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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 · 1m

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…

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 10h

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 · 11h

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 · 19h

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

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 11h

“Will Hindle succeed?”

Steve Williams @skillagesteve.bsky.social · 11h

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 · 11h

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 · 12h

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 · 12h

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

Ed Jennings @edjennings.bsky.social · 12h

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 · 14h

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 · 14h

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 · 16h

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 · 17h

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 · 19h

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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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 18h

Absolutely; here, Bushell and Littlejohn are as dissimilar as chalk and chalk, so it would be an entirely logical substitution.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 19h

TBH, I have over-smartly jumped so many times into other people's conversations, utterly convinced that I'm right and they're wrong about something, that I need to preserve myself a dignified way out if that proves to be the case yet again.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 19h

I'm almost certainly wrong, but you're not confusing Bushell with LIttlejohn, are you?

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1390...

BBC News | UK | Self v Littlejohn

news.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Alastair Horne

Matthew Parkinson-Bennett @matthewpb.bsky.social · 23h

Returns from a chain bookshop have reduced our sales to a minus figure in the most important sales month of the year.

Please support independent bookshops this Christmas.

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Reposted by Alastair Horne

Barrington Stoke @barringtonstoke.bsky.social · 21h

Britain is facing a reading crisis. How do we change that?

We are supporting the Sunday Times Get Britain Reading campaign. Join in and pledge to spend at least 10 minutes a day reading for the next six weeks #GetBritainReading

link.thetimes.co.uk/join/74t/sig...

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Reposted by Alastair Horne

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Twelve years ago yesterday, I saw two people climb through the manhole cover in the top half of this picture and disappear into the catacombs in Paris.

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Reposted by Alastair Horne

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Romania’s victory over Austria in the World Cup qualifiers, keeping themselves in contention for a top two place in that group, has given San Marino an incentive to throw their final match against Romania. If Romania finish second, that frees up a Nations League play-off place for San Marino.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

“Does your chewing gum lose its sense of self on the bedpost overnight?”

Leona Scream @editor.scot · 1d

Can a duck feel ashamed?

by
Phillip Creosote

Post from the London Review of Books. There’s a black-and-white vintage pic of a white man playing a cello. Text says ‘Can cellos remember? Thomas Lacquer’.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Obviously, San Marino lose most of their games already. But this is evidence of a flaw in UEFA’s qualification method, since a side can improve their chances of qualification by losing a match.

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

(Not that San Marino need hep losing matches, but still.)

Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Have you noticed, incidentally, that Romania’s victory over Austria, keeping themselves in contention for a top two place in that group, has given San Marino an incentive to throw their final match against Romania? If Romania finish second, that frees up a Nations League play-off place for Marino.

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Alastair Horne @pressfuturist.bsky.social · 1d

Followed up the carbs with almost a couple of hours’ sleep in an attempt to dodge this migraine… I entered this weekend with a shedload of work to catch up on; I leave it with almost as much work left to do thanks to a headache yesterday and a not-yet-migraine today.