Sign in

Rob Dale

@robdale.bsky.social
2.2K followers 1.3K following 1.9K posts

Historian of Russia and the Soviet Union. Cyclist, marathon runner, train traveller. Based in Newcastle and York. Osbaldwick cricket club cap no.247

PostsRepliesMedia
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 58m
So many good and interesting books and there just isn't the time to read them all. Indeed, there is less and less time for reading.
020
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 3h
Given the amount we asked to cram into our working days and lives, and the challenges of doing everything, I have found it useful to listen to Oliver Burkeman's series "Oliver Burkeman Is Busy": www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 Extra - Oliver Burkeman Is Busy - Available now
Available episodes of Oliver Burkeman Is Busy
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I am very fond of a moan, but a couple of good things, (1) timeline for when proofs for my book are likely to land becoming clearer, which is very exciting. (2) the new cycle paths in front of York railway station have opened and it was much easier and safer to get into the station. So good news.
061
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I was just finishing replacing the shed roof, and I got a fly past from a hot air balloon.
Red hot air balloon over my house
031
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
My excellent colleague Claudia Soares is advertising a funded PhD studentship with us in History at Newcastle. Closing date 16 October. ,📢 Please spread the word. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSX723/n...
jobs.ac.uk
NUAcT PhD Studentship – Histories of Child Protection at Newcastle University
jobs.ac.uk now advertising a NUAcT PhD Studentship – Histories of Child Protection Visit jobs.ac.uk to apply and to browse more PhD opportunities.
0813
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I am once again very grateful for the free flu jab my employer makes available. One of the few remaining perks of the job.
011
Reposted by Rob Dale
Bloomsbury History @bloomsburyhist.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Even at the height of the Cold War, how did rivals still find ways to cooperate? 🤝🔓 Discover how scientists, activists, and policymakers quietly bypassed ideological divides in 'Rethinking Cooperation in Cold War Europe'—now available Open Access! 📖: bit.ly/3UfN5Pn
Rethinking Cooperation in Cold War Europe
042
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Can I once again reiterate my thanks to everyone in the #NHS who provided care and treatment for my son today. Not only was that excellent, but professionals in two cities over 120 miles away managed to coordinate records, and appointments to make things work. Heroes!
181
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've been struggling to understand all the shifts in UK higher education. It is bewildering. But, I've started to think of it as the introduction of forms of khozrashet and edinonachalie. This may or may not be accurate, but it at least gives me a framework that I understand.
020
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've always wanted to spend some time in the New York public library. One day, when my lottery numbers come in....
010
Reposted by Rob Dale
Matthew L Reznicek @drreznicek.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Visiting fellowship for PhD students in medical humanities at Upsala www.uu.se/en/centre/me...
uu.se
Call for applications: Visiting PhD-student position in Medical Humanities, Uppsala University, spring semester 2027 – Centre for Medical Humanities (CMH) – Uppsala University
02120
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
What a fantastic day of induction activities with our new PhD students! Finished off with a can of pop at a reception. An excellent day.
150
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Good luck to students starting University welcome and induction weeks tomorrow. Hope you are settling in, making friends, and that you get a solid night's sleep. It seems like yesterday when my parents dropped me off, and then drove 100 miles north before they realised they were going the wrong way.
060
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just completed the marketing questionnaire for my book, and it was much more involved and detailed than with my first book. I hope this is a good sign.
020
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Meditating by the Dnipro: I’m an artist in Ukraine, searching for peace and a life between the missiles | Anna Ivanenko
Sometimes, you can remember what ordinary life was like before Russia’s invasion. Then reality comes screaming back, says artist Anna Ivanenko
001
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
‘My fear was too great’: the Pussy Riot member recruited by Russian spies to inform on fellow activists
Exclusive: In her first media interview since fleeing Russia, Rita Flores describes her three years of being run by the FSB
010
Reposted by Rob Dale
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Moscow has banned the political party ‘Yabloko’ (or ‘apple’) ‘In midsummer, Russian-language Instagram and TikTok erupted with videos of young people, including top bloggers, dancing in front of apples or mouthing the words to a pop song that mentions the fruit.’ www.ft.com/content/b1bf...
ft.com
In Russian elections, the apple becomes a symbol of dissent
Fallout from the Ukraine war shapes first State Duma election since the start of the conflict
1127
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I see the spam messages from predatory fake journals are leaning more on AI. Now when I these messages they not only say they liked a previous publication, but offer half a dozen sentences summarising the contents and "important" contribution.
030
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Remarkable moment today. Son back at school after cricket injury. Sent with note excusing him from PE. Made to referee a football game, with ball flying around. He is supposed to not exercising and projecting his face! Extraordinary level of regulation in the school's policies.
020
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Many aspects of the intellectual life of Universities being stripped to the bones, meanwhile I've received a physical letter from philanthropic arm of a UK university (my wife did its sponsored walk) to tell me the fund's name is changing slightly.Cost of postage £1.77. There is of course no money.
120
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Revealed: How Russia use mobile ‘super-app’ Max to spy on its citizens
Research shows tens of millions of people are being forced to use platform that amounts to ‘backdoor’ on their device
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This was a lot of fun. Brilliant to be in a room with so many interested students. Inspiring in lots of ways. Thanks to everyone who made the day such a success.
010
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Very much looking forward to tomorrow's Sixth Form Soviet History study day with @histassoc.bsky.social and it's Tyneside branch and my friends and colleagues @northumbriahistory.bsky.social Looking forward to working with students. Ready at last.
011
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I really really don't want to have to use AI. I don't feel the need, and that should be ok. I don't drive, and muddle along fine like that. I was happy with Long Wave radio to be honest.
040
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Poor lad, four weeks of eating mush and liquids. Going to have up my game on puréed food. Mash and gravy going to get very boring.
030
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I've got two ideas for books bubbling away. One would take longer to write, and I am not sure my job will be there long enough to finish it. The other will be quicker to write, but might take longer to find the right press. If I do the later first, I fear the former won't be written.
