Seb Falk
LightNews LightNews
banner
sebfalk.com
Seb Falk
@sebfalk.com
11K followers 600 following 560 posts
Historian of science ||
Admissions Tutor at Girton College, University of Cambridge ||
Singer, sailor, runner, father ||
"Always generous" – The New Yorker
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
sebfalk.com
Seb Falk @sebfalk.com · Nov 19
Since "La Luz de la Edad Media" came out in September, there are now 8 editions of #TheLightAges!

I'm fascinated by each publisher's different approach to design – but thrilled by the results in every case. Feel free to judge this book by its covers!
8 copies of The Light Ages in different languages: Dutch, English (UK), Italian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, English (USA), Portuguese
sebfalk.com
Anyone in London looking for a fun half-term activity, check this out, featuring the brilliant @gregjenner.bsky.social off You're Dead To Me 🤩

www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/tot...
Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy | Southbank Centre
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 2:14 PM
sebfalk.com
See your other comment just now about "we are better than those silly people"... 🙄
February 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Seb Falk
hagenilda.bsky.social
I wrote a piece for the CDBU blog with some low or no cost things our employers could do right now if they care about precarious staff as much as they say they do.
February 7, 2026 at 4:21 PM
sebfalk.com
Thank you!
February 6, 2026 at 1:52 PM
sebfalk.com
Lovely, thanks for sharing! I'll be in Szczecin in the summer so am excited to look out for it 😀
February 6, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Seb Falk
alisonfisk.bsky.social
A little bear figurine carved out of amber some 6,000 years ago 🐻❤️

A hole runs through the bear’s torso suggesting it was threaded on a cord, perhaps worn or carried as a protective charm.

Found in a peat bog near Słupsk, Poland, in 1887.

📷 National Museum in Szczecin

#FindsFriday
#Archaeology
Photo by G. Solecki/A. Piętak of a small figurine of a bear carved out of amber between 9600 and 4100 BC. The amber is a deep translucent orange. The display lighting makes it glow in places. The bear's head is carved to show ears, mouth, nostrils and eyes. A hole runs through the bear’s torso, suggesting it was threaded onto a cord. Dimensions: Length 10.2 cm, Height 4.2 It was discovered in Słupsk during peat mining in 1887. According to the museum catalogue ‘’Shortly after its discovery, the figure underwent conservation work to restore its original appearance as it was covered with a layer of dull patina from the exposure to the minerals contained in the peat. Already at that time, at the end of the 19th century, it was assumed the restoration had gone too far. The figure was stripped entirely of patina, the anatomical features of the animal were emphasised, the eyes and nostrils were sharply drawn, and the amber was carefully polished”. In 2013, a competition was organised by the Education Department of the National Museum in Szczecin, for children to choose a name for the bear. The winning name was ‘Słupcio’,
February 6, 2026 at 8:04 AM
sebfalk.com
Stumbled across this article from 2008. How times have changed – not just the policies but also the tenor of political discourse 😔

www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Headline: " This article is more than 17 years old Plans for 20 new university towns This article is more than 17 years old Campuses are to be set up over the next six years at a cost of £150m, with many located in areas suffering high levels of unemployment"
February 4, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Seb Falk
dbellingradt.bsky.social
And here is the paper astrolabe that is included into the binding of the so-called "Heidelberger Schicksalsbuch". This paper instrument left the highlighted lasting impression on the nearby blank pages. #bookhistory #histsci

2/2
The paper astrolabe in the binding. Source: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/cpg832/0560/image
February 2, 2026 at 1:56 PM
sebfalk.com
That's what I keep telling them...

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
How the use of a word in the Guardian has gotten some readers upset | Elisabeth Ribbans
‘Got’ was changed during the editing of an opinion piece, leading to correspondence lamenting a slide into American English. But language isn’t a fortress, says the Guardian’s global readers’ editor E...
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 11:55 PM
sebfalk.com
I have an ongoing fight with my family about this: having *gotten* married to an Irishwoman, I have picked up that version of the past participle – common in Ireland but my "folks" accuse me of perpetrating an Americanism...
January 31, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Seb Falk
zehnroot.com
Remembering Dr. Gladys West (1930-2026), the mathematician whose complex algorithms modeling Earth's shape and satellite data became the foundation for GPS. A true "hidden figure" whose brilliance transformed how billions navigate the world.

#GladysWest #GPS #WomenInSTEM #HiddenFigures #STEM #Tech
January 27, 2026 at 4:12 AM
Reposted by Seb Falk
gunnstreetgrrl.bsky.social
A little stop motion video I made of an almanac in the University of Rochester collection to try and give viewers an idea of how it functions 😊

(Video of RCL cod. a.1, a late 14th century folding almanac from England, likely Oxford)
January 27, 2026 at 6:04 PM
sebfalk.com
What about Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books? Also fantasy but much much better IMO. I read them about that age and was captivated.
January 26, 2026 at 9:25 PM
sebfalk.com
An actual answer to something I've wondered for years!

