iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Exciting news! I got the final list of objects and papyri documents for the @thejohnrylands.bsky.social catalogue. It's got three magical amulets showing the full progression of change from 150BCE to 500CE Egypt. I can now write about the whole transition. #AcademicSky #ClassicsSky

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

So I didn’t get the fellowship I applied for. Haven’t managed to get any job (academic and not) I’ve applied for in 18 months of applying. Feeling kind of dreadful. Please don’t do the getting a job in academia is hard. It’s bollocks awful everywhere. #AcademicSky

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

I should be working on a book proposal, a catalogue essay, and a book chapter. My brain can't stop planning a book that's all about the Moomin House. A whole book.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

I'm starting to think the spectre of Marx doesn't want me reading Specters of Marx. Or maybe it's another ghost. This week I've got a GP appointment to look at my dodgy foot (a real medical term). @lizgloyn.bsky.social @bigfridge224.bsky.social

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Gautam Bhatia @gautambhatia88.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

We are now 50% funded! To get us through the next 50%: www.kickstarter.com/projects/str...

kickstarter.com

Strange Horizons 2026

A free weekly speculative fiction magazine with a global perspective.

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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 10/06/2025

We dont often in life get to work with actual real-world heroes. That happened for us yesterday when Jenna and 300 of her brave #NIH colleagues allowed us to stand up with them against the Trump regime's war on science and health in America. TY Jenna & all #NIHheroes #StandUpForScience #SaveNIH

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

I'll say this for Derrida. He's horrible to read but the horror did compel me to go out for a run. So there's that. #AcademicSky #Hauntology

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Yesterday I submitted the edits for my first academic article to Studia Scandinavica. Moomins ahoy! Now I have finally opened the review, edit, and notes on my proposal for @edinburghup.bsky.social's editors. With deep apologies for my procrastination. *Bows* #AcademicSky

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Big Issue @bigissue.com · 28/05/2025

A History of the World in Six Plagues explores the myriad ways in which people people exerted their agency during the pandemic lockdown.

bigissue.com

How lockdowns through history have led to revolt and misinformation

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

My first academic article has been accepted for publication by Studia Scandinavica. It’s about Moominmamma’s handbag. Revisions due in three weeks. After @theconversation.com’s event last week I guess this makes me a Moominologist now. #academicsky

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Dr Ellie Mackin Roberts @elliemackinroberts.net · 05/05/2025

My not-hot take on the ‘why don’t UK universities aggressively pursue American academics cut adrift’ discussion is three-fold. One: there are a lot of brilliant un- and under-employed academics here already. Two: have you *seen* what’s happening in HE here? Three: immigrating isn’t that easy.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

@moudhy.bsky.social’s Between Two Rivers has me doing one of my favourite things: hunting museum online catalogues for stuff. Usually for me it’s papyri and terracottas. Now it’s cuneiform tablets. I want to LOOK AT THEM ALL.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

I’m really only here to say I decided to pick up @chuckwendig.bsky.social’s Wanderers a couple of months back because it was on offer. It’s mind-bendingly good so far. Very much recommend.

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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

No #DigitalFriday today because it is a public holiday in the UK; take that work/life balance seriously and I'll see you all next week ;)

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Gautam Bhatia @gautambhatia88.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Public voting for the 2025 Locus Awards is open till April 15. THE SENTENCE has been long-listed in the best SF novel category, along with a ton of great work. If you’re so inclined, the voting link (open to all) is available here: poll.voting.locusmag.com

poll.voting.locusmag.com

Welcome to the Locus Awards Poll. Deadline for voting is April 15. You can return and edit or add to your ballot up until the deadline.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

This. I teach because being with the students and helping them learn is the best bit.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

My favourite @thejohnrylands.bsky.social papyri discovery of the week: Proclus writes to Sarapion asking about his health. Everyone is worried for him. His daughter is annoyed she hasn’t had an update. “Can you tell dad to let me know he’s okay?” It’s so human and it’s 1700 yrs old. #skystorians

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

New plan. Add four more and attach them to each month. Your birth month is your hamster. Hamstomancy: predicting your future from your hamster chart.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

I wasn’t going to attend @archaeobruja.bsky.social’s talk today because I was having a bad anxiety day. Then I did. It was so inspirational. Made me see I could combine storytelling with ancient research for this fellowship proposal. Now I’m all excited. #AcademicSky #Skystorians.

