iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Someone on 🗃️ has been waiting for this moment for a long time (though possibly not since antiquity)

Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

When I learned that Rashomon (1951) was filmed in this forest, I had to see it. Spent the day hiking, even today it feels remote and isolated. Tagging a couple people on here who would know the film @pauljessup.com @theharvestmaid.bsky.social

Me standing in front of “Nara Primeval Forest” boulder. Dappled sunlight filtered by forest canopy

Amazing texture on the old trees, almost wave-like ridges in the bark

Sunlight far away even at Noon, dark and otherworldly. There are a number of shots in Rashomon like this

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Watching debut episode of #Frieren season 2, thanks to @smilodonna.bsky.social for talking that show up on here a while back. An irrepressibly (and unrepentantly) odd show that’s nonetheless moving and unforgettable.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Having trouble locating a novel by Mrs. Charles Kent, “Maud Hamilton.” We think it is not the “Maud Hamilton” by Mary Agatha Pennell. Any ideas? @drbibliomane.bsky.social 🗃️

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Red-whiskered Bulbul here in Wayanad this morning. Per Merlin, the single most common bird in this location, but a totally new one for me. I’m learning how to use the Nikon CoolPix P950. So far, it is living up to the hype. #birds #birding #India #nature #photography

Small bird with a punk rock head crest, a curved beak, and a red eye patch gazes directly at the camera

Trees crisscrossing in the mist, almost a black and white composition

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

You can get my book, The Craft of Historical Research, for $17.99 (either eBook or paperback) right now. Very much the book I wish I’d had when I was starting out. 🗃️ link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

link.springer.com

The Craft of Historical Research

This textbook demystifies the task of historical research and writing for both undergraduates and graduate students with a wide range of engaging examples.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

New to #ThickTrunkTuesday but as it happens, I have a contender. Visited the ancient cypress at Tule, Oaxaca two days ago.

Me in front of the world’s widest tree. Late afternoon sun gives the scene a nice glow. It is composed of many smaller trunks but genetically it is the same individual

Close up of the texture of just some of the trunk

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

This is a great short piece. We ought to have more of these conversations when we teach writing (in absolutely any discipline). #composition 🗃️ #amwriting #writing open.substack.com/pub/post/p/a...

open.substack.com

A brief defense of cliché

A reconsideration of the writer’s bugbear: the much-maligned cliché.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Can’t find this word “tenses” used this way in OED. Suggestions? “… it is only the sea man… who must be favoured with the indulgence of a child in his moods, and punished as a brute in his tenses.” Lionel Yexley, Our Fighting Sea Men, London 1911 page 28 🗃️ @drbibliomane.bsky.social

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Claire Connolly @claireconnolly.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

The special issue of Eighteenth Century Studies on Coasts is now out - glad to be part of it with some thoughts about coasts and gardens in c18 Ireland #BlueHumanities #CoastalHistory #CoastalStudies 🌊 muse.jhu.edu/issue/55889

muse.jhu.edu

Project MUSE - Eighteenth-Century Studies-Volume 59, Number 1, Fall 2025

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Dr. Katie Sagal @aksagal.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

I'm thrilled to see that the special issue of ECS, "Eighteenth-Century Coasts," is finally out today! Check out my essay on coral, and many other fantastic contributions: muse.jhu.edu/issue/55889

muse.jhu.edu

Project MUSE - Eighteenth-Century Studies-Volume 59, Number 1, Fall 2025

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

The special issue of Eighteenth Century Studies on coasts is now out! If you click on the link and scroll down a bit, the very eclectic table of contents is visible. Pleased to be a part of this. #CoastalHistory #CoastalStudies 🗃️ muse.jhu.edu/issue/55889

muse.jhu.edu

Project MUSE - Eighteenth-Century Studies-Volume 59, Number 1, Fall 2025

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Actually holding a physical copy of Craft of Historical Research, what a joy! Very much the book I wish I’d had as a student, so happy to see it out in the world. 🗃️ You can find it as an affordable paperback or eBook.

