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Alan Davey

@armslengthal.bsky.social

PhD researcher in Old Icelandic at Birkbeck College, University of London. Chair at Trinity Laban Conservatoire; Chair, Hall for Cornwall. Formerly Controller, BBC Radio 3, CEO Arts Council England, Director of Culture at DCMS. Great Art For Everyone.

574 Followers  |  833 Following  |  274 Posts  |  Joined: 01.10.2023
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Posts by Alan Davey (@armslengthal.bsky.social)

The kids grow up so fast!
The first person to trust me to supervise her PhD has officially submitted, and I couldn't be prouder! Congratulations Juliane😊

28.02.2026 09:24 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The National Year of Reading celebrates the β€˜joy’ of books. But let’s not forget they can also be deeply troubling, too | Charlotte Higgins Encounters with great art can be absorbing, unsettling and even painful. How has this been tamed into β€˜reading for pleasure’, asks Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian’s chief culture writer

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... my friend Charlotte here on why reading for β€œpleasure” is NOT the be all and end all of reading. With a shout out for non fiction too which hasn’t got too much of a look in during this year of reading.

28.02.2026 10:44 β€” πŸ‘ 86    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3
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My new friend Louis. #Caturday

28.02.2026 11:20 β€” πŸ‘ 32    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Seat tonight in Helsinki has a good view of the organ. Hearing AION by Anna Þorvaldsdottir and the Rite of Spring by Helsinki Phil. Despite the weather I am fond of Helsinki.

27.02.2026 17:56 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Mine definitely do. Adobe Acrobat keeps asking "this is a long document, would you like me to summarize it?" No, Adobe, because it's a ****ing MUSICAL SCORE.

25.02.2026 08:51 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The main argument against PDFs is that they bamboozle AI LLMs. Transferring everything to PDFs …..

25.02.2026 07:57 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The war against PDFs is heating up Will the file type survive the AI revolution?

I like PDFs. Leave PDFs alone.

The war against PDFs is heating up
economist.com/business/202...
from The Economist

25.02.2026 07:04 β€” πŸ‘ 80    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 14    πŸ“Œ 7

Really useful assessment [ie dismantling] of #Reform β€˜illegal #migrant #return policy’ 36mins in @evanhd.bsky.social with Alan Manning, former chair of Migration Advisory Committee. Worth listening in my view. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

23.02.2026 18:30 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

πŸ₯³β€™History repeats the old conceits..’ a
proper humanities education would bring to mind Augustus and his laws against adultery and encouraging childbirth. The princeps in the bedchamber was never a good look. (Lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus/Papia Poppaea and Lex Julia de adulteriis..)

24.02.2026 16:23 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Old Norse Wordle (ONP)

Did better than in the NYT version…

Old Norse Wordle 26-02-24
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨
🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
onp.ku.dk/z2

24.02.2026 16:09 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yesterday’s #Wordle: kyrra (vb.): 37 cits, e.g. // β€˜sidan kyrddi sioen’ (FriΓ° in AM 510 4Β°) onp.ku.dk/o46900 #OldNorse

24.02.2026 07:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That was annoying ….Wordle 1.711 6/6

⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

24.02.2026 07:38 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Generation gap
Gen Z
Millennials
Living situation
At home with their parents at age 23
1 23%
Rental accommodation
21%
39%
Own their own home
5%
1 17%
Not yet gained independence because they could not afford to move out
23%
Were living with parents to save for a deposit
17%
Did not want to leave the family home yet
12%
Partners and family
Had a romantic partner by age 23
54%
Lived with their partner
17%
40%*
68%

Generation gap Gen Z Millennials Living situation At home with their parents at age 23 1 23% Rental accommodation 21% 39% Own their own home 5% 1 17% Not yet gained independence because they could not afford to move out 23% Were living with parents to save for a deposit 17% Did not want to leave the family home yet 12% Partners and family Had a romantic partner by age 23 54% Lived with their partner 17% 40%* 68%

Gen Z (this group born 2000-02) are hitting β€˜growing up’ milestones later than Millennials (this set 1989-90) partly as they can’t afford to move out from their parents. (Data from two separate longitudinal studies)
www.thetimes.com/article/8ff2...

23.02.2026 06:42 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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Illegal migrant in small boat stopped from entering sovereign territory without a permit.

22.02.2026 10:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1419    πŸ” 417    πŸ’¬ 78    πŸ“Œ 26
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A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them Drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders in multiple countries, this exclusive account details how the US and Britain uncovered Vladimir Putin’s plans ...

Absolutely amazing piece by @shaunwalker7.bsky.social on what we now know about the period running up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s a rich piece worth reading in full, but here a few bits that are striking 🧡
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

21.02.2026 22:11 β€” πŸ‘ 106    πŸ” 47    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4
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I am sick, so sick of trying to introduce reason, detail, order and actual analysis into talk about Higher Ed - now dominated by total BS, lurid fiction and, let's face it, lies. This is my view right now, I'm off to enjoy it, do what you want.

