Stephen Coles
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stewf.com
Stephen Coles
@stewf.com
670 followers 110 following 280 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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stewf.com
Mast still pulling.
Screenshot of a post on Mastodon by Stephen Coles that has 46 replies, 680 boosts, and 779 favorites: “Friends, please stop linking to Spotify like it's ok. The company steadily siphoned money from independent artists, then spent millions to host Joe Rogan, then littered their library with Al music, and now the CEO is investing in Al weapons. There are plenty of less damaging ways to listen to music and podcasts.”
November 9, 2025 at 9:21 PM
stewf.com
If you must use ChatGPT to look something up (you probably don’t), ask it to “always provide citations with answers”. This setting is saved for future chats. Then, at least, you can check the sources, the sources get credit for the content ChatGPT stole.
Screenshot of ChatGPT showing part of a chat. The user prompted “name and link”, and ChatGPT responds: “Perfect ✅ — from now on, l'll always include inline citations with the source name and link directly. Example: The Eiffel Tower is 330 meters tall (Tour Eiffel - https://www.toureiffel.paris)”
October 25, 2025 at 6:02 AM
stewf.com
Go @ebbooksellers.bsky.social!
Photo of a chair outside a bookshop. On the chair is a stack of books titled, “Antifa, the Antifascist Handbook”. Taped to the chair is a sign that reads: These are FREE take one, read it, share it! Turning Point USA has put the author on a “list”, resulting in death threats against Mark Bray, his family & his students. Consequently, he & his family have had to flee the country. If you are able to support the purchase of more copies so we can continue to give these away please let us know!
October 22, 2025 at 5:02 AM
stewf.com
Near the end of the #SanFrancisco #NoKings march, I ran into a @kpfa.org reporter and got on the air. I’m pretty amped up in this recording, partly because it was loud out there, but also nerves and passion.
October 19, 2025 at 4:50 AM
stewf.com
Please enjoy this goat’s high quality horns and beard. @laureola.bsky.social and I lucked into the East Bay fire-mitigation team on Sunday’s hike.

#Oakland #SFBA #Goats
Portrait of a sandy-colored goat with a twisting horn and long beard chewing on a piece of grass. Portrait of a sandy-colored goat with a twisting horn and long beard chewing on a piece of grass. Wide-angle photo of a large group of goats on grassy field surrounded by trees.
August 20, 2025 at 3:37 AM
stewf.com
Fascinating to see how Mastodon reacted to this post. I generally see a similar level of “engagement” on the two platforms, so I think this really shows how Bluesky culture still normalizes the use of problematic platforms (especially Substack!), while Mastodon abhors them.
Screenshot of the same post on Mastodon, where it received 11 replies, 192 boosts, and 179 favorites.
August 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
stewf.com
Just got this email from @americanredcross.bsky.social a couple weeks after donating blood. Very cool that they can tell you where yours went and who it helped. ❤️
Screenshot from an email with the American Red Cross logo at the top and the headline, “Your donation is on its way to change lives.” An illustration of a truck with a red cross logo on the side next to a hospital. The text: Dear Stephen, Thank you for giving blood with the American Red Cross on July 17, 2025. After first ensuring that local needs were met, your blood donation was sent to San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, CA to help a patient in need. Your donation is on its way to change lives!
August 12, 2025 at 9:35 PM
stewf.com
@laureola.bsky.social and I took the slow road from SF to Portland for #TypeCon. There are many sign pics to share, but my favorite thing of all is probably this guy.

#Orick #WoodCarving #RoadsideAttractions
A wood carving of a life size or larger man standing on a stump with his hand in the air as if holding something, but he is not. He has an awkward but somehow satisfied look on his face.
August 8, 2025 at 8:25 AM
stewf.com
New Yorkers understand what’s going on in Gaza. www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/7/...
A series of bar charts with the headline, “NYC Democratic Primary Voters Believe Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza” Question: Do you believe Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people living in Gaza? At the top is “All likely voters” responding “Yes, Israel is committing genocide against Palestinian people in Gaza” 78% Yes 9% Don’t know 13% No
August 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
stewf.com
Birbday card from @laureola.bsky.social. #umlaut
A folded paper printed with the words “Happy Birbday Stüfi” using letters made of feathers and birds. The word “birb” is cute internet slang for “bird”. The umlaut is made of heart flowers held by two birbs.
July 19, 2025 at 5:22 PM
stewf.com
@laureola.bsky.social at @typographicsnyc.bsky.social.

Big ups for whoever did these stairs. @nicksherman.bsky.social?
Photo of a white stairway in which the vertical riser of each step has a phrase in a different typeface. A woman poses playfully near the top of the stairs.
June 28, 2025 at 3:44 AM
stewf.com
my frequent flying apps all in a flock on the home screen
Screenshot of iOS home screen cropped to show three app icons: Bluesky (butterfly), iNaturalist (bird), Merlin Bird ID (bird)
June 12, 2025 at 7:45 AM
stewf.com
1. I look forward to ridding myself of all Google products. Takes effort, but worth it. There are good alternatives. (Using @fastmail.com for all my personal domains now.)