Laughing academic in a sweater holding a copy of Craft of Historical Research

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Male Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis) in Jardín, Colombia last week. #hiking #senderismo #nature #photography 🪶

Little bird striking a Napoleonic pose atop a shrub. The black hood contrasts with the yellow belly.

Same bird, more in repose with the fluffy feathered chest very evident.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Green Jay (“Inca Jay” variety) at Gulupa Ecolodge, Jardín, Colombia yesterday. #nature #photography 🪶

Jay gazes directly at viewer in crisp morning light, its bold color scheme matching its bold gaze.

Andean foothills recede, gently rolling, into a bed of puffy clouds and blue sky. A town is nestled far below

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Oilbird at Reserva Los Guácharos, Jardín yesterday. You descend into a canyon and cross a wire-and-plank bridge to see them. #Colombia #hiking 🪶 #nature #photography

The Andes peaks, ringed by clouds, dissolve into inky blue and purple like a watercolor painting. Trees appear as black silhouettes in the foreground

A roosting Oilbird appears to be shouting at me, but maybe its wide open mouth is just for echolocation. These nocturnal birds use it, like bats.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Sometimes you go looking for nature, and sometimes nature comes looking for you 😆 I just sat in the boat with my iPhone 11 and kept filming. #nature #photography #whales

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Currently looking at the page proofs for Fall 2025 special issue of Eighteenth-Century Studies on "eighteenth century coasts." Thanks again to @dominikhhh.bsky.social @dollyjorgensen.bsky.social @tarquinhh.bsky.social who helped me with suggestions about the #envhist of climate. #CoastalHistory 🗃️

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

You just never know what the field marks will be for a new species, I noticed this male pattern baldness 😆 while photographing the heck out of this pair of birds in the rainforest only to later learn that Merlin cites this “black yarmulke” as definitive for a Whooping Motmot. 🪶 #nature #panama

Two Whooping Motmot perched close together, though facing opposite directions. Their eyes are red and fierce, the sharp contrast of cerulean blue and black makes their heads appear brilliantly painted.

The same birds at a less flattering angle, the lower one’s head plumage looks damaged or mangy, but the Merlin guide says that’s how this species looks.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Aracari, aracarier, aracariest! Wish I could credit my wilderness skills for this embarrassment of riches here, but it’s actually right on the property of the AirBnB where I’m staying, Gamboa has a bunch of excellent and affordable ones for birders. #panama #nature 🪶

No less than three Collared Aracari greet the morning from a perch high atop a mostly dead tree festooned with epiphytes and luxurious vines.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

ICYM—I wrote the book I wish I’d had as a student. 🗃️ Really nice to see reasonable prices for it, for example now available on Kindle for just $16, or rent it for a month for more like $7. www.amazon.com/dp/B0DR832YL...

amazon.com

The Craft of Historical Research: A Practical Guide from Start to Finish

Amazon.com: The Craft of Historical Research: A Practical Guide from Start to Finish eBook : Land, Isaac: Kindle Store

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Watching Frieren with subtitles. As a beginner Japanese learner, it’s very in keeping with the vibe of the show that the words I’ve picked up from it are なぜ (“why?”) and the ambiguous そうか (“… I see” or “maybe”). @smilodonna.bsky.social

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

The many moods of an American Pygmy Kingfisher, seen at Metropolitano Nature Park, Panama City with @stacebird.bsky.social 🪶 #nature #photography #Panama

Small puffy kingfisher with mouth wide open (not vocalizing, though). Orange belly topped with intense slaty blue wings and head

Same kingfisher with mouth closed and head turned to almost directly face the camera

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

“Who you callin’ fluffy?” Hook-billed Kite seen with @stacebird.bsky.social at Panama City’s Metropolitano Nature Park. 🪶 #nature #photography #panama

Hook-billed Kite seen from far below, heavily ruffled feathers in the chest capped by a dark head with an indignant looking round eye and the distinctive sharp hooked beak.

