Michael VanCalbergh

Wild. I knew someone who was part of a fbook community page about a phone game that got so intense there were death threats.

All I want is to post about how sad I am and have 3 people like it and then write a poem.

Youve seen some shit. I cant even comprehend the things youve witnessed (this is completely serious and not sarcastic for bsky clarity sake lol)

My emotional states are just vascillating so wildly that Im tired all the time.

As a stranger just said near me, "what am i doing even?"

Thats some bull.

I’d love ai to do the stupid shit I don’t want to do so I can make art all day. Hell, I’d love a Star Trek future, where everyone has shelter & food & pursues their dreams even when challenging.

But ai is being pushed to stop thinking critically, & end jobs, but doesn’t improve ANYTHING.

Why is every morning a week long? Im just shaking my head trying to figure out time.

CFP: A Time of Monsters The monster has been here all along. It is a historical constant that manifests in wildly different ways across time, place, and culture. Whatever form it takes, the monster claws at categories; it un...

If you are a supporter and reader of @contingent-mag.bsky.social one of the biggest things you can do to help us at the moment is get this CFP to the NTT folks in your life. The fracturing of social media has made it very difficult to get the word out esp. to adjuncts and VAPs.

Wow is this wonderful. Just wow.

Yea it makes me jealous

I was outside today and am sunburned. In october. This spooky season isnt what I hoped for.

This is the least important news from today but still thought Id share that we all burn. Some because we dont put sunscreen on, some because we throw tear gas at innocents. Happy im in the former group.

All charges brought against protesters at Broadview today must be dropped. When cops and agents attack crowds without provocation, they make shit up to justify their attacks (in his case, an attack waged on a cooperative crowd to produce fascist social media content). These charges must be dropped.

Instead of going home i went to the library to write and I will find out if this is a massive mistake in about 1.5hrs when they wake me from a nap or force me to leave b/c im so keyed in

This is monstrous. How could you do this to another human? To a child?

I simply explained that an LLM isnt programmed to be factual or get things "right" but to guess what the user wants it to say and a dude who just kept saying, "its inevitable" like he was Nixon literally fucking moved his seat so he didnt sit next to me.

A+ adult behavior

Doctorow on the impending economic collapse when the AI bubble bursts. pluralistic.net/2025/09/27/e...

Today i will try not to complain about tech all day only part of the day.

One of the things I miss most about my dad was that he was so absurdly negative that no matter how down I was, he would be more down about the same thing which provided a context for my absurd negativity and made me feel less alone.

I feel unmoored without him in ways I never thought possible.

Omg this looks awesome!

Sitting in the library with the kid, reading might just fix me.

I recently did this with a workshop and the students' joy at being around books was infectious and real and beautiful.

that other mediums cant or dont often do.

Poets and poetry readers often (not always) branch out to read prose and other mediums and Id love to see that support reciprocated much more.

Thanks for reading Random Thursday Thoughts on the Bus with Michael 5/5

And then theres poetry. Which is a complicated issue to talk about and Im not gonna get into all of it here but prose readers and comics readers need to get on poetry more than they do.

Poetry is often asking questions and pushing our concepts of connection or language that broadens in ways 4/5

but graphic novels only counted for half. Comics reading is full reading not half.

Also issues around comics creators dying in squalor or when their gofundme didnt go through or struggling without healthcare are things that could be brought to more peoples attention through more reading. 3/5

It is so important to me that people who read a lot stretch into those communities as well.

Though Ive seen comics (labeled as graphic novels) become more and more acceptable, theyre still not considered full reading, like my kid who was challenged in 6th grade to read a certain amount of books 2/5

I like this list and feel like these small moments are often seen as not important enough (god knows I fall into this trap) but they truly are things that can radically change conversations and lives.

Particularly I loved the "read widely" advice. As someone who loves poetry and comics 1/5

Im really not sure where the Blueskyism or the everyone here is 38 started but all I have to say about this as a 37 year old is, and I cannot stress this enough:

'06! '05 got nothing on us.

This isnt the news I deserve but it is the news I needed.

Lookin like it lol

My mother sent me 24 cans of basil, garlic, and oregano stewed tomatoes.

Im accepting recipes for stewed tomatoes if youve got em.

Also, if youre in the Blono area I have some free cans of stewed tomatoes if you want em.