2. When corps send you this BS about the value of AI, make sure you write back and tell them exactly how much AI means to you.
Screenshot of an email with the Google Workspace logo at top. Text: The pricing for your Google Workspace Business Starter subscription will change beginning July 9, 2025 Dear Google Workspace administrator, We're writing to inform you of the price change that will go into effect for your Google Workspace Business Starte subscription on or after July 9, 2025. The updated subscription pricing reflects the significant added Al value, as well as the many new features we have introduced and are launching to Google Workspace editions. Learn more. Please visit the Admin console Billing page to review vour new subscription
June 9, 2025 at 3:49 PM
stewf.com
With @laureola.bsky.social at FontShop Berlin in May 2010, one year after our first date.
Man and woman cuddle at a table.
May 24, 2025 at 5:51 AM
stewf.com
Results map from the #Oakland mayoral election tells you most of what you need to know about who supported #BarbaraLee and who supported #LorenTaylor.

For folks who don’t know the East Bay, the purple area is the Oakland hills, where the wealth is.
Map of Oakland with results from the Special Municipal Election (April 15, 2025) for Mayor. Precincts on the west side of the city are mostly orange, on the east side (hills) is mostly purple. Precincts Reported: 106 of 108 (98.15%) Candidate Votes Barbara Lee 47045 (50.06%) Loren Manuel Taylor 42276 (44.99%) Tyron C. Jordan 985 (1.05%) Mindy Ruth Pechenuk 821 (0.87%) Renia Janeen Webb 784 (0.83%)
April 19, 2025 at 2:47 AM
stewf.com
Here is @m-bleue.com on designers giving a damn. Full video: www.instagram.com/reel/DIje1hS... (I’d love to see this wisdom on platforms other than Meta’s, but thank you for making it!)
April 17, 2025 at 5:21 PM
stewf.com
Got this unused crepe polyester shirt at a vintage market. It was so fresh the manufacturer’s pins were still in. And look what I found in the pocket. Thanks, Connie!
Three combined images: a blue shirt with red inside collar, stitching, and buttons; a tag with the label, “MADE IN U.S. BY AMERICAN LABOR”; and the reverse side of the tag: “EVERY PRECAUTION Has been taken to make this garment the best value you can obtain for your money. Everything that goes into this garment has been tested to insure your complete satisfaction. Every garment has been carefully inspected. We sincerely hope that it meets with your ap-proval. I personally checked this garment. – CONNIE WILLOW”
April 15, 2025 at 6:18 AM
stewf.com
#HandsOff in #SaltLakeCity as captured by @marileecr.bsky.social

Video of a bearded man in wraparound sunglasses holding a sign that says “If you ever wondered what you’d do during slavery, the holocaust or civil rights movement: you’re doing it now”.
April 5, 2025 at 7:31 PM
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March 25, 2025 at 7:17 AM
stewf.com
March 25, 2025 at 7:17 AM
stewf.com
Hello from Mount Shasta.
March 25, 2025 at 7:02 AM
stewf.com
Translation: “This decision comes as part of Cash App’s effort to earn more interest on your money.”

Block has now removed the main reason I use #CashApp over #Venmo.
Screenshot of an email with the Cash App logo at the top. The message reads: Cash App Auto Cash Out will no longer be supported You have set up Auto Cash Out to automatically withdraw the money you receive. We wanted to let you know the feature will no longer be sapported on or after March 26th, 2025. This decision comes as part of Cash App's ongoing efforts to streamline our offerings and focus on features that provide the most value to our customers.
March 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM
stewf.com
The original: www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
Same image, but with “FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!” at the bottom.
December 23, 2024 at 12:03 AM
stewf.com
I can get with this holiday vibe.

Scholar Printer with Christmas Tree
Color linocut by Moriz Jung
Published by the Wiener Werkstätte, Vienna, ca. 1910
Collection Metropolitan Museum of Art

Greeting card by Stephen Stinehour, Stinehour Editions www.stinehoureditions.com
A wood block print of an old man hunched over a book in a snowy forest sitting in front of one small tree lit with candles. At the bottom is “SEASON’S GREETINGS”.
December 22, 2024 at 11:53 PM
stewf.com
Screenshot of Andy Larsen’s “Triple Team” newsletter with the following text in view: On paper, you wouldn't think much of that Jazz. game: the Jazz got a 29-point lead in the first quarter, and hung on to that lead to win. It never got within a possession. The Pistons couldn't throw the ball in the ocean (27% from three), the Jazz couldn't help but turn over the ball (27 turnovers). But if you watched that game? You'd know how wild it was. We had players (Ron Holland and Jordan Clarkson) squaring up to fight, we had taunting techs, we had players screaming at fans and vice versa, we had skirmishes all over the floor. Honestly? It was entertaining as all get out. Despite the margin, the physical play - and the emotion and passion that the players showed throughout the contest - made that game incredibly fun to watch. There's been a lot of talk around the NBA in the last couple of weeks about the game's TV ratings. There' no real debate: they re down. Ratings across a lot of sports are down, to be fair, but certainly, fewer Screenshot of the NBA app with the “Insights” tab open and the following text in view: Powered by Microsoft Copilot Generated with Al Beta END Q4 UTA @ DET The Utah Jazz edged out the Detroit Pistons 126-119 at Little Caesars Arena. Keyonte George hit a season-high 7 threes, scoring 28 points. Malik Beasley set a Pistons franchise record with 19 three-point attempts, making 7. Collin Sexton added 30 points, shooting 71.4% from deep. The Jazz dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Pistons 67-43, with Lauri Markkanen pulling down 14 rebounds and scoring 27 points. Give me details on Walker Kessler's defensive performance Find out more about the Jazz turnovers and overcoming them What is Malik Beasley's new career high for field goal attempts?
December 20, 2024 at 6:01 AM