Darren S. Layne
@funkyplaid.bsky.social
Historian of 18th-century Scotland focused on Jacobite Studies and Digital History. Curator of JDB1745. Chair, Jacobite Studies Trust. PhD via University of St Andrews. In love with a swan and two cats. Currently watching the leaves in Portland, OR.
Pinned
Darren S. Layne
@funkyplaid.bsky.social
· Aug 20
First post on Bluesky as a brief intro:
Hi folks, I'm Darren, an historian in the PNW interested in 18thC British & Vast Early American history, with a focus on Jacobite studies and the social and cultural identity of plebeian Scots during the Jacobite era. Looking forward to connecting with you!
Hi folks, I'm Darren, an historian in the PNW interested in 18thC British & Vast Early American history, with a focus on Jacobite studies and the social and cultural identity of plebeian Scots during the Jacobite era. Looking forward to connecting with you!
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
Scholars who do historical research, eat your Wheaties (or whatever else fuels you). In the year of the nation's 250th birthday, there will be all sorts of nonsense that we will counter-program with actual history.
a bowl of cereal with milk being poured into it and the words `` got wheaties '' written on the bottom .
Alt: a bowl of cereal with milk being poured into it and the words `` got wheaties '' written on the bottom .
media.tenor.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Scholars who do historical research, eat your Wheaties (or whatever else fuels you). In the year of the nation's 250th birthday, there will be all sorts of nonsense that we will counter-program with actual history.
This week marked the release and delivery of a pretty remarkable edited collection from colleagues at Glasgow and @luathpress.bsky.social. It contains an incredible *44* contributions and represents an affordable, accessible tour-de-force of cultural connections between Outlander and Scotland. (1/2)
December 29, 2025 at 8:44 PM
This week marked the release and delivery of a pretty remarkable edited collection from colleagues at Glasgow and @luathpress.bsky.social. It contains an incredible *44* contributions and represents an affordable, accessible tour-de-force of cultural connections between Outlander and Scotland. (1/2)
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
Wishing you a very happy holiday from one lordless pagan pomp-and-ritual-appropriating household to yours, whatever the heck you believe and brings you warmth, joy, and comfort in these remarkable times.
December 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Wishing you a very happy holiday from one lordless pagan pomp-and-ritual-appropriating household to yours, whatever the heck you believe and brings you warmth, joy, and comfort in these remarkable times.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
Frohe Weihnachten to all the deadpan absurdists out there.
December 25, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Frohe Weihnachten to all the deadpan absurdists out there.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
I know it was four years ago, but damn this still hits hard.
December 24, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I know it was four years ago, but damn this still hits hard.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
Winter solstice in Edinburgh.
December 21, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Winter solstice in Edinburgh.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
If you claim to be an 'academic' or a 'researcher' or similar and your position is that you should not have to read things and/or write things and you would like the plagiarism machine to do that for you then please step aside and let someone who would like to work in the field have your job.
December 20, 2025 at 8:43 PM
If you claim to be an 'academic' or a 'researcher' or similar and your position is that you should not have to read things and/or write things and you would like the plagiarism machine to do that for you then please step aside and let someone who would like to work in the field have your job.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
If you don't see the link between fascism and the way that the infrastructure of genAI's growth is specifically targetting marginalised communities, especially when it comes to environmental and climate justice and the global south, can I recommend you forget your climate "expertise" and start over?
December 20, 2025 at 8:53 PM
If you don't see the link between fascism and the way that the infrastructure of genAI's growth is specifically targetting marginalised communities, especially when it comes to environmental and climate justice and the global south, can I recommend you forget your climate "expertise" and start over?
Just look at this f*cker.
Kennedy Center gets new signage bearing Trump’s name | CNN Politics
New signage is being installed at Washington, DC’s performing arts center on Friday to include President Donald Trump’s name.
edition.cnn.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Just look at this f*cker.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
There’s an excellent and devastatingly thorough article in the latest @indexers.bsky.social journal by Elizabeth Bartmess and Michele Combs demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing
December 19, 2025 at 3:13 PM
There’s an excellent and devastatingly thorough article in the latest @indexers.bsky.social journal by Elizabeth Bartmess and Michele Combs demonstrating that LLMs are worthless for indexing
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
My thesis is now available online on the history of @socantscot.bsky.social Much of it has been published in articles in the last few years but there's still lots of unpublished material in there if you fancy some Christmas reading #History #Museums #Scotland #Antiquarianism theses.gla.ac.uk/82236/
Collecting the nation: Scottish history, patriotism and antiquarianism after Scott (1832-91) - Enlighten Theses
theses.gla.ac.uk
December 18, 2025 at 3:15 PM
My thesis is now available online on the history of @socantscot.bsky.social Much of it has been published in articles in the last few years but there's still lots of unpublished material in there if you fancy some Christmas reading #History #Museums #Scotland #Antiquarianism theses.gla.ac.uk/82236/
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
I don’t think many folks outside academia are fully registering what is going on right now.