(Though if that's the case, why are they so polite with the "May We Suggest" 🤔)
jowiph.bsky.social Jon Phillips @jowiph.bsky.social · 15d
Technically speaking, putting in on a placard means that obeying it is a requirement of Federal Aviation Regulations. In practice, it may not mean much, but in theory it does make compliance mandatory and failure to do so subject to penalty
January 25, 2026 at 9:47 PM
sebfalk.com
Ah that makes sense (though this was on a plane that doesn't go anywhere near the USA)
January 25, 2026 at 9:43 PM
sebfalk.com
OK... Optimistic of them (endearingly so, with the world as it is) to imagine that the kind of people who'd misuse the basin might then be nudged into propriety by a weirdly capitalised reminder
January 25, 2026 at 8:52 PM
sebfalk.com
Are you suggesting that people's (men's) aim is that bad?! 😱
If that's the case, more than a gentle wipe-down is in order...
January 25, 2026 at 8:35 PM
sebfalk.com
Why is this a thing on planes (and only on planes)? Does anyone care if they find the basin slightly wet or soapy?
Sign: "As a Courtesy to the Next Passenger May We Suggest that You Use Your Towel to Wipe Off Water Basin. Thank You!"
January 25, 2026 at 8:28 PM
sebfalk.com
Having flown on Ryanair just yesterday, I agree with every word of this from @mrkocnnll.bsky.social in the Irish Times
Print article in the newspaper: "Only Elon Musk can bring me to Ryanair's defence"
January 24, 2026 at 11:24 AM
Reposted by Seb Falk
karlgalle.bsky.social
Obviously a *lot* going on right now, but for anyone seeking offline distraction, a 🧵 wrapup of my 2025 reading highlights, starting with wondrous & thoughtful general nonfiction by @geohumanist.bsky.social on our relations to ancient trees & @naomiaklein.bsky.social on boundaries of online madness:
Holding my copy of Jared Farmer's "Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees"; https://bookshop.org/p/books/elderflora-a-modern-history-of-ancient-trees-jared-farmer/9b2220608ce89328 Cover of Naomi Klein's "Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World"; https://bookshop.org/p/books/doppelganger-a-trip-into-the-mirror-world-naomi-klein/acc3a7231f775f18
January 12, 2026 at 6:44 PM
sebfalk.com
If you need a timeline cleanse: here's a highlight of a lovely selection of avian visitors to our wintry garden today.

Like me, this beautiful goldfinch loves teasels!
Collage of four photos of a goldfinch perched on various teasels and just taking off
January 10, 2026 at 10:08 PM
sebfalk.com
Last call for anyone looking for the dream 3-year early-career college research fellowship!

Closes 9am GMT Monday
sebfalk.com Seb Falk @sebfalk.com · Jan 5
JOB ALERT!

3-year postdoc at @girtoncollege.bsky.social - research anything you like in History, Archaeology or Anthropology in a wonderful, welcoming scholarly community.

PLEASE SHARE! Closes 12 January

www.girton.cam.ac.uk/job-vacancie...
Here's what it looked like on my return to work this morning - beautiful red brick gabled building of Girton's Hall, with a dusting of snow on the grass in front.
January 10, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Reposted by Seb Falk
brodiewaddell.bsky.social
Birkbeck is hiring a Lecturer in Medieval Studies (c.1300-1500), full-time and open-ended.

They will be formally based in English but expected to be able to contribute about 0.5FTE to History, including teaching and supervision.

Closing date Feb 23rd: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking a Lecturer in Medieval Studies to join our dynamic team within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Autumn 2026. As Lecturer in Medieval Studies you will contribute to the teaching of Medieval English literature and Medieval history across the Faculty, within our School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, and School of Historical Studies - this includes our BA English and BA History programmes, as well as postgraduate taught programmes in the two subject areas. This post is offered on a permanent contract at Birkbeck, full time 35 hours per week, with a salary of £44,247 rising to £60,858 per year. Teaching hours will vary from 6pm - 9pm, Monday to Friday. To be successful, you will bring research expertise in the literature, history and culture of the Late Medieval period (c.1300-1500), and demonstrate a capacity to contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching, participate actively in curriculum development, supervise doctoral students, and help shape the intellectual life of our vibrant academic community. We would also welcome applicants who would be able to contribute to collaborative teaching programmes or research in the Faculty, in areas such as identity, race/ethnicity, or gender - experience of collaboration with cultural institutions, whether through research or teaching, is also welcome. Core responsibilities will initially include programme/module administration, teaching, supervision, assessment, student support and pastoral care. You will also be equipped to supervise doctoral students. With a PhD in any area of Medieval Studies, you will contribute the Faculty’s and Schools’ research impact and culture, and to the intellectual and cultural life of the institution and the various communities and partners with whom we work and serve.
January 8, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Seb Falk
carinr.bsky.social
Paleography peeps: I'm collecting examples of premodern descriptive or evaluative (sc. judgy) language about script. E.g. Boniface requesting a book "claris et absolutis litteris scripti" because he can't read "minutas litteras ac connexas" anymore. #medievalsky 🧵
January 7, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Seb Falk
gregjenner.bsky.social
People of the UK! 🇬🇧 There’s still time to vote for an inspiring history teacher — the entry criteria is on the HRP website. I’m proud to be on the judging panel and look forward to celebrating great history teachers www.hrp.org.uk/schools/insp...
Inspiring History Teaching Awards
Created by Historic Royal Palaces, these awards celebrate teachers who make history exciting, inclusive and meaningful. We want to recognise the impact that great teachers can make by bringing the pas...
www.hrp.org.uk
January 7, 2026 at 11:14 AM