I missed Tolkien’s birthday on the 3rd, but here’s my latest fun read.

Christmas was wonderful.

They’re going to march Maduro through Washington like he’s Vercingetorix

"As the title of it may indicate, it's kind of two different projects a seaway & a power project which were together & this was all built by canada & the US as well as Ontario & the state of New York & their power entities..." - @danielmacfarlane.bsky.social niche-canada.org/2014/10/29/n...

...are there any video games that do a non-terrible job of portraying the Haudenosaunee? #vastearlyamerica

How delicately a Romanesque angel uses the lightest touch of a finger to wake one of the magi, snuggled with the other 2 under their embroidered circular blanket at St Lazare, Autun, c1130 (& how beautifully the textures of pillow & blanket are represented). Season's greetings to you all!

Instead of spending big money to recruit a few dozen academics from outside of Canada, I wish the Liberals invested in the outstanding talent coming out of our PhD programs. Postdocs could be extended (#, duration) for large numbers for the same price. It is top-down, headline seeking politics.

ICYMI: "The emotional force of RDR2 rests in its persistent sense of loss. The game tells players repeatedly that the frontier is ending, through dialogue, scenery, and the slow tightening of state authority across the map." - Nolan Reynolds niche-canada.org/2025/12/12/p... #envhist #envhum

has anyone written about the part in LotR where Aragorn designates a reservation for the Drúedain

Instead of « dreams of Albion » it could be « dreams of Turtle Island » - super cool. It would be an ideal setting to tell the story of both, especially if it were centred on Hiawatha et al. & the Great Law of Peace.

It’s funny how professional historians argue about whether « Indigenous medieval history » or the « global Middle Ages » were a thing, and then a video game developer just goes all in with bringing to life medieval South America centred on Indigenous nations. www.ageofempires.com/news/whats-c...

Part of the political project of genAI is to undermine knowledge and expertise until it is meaningless. And this is not theoretical. Actually existing AI is doing precisely this.

Today we have "Playing the Vanishing Frontier: Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Environmental Imagination" by Nolan Reynolds This is the tenth article in the Playing Inside: Board Games, Video Games, and the Indoors series, edited by @theliftline.bsky.social niche-canada.org/2025/12/12/p... #envhum

Louis Hennepin’s Nouvelle découverte d'un très grand pays situé dans l'Amérique entre le Nouveau-Mexique et la mer glaciale, 1697, at the W.D. Jordan Rare Books & Special Collections at Queen’s University.

back on my bureaucratic bullshit youtu.be/adlVvaRsa54

Dear #envhist world: A student wants to explore the development of the Wyoming bison meat trade. Any thoughts re primary/secondary sources to learn more? Thanking you in advance, Alan

Attempting to play as a violent Dunmer abolitionist in my latest Morrowind play through, a real John Brown figure

The place where the Legislative Assembly and Council once stood before it was burnt down by an Anglophone mob in response to the passing of the Rebellion Losses Bill in 1849. Nearby you can see the faint glimmer of a gas lamp on Rue Sainte-Helene.

The McCord Stewart Museum this past weekend.

Does anyone out there have leads for research fellowships at universities, archives, or museums in New York State? I'm looking into fellowships at the New York State Library and Fort Ticonderoga; I've missed the date for the NYPL. It would have to be available to an international (Canadian) student.

Does anyone out there have leads for research fellowships at universities, archives, or museums in New York State? I'm looking into fellowships at the New York State Library and Fort Ticonderoga; I've missed the date for the NYPL. It would have to be available to an international (Canadian) student.

I enjoyed working with the National Army Museum to interpret this remarkable portrait of a black military bandsman. I'm glad it's now on display and making news. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Highlights from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. This is a must-go for anyone studying Indigenous history.

Reading Fingolfin’s Wikipedia page (as one does) and came across this pleasant surprise @barootes.bsky.social :)

Join us on Oct. 9 for our upcoming seminar on environmental history, "Cultivating Legitimacy: Soldiers, Civilians, and Environment in the Revolutionary Hudson Valley." Author Blake McGready with comments by @mkn.bsky.social. Register here: www.masshist.org/eve....