View of the Panama City skyline and the Pacific Ocean in far distance, framed by trees and dense foliage. This park is close to a big shopping mall and airport, and you’d never guess it.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis) at Lake Gatún yesterday. We saw quite a few, they were common in this location and happy to pose for me!🪶 #Panama #nature #photography

Snail Kite perches, leaning slightly and gazing to the side, its pale orange talons grasping a reed. It is framed by a delicate backdrop of wispy tall grasses.

Snail Kite turns its head to look directly at me as I snap the photo, its reddish, round eyes and white head ghostlike or a little comedic

Juvenile (?) or female (?) snail kite shows off its elegant dappled chest, the alternating grays and whites like the ermine fur that a monarch might wear. The specialized hooked bill is very evident here.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

A tiny Bananaquit in a coconut palm, also a squirrel came along. Lazy birding from a hammock is a new thing for me, but I could get used to this. 🪶 #Panama #nature #photography

Tiny bird (Bananquit) with a yellow belly, dark top, and vividly white facial stripe darts about the (comparatively) massive palm tree.

Small, dark chocolate colored squirrel looks down at me from the same palm tree. Its yellow-orange stomach is exactly the same color as the coconuts at the moment.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher (Terenotrychus erythurus) yesterday with @stacebird.bsky.social 🪶 #panama #nature #hiking

Small gray-headed flycatcher perched on a twig in dense rainforest vegetation. These birds are considered cute with their large round eyes

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Out roaming the forest with @stacebird.bsky.social yesterday. Here’s a Black-chested Jay (Cyanocorax affines). Range is confined to Panama and some little corners of adjoining countries. 🪶 #hiking #nature #Panama #photography

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Yellow-headed Caracara spotted with Bocas Biodiversity Tours @stacebird.bsky.social yesterday. There were several in the trees! 🪶 #panama #nature #photography

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Also tagging #coastalstudies . You might know some people who’d be a good fit for this project funded and based in Germany, @smilodonna.bsky.social

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Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

The Hand is a stop-motion masterpiece -- and one of the very best animated films. Director Jiří Trnka made it as a protest, attacking the dictatorship that used him as its pawn. But the film has more layers than many realize, as we discover: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/revisiting...

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

So many opportunities out there for ordinary people, young and old, degree-in-hand or otherwise, that I could hardly have imagined as a child. Such as this one! "Help preserve the past by transcribing handwritten letters and diaries at Newberry Digital Collections!" 🗃️ #libraries #archives

nt.newberry.org

Newberry Transcribe

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) today in Bocas de Toro. 🪶 #nature #photography #panama

Hummingbird sits on a telephone wire, its tiny claws grasping its perch. Fine detail of its feathers is visible on its chest.

Same hummingbird in same basic perching pose but with the head cocked and leaning the body diagonally, and looking a bit sassy with the rusty red tail feathers unexpectedly spread. The deep iridescent green of the chest and neck really comes through here.

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Chloe Wigston Smith @chloewigstonsmith.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

📣 now out in paperback 📚 Small Things in the Eighteenth Century: The Personal and Political Value of the Miniature, co-edited by yours truly and the amazing Beth Fowkes Tobin from @cambridgeup.bsky.social

A paperback copy of Small Things in the Eighteenth Century in the sunshine in front of King’s Manor in York.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Crimson-fronted parakeet (Psittacara finschi), Bocas de Toro. 🪶 #nature #photography #panama

Zoomed in closeup of two parakeets in the highest part of a palm tree, the brilliant red in the front of the face stands out against the green background. The eyes, circled with yellow, also stand out.

