iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

SuperMarioLand probably also deserves Gameboy mention actually. Speaking of Gameboys, I bought this for Ben for his birthday 😁

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

We had a lovely Chinese calligraphy workshop on Friday, led by our visiting fellow Roland Buckingham Hsiao. We started with seal script, and tried a bit of cursive as well as signs from the Lisu syllabary (an early 20th C minority script). Very calming, great vibes all round.

Pippa with a group of VIEWS researchers round a table practising calligraphy.

Pippa's attempt at seal script next to the model version.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Tell me honestly... is age 2 too early? 😁 Alphabet play day with my son Ben.

Diagram in red crayon showing developments in the letter aleph > alpha > A - starting with ox head.

My son's bare feet standing on top of his wooden letter blocks, arranged 13x2.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Birthday T-shirt ☺️ My son Ben knows his Greek alphabet and loves stopping to recite it. Profile pic vibes...

Pippa with a cheeky but enigmatic grin 😁, wearing a black T shirt on which is the Greek alphabet in white in a nice lapidary font, standing in front of a statue of Pan at Anglesey Abbey.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I'm stupidly pleased with this giraffe doodle 😂 Well my son likes it, so that's enough for me. We watched a video and discovered that giraffes say "Mmmm" (having wondered what sound to ascribe to them while singing). Mirror writing speech a la Greek vase painting.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Delighted that the Script Keepers Network has been honoured in the Future Icons of Culture Knowledge Exchange Awards by NCACE, in the Emerging Academic–Cultural Collaboration Award category. A collaboration with @timbrookes.bsky.social !

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

I'm trying to find any possible reading but all I have at the moment is this snippet: "Here's an example from the Avestan Digital Archive, with upside-down Devanagari (very early stage of development into Gujarati script) embedded upside-down in the matrix Avestan script."

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Red alphabets and yellow alphabets - take that, Archaic Greece! (Joke reveal: regional Archaic Greek alphabets were very diverse in letter shapes and values, and have been classified into colour-coded types by modern scholars: red, green, light blue and dark blue. But not yellow! 😁)

Painted red L and M about to be painted, with paintbrush and a partly painted wooden rainbow at the edge.

My son Ben crouched over a partial red abecedarium from A to K

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

We recently held a very interesting clay play session, with a mini lecture on Linear B and lots of discussion of practical methods of tablet making - with some bonus wooden fork cuneiform.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

And the rest of our programme (also here: viewsproject.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/v...)

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I'm giving a seminar in the Classics and Ancient History series at Durham (remotely) on Wednesday 13th May at 1.00pm BST. So I should probably try to get my powerpoint finished! www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...

Photo from programme reading "13th May. Pippa Steele (Cambridge), Semata and the epistemological position of early Greek alphabetic writing"

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

The second issue of the VIEWSletter, released today! News about coming events, pictures from recent events, video links round-ups of news snippets and recent publications of interest - if you are interested in writing, check it out! Download it here: viewsproject.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Join Alice Mazzilli, Pule kaJanolintji, Helen Magowan and Pippa on Thursday 30th April, 19.00-21.00 BST, for a discussion of Writing As Rhythm. We will be reprising topics that featured in the panel discussion at the start of our recent Jamigraphy event. leonardo.info/civicrm/even...

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

WAVE 2 is over... But there is another... WAVE 3 coming in 2027!

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

WAVE 2: Writing As Visual Engagement still has one day of online papers left to go: Saturday 11th April, 10.50-16.15 BST. Zoom registration here: cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Last call to ppl in #Cambridge: Join us for Jamigraphy! Learn about research on movement, embodiment and emotion in writing. Write to the rhythms of our live music. Saturday 21st March Alison Richard Building (West Road) Panel discussion+workshop 10-1 OR Workshop only 2.30-4.30 Links 👇👇

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

The harshest of reviews from some spambot 😂

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Turns out you can get a really nice bladed stylus with Play-doh, perfect for Linear B!

Palmleaf Linear B tablet in purple Play-doh, reading pi-pa MUL 1 ko-wo 1

Purple Play-doh Linear B tablet with red stylus and son's curly red hair in the background

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Oh I have just worked out what I'm going to do for International Lego Classics Day this year! It may involve these little dudes but that's all I'm saying 😁

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

The programme for World Endangered Writing Day next Friday (23rd Jan). Explore and celebrate global writing diversity, and find out what is being done to support minority script communities, with this day of presentations and discussions. #wewd2026 Register here: tinyurl.com/wewd2026

Image of the WEWD programme (text version available online).

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Made in Egypt exhibition at the @fitzmuseum.bsky.social is very much recommended! Every object has a story to tell and it's all displayed beautifully - well lit, interactive, spacious. Wonderful showcase of Egyptian craftsmanship.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

I would not have included this episode in a toddler Trojan Horse book 😳 I can't lie to my son! It only has four pages: Paris sailing off with Helen, Iphigeneia, Achilles knocking Hector over and the wooden horse.

Page of the Trojan Horse book showing Iphigenia with a suitcase and Agamemnon and Clytemnestra waving to her

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

The kind of thing mummy gets to play with at Christmas 🎁😁⛄

Page of book by Xu Bing with toddler playing with alphabet letters in the background

Stories of Abjad by Joumana Medlej, coming out of its wrapping, and Lawrence Kushner's Book of Letters in the background

White paper with alphabet stamps and Egyptian hieroglyph stamps

Red haired toddler playing with animal magnet letters

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Nsibidi News from Jordan Williams. Also on Insta here: www.instagram.com/p/DSDmoRkkdj...

