Stephen Coles

@stewf.com

724 Followers 117 Following

(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 Free Palestine!

Screenshot of Ethan Marcotte’s blog: I prefer to avoid Al usage for ethical, practical, and financial reasons. 1. Ethically: Generative Al tools, powered by data centers which consume vast amounts of water and pollute our environment, are built on the collective theft of the works of millions of artists, developers, authors, and other creatives, supercharge the spread of disinformation and fascism, have repeatedly provoked psychosis and suicide, and concentrate wealth in fewer hands while providing cover for widespread layoffs. 2. Practically: I have found that Al tools overcomplicate implementations and that cleaner, simpler solutions can often be written by hand. Al doesn't "know" anything, and is making life worse for open source maintainers. Overreliance on Al risks deskilling. 3. Financially: I dislike sending money to large corporations when alternatives include learning the skill for free and contributing to open source projects. Tokens are currently heavily. subsidized and likely to become more expensive, so would prefer not to make a habit of using them. I use Al tools sparingly for assistance while refactoring code in languages I understand. I occasionally use it to help compose command line arguments for tools like ffmpeg. I never use Al to generate images, video, or prose. - Ky Decker, an aside shared in "Do I belong in tech anymore?"
Screenshot from Apple News with the headline, “World Cup 2026 The Athletic Folarin Balogun available for USMNT vs. Belgium as red-card ban suspended”
Black-and-white photo of a storefront. The building has an arched roof, and on the front is a sign: “CRYSTAL PALACE MARKET / DISTINCTIVE SERVICE”.
Screen recording from iPhone showing the steps to change search engine settings.
Screenshot of an email: Subject: World Trade Center... On May 12, 2022, at 9:07 AM, Paul Shaw wrote: Stephen, where did you get that and who are those guys? That is a rare item. It took me over 100 hours to do the calligraphy and make the mechanical (which was so large I had to work on my studio tloor). The client wouldn't give me a sample because they said they cost too much. In the end a friend took one from a smashed bus stop shelter and gave it to me. One interesting thing about the design is the presence of the Vista Hotel (hard to see because of the yellow). It wasnot part of the original concept and in the midle of doing the calligraphy the client insisted on adding it in. That forced me to redo a good chunk of the calligraphy. Then, a few years later the hotel was blown up in a pre-9/11 operation by Islamic extremists that was probably intended to take the entire WTC down. The other note: I was given pages of text to write. But when I started writing it out it only filled up about half of one tower. So, the remaining text I ended up creating. Best, Paul
Isometric pixel illustration of a Mac as a coffee grinder.
Isometric pixel illustration of a Mac flying with pilot goggles and scarf.
Isometric pixel illustration of a Mac in a party mask and blowing a noisemaker.
Isometric pixel illustration of a Mac as a jukebox.
Photo of a rundown stucco building with peeling red paint. A sign says "CASA CANTONIERA".
Photo of the back of a man walking on a sidewalk. He wears a sandwich board festooned with US flags. On the board is a 1940s illustration of a woman saluting and the text “BE PATRIOTIC / FIGHT TRUMP”.
A woman holds a ring up to the camera.
A woman and an appraiser stand on either side of a very odd butterfly necklace. Titles read, “Rosecliff, Newport, RI.”
Video of an Indian peafowl preening itself on a front porch.
Woman on a conference stage with microphone in her hand.
Graphic showing a macro photo of an insect (credit Dale Harding), a headline (Canon EOS R6) and a list of “Most Used Cameras”: 1. Canon EOS R6 Mark II 2. Sony A7 Ill 3. Apple IPhone 16 Pro 4. NikonZ 6II 5. Samsung Galaxy S23 6. Google Pixel 8 Pro 7. Fujifilm X-T5 8. Olympus E-M1Markll g. OM SYSTEM OM-1 10. Panasonic DC-G9
A marble wall inscribed with faux-Greek lettering: “Immortal love, Forever full. Forever flowing free … Forever shared, Forever whole. A never ebbing sea.”
Photo of a gravestone topped by a broken roman column. A group of crows flies overhead.
Photo of a wood paneled mezzanine. A man in a suit and gold party hat looks over the railing at a balloon archway with balloons spelling “75”.
Photo of a plant-topped concrete colonnade with wood slat roof casting interesting striped shadows below.
Photo of a portico with glazed bas-relief depicting a merman undersea riding on two dolphins, a walrus, sea horses, and decoration.
Photo of a large arena with nearly empty wooden seats and light streaming through five arched windows.
Back of a large steel tanker truck. Black Helvetica letters attached to the tank read, “AT NIGHT WE HAUL MILK”.
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.”
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)”
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!
Portrait of a sandy-colored goat with a twisting horn and long beard chewing on a piece of grass.
Screenshot of the same post on Mastodon, where it received 11 replies, 192 boosts, and 179 favorites.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
Screenshot of iOS home screen cropped to show three app icons: Bluesky (butterfly), iNaturalist (bird), Merlin Bird ID (bird)
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
Man and woman cuddle at a table.
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%)
A person in glasses and queen of hearts sweater speaking directly into the camera with sincerity.
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”
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”
Video starting at a large snow covered mountain with trees in the foreground and panning to an empty road, a field of shrubs and trees, and ending at the other side of the road with the sun setting on more mountains in the distance.
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.
Same image, but with “FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!” at the bottom.
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”.
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
A woman wearing a green coat and dress sitting on a yellow wooden bench in front of a tiled wall with a large arrow in lighter tile.
An info graphic titled “MyFlickrYear 2024” with “Most faved Flickr photo of 2024” a type specimen, “My Flickr stats for 2024”, and “My best Flickr friends in 2024”.
Cropped screenshot from a news app with a paragraph of text: “On today's POLITICO Tech podcast, Khanna also asserts Capitol Hill’s control of the federal purse and explains why Democrats need a post-election message to voters focused on using artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology to rebuild the econoiny. Listen to the full interview on POLITICO Tech.”
Photo of a thick book with a blue binding. The title on the cover and spine is “EMIGRE FONTS / 1986 2024 / TYPE SPECIMENS / A COMPENDIUM”.
A blushing happy face popping out of a hole in the ground.
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)”.
iPhone screenshot of the Bluesky app launch screen, a photo of a light blue sky filled with clouds of pink and purple tints.