iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Vgl. The Tay Bridge Disaster von McGonagall(1880). Da reimt sich am Anfang ‘Edinburgh’ mit ‘sorrow’, und es wird von da an immer wüster www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/tay-bri...

scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk

The Tay Bridge Disaster

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay! / Alas! I am very sorry to say / That ninety lives have been taken away / On the...

030

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Yet another great example for when people call something ‘medieval’, it probably wasn’t

021

Reposted by Peter Davies

Brühmann @bruehmann.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

nie wieder wird ein demo transpi so hart gehen

auf dem bild ist ein demo transpi von den französischen schüler und studentendemos. es ist gehalten im stil eines mittelalterlichen banners. darauf ist ist großen buchstaben zu lesen "chascvm honnit la milice" was sich ungefähr wie "jeder verachtet die bullen" übersetzen lässt. darunter sehen wir einen soldaten und einen normalen bürger, auch in der darstellung an mittelalterliche kunst angelegt. der bürger sagt in rämischen ziffern zu dem soldaten 13 12 also acab und zeigt seinen mittelfinger

1329178

Reposted by Peter Davies

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Andy Burnham in Berlin with Chancellor Merz. The governments formally ratified the Kensington Treaty, negotiated in 2025, a bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty between the UK and Germany

24513

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Was?? Manchmal ist die Wirklichkeit blöder als jede Netflix-Serie

010

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

This is just the worst news. Solidarity with languages colleagues there, who have done everything they can to stop this happening and to put forward positive alternatives

0115

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

AI book: Call me Ishmael. Me: No. AI book *sulks and goes silent”

150

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Untold Story of *checks notes* the Reichstag elections after 1930

010

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Not sure about that - there are some other well known von der Leyens, eg. Else and Ruth von der Leyen. I’ve never seen their name shortened. But otherwise Bismarck is just Bismarck, Papen is just Papen - and nobody would ever write ‘von Goethe’, for example

110

Reposted by Peter Davies

Nicole Seifert @nicoleseifert.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Heute ist Hieronymustag, der internationale Tag des Übersetzens, und wir Übersetzenden fordern von den Verlagen, dass sich unsere Arbeitsbedingungen endlich ändern. Es reicht. #weilesnichtreicht

214958

Reposted by Peter Davies

SCILT @scilt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If you teach, or would like to teach, German in your setting our Teachers of German in Scotland (TOGS) network provides an opportunity to meet with like-minded professionals! Meetings for this session all available to book now! loom.ly/SPYauHo #professionalnetwork #german

023

Reposted by Peter Davies

Laurel Plapp @laurelplapp.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The W+IGS Book Prize deadline has been extended until 15 October! Don’t miss out! More information below @wigsblog.bsky.social @helencfinch.bsky.social @katherinestone.bsky.social #GermanStudies

047

Reposted by Peter Davies

British Association for Romantic Studies @bars.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Wonderful opportunity for PGRS and ECRs - A Day in the Literary Archive: British Academy Seminar and Workshop for Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers Tuesday 3rd November 2026 at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6626

bars.ac.uk

A Day in the Literary Archive: British Academy Seminar and Workshop for Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers – BARS Blog

01310

Reposted by Peter Davies

Association of German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland @ags-gbi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

As many of you will be aware, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) awarding body in Northern Ireland is to discontinue GCSE and A-level German. This is a real blow to language education in Northern Ireland, depriving future generations of the opportunity to learn German.

013

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Thus also destroying the whole business model of insurance companies?

010

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Excellent description of humanities research method

010

Reposted by Peter Davies

Lhaulde @lhaulde.com · 16/08/2026

Un type en train de travailler des poutres en bois avec des scies bizarres, le texte (en anglais) suivant par dessus :
rappelez vous de traiter votre corps comme un data center.
Consommez autant d'eau et de littérature que vous pouvez.
Contrariez vos élus locaux par votre existence

1478179

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

That’s a *very* discreetly placed leaf…

010

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Archive of Alexander Abusch, East German Stalinist cultural functionary with an unusual bio. I found the program for Walter Ulbricht’s funeral (1973) - v long and dull (Beethoven symphonies, choirs, speeches). Abusch clearly got bored and started drafting his own autobiography in the margins

020

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Somebody warn him he’s being followed by the evil spirit from The Conjuring

000

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Me, v small, sitting in the street outside my house watching a colony of ants going about its business. 2 bigger lads (probably also quite small, but older) came along and started stamping on them shouting “World War Three!” Far too much symbolism in there, excellent opener for an autobiography

341

Reposted by Peter Davies

Dr Anna Hájková @ankahajkova.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

On 23 September, @katarzynaperson.bsky.social and I will discuss writing an inclusive Jewish history of Nazi ghettos, invited by the wonderful colleagues at the Lviv Center for Urban History. Online; register. www.lvivcenter.org/en/conferenc...

lvivcenter.org

Overlooked: Online Research Seminars on the History of the Ghettos

094

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Premise for new Muppet series: frame each ep with execs trying to come up with a premise while muppets just get on with putting on a show. The premise of the muppets is that the muppets are a bunch of old fashioned troupers and hoofers trying and almost failing to put on a variety show every week.