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Society for Classical Studies @scsclassics.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

The Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities initiative provides mini-grants of up to $2,000 to support public engagement projects. The next deadline is May 16, 2025! To learn more about the initiative, please visit: classicalstudies.org/outreach/anc...

Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities: Mini-grants of up to $2,000 for public projects that engage individuals, groups, and communities in critical discussion of and creative expression related to the ancient Mediterranean, the global reception of Greek and Roman culture, and the history of teaching and scholarship in the field of classical studies. Next Deadline: May 16, 2025. Scan QR Code to learn more.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

I’m supposed to be writing a research proposal but instead I am lying here crying with anxiety.

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David Connolly BAJR @bajr-badger.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Field Archaeologists at all levels Archaeological Research Services Salary: £24,730 - £34,980 ( Pay Award Pending ) Closing Date: 31/05/25 Location: UK wide www.bajr.org/job-ad/field...

bajr.org

Field Archaeologists at all levels - BAJR - British Archaeology Jobs and Resources

Salary: £24,730 - £34,980 ( Pay Award Pending )Closing Date: 31/05/25Location: On sites across the UK

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Lukas Engelmann @engelmal.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

"research activity conducted by Universities is fantastically loss-making," Vivien Stern, @universities-uk.bsky.social on BBC4 today Reckless choice of word to describe a public good, produced by public service institutions, charities and their workforce. This is what got us into this mess.

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Gautam Bhatia @gautambhatia88.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

I’ll be speaking on speculative fiction and alternative futures this Friday evening, in Bhopal. Please drop by if you’re free.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

How to drag a queen like a queen. Essentially, humans have been putting stuff off since the beginning of humans and have also been telling each other off for it for about as long.

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The Contingent Professor @contingentprof.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Well, look what showed up today. Author gratis print copies! Book releases April 16. Available on that e-commerce site (tinyurl.com/4b5kzh82) w/ book preview at publisher (tinyurl.com/46bmaxcj). #AcademicSky #EduSky #HigherEd

5 print copies of The Contingent Professor

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Dragons of Wales @dragonsofwales.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

A guide to the unusual wildlife of a VERY unusual forest. Get your copy of Dragons of the Dark Woods here: dragonsofwales.etsy.com/listing/9478...

Promotional picture of Dragons of the Dark Woods - an art book documenting the dragons of an ancient Welsh forest.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

I wish I could do a direct to brain thing while I'm on a run so all my thoughts were transcribed and I could find the useful ones when I finish. Except I don't want a tech bro to do this because I've read The Dream Hotel and also I wouldn't want my run interrupted with the inevitable ads.

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Naomi L. Jacobs @naomijacobs.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Our speaker for today’s @learningmet.bsky.social seminar is our own Dr Dawn Cavanagh, speaking about her organisation’s work for people with learning disabilities & autistic people in locked wards and for independent living. Stolen Lives, Activism & the Role of Academia in Defending Human Rights. 🧵

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Gaia Vince @wanderinggaia.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Civilised nations should not be negotiating deals with this USA

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

My autobiography is going to involve a very sudden twist at the end where I pivot from 19th century Marxist geography through the materiality of ancient magic to the Moomins and everybody will be like how the hell did that happen? And so will I, to be honest.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

GODDAMIT. IT’S NOT A RESURRECTED DIRE WOLF. 20 edits in 19,000 genes. IT’S NOT GOING TO AID CONSERVATION. EVERY WRITE UP THAT SWALLOWS AND REGURGITATES THIS GUFFERY WOLFSHIT IS DOING PR FOR A FUNDING ROUND.

