iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Dr SpookyGoth @ghostingdani.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Humanities will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no humanities.

Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Please check out and share the CFP for the collection I'm co-editing on Faith No More. Oct 31st deadline. Neatly coinciding with their imminent return, this will be the first scholarly work of any kind on a really remarkable and important band... call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/05/...

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Chris Kempshall @chriskempshall.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Did Thiel and the Museum's directors bond over the shared joy of stealing and keeping stuff that doesn't belong to them?

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Arin Keeble @keeblearin.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I'm lucky to be in Santiago de Compostela for @2026esse.bsky.social - Presenting on #Andor on the 'Modalities of Resistance' panel. I position Andor within traditions of prestige TV, political space opera, and SW, testing material for the book I'm editing with @literarymetal.bsky.social for MUP!

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Dr Jamie Stephenson @audioontology.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Massive honour to write for @thequietus.com about 40 years of ‘Wasted Years’ (released 25.08.86) and “Somewhere in Time” by #IronMaiden. I hope all the #metalsky clan enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shout out to @metalclassicist.bsky.social who features therein. Up the Irons! 🤘🏻

youtu.be

Iron Maiden - Walking On Glass (Philadelphia - 1987) • FULL HD REMASTER

YouTube video by IRON BEAST

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Matt Seybold @mattseybold.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Dependency is the goal.

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Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.com · 21/07/2026

"Cognitive surrender" is a fascinating concept to think about the impact of AI as it exists under reactionary tech Preventing people from thinking for themselves and imagining different worlds is a godsend for authoritarians thenextweb.com/news/wharton...

thenextweb.com

Wharton researchers coined 'cognitive surrender' to describe what happens when people let AI think for them

A Wharton study found people accepted wrong AI answers 80% of the time, as apps like Moot now let five AI personas vote on your life decisions.

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J.D. Connor @jdconnor.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Disney employees should hold a mass divorce and blame the company The US's un-shoppable workplace health insurance system now biting everyone in the ass. Used to be a spouse with a lousy job had no insurance, but with the watered-down Obamacare mandates they're stuck with their lousy insurance

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J.D. Connor @jdconnor.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Post45 CFP Alert: Super excited to announce this special issue, edited by Michelle N. Huang and Carlos Alonso Nugent. If you've ever thought that our periodization (or ASAP's!) needed fixing, now is your chance. submissions.post45.org/journal/CFP/...

submissions.post45.org

Why45? (or Why68?) | Post45 Journal Submissions

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Apparently it's Black Cat Appreciation Day...

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

In case anyone missed this previously, I am co-editing the first academic collection on the band Faith No More with Dr Jasmine Hazel Shadrack. Please see and/or share the CFP below (which features updated contact details). call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/05/...

call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu

cfp | call for papers

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Making its debut as part of the English Department's 26/27 curriculum...

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Nicole Rizzuto @nicolerizzuto.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Hi everyone. The introduction to my book Arresting Ecologies is available here without a paywall until July 22. Book is out now in UK, ships in the US this month. Hope you check it: academic.oup.com/book/62701/c...

Flyer for a free chapter of ARRESTING ECOLOGIES: GLOBAL LITERATURE ACROSS AIR, LAND, and SEA (Oxford UP 2026).

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Stephen Shapiro @stephenshapiro.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

It's not "rightsize and reshape," it's divestiture and asset sell-off.

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Academic friends! If you're asked to recommend an introductory book or collection on film studies, what are you going with?

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Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

"Something just brushed past my leg!" — Luke Skywalker, #StarWars Image credit: tempestkc on Threads #LincolnMemorialReflectingPool #USA

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Well now. Seems like a good moment to repost the CFP for the first scholarly collection on the band! www.iaspm.net/call-for-pap...

iaspm.net

Call for Papers – A Collection on Faith No More (title tbc) | IASPM

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Open Library of Humanities @openlibhums.org · 29/05/2026

Read @c21literature.bsky.social special issue “The Century at 25”, guest edited by Denise Wong, Arin Keeble, alice and Dr. Melissa Schuh: c21.openlibhums.org/...

Cover poster for the C21 Literature: Journal of 21st Century Writings Volume 12 Issue 3 2025-26 special issue: The Century at 25.

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Music and cultural studies folks! Jasmine Hazel Shadrack and I are co-editing the first scholarly collection of essays on Faith No More. Please share across your networks. It'd be great to hear from anyone here who might be interested in contributing. www.iaspm.net/call-for-pap...

iaspm.net

Call for Papers – A Collection on Faith No More (title tbc) | IASPM

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Chris Lloyd @cilloyd.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Hey Bluesky folks. If you’re in education or just follow for my thirst traps, would you please sign this if you can, and share far and wide? c.org/dCKk9vjqxY It’s much appreciated. My university is cancelling all UG humanities degrees. We need support and love right now x

c.org

Sign the Petition

Save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This May 4th, I’m very happy to launch the CFP for a major scholarly conference on Star Wars, which will take place at Durham University in 2027. Please share widely across your networks and indeed to anyone who might be interested! starwarsat50.webspace.durham.ac.uk

starwarsat50.webspace.durham.ac.uk

Call for Papers - Star Wars at 50: Forces, Forms, Legacies

A one-day scholarly conference at Durham University scheduled for May 7th 2027.

