Michael Coley

@mcoley

Tech, policy, & politics nerd WNBA diehard NWSL & USWNT newbie MTSU & NC State alum #StarTrek🖖 🔵 in Tennessee

449 Siguiendo439 Seguidores1259 Publicaciones

Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y mcoley.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Michael Coley@mcoley· 5h

@theverge.com @vicmsong.bsky.social @reckless.bsky.social @davidpierce.xyz Did I misread the livestream time on YouTube, or is this scheduled 5 hours before the Pixel event tomorrow? I know Google leaks information like a sieve, but an embargo time of 5 hours early is wild! Looking forward to it! 🤷

Screenshot of YouTube livestream for the Vergecast scheduled for 8/12/26 at 12pm central time

Michael Coley@mcoley· 21d

Gotta love when "news" outlets report on a survey & never link to the actual data. In this case, an EdTech company makes lofty claims about AI usage of students. That's entirely possible, but I'm interested to see the actual data & how they surveyed people, but now I'm left to do my own digging.

Screenshot of an article from Higher Ed Dive

"90% of students use AI in the classroom, Instructure poll finds
A new survey from the ed tech provider also found that two-thirds of instructors and students are concerned about artificial intelligence’s accuracy."

Published July 21, 2026
Laura Spitalniak
Editor

Michael Coley@mcoley· 22d

For almost two months and counting, the @wnba.com iPad app has been completely broken in landscape mode. Is this just me, or do other #WNBA fans have the same issue?

Michael Coley@mcoley· 26d

And if you're not sure if you're in district 6 now due to redistricting, here's the current map. District 6 is in pink. And here's a link to a very detailed map. comptroller.tn.gov/content/dam/...

Michael Coley@mcoley· 28d

Here are some cat pictures to cleanse your day. Thank you for your service! 🫡

Brown tabby cat with her head on the edge of a pillow bed with a cat face

Brown tabby cat curled up in a perfect ball on the top of a scratchy post.

Black cat sitting on the side edge of a staircase looking very ominous as a light from below makes him look like Batman

A black cat (with one missing front leg) stretches out across the kitchen floor to maximize access to warm sunlight.

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jul 8

Finally found the letter that was sent. I'm not surprised that it's signed by 3 idiots from Tennessee, including my own Congressman who I guarantee does not follow or know anything about women's basketball. Scratch that, he's so old he'll probably know the name Pat Summit, & that's it.

Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515

Cathy Engelbert
Commissioner
Women's National Basketball Association
645 Fifth Avenue
New York. NY 10022

July 7, 2026

Dear Commissioner Engelbert,

Caitlin Clark is transforming women's sports. She has inspired a new generation of young girls to participate in athletics and has become one of the most influential figures in the history of women's basketball.

She is also the face of your league. Clark has significantly increased fan interest, driven record television ratings, and attracted new corporate sponsors for the WNBA. Millions of casual fans now tune in to watch her play. Unfortunately, what they too often witness is not simply aggressive competition, but repeated acts of unnecessary physical hostility and violence.

Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games. These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable. Recently, a player even appeared to endorse violence against Clark in a social media post, further fueling concerns about the culture surrounding these incidents. In addition, concerning reports suggest that many of these attacks against Caitlin Clark may be racially motivated.

As Commissioner, you have an obligation to ensure that every player competes in a safe and professional environment, both on and off the court, free from violence, discrimination, or retaliation. If discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, we support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If true, such conduct could constitute violations of federal civil rights laws.

It is imperative that the WNBA take meaningful action to address this issue. The league has an extraordinary opportunity to inspire the next generation of female…

We request answers to the following questions by July 24, 2026.

1. What is your review mechanism for physical hostility and violence on the court? 2. How will you hold players accountable for overly aggressive actions on the court, including towards Caitlin Clark?

3. What steps are you taking to protect WNBA players from online harassment and off the court threats?

We are Members of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus on Capitol Hill, and are committed to strengthening families and protecting opportunities for women in sports. As the Commissioner of the WNBA, you should do the same.

