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Alastair Horne

@pressfuturist.bsky.social

3.2K followers 1.4K following 5.2K posts

Lecturer in Publishing at the University of Stirling. Researcher of smartphone storytelling. Author of seven books for Amber on Paris, London, Scotland, cemeteries (twice), chess, & dragons. Erstwhile doer of other things. Baritone. Often mediocre. He/Him

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · Nov 15

Evening all! I’m a lecturer in publishing studies at the University of Stirling, as well as the author of a few books for Amber Books. I sort of built what passes for my career by being on Twitter, so I’m sorry to see it go, but needs must.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

(These are not, I should stress, my friends. Just people replying to random posts FB thinks I should be interested in.)

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

On my daily hate-scroll through FB, I’m seeing more and more people responding to posts either “I asked ChatGPT/Meta AI etc etc” and, guys, are you even outsourcing your stupidity now?

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

“This is the sound of a revolution
Post-tension realization
This is happening without your permission
The arrival of a new renegade
Girl/boy hyper nation!”

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

It absolutely is, and I’ve enjoyed watching it five times today – once in each seminar, and once for luck. Love the collage of references in your poem.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

Racists, meanwhile, can continue at their usual low standard.

The Independent @the-independent.com · 7h

Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK

www.independent.co.uk

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

Neighbours at 96 heard him grumbling about tax.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1h

Update: some members of the third group responded more enthusiastically to Her Jazz. Focusing the discussion on the line “This is happening without your permission” and the contradictions of promoting it on Channel 4 after the pubs shut helped a little.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 7h

It's been about seventeen years since I regularly line-managed anyone, and I sometimes wonder how different a line manager I'd be now, given the wide range of examples of both good and bad line management I've experienced since then.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 7h

No idea!

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 7h

The response was pretty flat, tbh.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 7h

Oh, I had no definite expectations - was just curious as to how they'd respond.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 8h

Have now played Her Jazz on the Word to two groups of first year media studies students and the reaction was, at best, mixed.

(Mixed largely between annoyance at being woken up by this loud, angry music, and lack of interest in the music.)

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 11h

Today’s seminars touch passingly on zines and riot grrl, so am I going to start the session by playing Huggy Bear doing Her Jazz on The Word? I wonder…

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 11h

“Face it: you’re old and out of touch” stings more than it used to.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 11h

Today’s seminars touch passingly on zines and riot grrl, so am I going to start the session by playing Huggy Bear doing Her Jazz on The Word? I wonder…

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 22h

Listening to the audiobook of The Space Museum & remembering (a) how good the first part of the tv story is; (b) how bad the rest of it is; and (c) how good the first part of the Ark in Space is, & trying to remember how many other Who stories start with an episode with (almost) just the main cast.

Reposted by Alastair Horne

Oliver Mills @olivermills.bsky.social · 22h

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is one of the worst kids books I've ever read.

It's a Live Love Laugh sign in book form.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 22h

“Will Hindle succeed?”

Steve Williams @skillagesteve.bsky.social · 23h

Still feels exciting to have written the iPlayer billings for things like this, the equivalent I suppose of writing the Radio Times billing or the TV trailer in the old days

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 23h

The best chance of a second British side making the World Cup is if Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales all end up in the same playoff path.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 23h

The only good news so far for the two British sides playing tonight is that the third factor in each of their groups is drawing at home to one of the group’s worst teams, potentially opening the door to a play-off spot.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 23h

Is there anyone in Reform who isn’t a predator or a Russian asset?

Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 23h

Another one falls in Kent.

Reform has suspended county councillor Robert Ford after a complaint was made about him by 'several female members of staff.'

The party said that Cllr Ford refused to engage with the complaints process, so he has had the whip removed pending a disciplinary process.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Yaxley-Lennon has found another chump to fund his holidays and habit.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Tommy Robinson says Elon Musk is paying his legal costs as trial begins

Far-right activist is accused of refusing to comply with counter-terrorism police request at Channel tunnel

www.theguardian.com

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Who explained to the sandpaper cheat the concept of a “moral victory”?

Or morality, come to that?

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...

David Warner: 'Australia will play for the Ashes, England will play for a moral victory'

Former Australia batsman David Warner predicts the Aussies will win the Ashes 4-0 because England will play for a

www.bbc.co.uk

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Am taking the bus. Unsure where I’m going to find the energy from to teach this hour-long session, but here goes…

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Still absolutely shattered after narrowly avoiding yesterday's migraine. At 5 pm, I'm running a session giving our students advice on writing academic essays on publishing studies. Am considering getting the bus in as I don't think I have the energy to cycle.

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Reposted by Alastair Horne

Jane Winters @jfwinters.bsky.social · 1d

Free workshop on ‘Using historical census data for research’, 23 October www.sas.ac.uk/digital-huma...

Using historic UK census data for research

www.sas.ac.uk

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