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Carsten Timmermann @ctimmermann.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Apropos those dire wolf stories, y'all know that the Nazis were going to bring back extinct species, right? One of those moments when history rhymes? undark.org/2017/05/30/n...

undark.org

The Fascist History of De-Extinction

Modern critics worry about the consequences of bringing extinct species back. The Nazis weren't so concerned in their quest to bring back the aurochs.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Having a bit of a mentally sucky day. Trying not to spiral so I did a stupid 10 mile run for my stupid mental health. Now going to grade those last two papers. #AcademicSky #HigherEd

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Internet Archaeology @intarcheditor.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

🌐✨ Join us in supporting open access in archaeology! We want to support researchers who have no institutional backing to cover publishing and archiving costs, especially those whose data may be at risk of being lost. Find more information on how to apply via this link: buff.ly/Ix1hqXN

buff.ly

Open Access Archaeology Fund

Reduce the barriers to open archaeological research and advance knowledge of our shared human past.

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

My general experience of “we welcome autistic people in our workplace/school” turns out to be “as long as you can behave exactly like a neurotypical person at all times with no consequences to yourself or others ever.” #Autistic #Autism #AcademicSky

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

If we make it through all this to better times, historians are going to be spending a thousand years repeatedly telling everyone that getting into power or having money doesn’t make you smart. “They were mostly pretty stupid, actually…”

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Moudhy Al-Rashid (she/her) @moudhy.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Whistleblowing memo by anonymous food industry execs in the UK via @insidetrackuk.bsky.social Link to full memo and media coverage here. It’s addressed to investors in the hopes they use their influence to demand action insidetrack.org.uk/foodmemo

Screenshot of a page from a memo that reads: What was a long term threat is now a short term threat. The balance of action needs to change. However, the risk is that we are entering a policy environment where companies are stepping back from rather than into the kind of action that is needed to secure their resilience.
Some points to draw your attention to:
• Deteriorating Supply Chains: scientific advisory suggests we can expect increases in drought and flooding, extreme heat and extreme weather events and depletion in soil health in the established growing regions most critical to UK food supply. The capacity of our most established sourcing regions to produce food will only decrease in terms of predictability, yield and quality from here;
• Inability to Source: we have seen in the past three years major shortages in certain crops based on environmental changes connected to climate change, water shortages and soil degradation. Already in Spain drought and flooding have directly impacted our ability to source salad, tomatoes and broccoli.
Global shocks have had significant impact on cocoa, coffee and sunflower oil supply chains and whilst to date this has primarily been experienced as a price issue, moving forward it is a more fundamental issue of ability to reliably source quality produce or commodities;
• Wishful Strategy: companies are increasingly alluding to a strategy of simply finding new sourcing regions as our current ones become untenable. This strategy is light on detail and fails to appreciate that multiple actors will be attempting to make the same transition in order to source multiple crops. It also misses the need for huge investment in order to develop new sourcing regions. And yet it has become an opt out against robust plans to invest in our existing supply chains and has become an opt out against robust plans to invest in sustainably managing our existing supply chains;
• A Failure to See Systems: each…

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

the guests of the White Lotus hotels would be much better off by simply coming to The Museum of English Rural Life

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

I think I might be about to mention Moominmamma's handbag in a fellowship application that's all about Christian protective amulets from Roman and Late Antique Egypt. Proof that if it exists, you can make it about Moomins. #AcademicSky #skystorians #Moomins

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Oh the intense frustration of discovering that an article I want is in a journal to which the library does not subscribe. Institutional access means I can look longingly at the abstract and nothing else. Unless I pay €35. Which I can't afford. Because I have to eat. #AcademicSky

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Isabel “Izzy” Black (Joely) @autisticalchemyst.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

It’s called “Giving Herodotus a run for his money”.

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suse anderson @shineslike.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

I’ve started tracking political actions affecting museums in 2025 here. Please add your own links so we can build a comprehensive record of the actions happening to the field. #Museums #GLAM #MuseumEthics 📜🏛️ drive.proton.me/urls/7CRNDY5...

drive.proton.me

Proton Drive

Securely store, share, and access your important files and photos. Anytime, anywhere.

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