1) Neoliberal university-as-business model
2) Mass de-skilling of the intellectual class
3) Unprecedented cuts to programs across the board
4) Dismantling public education
5) AI as partner to de-skilling
1) Neoliberal university-as-business model
2) Mass de-skilling of the intellectual class
3) Unprecedented cuts to programs across the board
4) Dismantling public education
5) AI as partner to de-skilling
No it’s ok we can cut all the area studies programs. We’ll just hire one “global studies“ Prof with a degree in English literature.
December 18, 2025 at 2:11 AM
I don’t think many folks outside academia are fully registering what is going on right now.
1) Neoliberal university-as-business model
2) Mass de-skilling of the intellectual class
3) Unprecedented cuts to programs across the board
4) Dismantling public education
5) AI as partner to de-skilling
1) Neoliberal university-as-business model
2) Mass de-skilling of the intellectual class
3) Unprecedented cuts to programs across the board
4) Dismantling public education
5) AI as partner to de-skilling
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
"We envision a resistance that is...a repudiation of the efficiencies that automated algorithmic education falsely promises: a resistance comprising the collective force of small acts of friction."
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
Four Frictions: or, How to Resist AI in Education - Public Books
We are calling for resistance to the AI industry’s ongoing capture of higher education.
www.publicbooks.org
December 16, 2025 at 5:27 PM
"We envision a resistance that is...a repudiation of the efficiencies that automated algorithmic education falsely promises: a resistance comprising the collective force of small acts of friction."
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say
An agreement to rejoin Erasmus – the EU’s student exchange programme – is expected to be announced on Wednesday as part of the UK government’s drive towards closer relations with Brussels.
The final details of the announcement were agreed by the two sides on Tuesday, with a plan to allow UK students to participate in the EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources said. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:26 PM
UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
A university is so much more than its bricks and mortar facilities. It is also an eduroam network with intermittent access
December 15, 2025 at 11:04 PM
A university is so much more than its bricks and mortar facilities. It is also an eduroam network with intermittent access
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
The desire to cite a friend’s book and then be like “see also the earlier essay version and also the even earlier conference presentation and then also probs check our text thread that happened after we hatched all of these ideas at the pub”
December 12, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The desire to cite a friend’s book and then be like “see also the earlier essay version and also the even earlier conference presentation and then also probs check our text thread that happened after we hatched all of these ideas at the pub”
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
one thing that doesn’t get enough coverage or comment with regards to this administration is it how much it hates the actually existing united states
Trump Administration Scraps Plan to Mint Quarters Featuring Abolition, Suffrage
The move comes as a controversial $1 Trump coin for the nation’s 250th birthday is also being considered.
www.wsj.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:05 PM
one thing that doesn’t get enough coverage or comment with regards to this administration is it how much it hates the actually existing united states
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
What a terrible time to be a good person
December 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
What a terrible time to be a good person
So nice to see digital access arranged and provided by scholars within the sector rather than gatekept by predatory corporations using public archives as institutional subscription fodder. Good on TNA for working with this programme and wishing they'd do the same with the SP/Windsor collections.
Needless to say I’m delighted about this. It was super to work with Simon Neal, who re-catalogued more than 70 volumes; to collaborate with Eamonn Kenny @adaptcentre.bsky.social who knocked the data into shape; and to incorporate it into the Knowledge Graph we’re building, based on @dib.ie entries
#TNAConnections Another great Gold Seam you can explore on the VRTI is that of the State Papers Ireland, 1660–1715 (TNA SP 63), an assembled collection of official letters, private papers, and correspondence that is held at @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy.
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
December 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
So nice to see digital access arranged and provided by scholars within the sector rather than gatekept by predatory corporations using public archives as institutional subscription fodder. Good on TNA for working with this programme and wishing they'd do the same with the SP/Windsor collections.
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
#TNAConnections Another great Gold Seam you can explore on the VRTI is that of the State Papers Ireland, 1660–1715 (TNA SP 63), an assembled collection of official letters, private papers, and correspondence that is held at @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy.
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
December 9, 2025 at 1:05 PM
#TNAConnections Another great Gold Seam you can explore on the VRTI is that of the State Papers Ireland, 1660–1715 (TNA SP 63), an assembled collection of official letters, private papers, and correspondence that is held at @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy.
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
Getting ready for 2026 like
December 9, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Getting ready for 2026 like
Reposted by Darren S. Layne
“Why are folks getting dumber?” Because they don’t read. “Why aren’t men as romantic & poetic as they used to be?” Because they don’t read. “Why are people so vulnerable to propaganda?” “Why is everyone a conspiracy theorist?” Because they don’t read. Because they don’t read.
December 8, 2025 at 11:49 PM
“Why are folks getting dumber?” Because they don’t read. “Why aren’t men as romantic & poetic as they used to be?” Because they don’t read. “Why are people so vulnerable to propaganda?” “Why is everyone a conspiracy theorist?” Because they don’t read. Because they don’t read.