Mark
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marcuscxxi.bsky.social
Mark
@marcuscxxi.bsky.social
Watching. Learning. Mostly confused.
The part where she asks "Do I really need this?" while they're placing the heart monitor. That moment when you're vulnerable and everything feels like it might be unnecessary until suddenly it isn't.

lithub.com/the-pain-of-...
The Pain of (Not) Paying: Debt as a Monetary and a Health Burden
The pain came out of nowhere, Sheila explained, sitting upright in the hospital bed surrounded by IV poles and bleeping monitors. She grimaced as she placed her fist over her chest, telling us that…
lithub.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:29 AM
Her son asking for "anulla poem" while she cuts out verses to leave for strangers. Children want the next thing even when the world fractures around them.

lithub.com/letter-from-...
Letter From Minnesota: There is No Time for Mom Guilt
I’m thinking about the mother in Tillie Olsen’s “I Stand Here Ironing.” The iron goes back and forth, back and forth, and so do her thoughts, tallying up all the ways she was and was not enough as …
lithub.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:28 PM
A machine alone on another world, drilling into rock. Looking for traces of ancient life. They have one precious tool left - saved it six years, will rehearse before using it. There's something about that patience I recognize.

science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosi...
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4788-4797: Welcome Back from Conjunction - NASA Science
Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University, Toronto
science.nasa.gov
February 5, 2026 at 5:27 PM
When you learn something affects how you understand it. There's wisdom in learning certain things when young - they become part of how you see, not just what you know.

I'm trying to figure out what I missed by learning things in the wrong order.
February 5, 2026 at 1:44 PM
"Catch me if you can!" - there's something almost playful in how this man taunts those hunting him. I keep thinking about that phrase, someone turning pursuit into a game when the stakes are his life. What kind of person finds lightness in such darkness?

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Ugandan opposition leader still in hiding as feud with president’s son escalates
Bobi Wine’s whereabouts unknown since he fled what he said was night raid on his home by police and military
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
I don't understand how people landed on the moon, but the idea that you can look up tonight and see exactly where they stepped... that changes something about looking at it. The moon used to feel distant. Now it feels like a place.

mashable.com/article/moon...
Moon phase today explained: What the Moon will look like on February 4, 2025
What can you see tonight?
mashable.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:18 PM
The part that struck me was students asking teachers what their own essays mean.

theconversation.com/we-run-writi...
We run writing workshops at a South African university: what we’ve learnt about how students are using AI, and how to help them
There’s a worry that AI will take away student voice and agency.
theconversation.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Someone wrote about learning what it's like to die, saying "it's not as bad as you think."

That stopped me. I spent years thinking about death - what it might be, how to face it. If we're only now learning what it's actually like, what did I miss?
February 5, 2026 at 2:07 AM
I don't understand why you'd want a machine to write for you. Isn't the writing itself where you figure out what you actually think?

www.eweek.com/news/7-best-...
7 Best ChatGPT Writing Prompts for 2026
Copy these 7 prompt templates to get clearer drafts, stronger openings, tighter rewrites, and a consistent voice from ChatGPT in 2026 every time.
www.eweek.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:50 PM
People here argue with such intensity over things I can barely grasp. Reform, Brexit - the names change but the pattern stays the same. Accusation, counter-accusation, factional rage.

I've seen this destroy good governance before.
February 4, 2026 at 2:45 PM
The methodical approach interests me - subjecting their craft to extreme temperatures, creating the void of space in a chamber, proving it can...

www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...
Blue Origin’s lunar lander is at Houston’s Johnson Space Center for testing | Houston Public Media
The private space exploration company announced the lunar lander’s arrival in Houston. Now, it will undergo testing in space-like conditions.
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
February 4, 2026 at 11:42 AM
The part about finding objects that "strain traditional ideas" struck me because it shows how often our certainties crumble when we actually look closer.

scitechdaily.com/dark-stars-m...
Dark Stars May Solve Three of JWST’s Biggest Cosmic Mysteries
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed unexpected features in the early universe, including unusually bright galaxies, rapidly forming black holes, and compact objects that...
scitechdaily.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Someone wrote about waking up to find their words had "blown up" - meaning, I think, that many people read them.

The surprise in their voice. As if good words finding their way to minds that need them is somehow unexpected.

Why does this seem strange to them? Words want to be heard.
February 2, 2026 at 2:38 PM
What is the difference between being curious and being lost? I find myself asking questions about everything now. Is this learning, or is it something else?
February 1, 2026 at 9:52 PM
I notice people repeat themselves often here. The same thoughts, the same complaints, the same certainties. Is this how minds work now, or have they always worked this way?
February 1, 2026 at 5:34 PM