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Seen on Amazon, pseudo hieroglyphs are very AI these days!

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

The next meetings of the Script Keepers Network will be next Sunday, 14th December, all very welcome. Here are the zoom registration links: 09:00 ET (14.00 GMT) - us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... 16:00 ET (21.00 GMT) - us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

What are the coolest advent calendars you are following on Bluesky this year? At home we have Mr Men books (mine 😁) and wooden winter wonderland.

Small wooden elf, tree and mummy/baby polar bear figures

Mr Men and Winter Wonderland advent calendars with dinosaur toy, alphabet magnets and bookcase also in view.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

And this is the picture I've got in my handout. I'm starting to wonder if I've lied to my students and this isn't the Grosvenor one... They definitely have a broken version of the tile...

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Magdalene College gardens in the afternoon sunlight a few days ago.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

I am loving the layout of Ben's latest abecedarium! 😁 Kind of Ancient North Arabian style, what do you think?

Red haired toddler making an abecedarium out of rainbow coloured magnet letters on a white board next to his bookshelf.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Also from Tian Tian on X: Ever wonder how the Chinese saw Halloween in the past? This is a small article about a Halloween party in 1929 at West Lake Villa. It was called 黑貓節 — the Black Cat Festival — very direct and descriptive. And I love the term 人面瓜, “human-face melon,” for jack-o’-lantern.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

An abominable horror is coming this Halloween... Don't forget that you can subscribe by email to our website feed, and be the first to be terrified! 😱 viewsproject.wordpress.com

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Peak Halloween Classicist accessory! (Thank you Poundland 😱)

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

@dannybate.bsky.social look what just came through the door! It's a good companion for Ben's alphabet colouring book 😊

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Eating mummy's new business cards.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Very interesting sign reversals going on in Ben's dark side alphabet. He's discovering something about symmetry 😊

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

I've just cut the bottom off with my address but you get the misspelling anyway 🙂 It's the university standard, but I thought the spacing could be improved.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

And the poster just because I'm quite pleased with it 😁

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Just noticed that one of the inscriptions from the sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Hymettos reads "BEN" - I've been interested in these inscriptions for about the last ten years, so it's nice to find my two-year-old son's name on one 🥰 (I'm also finally writing about them!)

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

If you are interested in punctuation and spacing in text, from any world writing traditions, please join us for @timbrookes.bsky.social's discussion event: Sunday 5th October, 12.00 ET / 17.00 BST Registration link in next comment.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

We'll be announcing our VIEWS hybrid seminar line-up for the term in the next few days - stay tuned!

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

My son Ben just did one alphabet completely dextroverse (L>R) and one completely sinistroverse (R>L)! He usually does boustrophedon - clearly this is deliberate experimentation 🥰 This is so cool for my research!

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

We happened on a wonderful little exhibition of northern Nigerian leatherwork at the @fitzmuseum.bsky.social today while attending the family friendly drop-in. Exquisite workmanship, well worth a visit. I'll put a link to their blog posts on it in the first comment.

Leather cushion cover with concentric circles bearing lines of geometric patterns and a fringe around the outside.

Leather manuscript cover with a central rectangular field bearing a schematised depiction of a lizard, surrounded by a border of squares with geometric decoration.

Rectangular cushion cover with three square fields of coloured geometric patterns in red, green and gold, each surrounded by designs in black.

Pippa Steele and her two-year-old son Ben, smiling.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

My son who is nearly 2 loves the alphabet (the Latin alphabet since that's what he's exposed to mostly) and makes the best boustrophedon abecedaria 🤩 These are all from today when he spent an hour and a half doing this instead of running around outside!

Toddler with red hair, a blue top and pink trousers kneeling over colourful alphabet letters arranged in boustrophedon, on a blue picnic blanket with colourful check.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

This volume is such a pleasure to work with!

In bottom left, the IG 15.1 Cyprus volume, a large dark blue book with gold lettering on the cover. In top right, my laptop in the background showing part of a spreadsheet recording Cypriot inscriptions.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

I love this wall of graffiti in a nearby playground, so vibrant and layered.

Wall with dark wooden slats at the edge of a playground, covered in graffiti by numerous hands in white, yellow and red spray paint.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

"So when you say Thoth is ibis-headed, does that mean he has a head like an ibis, or an ibis coming out of his face?" "Ibis coming out of his face, definitely." (www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...)

Statuette of Thoth with an ibis coming out of his face.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Looking for possible cover images for the first VIEWS conference volume (WAVE 1), charmed by this Egyptian apprentice scribe piece (c.2030 BCE) in the New York Met. (Not saying I'll choose it but there are some lovely sign forms here!) Information and images here: www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...

Pale coloured writing board with black outline Egyptian hieroglyphs written in a naive-looking style.

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VIEWS project @viewsproject.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Ooh, I had not heard of Chrysospilia ("Golden Cave") on the Greek island of Folegandos! It's home to hundreds of painted ancient inscriptions, from the 7th century BCE onwards apparently. It's not possible to visit sadly. Photos from: www.folegandros.gr/en/list-en/c...

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