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

New Alvarius B record sounds *great.* suncitygirls.bandcamp.com/album/malari...

suncitygirls.bandcamp.com

Malarial Dream, by Alvarius B.

9 track album

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Punk Rock History @punkrockhistory.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Sad news that has only just come to light Stephanie Chernikowski, a pioneering photographer best known for her powerful documentation of the early New York punk scene of the 1970s and 80s, passed away on April 1, 2026. 1. Self-Portrait 2. Joey Ramone 3. Poison Ivy 4. Kim Gordon & Thurston Moore

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Rachel Moss @menysnoweballes.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

UK HE, everyone. Will Labour ever acknowledge this crisis?

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Found myself with a batch of new lectures to write over Easter, which is tough with marking coming in. But I'm excited to introduce the undergrads on our Postcolonial & World Literatures module to Tanya Tagaq...

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Rolling playlist of my musical highlights of 2026 is operational... tidal.com/playlist/804...

tidal.com

2026

Playlist - 2026 - 15 items

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Phillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

What might THE PITT for higher education look like? Two new shows are definitely *not* interested in finding out! I wrote about ROOSTER and VLADIMIR and the problem of college caricature for @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2081...

newrepublic.com

What Is TV’s Problem With Professors?

Both Netflix’s Vladimir and HBO’s Rooster play into a politically charged caricature of academia.

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Laura McGrath @lbmcgrath.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

My book, MIDDLEMEN: LITERARY AGENTS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICAN FICTION, comes out in six weeks!It shows how literary agents went from "cankers" to "mere peripheral necessities" to "the center of the literary establishment" to "the biggest fish in publishing." press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

press.princeton.edu

Middlemen

A revealing account of how agents have shaped book publishing and the literary canon from the 1950s to today

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Reupping in light of the Oscars. Also, this piece by Peter Coviello in Film Quarterly is my favourite reflection on OBAA thus far: online.ucpress.edu/fq/article/7...

online.ucpress.edu

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Two old faithfuls for this week's teaching

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

One thing I couldn't cover in the Pynchon and Star Wars article: One Battle After Another. Given OBAA's debt to Vineland, the paternity plot in the film is ultimately tied to Pynchon's riff on the "I am your father" moment in The Empire Strikes Back...

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Really happy to say that my article on Pynchon and Star Wars is out now in Studies in American Fiction. I'm grateful to SAF for supporting a long and idiosyncratic piece. Honestly, it's kind of my life's work thus far! (2025 date is presumably because of a backlog.) muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

muse.jhu.edu

Project MUSE -- Verification required!

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

A very rare (depressingly rare) thing: Support for low income students who want to study at MA level. Please share with anyone who might be able to get this info to aspiring postgrads. www.durham.ac.uk/study/schola...

durham.ac.uk

Durham Masters Bursaries - Durham University

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Not sure if anyone involved is active here but the Burning Nerve Ending Magic podcast devoted to Sun City Girls is just absolutely excellent. The calibre of guests is so high: James Toth, Gregg Turkington, Sam Shalabi, Marc Masters etc. Highly recommended for SCG heads (and indeed for the curious).

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John Attridge @johnattridge.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

"In this essay I will" - spoilers - over-confident - rigid, boring "In this essay I *might*" - creates suspense - nonchalant - adventurous, fun

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

My teaching in the first few weeks of term.

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Sam Thomas @literarymetal.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

For the film and cultural studies hive mind: If you were going to assign one or two essential bits of critical reading (beyond Jameson on the nostalgia movie) for undergrads studying the original Star Wars trilogy, what would you go for?

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Geoffrey Hughes @geofffhughes.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Spicy autocomplete but the spicy part is that it senses statistically significant overlaps with a psychotic break and responds by casting the user as the starring character in a Philip K Dick novel...

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

'So to describe a course as “mickey mouse” is to make a judgement that it is either academically frivolous, politically suspect, or economically worthless: and – importantly – popular.' Great history of the use (and abuse) of the term.

wonkhe.com

Identifying "mickey mouse" courses

Critiques of the value, validity, and political foundation of degree courses have been with us for generations. David Kernohan searches for the meanings behind "mickey mouse"

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The Onion @theonion.com · 26/12/2025

Cat Clinging To Side Of Christmas Tree Admits That Was Extent Of Plan theonion.com/cat-clinging-to-side-o…

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JosephScrimshaw @josephscrimshaw.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

We created fire. You can't put it back in the box. Fire is here to stay. That's why all of our houses have to be made of fire. And we need to write all of our messages in fire. And all the fire has to be owned by the worst people on the planet

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