Parakeets descending an arch like palm branch

An alert parakeet cocks his head to keep track of me as he perches on a diagonal that echoes the angle of the palm fronds around him

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Charming little Substack post about what we share when we teach, and what we learn. #TimelineCleanse open.substack.com/pub/lynnsteg...

open.substack.com

Art Ninjas

Miyoko Ito, Untitled 126, 1970, Untitled, 1970

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

My mother took me to see Fritz Lang’s M, showing at a local college when I was maybe 12. It was only 50 years old then; now re-watching tonight as the film pushes its 100th anniversary. Recently restored—seemingly the versions I’ve seen were pretty rough and flawed. 🎞️

media.tenor.com

a man in a hat and coat is standing in front of a glass door .

Alt: Peter Lorre is inimitably creepy yet vulnerable as he catches sight of himself in a mirror and his eyes widen and bulge

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Worn out from a day’s hiking, and waiting for my ride back down the mountain, but Finca Lérida wasn’t done with me yet—Central America’s smallest hummingbird (Selasphorus Scintilla, Scintillant Hummingbird) dropped by to say hello. This was a female or immature male. 🪶 #nature #photography #panama

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

A book for someone you know (?) who’s about to go on Study Abroad, or is considering it soon. We take for granted that young people know what to do with the experience but it’s a set of skills you pick up, refine, and reflect upon. #StudyAbroad www.doane.edu/news-and-eve...

doane.edu

Planning to travel abroad? Add this book to your reading list

Professors Josh Pope (Doane University) and Melanie D'Amico (Indiana State University) wrote a book for students and non-students alike considering studying or traveling abroad.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Scarlet-Thighed Dacnis in Boquete, Panama today. Tiny and hyperactive, I assumed it was a Euphonia. 🪶 #nature #photography

Adult male (black with blue hood) with perhaps a juvenile who’s very tufty and fluffy with unsettled coloration.

Male. The red eye, and startling turquoise on black coloration come through clearly here. With its mouth open, it seems expressive. It was not singing.

Same bird, same location, slightly more in focus with a sense of the fine feathery texture of the turquoise “hood.” Always tricky with nearby vegetation and flowers, but I believe there’s a glimpse of the scarlet “ thigh” here. Per Merlin, thats hard to see in the wild, and I only briefly glimpsed it.

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Dr. Chelsea Gray @divingwsharks.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

I'm wearing a shirt that says "Ceard a d'ith Jaws dá Dhinnéar? Duine duine duine" and the barista asked what my shirt said, and then actually thought this very niche #Gailege joke was funny. So I'm gonna ride this high for the rest of the week

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Climbed the Pianista trail this morning. Daunting from a cardio point of view with an 1,850 foot ascent, but I guess I am now an “intermediate” hiker instead of just a beginner! #Panama #hiking #nature #photography

Lots of little biodiversity moments along the trail. Here, a lone caterpillar, brilliant in yellow and black, navigates some rocky terrain on its own scale.

The view towards the summit from below, at my hotel. From the top, you can see toward the Caribbean and towards the Pacific. When it is clear.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Gray-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) interrupted my breakfast with its loud calls, continued for a long time. Not typical of them, maybe this one was separated from its flock and getting worried? 🪶 #nature #photography #Panama

Gray and white bird, built a bit like a wild turkey, perched on a small tree. The bluish gray of the head is set off by a red patch at the throat.

Same bird, similar pose, head at a slightly different angle. The texture of the slightly ruffled feathers around the neck comes through a little better in this one.

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Isaac Land @coastalhistory.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Three life list birds in quick succession in this same cecropia tree. I knew it was a favorite of sloths, but apparently it’s a superstar food source for many species. Didn’t get a photo of the male Elegant Euphonia 😭 but here’s the Red-Crowned Woodpecker. 🪶 #nature #photography #Panama

Woodpecker looking directly at you as it clings to a dense mass of “snake fingers” fruit of the cecropia tree

Same woodpecker with the face obscured, but a good view of its claws and the fine pimply texture of the green, snake-like dangling cecropia fruit

The umbrella-like leaf clusters of the cecropia tree and its dangling snake or finger-like fruit. I stood for a long time in front of this one tree as one bird species replaced another. Incredible biodiversity

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