22.02.2026 13:27 β€” πŸ‘ 54    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 0
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Domesticating Grasslands or Wetlands: two neolithic styles of landscape and productivity in China This lecture examines the emergence of two contrasting agricultural systems in Neolithic China, with millet-based farming in the north and wetland rice cultivation in the south shaping distinct ways o...

Cool lecture we are holding in Nottingham. How did agriculture impact society in Neolithic China?

Rice in the south offered reliable yields, supporting the rise of sedentary communities.

In the north, millets produced lower yields, encouraging mobility.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/lectu...

22.02.2026 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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How Nazgul the wolfdog made his run for Winter Olympic glory in Italy Nazgul isn't talking, but his owners come clean about how he got loose, got famous, and how they feel now

Anyway, whatever, any vestiges of a university 'system' in England and Wales disappeared a while back. It's gone beyond the red line: much is on borrowed time. Don't even know why I sometimes still post on it. Let's have wholesome doggy content instead! That's better. πŸ• www.npr.org/2026/02/21/n...

21.02.2026 17:49 β€” πŸ‘ 36    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0
Gray striped cat surrounded by toys with head on box.

Gray striped cat surrounded by toys with head on box.

Play hard, sleep harder #caturday

21.02.2026 15:14 β€” πŸ‘ 8604    πŸ” 531    πŸ’¬ 154    πŸ“Œ 11

Okay, sign me up!

21.02.2026 21:39 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Fyrr mun heimr ok himnar,
hugreifum Γ”leifi,
β€” hann vas mennskra manna
mest gΓ³tt β€” Γ­ tvau bresta,
Ñðr an glíkr at góðu
gΕ“Γ°ingr muni fΕ“Γ°ask;
kΕ“ns hafi Kristr inn hreini
konungs Η«nd ofar lΗ«ndum.
HfrΒ ErfΓ“lΒ 27

22.02.2026 08:25 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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This one hits hard.

21.02.2026 22:59 β€” πŸ‘ 35579    πŸ” 10529    πŸ’¬ 777    πŸ“Œ 595
Man, slightly bent posture, face signed by anxiety, standing in a room of which a window and part of a door and a grand piano can be seen.

Man, slightly bent posture, face signed by anxiety, standing in a room of which a window and part of a door and a grand piano can be seen.

β€˜Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.’

πŸ“šW.H.Auden, September 1, 1939
πŸ–ΌοΈ Edvard Munch, Self Portrait

#BookWormSat #poetry20thC

21.02.2026 11:48 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Life goals...

20.02.2026 13:09 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Bjarni gullbrΓ‘rskΓ‘ld Hallbjarnarson, KΓ‘lfsflokkr 3
Ed. Alison Finlay
Vol. 1, p. 882
Mss: Holm2(60r), J2Λ£(212v-213r), 321Λ£(228), 73aΛ£(184v), 68(59v), 61(118va-b), 325V(72rb), 325VII(33v), Bb(191vb), Flat(120ra), TΓ³m(148v) (Γ“H); KΛ£(441r-v) (Hkr); FskAΛ£(188), 301Λ£(68v-69r) (Fsk, ll. 5-8)

21.02.2026 08:25 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
The British Academy
Public service media: funding and governance options
An international comparison to inform
BBC Charter review 2027

The British Academy Public service media: funding and governance options An international comparison to inform BBC Charter review 2027

The review of the BBC Charter has just been announced. In anticipation of this we have published a review of how 10 countries around the world organise their public service media, and what lessons can be drawn for the renewal of the BBC Charter www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications...

16.12.2025 11:06 β€” πŸ‘ 66    πŸ” 41    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 4
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100 years old today. Happy birthday to composer GyΓΆrgy KurtΓ‘g! πŸ₯³
Read an interview with KurtΓ‘g's close friend and colleague, Pierre-Laurent Aimard: bachtrack.com/interview-pi...

19.02.2026 10:09 β€” πŸ‘ 33    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Messages de feu Demoiselle R. V. Troussova, Op. 17
YouTube video by Pierre Boulez - Topic Messages de feu Demoiselle R. V. Troussova, Op. 17

Wishing GyΓΆrgy KurtΓ‘g a very happy hundredth birthday. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwXW...

19.02.2026 08:43 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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This morning’s morning music (inspired by Radio 3 breakfast @alryanradio.bsky.social )

19.02.2026 10:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Who's Afraid of Lupercalia? Podcast Episode Β· Instant Classics Β· 19/02/2026 Β· 47m

Here it is! Our Instant Classics episode on the Lupercalia: whipping, nudity, laughter. How do we begin to understand it? podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

19.02.2026 07:10 β€” πŸ‘ 62    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0