000

Reposted by Peter Davies

Boydell & Brewer @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Anna Saunders & Caroline Summers explore how German unification should be understood not as a single completed event in 1989, but as an ongoing & complex transformation shaped by diverse East German experiences. Read the blog 👉 buff.ly/aTo37qV #BookSky #SkyStorians @profannasaunders.bsky.social

boydellandbrewer.com

Telling New Stories about German Unification

Anna Saunders & Caroline Summers explore how East German perspectives reveal German unification as an unfinished transformation.

053

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

There are literally 836 books with the word ‘Scotland’ in there

020

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Writing less ‘the untold story of…’ books would definitely help, for a start

140

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

“managed retreat dressed in progressive language” - tough but fair way to describe the funding crisis in Scottish unis. We see results every day in cuts and closures. More protests, interventions from Scottish students against govt policy would really help wonkhe.com/blogs/englan...

wonkhe.com

England and Scotland's funding experiments have both failed

Craig Mahoney argues it's time for a conversation about what higher education is worth, who benefits from it, and who should pay

011

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

No no, it’s *leftie* academics that brainwash their students

020

Reposted by Peter Davies

Exeter UCU @exeterucu.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The University of Exeter has confirmed that it won’t proceed with compulsory redundancies “at this time”. This means colleagues do not need to complete the pro forma, and there will be no selection process.

photo of Nicole Kidman looking incredibly joyful and free after her divorce from Tom Cruise was finalised

431389

Reposted by Peter Davies

Dr Tara Talwar Windsor @ttw1984.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Some bank holiday / end of summer reading for you all! A blog about a book that’s been a long time coming - and we’re pretty proud of it! Thanks to @profsarajones.bsky.social & Betiel Wasihun for all the hard work and collegiality while writing and for keeping us going when times were tough 🙏🏽🤓

21912

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Worth noting though that not everyone on BlueSky lives in the US and/or cares who Chuck Schumer is

010

Reposted by Peter Davies

Charlie Lynch @charlielynch.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Let’s try again: I’d like to hear about new research from Scottish historians. Especially ECRs whose work may not get much attention. This is because I have a newspaper column where I publicise new work by Scottish historians! Tell me about your research!

4102111

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Ok folx, any other examples of grammatical forms (any language, present or past) being named, seriously or jokingly, after translators?

101

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Ok, how about this - What would you as someone starting out want to hear in a keynote? Doesn’t matter what the senior folk might want

100

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The best keynote I ever heard was by someone who had obviously rewritten it spontaneously to include references to all the postgraduates whose presentations he’d just listened to at the conference, and how they’d challenged his thinking. Difficult as the first speaker but otherwise a great model

140

Reposted by Peter Davies

Association of German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland @ags-gbi.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Chairing the business meeting is one of the last duties of outgoing AGS President Prof Peter Davies (@pdavies.bsky.social). Enormous thanks to Peter for all he’s done for the discipline and especially his thoughtful leadership as President of the association over the last three years!

A speaker wearing a grey suit holding a phone in his right hand and his left arm outstretched

A speaker wearing a grey suit holding a phone in his right hand and gesturing with his left

0134

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Congrats to Anna and Ben - no one better to take the Association forward!

292

Reposted by Peter Davies

Association of German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland @ags-gbi.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

As the conference draws to a close, let us thank Dr Stephan Ehrig (@herrehrig.bsky.social) and his excellent te am for their meticulous organisation of #AGS2026, which has run like clockwork. Thanks for having us @glasgow.ac.uk! See you all next year in Cambridge for #AGS2027!

Ornate university buildings seen behind a landscaped garden and wrought iron fencing

A path leads away from the camera before forking either side of a stone monument distinguishable only as a human bust on a pediment, behind which a spire is visible rising above thick verduous tree canopies

0117

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I learned last night that even a bad Dolly Parton tribute is an excellent Dolly Parton tribute

130

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Edinburgh festival notes: Is there anything, literary anything, more annoying than a silent disco?

010

Reposted by Peter Davies

Anna Cavazzini @annacavazzini.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Auch das ist Sachsen-Anhalt. Heute 10.000 Menschen beim CSD in Magdeburg! 💖

553283658

Peter Davies @pdavies.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Mit KI-Agenten, nehme ich an, da sie immer lieb zu ihm sind

020

Reposted by Peter Davies

Association of German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland @ags-gbi.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

It's now less than a week until this year's AGS conference (26-28 Aug), hosted by the University of Glasgow (@glasgow.ac.uk)... The most up-to-date version of the conference programme can be found here: ags.ac.uk/conferences/... Very much looking forward to seeing lots of you there!

ags.ac.uk

AGS Conference 2026 – Association German Studies

033