less so. #WIPSnips
Mel’s palm moved to the nape of her neck, now entirely bare. It had been weeks since she had it cut, and finally, she was no longer #surprised upon feeling the soft bristles at the back of her head. Looking in the mirror was still jarring, but less so. #WIPSnips
December 31, 2024 at 1:18 PM
“I didn’t recognize you,” he said.
Mel’s palm moved to the nape of her neck, now entirely bare. It had been weeks since she had it cut, and finally, she was no longer #surprised upon feeling the soft bristles at the back of her head. Looking in the mirror was still jarring, but less so. #WIPSnips
Mel’s palm moved to the nape of her neck, now entirely bare. It had been weeks since she had it cut, and finally, she was no longer #surprised upon feeling the soft bristles at the back of her head. Looking in the mirror was still jarring, but less so. #WIPSnips
Unable to recall
the last time I was
alone in
the house or
the car or
my thoughts,
I begged for time
to speed up,
craving #solitude,
a lifetime away.
Delicious when it finally
arrived, it turns out
I only needed
a small daily dose.
Taken in excess, the side
effects were
unwanted.
#vss365
the last time I was
alone in
the house or
the car or
my thoughts,
I begged for time
to speed up,
craving #solitude,
a lifetime away.
Delicious when it finally
arrived, it turns out
I only needed
a small daily dose.
Taken in excess, the side
effects were
unwanted.
#vss365
December 30, 2024 at 11:48 PM
Previously #aloof, he was now both appalled and amused, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Now. School is about to start. You have another offer?”
His question stung. He knew she was desperate. This was her last shot, as the hiring window was millimeters from being firmly closed. #WIPSnips
His question stung. He knew she was desperate. This was her last shot, as the hiring window was millimeters from being firmly closed. #WIPSnips
December 30, 2024 at 10:18 PM
Mel carved a frustrating trail to her room. Few students moved for the new teacher who didn’t have the gravitas to part the seas like Mr. Finau. No #nonsense, he beat a direct path, chin up and elbows out, barking orders to step aside for those who somehow didn’t see him coming. #WIPSnips
December 29, 2024 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Margaret
A schism of silence
she, lost in her wine
and he, gazing at the
bare hills in the distance
Continuing a holiday
argument both remembered to pack
#vss365
she, lost in her wine
and he, gazing at the
bare hills in the distance
Continuing a holiday
argument both remembered to pack
#vss365
December 28, 2024 at 12:27 PM
A schism of silence
she, lost in her wine
and he, gazing at the
bare hills in the distance
Continuing a holiday
argument both remembered to pack
#vss365
she, lost in her wine
and he, gazing at the
bare hills in the distance
Continuing a holiday
argument both remembered to pack
#vss365