Mark Stoneman

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 17:42:53 -0400

Fascinating rumination on being human in an era shaped by frequent interactions with LLMs and their human-mediated output: “Life on the Uncanny Precipice” by Naomi Saphra, Aug. 8, 2026, nsaphra.net.

Odd Internet Speak -- Using 'Correct' to Express Agreement

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:19:01 -0400

Has anyone else noticed random guys writing “correct” under other people’s web comments? They are responding to something that makes sense to them or that they agree with, but to me it comes off as a combination of arrogance, ignorance, and social ineptitude. Is this usage of “correct” a weird side effect of judgy social media rhetoric? Or do I need to recalibrate what I think I’m hearing? Perhaps it is shorthand for “you speak the truth”? In this age of epistemological uncertainty, such shorthand might be useful for some as they make sense of the world. Still, I would suggest restricting it to one’s own internal monologue, so as not to sound conceited. But maybe that’s just me.

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:18:44 -0400

Sleepy day. The short visit from my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter wore me out. We spent much of our time indoors so that my mother could enjoy the wee one’s company, but we also managed to spend a little time in Swift River at a small public beach.

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:01:50 -0400

A sweet slice of ordinary life in extraordinary times by the Kyiv Independent: the watermelon harvest in an unoccupied part of Kherson Oblast, youtu.be/dCASqlOEH… 🇺🇦 🍉

#StandWithUkraine

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:43:56 -0400

Hugh Roberts (Uni Exeter) introduces translations of moving poetry by Ukrainian soldiers in a conversation with Adelie Pojzman-Pontay on Ukraine the Latest. It starts at 12:30 in today’s episode. youtu.be/7AXCoKZkX… 🇺🇦

#WarPoetry #RussoUkrainianWar #StandWithUkraine

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 19:15:16 -0400

“When righteous calls to end the war become warmongering” – Important opnion piece by Andrew Chakhoyan – kyivindependent.com/when-righ…

#RussoUkrainianWar #RussiaIsATerroristState #LanguageMatters

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:27:30 -0400

“Know Your Rights Comic” by WeTeachNYC, available in 14 languages, www.weteachnyc.org/resources…

#USimmigration

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:18:03 -0400

The meter and app I use to measure my glucose levels was provided by Livongo through my health insurance. But now Teledoc has taken over. Unlike the Livongo app, theirs won’t write data to my iPhone’s Health app. Instead, it only wants to receive data. After much poking around and one unhelpful phone call, I learned that I can export a CSV file from their website. That’s at least something, though it strikes me as unnecessary friction. I guess I could use the Health CSV Importer app to get that data into the Health app. Then I would just have to remember to manually enter the data as I go. So much for the notion that technology was there to serve me and not the other way around.

By the way, if trusting Apple’s Health app sounds just as crazy as trusting Teledoc’s app, keep in mind that I have some level of control over what phone I use and when I might change it. The existence of a health insurance plan or the services it provides, however, depends on dark forces whose actions are extremely difficult to anticipate.

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:41:34 -0400

“Westward” by Jason Heppler, westward.jasonheppler.org. “An endless scroll through the American West in public-domain photographs from open cultural-heritage collections.”

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:26:33 -0400

“Attacks on Ukrainians in Poland are rising. Disinformation fuels the flames” by Martin Fornusek, kyivindependent.com/attacks-o…

#RussoUkrainianWar

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:16:04 -0400

Haunting report by Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko of The Kyiv Independent: “24 hours in Dobropillia: the city Russia wants to erase” (26 min), youtu.be/-iuOqloKo…

#RussoUkrainianWar #GlideBombs #RussiaIsATerroristState

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:23:29 -0400

“America keeps losing the thread on Russia’s kidnapping of Ukraine’s children” by Benjamin Patton, kyivindependent.com/america-k…

#RussiaIsATerroristState #RussoUkrainianWar

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:50:53 -0400

“More than a reshuffle — What Ukraine’s new government reveals about power” by Olena Tregub, kyivindependent.com/more-than…

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:04:32 -0400

A ten-year old Ukrainian gymnast who lost a leg dances in Times Square. youtu.be/WYA0rUIqp… #UkraineWillWin

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:55:06 -0400

I’m enjoying Yaroslav Hrytsak, Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, trans. Dominique Hoffman (PublicAffairs, 2024). It allows me to see this history within its broader European and even global contexts. That is the best way to make a national history make sense.

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 20:07:06 -0400

Thinking in terms of dichotomies – either/or, tradition/modernity, people/nation, myth/reality – is rarely productive. The most effective formulations will combine tradition with modernity, the secular with the sacred and reality with myth. The mythical worldview is inherent in every person, modern or not – we simply cannot live without it. It manifests itself especially powerfully in times of crisis and upheaval.

–Yaroslav Hrytsak, Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, trans. Dominique Hoffman (PublicAffairs, 2024), “Interlude: A Brief History of Ukrainian Song."

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:31:19 -0400

“Editorial: By sacking Fedorov, Zelensky risks turning tide of war back in Russia’s favor” kyivindependent.com/editorial… #Ukraine #RussoUkrainianWar

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:31:34 -0400

Canadian fires are gifting us with code-orange air quality today. 😷

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:10:23 -0400

“David Arakhamia and the power of being useful” by Kateryna Denisova, kyivindependent.com/david-ara… – “Meet David Arakhamia, the Ukrainian parliament’s linchpin, key negotiator, and political player, whose influence far exceeds his public profile” #Ukraine #Politics

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:51:30 -0400

Kevin M. Levin: “Why Lindsey Graham Abandoned the Confederate Flag” kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/why-lin… “What the Confederate battle flag’s slow exit from South Carolina reveals about his entire career”

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:55:01 -0400

Caolan Robertson reports on the malign influence of Russia in Ireland, which is feeding its criminal war machine. youtu.be/5bTxEeywV… #RussiaIsATerroristState #RussoUkrainianWar

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 19:43:35 -0400

“Viatrovych: Yanukovych and Russian agents altered the course of the historical dispute with Poland” news.liga.net/en/politi… #PastAndPresent #Poland #Ukraine

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 16:04:07 -0400

Historical memory and politics: “Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland commemorates Volyn massacres as history unsettles Kyiv-Warsaw relations” (Kyiv Independent)

My comment

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 01:21:23 -0400

“How a street check in Lviv became a warning sign for Ukraine’s mobilization system” kyivindependent.com/how-a-str…

Link to my comment on that article: kyivindependent.com/how-a-str…

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:26:45 -0400

“Inside Russia’s Secret Prisons in Occupied Ukraine” – BBC World Service Documentaries youtu.be/vRY3nBTzz… #RussiaIsATerroristState