Semiotic paradox alert!

This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)

Hello! I’m seeking volunteers to be interviewed for my PhD thesis on the cultural significance of the tailored suit within queer communities during the 1970s and 1980s. If you’re interested and would like more information, please contact me. Thank you, and feel free to share this with your networks!

Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up. I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.

Denmark lost more troops per capita in the post 9/11 war on Afghanistan. Saying they “are not a good ally” because they won’t surrender their territories to the US is lunacy. We are betraying our allies to satisfy the whims of a would-be Emperor for whom the US is not enough.

Apparently this is a real plaque in Galway

Well, it’s the day after Wallace and Gromit rode again – and it’s the 31st anniversary of the first appearance of the greatest sound effect in the history of the motion picture, so here’s the story of how (I found out how) they made it...

Claes Oldenburg, Knäckebröd, 1966 https://botfrens.com/collections/14377/contents/1136439

Probability of a white Christmas across Australia

James Merril’s poem “Christmas Tree,” written while he was dying of AIDS. 1995.

"What made her work additionally remarkable was that she had to do everything by hand...She compared the results by eye, computing in her head & on index cards the calculations that today’s software performs in an instant." -Dylan Loeb McClain on Inge Lehmann (HT @nytimes.com) #histSTM #WomenInSTEM

Don’t privatise your essential services. You’ll end up without them :(

Apparently I'm out in paperback! And it looks to be on sale, so if you're looking for a £35 stocking stuffer, boy do I have a recommendation for you... #fanstudies

BUTLER: Gender is the effect of endlessly repeated normative acts, a kind of performance. NEARLY EVERYONE ELSE: A performance like a nativity play? BUTLER: How many times do I have to explain this-

Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care for any transgender person under 18, and threatens any medical professional providing this care to youth with 10 years in prison. Tell Congress to protect trans youth and vote NO.

Hey academic humans, if you have a new book in film and media studies and want to do a podcast interview for the New Books Network about it, DM me. Or if you want someone in your discipline to interview you, fill out this form: newbooksnetwork.com/authors

She's done it again. It's illegal not to adore Bea Arthur so even if you don't like Christmas you'll love this 🎄🤶🎅🧑‍🎄🎁🎄🤶🎅🧑‍🎄🎁🎄

My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific antisemitic terror attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia in which at least 11 people were killed. Seen below is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen and was also shot and injured.

No, Jews around the world don't suffer because of the actions of the government of Israel. Jews around the world suffer because antisemites use the actions of the government of Israel to justify attacks on Jews. And if you make the same association, you're also an antisemite.

A cockatoo is perched—blatantly defying orders!—on a “NO STOPPING” sign. He has a waffle cone filled with ice cream clutched in one claw, and is casually taking bites of the ice cream. I love it.

Incredible work and congratulations to all DMRC researchers who were awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award! 🎉

Ban the Business Model, Not the Child. Read these wise (research based) words from colleague @jesstpiotrowski.bsky.social on the social media ban in Australia @ascor.bsky.social @antmandan.bsky.social www.jessicataylorpiotrowski.com/2025/12/11/b...

Okay, trans people of BlueSky. Can anyone think of a good novel (prose or graphic) that: 1. Has a transfemme protagonist 2. Does not have "dysphoria" or "transphobia" as the PRIMARY conflict (it can be an element, but not the main one) 3. Is suitable for a young teenager Recs would be AMAZING!

Oh ffs. I can’t see any posts marked as any kind of sensitive material either (as well as no DMs). Please, @bsky.app & @support.bsky.team - do I appear under 16 to you??? I have a PhD in media studies! I’m pushing 50! #socialmediaban #auspol

What met me when trying to DM another researcher here. Thanks to the Australian government. (No I will not engage in an unspecified check by a third-party company l, thanks.) #socialmediaban #auspol

Discord, who recently leaked a heap of personal data in a security breach, wants my personal data to let me access a channel I created in a server I created. Thank you, Australian government.

That social media ban thing? That starts today? Here’s what to expect from @antmandan.bsky.social

The Australien Government has made an ad about the Social Media Ban for Under-16s, and it's surprisingly honest and informative.

The Prime Minister credited 36 Months for convincing him to ban teens from social media. This group accused experts who opposed the ban of being 'bought' by big tech. Meanwhile, it was lining up brand deals, eyeing global expansion & developing an AI tool to track students www.crikey.com.au/20...

We have your morning commute listening for Wednesday lined up... 👂🔊 DMRC Director Daniel Angus (@antmandan.bsky.social) spoke with the Read Them Sideways podcast team about the social media ban, the implications, and what to expect in the future. open.spotify.com/episode/6IES...

This is the best thing on the internet today. I will not be taking questions.

U16 social media ban - ban on log-ons, not access (does not turn parents into criminals), but "does not solve the main problems" of bullying etc @antmandan.bsky.social on implications #auspol michaelwest.com.au/social-media...

Movie you've watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (either War or Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... Seriously....wasn't there a relevant recent policy disaster suggesting this might be a bad idea

Haidt is "stunned" that ChatGPT asked how it would threaten youth reveals that its plan would be what Haidt has argued in his books. The secret plan! There should be some way to rescind the doctorate of any commentator on digital media who interprets ChatGPT output like this. I am not joking.

A new report led by Michael Dezuanni, Kim Osman and Lynrose Jane Genon has been released today on "Young Australians' perspectives on the social media minimum age legislation". www.crikey.com.au/20... Cam Wilson at Crikey has covered the report and its findings.

Scoop: The most popular apps in Australia right now are social media platforms not included in the teen ban (so far). This comes as teens make videos recommending that they all migrate to these alternative platforms to get around the ban — something experts warned about. www.crikey.com.au/20...

A man who knows his audience.

BLACK FRIDAY OFFER! Ten out of my eleven books now available for FREE.

Fragments of decorative wall plaster from Roman Lincoln (Lindum). The fragments came from the Greetwell villa site in Lincoln (sadly destroyed by quarrying during the C19th), and are now part of the collections at Lincoln Museum. 📷 My own. #FrescoFriday #RomanBritain

Glorious thread of great examples of sassy/snarky responses to academic questions. Just beautiful.

New academic drinking game: Reading each other's publications and guessing which sections were added to appease reviewers.

Delighted to launch M/C Journal issue 28.5: ‘#experience’, edited by Jo Jung, Harrison See, and Lelia Green – and just in time for the #AANZCA25 conference too… #mcjournal journal.media-cultur...

In case you hadn’t seen it yet, this is just brilliant, brilliant news – very excited for our wonderful early-career researchers at the @qutdmrc.bsky.social. #AANZCA25 folks, you might be interested in hearing about these projects too…

BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. 🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states. This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺

“The former ANU vice-chancellor’s golden handshake means that her new annual salary will be more than the total annualised savings ANU sought from the proposal to disestablish the ANU School of Music.” www.canberratimes.com.au/story/911946...

Don't miss this wonderful article on how chatbots enable or constrain "casually curious" people looking for information about conspiracies (and catch Kate's presentation at #AANZCA2025)

DECRA success rate is the lowest in 14 years, since 2012 (1st year the scheme ran). What a pathetic system we have for supporting new ideas, new people… DE26: 13.1% 25: 17.9 24: 19.6 23: 15.0 22: 19.7 21: 17.1 20: 16.0 19: 17.2 18: 16.3 17: 16.7 16: 16.4 15: 14.3 14: 13.6 13: 15.6 12: 12.8