Sincerely,
August Pfluger
Member of Congress

Saday han Zach Nunn
Member of Congress

Mark Alford
Member of Congress

Diana Harshbarger
Member of Congress

Sheri Biggs
Member of Congress

Marlin A. Stutzman
Member of Congress

Tim Burchett
Member of Congress

Pete Sessions
Member of Congress

Victoria Spartz
Member of Congress

Erin Houchin
Member of Congress

John Rose
Member of Congress

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jul 7

Once again the US Men's National Team confirms my quadrennial decision to not care about men's soccer. Now, let's get on to the important stuff - supporting the @uswnt.ussoccer.com and looking forward to the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. Only 353 days to go.

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jul 6

I didn't catch all of what Holly said, but the part about Boston having the best 3pt % on the team is technically correct according to the WNBA stats. According to them, she's 4th in the league right now.

Stat Leaders
Three Point Percentage (3P%)

1 - Michaela Onyenwere (WAS.F) - 46.7
2 - Han Xu (NYL.C) - 45.5
3 - Leonie Fieboch (NYL.F) - 43.3
4 - Aliyah Boston (IND.C-F) - 42.6

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jul 3

Great minds think alike. @richarddeitsch.bsky.social

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 19

@reckless.bsky.social @davidpierce.xyz Dudes, what is this ad?! I subscribe to @theverge.com for a lot of reasons, but seeing y'all do ads with predatory and garbage companies like Kalshi is not one of them.

Screenshot of an Instagram story crossposted by The Verge and Kalshi that is advertising Kalshi's predatory and mostly illegal prediction markets.

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 18

Almost a month later, & this is still the view of the WNBA app in landscape on an iPad. It's like they tested this on an iPhone, said I'm sure iPads are the same, & just shipped it. $3 billion media deal, and they can't hire a couple of iOS devs who remember iPads exist? Come on @wnba.com.

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 11

If you follow the WNBA, now is the time to vote for who you think should be All Stars! I usually vary mine so several players get votes, but here's who I'm starting with.

Frontcourt
- A'ja Wilson
- Jessica Shepard
- Bridget Carleton
- Breanna Stewart
- Alyssa Thomas
- Shakira Austin

Backcourt
- Brittney Sykes
- Rhyne Howard
- Allisha Gray
- Olivia Miles

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 8

Same in the Android app, too.

Screenshot of the WNBA app saying that a league pass game is not being live streamed on league pass.

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 8

In a shocking turn of events, the @wnba.com app is broken again. 🤦 This time it's telling me (& a ton others on Threads) that the Liberty vs Sun game is both on League Pass but also that the live stream is not available on League Pass. Just a great high-quality product from a league worth billions.

Photo of the WNBA League Pass app being broken on Google TV.

Text reads:
"Liberty @ Sun
Watch game replays shortly after the game concludes. Live stream not available on League Pass."

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 5

Alas, the iPad app still needs work. Even after an update today, the app still forces a portrait view on iPad. So when the device is in landscape, you get this horrible design.

Michael Coley@mcoley· Jun 2

@sabreenajm.bsky.social @anniecostabile.bsky.social Question for you two- I'm a big Alysha Clark fan (hometown hero type thing), & I'm worried that she's barely playing in Dallas. So far she's averaging her lowest minutes/game in her career. Am I overreacting to just 6 games or could she be waived?

Screenshot of Alysha Clark Statistics from Her Hoop Stats:

Highlighted column shows Minutes per game -
2026 - 8.4
2025 - 19.7
2024 - 24.3
2023 - 22.5
2022 - 26.4
2020 - 28.8
2019 - 28.4
2018 - 26.2
2017 - 28.3
2016 - 27.6
2015 - 23.1
2014 - 16.5
2013 - 15.3
2012 - 10.3

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 24

For context -

Screenshot of ESPN Win Probability chart:

2:46 left in the game
Phoenix - 97.8% chance to win
Atlanta - 2.2% chance to win

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 22

Yeah, this is fine. Totally what they wanted to happen. 🙄 I'm honestly never been happier that I switched to Brave (both browser and search) months ago. (cc @theverge.com because this is ridiculous.)

screenshot of a google search results page. The searched term was "continue" and the AI response is "It looks like you're starting a new request, but the prompt is empty! Just let me know what you'd like to work on, or feel free to continue our previous conversation." This is following by almost a full screen empty white space, and then a link to "CONTINUE Definition & Meaning" from Merriam-Webster.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 22

This is great! I'd love to watch this on my iPad, but it looks like the most recent update to the WNBA app somehow broke it worse than it already was. Somehow the app just does not work in landscape mode. Any chance you can fix this and have an app that actually works? Thanks if you can!