I wrote an essay about historical authenticity and representation of Indigenous peoples in Red Dead Redemption II. Trying to think of where to get it published because I think it’s fun. Any ideas?

You know, I would've thought that I was getting close to tapping out the entire market for video game infrastructure, but our latest video (RDR2 power lines) was not only our best performing video of all time in terms of views, but also gave us our two highest single days of subs ever. (last pic)

lots of good info in here about the U.S. electrical grid circa 1899 if you’re interested!

My third peer-reviewed article is now out with the journal Ethnohistory! It is about Powhatan sovereignty in the early 17th century. My thanks go to a number of friends and colleagues who provided feedback on this article over the past three years. It wouldn’t be possible without so much support!

Lord Eerie: holy shit. you guys are you seeing this. this is clearly an evil autocrat name. 5/5 great lakes I won't settle for less

Working on a script to do this, keep you posted

I’m using the RG 8 C index, archived online by LAC. Unfortunately, you can only save each page individually as a PDF rather than the entire microform, usually around 6000 pages. Any ideas on how to save these microforms as a PDF en masse? Link: www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-di...

#ICYMI “Four #trains will do a direct link, bypassing #Kingston and all the other stops along the way. Apparently this is an effort to compete with air and car travel,” said MP Mark Gerretsen. Mayor Paterson shared the MP's frustrations. More: www.kingstonist.com/news/ludicro...

Just dropped! The Champlain Society's "Witness to Yesterday" podcast convo between @nobyrne.bsky.social & me about "Becoming Green Gables." champlainsociety.utppublishing.com/digital-cont... www.mqup.ca/becoming-gre... #cdnhist #greengables @mcgillqueensup.bsky.social

Wilno, Ontario, one of the first and oldest Polish settlements in Canada, established in 1864. Sadly, the museum was closed but ate at the Wilno Tavern, which has apparently been in operation since 1899. I’d like to know more about how Canada was advertised to Kashub immigrants.

On this day in history, September 3rd, 2014, I walked into my first classes at Brock University. Still remember my first courses: Empires and Revolutions; Medieval and Renaissance Civilizations; Myths of the Greek and Roman Gods; Biology: A Human Perspective; and Introduction to Political Science

You wouldn't hire an accountant to rebuild your car. Different challenges call for different types of expertise. Often, we seem to set that notion aside when it comes to the humanities. Anyone can do history, right? Well, anyone can do *bad* history. 🚨 New on QTP: 🚨 querythepast.com/bad-history/

Best books about the Mexican-American War? Bonus points if it’s environmental history

Delighted to see this new review of "Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean," a book that pulls "earthlings out of their complacency to recognize the precarity of their position amid ongoing cosmic dramas." Now available for pre-order! #Space #EnvHist www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/ripp...

The beautiful view (😉) of Lake Ontario from Bellevue House

I renewed my passport yesterday at the coolest Service Canada! The Kingston Custom House was built by architects Hopkins, Lawford, and Nelson from 1856 to 1859. It’s a wonderful piece of neoclassical architecture that complements nearby St. George’s Cathedral where Lord Sydenham is buried.

George Rawlyk, also born in Niagara, died on the same day I was born 🫨

It's really hard to overstate how hugely favored conservatives were up until two months ago. Here's the graph of Canadian polling between March 2023 and March 2025. (Reminder: blue is conservative.) Those are months and months of 20+ point leads for Tories.

I’m pleased to say that I’ve been awarded a month-long research fellowship at the Clements Library, University of Michigan. The Clements has the most expansive War of 1812 collection outside of Canada; I couldn’t be more stoked for this opportunity.

Louis St. Laurent's lifespan overlaps with the lifespans of every Canadian Prime Minister to date, from John A. Macdonald to Mark Carney.

BREAKING: Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Charli XCX fan:

“From April 14-18, select UBC graduate programs at UBC Vancouver will re-open their applications for US citizens to be considered for Sept 2025 or Jan 2026 entry - they are ready to provide quick admissions decisions for these applicants“ #gradstudent #gradschool www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...