Thanks to @jacquibhistory.bsky.social for having me on 'Time Casts a Spell' It was a great opportunity to talk about the opportunities that AI affords historians for research & storytelling; I also had a blast talking to a great historian about our craft #interview #history #podcast #radio

Me to Chef: Does this look like me after work?

Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things really gave me the gift of sharing spooky stories with Mx17. What's next?

It may be a little late, but I've compiled a publications page for my website. I'm really happy to see (and a bit surprised) that I actually met my 2025 resolution: write more history and in a variety of formats. How about that? www.colourfulhistories.com.au/portfolio-/p...

Woke up this morning with an urge to write a blog post answering the awesome questions historians have asked me about digital humanities, especially AI, in 2025. If you want to add a question to my list, it can be anon., please DM.

Happy New Year fellow geeks. All the best for a year of distracting and educational rabbit-holes, tottering TBR piles, and narratives that drive you a little mad, but are worth the trouble Image: Ethel Spowers Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1890 - 1947, Greeting card: A Happy New Year, c.1926, NGA

Do any historians use Linux? If so, do you have a favorite distro/software setup? Asking because I'm truly getting fed up with Microsoft, and am thinking of switching back over, at least on my laptop. #academicsky #histsci #skystorians #historians

2026? Bah. Ah. Okay. Let's do this. Re-read LOTR. Finish a cross-stitch gift for Chef. Submit my book proposal. Hike. Raise a glass. Share a plate. Be curious. Share stories from the past. That should do it.

Yesterday's work was supported by the Motown label; today, Motorhead. A home office does have its perks.

Music historians, what say you about Lyria being used to create era-inspired music, especially in projects such as Route 66 Rewind? artsandculture.google.com/experiment/r... #history #publichistory #academic #AI #create

"For historians, long sidelined & uncertain about how the AI revolution might shape their professional futures, the rise of advanced in-house chatbots trained on prop. research presents a golden opportunity to...relevance." **gives border-collie level side-eye** I dunno about "long sidelined"

I'm sure you're all onto this news, but if not, please see below for a link to the new T&F CAUL agreement. www.researchinformation.info/news/taylor-...

I grew up hearing there's no rest for the wicked; who knew being wicked & curious are so closely correlated? Of course, I'm back in the office, preparing for some oral histories. Can you guess the topic under discussion? #missedinhistory #womenshistory #oralhistory

A day late, and not a Lee-Talbot short, we begin the yearly watch.

Made my reading quota for the year, with days to spare. Well, I excluded comfort re-reads and work books, so I probably made my chosen number a couple of months ago. Either way, happiness is reading for imagination, escape, and curiosity. I love a good lost thing.

The unholy trifecta of journal articles has happened in the last 24 hrs: one accepted, one R&R, and one submitted. 🍾 Merry Christmas fellow writing and research geeks. May Reviewer one love your argument, the editor understand the value of your words and Reviewer 2 remember to be kind.

If Louis and Armand turn up in a diary I'm reading, I'm going to imagine a certain kind of...fellow. #justsaying

A really concerning trend is emerging in my news feeds over the past 24 hours concerning Creative Victoria: Writers Victoria's will not receive funding past June 30 2026, and also The Convent, Abbotsford. These organisations are amazing sites...

If I ever start a punk band, I'll name it thus:

'[T]he museum has maintained that it is unable to return objects permanently from its collection outside of exceptional circumstances due to the British Museum Act of 1963, which places strict limitations on returning objects.' In this case, many items do not belong in [this] a museum.

Happy festive season my peeps. May your bookpiles not totter and your chosen beverage be awesome. D

I'm not saying this marvellous album lives rent-free while I transcribe these days but...

Good news for now from the State Library of Victoria (SLV), which once was one of the world's great libraries. A respite at least until the next external consultant comes along to vandalize the institution, with the support of its 'management'

About 250 copies sold so far, which means I have a way to go to match "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Whatever", but I am relieved that my publisher got some return for the free editorial work he did (thank you, Ray). Not ordered your copy yet? Makes an ideal Xmas gift ...

Where are my palaeographers at? Anyone? #MedievalSky [This is from TNA, SC 1/30/121. The context is asking for updates from a co-envoy regarding Anglo-French negotiations.]

New transcription grump- blotting paper. What a dastardly piece of technology, erasing letter joins and causing frowns of frustration. Give me my microfilm any day. And before anyone says "Chuck it into AI". No. For so many reasons on this project, no.