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 21

I think you're going to like this... picture of my cats.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 19

I'm not sure if this is related or not, but ever since the Bluesky issues yesterday, I can't get deck.blue to load at all. It gets to the point of showing the frame of my columns, and then just refreshes. Any idea what that's about? I've tried closing my browser and clearing the cache.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 15

Every now & then I think about how we could have had @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social for President. I guess we just weren't ready for a President who is actually really intelligent & could get things done. I don't know that she'll run again, but if she endorses someone for 2028, that will mean a lot.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 14

Well, looks like we have a new resident on our property. This is actually the second fox I've seen in 24 hours! The first was very scrawny, so it is definitely not this one. 🦊

Photo of a red fox lying in a lightly wooded area, curled up in a ball.

The same red fox curled up in a ball in a lightly wooded area, but now they are yawning.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 13

The fact that someone from Chapel Hill (1) could represent people from Memphis (2) in Congress is just bonkers. That's 232 miles apart! How anyone could think this is fair and acceptable is just beyond me.

Map of Tennessee counties and cities with a 1 placed near Chapel Hill, and a 2 placed near Memphis.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 13

Still not as bad as the preseason game for the Lynx advertising for the next matchup with the Toronto Pulse.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 12

Amen. I love tech, and I will admit I'm usually the smartest person about tech in any room I'm in. Having said that, even I have issues with AI. I'm not even super against it in all use cases, but I do have a lot of issues with it. Reminds me of this tweet from the old days.

Screenshot of a tweet from 2019. Text reads:

"Tech enthusiasts: My entire house is smart.

Tech workers: The only piece of technology in my house is a printer and I keep a gun next to it so I can shoot it if it makes a noise I don't recognize."

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 12

Adding the "latest" column feed is the best design thing y'all have done in years. And that's saying A LOT. Happy to have it on my home screen now (yes I prefer the old logo🤷).

Screenshot of a Pixel phone home screen with The Verge icon in the center of the dock.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 8

I know we don't always like screenshots from Twitter/X, but this is an exception. State Senator @jeffyarbro.bsky.social does a great job really outlining how stupid this whole redistricting fiasco has been.

Screenshot of 5 tweets from State Senator Jeff Yarbro. They read:

So, Graceland in Memphis and the Cool Springs Best Buy in Williamson County are in the 9th congressional district bordering Mississippi & Alabama. But the Graceland Museum and the Cool Springs Mall are in the 5th congressional district bordering Arkansas, Missouri, & Kentucky.

Five years ago, my house in Nashville was in the 5th district, my parents’ home in Dyersburg was in the 8th, and my brother’s in Memphis was in the 9th. Now my brother lives in the 8th district, my parents in the 5th, and I live in the 6th (after spending 4 years in the 7th).

To give you a sense of how stupid this is, on the 20 minute drive between the Krispy Kreme on Thompson Lane in Nashville and the Krispy Kreme on Mallory Lane in Brentwood, you pass through five different congressional districts.

If you meet for coffee in Oakland in Fayette County, the Starbucks is in the 9th, but the Huddle House a minute away is in the 8th. Las Margaritas and Los Alebriges are across the street from each other in Munford in Tipton County, but in different congressional districts.

In Columbia, TN, the hospital and the community college are in different congressional districts. The hospital is together with the Memphis airport. The community college is in the same congressional district as Beale Street.

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 8

If you live in TN, you should check the new congressional map to see if your district changed. Most of the attention has been on the division of Memphis, but there were other changes across the state. You can check your registration at the TN Secretary of State website. sos.tn.gov/announcement...

Tennessee Congressional district map as of May 7, 2026

Michael Coley@mcoley· May 7

Well if it helps answer the question, I'm following 9 authors and 31 topics. So the limit is either 31 topics (which is an odd number), or it's 40 if you count authors as topics behind the scenes (which would make sense). And there are some I'm not following!