iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

From my memories of my history degree, this has happened quite a lot!

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I don't know whether it was divine or electronic inspiration but the satnav lost its connection while the knights passed through the wasteland, and the grail was found as I arrived! (honestly, really true, I couldn't have made it up!)

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I'm driving the cargo car for the university run today. I've found how to enjoy the drive - Galahad and the Grail by @malcolmguite.bsky.social

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Don't feed the conspiracy.... It doesn't exist

Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Reposted by Tim Smith

Well done to the picture editor who captioned this delightful snap of a black pig swimming off the west coast of Greece “swine-dark sea” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Swine-dark sea ... Mediterranean black pigs swim at a beach on the private island of Atokos, in the lonian Sea off the west coast of Greece. The island, which is uninhabited by humans, is owned by a shipping magnate
Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It's a good example of the way attitudes change over time, I'm always amused that it's not remembered as a terrible injury to English pride. For a more recent example see the postscript to Patrick French's excellent * book about Tibet * all his books are excellent 😊

Looking up my History of Mr Polly piece, I've just rediscovered the section title I couldn't read out "Arriving in/on stile" Granted you need to know the book to get it, but I was quite pleased with myself

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However, I've just come up with a section title of "Re-enchanting our post-Enlightenment wasteland" which might be a bit harsh but I think I'm going to fight to keep it. Once I've explained it...

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I feel the same way about The History of Mr Polly. I did a quite "Why you should read this book" talk and dug into H G Wells' personal life. Discovering his infidelities and the way he treated his wife made the book feel more like a self justification than life affirming. Never meet your heroes...

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Sat in the library reading through something I wrote for a Men's Breakfast talk a while back and wondering if I really wrote it. It seems a little too good and the tone too authoritative. Am I giving 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 imposters syndrome?

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Saw a trailer for The Uprising last night. When Andrew Garfield said "I'm just a ploughman" I nearly stood up and shouted "it's my man Piers! Where's the fair field of folk? "

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Watching the Odyssey credit and had a moment of hope for a stinger... "Odysseus will return in Nolan's Divine Comedy: Inferno next year"

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Ah the worlds smallest nuclear explosion! Also has a place in my heart for inexplicably placing a major alien invasion in the village where my gran lived. There was quite a lot that made no sense in the 90s,but we did have fun

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Panna cotta turned out to be a crucial part of winning over my mother in law

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I wish I'd got a G3, having been a bit disappointed with the B3 idea of 3 stomp boxes, I'm not fully converted to it. I think the valeton gp200 can do that, but it's a bit pricey given how rarely I play guitar. Even if I use it for the bouzouki as well....

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Given the choice between a key metric falling off a cliff and discovering I've written sql like an idiot, I'll take the idiot option every time

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I should not have started a live chat with Meta at the end of the working day. I mean I say live, not sure if I've spoken with a real person yet...

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Feeling like Jean de Florette watching the clouds and willing them to rain on my house....

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I loved this episode, reading Asterix while learning French is such fun, no to mention the sense of achievement on the first pun I got! Felt quite emotional listening about Goscinny's death and the artwork in Asterix in Belgium

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

We've got a month to go, and are on a bit of a high having been to an open day, but yeah that's looming fast

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Happy to repeat the landscape was better visiting a uni open day yesterday

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I was at uni late 90s. My total Zero. All white. Including courses on Africa and India. Now that I think about it, there was only one female member of teaching staff - a PhD student who didn't do the lectures so probably picking up the undergrads work Starting to feel a little less nostalgic...

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Sat in the back of the car enroute to a Uni open day with youngest. Realised I've just opened a Max Hastings ebook on WW2 and may have inadvertently started acting my age...

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I have added dangerous confusion to my life (alt text was fun 😉)

À mandolin (musical) with a mandolin (cooking)

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Reposted by Tim Smith

Patrick Allies @patrickallies.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

In Renaissance music, melodies that went from the 5th to the 6th scale degree were gradually phased out, overshadowed by more interesting intervals. This became known as the so-la eclipse.

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Sounds like time to make a wish list... Speaking as a sufferer of Gear Acquisition Syndrome

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Reading My Dream by Christina Rosetti and it strikes me how few of my dreams would work well as poems (abstract and weird - stop sniggering at the back). Maybe I'll need to make some dreams up instead

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The only snag with being in Scotland in view of a literal purple headed mountain, is that I'm humming All things bright and beautiful. A lot

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Just made it to Book 2 of the Book of Margery Kempe and considering that it should also be regarded as a travelogue as well as an autobiography. She's certainly more adventurous than I!

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Reposted by Tim Smith

Nettlecake @nettlecake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

A product whose benefit and profit potential we cannot satisfactorily explain will fail if you don't use it. And it will be all your fault! I'm not a sales person but I'm not sure that's a good pitch...

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

As someone who's been responsible for social feeds I apologise! I feel the best way to make amends would be to buy more books?

Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Reposted by Tim Smith

FROM ACCLAIMED VISIONARY DENIS VILLENEUVE, AN EPIC TALE OF DANGER... CUT TO: *ZENDAYA WHISPERING* On the Ning Nang Nong where the cows go bong! And the monkeys all say BOO! There's a Nong Nang Ning where the trees go Ping! And the teapots jibber jabber joo NING NANG NONG IN THEATRES JULY 3RD

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

When I describe the @chpublishing.bsky.social website as perilous, I hope everyone knows that's a compliment right? Or at least it's time to start a new to-read pile on my desk 😉

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Drawn to the deep end by Gene is an album I'll happily listen to in it's entirety.

Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I was sold on the library....

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I just go ahead and assume that 3 cloves is a typo and double. Well double-ish, rounded up to the nearest bulb

Jack Grimes @jackapedia.design · 16/07/2026

Reposted by Tim Smith

Furious that Chris Nolan would disregard historical accuracy in adapting The Odyssey by making a "movie" with "cameras" instead of memorizing the entire story and then going on a nationwide tour to sing it to us while tripping on ergotized barley

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Reposted by Tim Smith

yaoi gagarin @mel.bzky.team · 12/07/2026

well okay so the english won against the norwegians but in only a few days theyll have to face the french. anyway thats quite enough about September 25th 1066, lets look at some football news

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Reposted by Tim Smith

Tracy King @tracyking.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Well I’ve spent the whole of #NorEng drawing the three English lions on a tote bag, time well spent even if we don’t win

A tote bag depicting the three lions of the England team crest but one is Henry’s Cat and one is Bagpuss

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Tim Smith @tr-smith.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

One for the dish and five for the chef sounds like a good ratio to me. See also the pointlessness of providing anchovies in a jar with a reusable lid 😁