If you're interested in learning more about the existence and condition of precarious oral history collections in Victoria, check out our newly released Report & Online Database! precariousoralhistories.com/project-outp...

Oh, well, perhaps I should be thankful academia has given me notable thinker-schminker lines; I had to prove how frickin old I am to talk shit online?!

I aways value Nathan's perspective and work; great to hear this ep. of Archive Fever. And to have the chuckle about the particularities of cursive writing. 53 | The Right of Reply. Episode:

🎉 You're invited to our end-of-year celebration! 🎉 To cap off a year of history advocblacy and engagement with the past, the HCV are hosting an end-of-year event THIS Thursday 11 December, 6pm, in the Melbourne CBD. 🔗RSVP: www.historycouncilvic.org.au/hcv_gp_2025_...

It brings the JPH editorial board great pleasure to announce the winner of the T&F, JPH Best Article Prize for Volume 59: The Special Issue on the Nuclear Pacific, edited by Nic Maclellan. To celebrate this collective effort, we'll feature the work of contributing authors this coming week.

GUNSON ESSAY PRIZE NEWS The Gunson Essay Prize was awarded by the Journal of Pacific History in conjunction with the Pacific History Association at the recent PHA conference to KDee Aimiti Ma’ia’i, DPhil Candidate, Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford.

Excuse me Bookmory, I have three more weeks of festive reading to accomplish.

Oh hell naw.

Free read! Free read!

Thrilled to share that the outputs from the Identifying Precarious Victorian Oral History Collections Project are now available! Access the Final Report and Online Database here: precariousoralhistories.com/project-outputs 1/

Historians, I've got a curiosity itch. Help me out by completing this poll. When I say paradata you say: 1. What's that? 2. Oh, our "new" methodology 3. We don't need new concepts. 4. AI demands such concepts. Gimme. #skytorians #history #professional #academic

PHA NSW & ACT is pleased to announce it will be co-hosting the Public and Professional History stream with the Australian Centre for Public History at the 2026 @austhistassoc.bsky.social conference hosted by Macquarie Uni Details below & in this link: theaha.org.au/aha-conferen... #history

There's a fascinating trend in horror films and shows, Alien Romulus and Welcome to Derry especially, showing pregnancy/birthing horror. Not saying there's a paper in that, but...

Today is the last day of the Future Fellowship that I’ve been doing for the last five years. If any of the work we’ve done in thinking about queer in Indigenous lives, creativity, the colonial project of gender and everything else has had an impact on your work or life I’d love to hear from you.

I've apparently reached the age when I squeal on seeing my summer lily bloom for the first time. I'm okay with this development, but I really miss my Gran. She would've understood.

🎁 Did you know we are an entirely not-for-profit organisation who rely on donations to keep us afloat? Our yearly appeal is here! Donate or become a Friend of the HCV today to help us connect Victorians to history. 🔗 Make a tax-deductable donation: www.historycouncilvic.org.au/donate

Drafting editorial policy is weird, but kind of fun. "Clearly state your methodology, where you got those sources, if those sources are the product of AI, or the article gets it". #academia #history #policy #AI

One of the things I like about examining uses of AI in research is the opportunity to consider how other professions are using AI and where they are not. On today's calendar: the work of the NLA. Curious? Interesting reading here re their Artificial Intelligence Framework: #research #academia

It worked last-time. Let me try this again. HailMaryFullaGraceLemmeWinThisStockCarRace** **Grant application.

So we spent months getting students to critically engage and learn how to use university services and this happens. AI can be, in limited circumstances, a means of enhancing some research. Such universal approaches lack the nuance needed for a range of schools and disciplines.

Mr Tulk and our librarians?! This eradication of SLV culture and history is bewildering and also expected from an inexperienced board. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

If you're interested but can't make it in person, I'm compiling all the outcomes of my residency on this page: https://slv.wraggelabs.com/ I'll add tomorrow's talk in the next day or so.

I can deal with snakes, spiders, magpies, etc. But put a journal article with revisions in front of me and there's pouting, sulking, and intense questioning about my life choices. **Sigh** Still sitting here doing the damn thing. Guess that's something.

The Australian government has missed an opportunity to become a global leader in the ways of safeguarding AI users, and other people online, against the bias, disinformation and harms that can be perpetuated by unregulated AI use.