100
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Am I missing something? Doing something pleasurable is probably good for you. Using the brain probably good for it. I suspect doing activities you enjoy is good for wellbeing. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Reading for pleasure can improve wellbeing, Cambridge study finds
University of Cambridge academics say reading at any age improves brain and mental health.
131
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Kolkhoz by Emmanuel Carrère — the remarkable life of a literary grande dame
The French author draws a fascinating portrait of his mother, from the Russian Revolution to the heart of the Paris establishment
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Why can't data centres use a heat exchanger? You could have a closed loop system like in a water cooled nuclear reactor!
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Another day when I feel a bit lost with everything going on. Planning on reading tonight, but I have such a big pile of stuff I want to tackle I don't really know which book to start with.
030
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
My son had a horrible injury at cricket today. As ever, the NHS provided the very best of care. I'm so grateful for all the staff's care and skill, and help. #NHS what stars!
340
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Last cricket related post for a while hopefully (back to history!), but made up to win 3rd XI player of the year at my cricket club. (Ridiculous really that I'm playing.) Thanks to all my friends for the memories.
Osbaldwick CC Matt Dunne 3rd XI player of the season.3rd XI player of the Season
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It is my cricket club's end of season do tonight which is by tradition fancy dress. This year's theme is "famous duos" so my son and I are going as Duckworth and Lewis. Just sorting my props.
010
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Just so I'm clear whose workplace skills are we supposed to be teaching, and from whose perspective? Surely, management would want us to teach punctuality, compliance, and productivity, but just as valuable workplace skills are foot dragging, exploiting ambiguities, and other weapons of the weak.
040
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
When I first started teaching Stalinism in UKHE in 2008, something that students often remarked on was how Soviet politics and economics was obsessed with work, that it focused just on production. Nearly 20 years later UKHE now seemingly obsessed with work and output, and government priorities.
021
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Ho hum. News of further cheeseparing.
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I've been sent this novel about the Russian Civil War by the author (Blair Grant). A lovely gesture, and I look forward to reading.
The back cover of The Siberian CraneThe front cover of "The Siberian Crane: A Novel of the Russian Civil War" by Boris Cyrillovich Granin.
030
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/se...
theguardian.com
Imperium review – Sergei Loznitsa’s archive collage collates everyday life in cold-war Soviet Union
Venice film festival: The Two Prosecutors director cuts together documentary footage shot by a TV crew in the 1970s to try and get across what daily life in the USSR was like
011
Reposted by Rob Dale
Alice Marples @alicemarples.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
@britishlibrary.bsky.social were grateful to receive a large allocation of studentships as part of the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award scheme. We have 4 exciting new studentships starting in Oct 2027 - 3 are now open for prospective HEI supervisor proposals! www.bl.uk/services/res...
bl.uk
Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards
Fully-funded and jointly supervised studentships across four developing research areas.
22225
Reposted by Rob Dale
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
'It notes that institutions “routinely” hire consultancies for these restructures as well as change management specialists, however, these processes often introduce additional management layers, “adding cost rather than removing it”, while “productivity drops".' Hollow laughter across the sector.
hepi.ac.uk
The invisible majority: Professional and support staff and the future of UK higher education - HEPI
Universities are cutting the skills they need most, then paying to rebuild them. Universities are cutting the skills and capabilities they need most, only to pay to rebuild them later, according to ne...
28032
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I do wonder how long my determination not to use LLMs will be tolerated in the academic workplace. I really don't see any need for it, but I can envisage greater pressure to use it.
150
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
And if you have any children under about 10, I highly recommend the #RNLI Storm Force membership for £18 a year. My children loved the magazine, updates, and facts about lifeboats. rnli.org/support-us/b...
rnli.org
RNLI Storm Force membership and subscription
Sign up your kids to Storm Force – the RNLI’s junior membership club for under 11s, and they’ll learn about all things RNLI and vital water safety skills.
0104
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Played cricket today, against a former first class player. Dropped him on 60, and he made 112. Amazing how cricket accommodates the vast skills range between me, and a former professional cricketer.
010
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Really it has been one financial scandal after another. It is amazing so little of the scandal hits. NF was paid for media appearances on Russia Today well over a decade ago (perhaps not massive sums, but money all the same). (Tells you a lot). giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
The five financing scandals facing Reform
Nigel Farage and his party are facing growing scrutiny over transparency and the source of donations
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Back from a lovely holiday. Lots of time to think. Mulled over some ideas for future projects/books. Worked out some priorities, one of which was to spend some more time reading.
010
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Crumbs imagine being able to afford University accomodation and a £600 kettle. (Indeed, imagine being able to afford a £600 kettle). www.thetimes.com/life-style/l...
thetimes.com
The posh student’s packing list
Prepare for life in university halls with our luxury university packing guide. Featuring Hay and Smeg, with decor for the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.
020
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
To the Dacha www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Susannah Clapp · To the Dacha
Rhoda Power sailed from Newcastle to Russia in the winter of 1916. She was 27, had a degree in political science and was...
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
There is a great deal here of interest. Looking forward to reading all of these essays.
031
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Just making a note. www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
newscientist.com
How Ukraine created world-leading prostheses amid the chaos of war | New Scientist
Injuries from the war in Ukraine have forced the country to develop highly advanced prostheses and fit them in record numbers. What can the rest of the world learn from its efforts?
000
Rob Dale @robdale.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Out and about on my holidays. The AI generated advert aesthetic is now ubiquitous. Many businesses and community groups have seemingly abandoned graphic design in favour of these standardized graphics.
010