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James Crossland

@jamescrossland.bsky.social

2.1K followers 890 following 1.3K posts

Professor of #History. Author of "Rogue Agent" and "The Rise of Devils". #spies, #terrorism, extremism, fake news, weird stories, terrible people and things that are not real 🗃️

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · Sep 1

🔊Summer's over. Back to work.

Upcoming "Rogue Agent" events in Cheshire, London and the Isle of Wight
#history #historybookchat
🗃️📝💙📚✏️

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Reposted by James Crossland

LorennaCleary.bsky.social @lorennacleary.bsky.social · 6h

Halloween treat idea.

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Reposted by James Crossland

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 19h

This was, of course, always where the IoT and facial recognition were headed. They will not stop unless lawmakers make them.

Analysis | Amazon’s Ring plans to scan everyone’s face at the door

For the first time, the company is putting facial recognition into its home security doorbells and video cameras.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by James Crossland

Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 54m

Military and police parsde, Shanghai, February 1949 with Garrison Commander-in-chief Tang taking the salute. 15,000 soldiers, motorised police, police volunteers, “economic police” (basically armed tax collectors), firefighters. Photo taken by Warren Lee for ACME Newspictures.

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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 2h

Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, the world’s largest steerable dish radio telescope at the time (now the third largest). was switched on in 1957 on this day. Built by Bernard Lovell, it was the only radar device that could track the carrier rocket of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik I.

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 2h

Confidentially predicting that the Portland Frog psy-op will be a cherished side story in future histories of this era.
#history

Bradley P. Moss @bradmossesq.bsky.social · 10h

I love this image.

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 2h

From the British perspective the appeal boils down to:
1. Proper wages
2. Warm weather
3. Things work

Regardless of anything else, it's a strong case.

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 2h

I've been to Dubai for work a few times. It's like the world's biggest airport lounge. Utterly soulless. Can't imagine wanting to live there whatever the financial benefits. (That's before you get to the ethical issues...)

Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 2h

People keep telling me the UK is so over and they're going to move to Dubai and, like, fine. Go on then. Would you like directions to the airport?

James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 2h

Forlorn demand. It's been nearly a decade and most news services still haven't figured out how to report on him

James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 19h

Now you're talking!

James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 19h

The first thing I have learned about the Isle of Wight - everything is nautical. Everything.

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 22h

news.sky.com/story/nobel-...

BREAKING: Nobel Committee engages in first class trolling

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado named Nobel Peace Prize winner

Organisers of the prestigious prize say the 58-year-old's show of courage by staying in her country despite threats has inspired millions.

news.sky.com

Reposted by James Crossland

War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 1d

What if China doesn’t invade Taiwan the way we expect?

A Wargame to Take Taiwan, from China’s Perspective

In August 2025, 25 international experts gathered at Syracuse University to do something unusual: plan China's invasion of Taiwan. For two days,

warontherocks.com

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 1d

Its cute that he asked

Christina(Tina) Hendriks @renissance1.bsky.social · 1d

www.bbc.com/news/article...

InfoWars' Alex Jones asks Supreme Court to block $1.4bn defamation ruling

He petitioned the court to put the judgment on pause and consider his appeal as he works to keep Infowars from being sold to The Onion.

www.bbc.com

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 1d

We live in a postmodern dystopia. Anything is possible

Reposted by James Crossland

The Blogging Goth @theblogginggoth.bsky.social · 1d

"I don't loathe interviews, I'm just one of those people who makes music because I find it difficult to talk."

Happy Birthday to #PJHarvey. Photo credit Steve Gullick.

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 1d

Its a two for one - anti-semitic conspiracy theory + otherizing of Muslims.

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 1d

www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

To guess from looks alone, a magnificent wizard with stories of adventure and mystery to tell

Who is Laszlo Krasznahorkai, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature?

Everything you need to know about this year’s winner and his apocalyptically gloomy novels

www.thetimes.com

Reposted by James Crossland

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 1d

I for one wasn't aware they'd even started.

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 1d

Who let the Super Friends out the tree house and have they all packed their ear medicine for the journey?

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 2d

A real sign of what's wrong with this country is that I thought this might be an indie band

James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 1d

If he doesn't win the Peace Prize, I assume Detroit gets invaded next week.

Reposted by James Crossland

Yair Wallach @yairwallach.bsky.social · 1d

Hey Microsoft, before you transform humanity with artificial general intelligence, can you just get the search to work on Outlook?

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 4d

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Is there anything AI graphic design can't do?

Tories set a low bar after misspelling Britain on conference chocolate

Misprinted wrappers pulled from Manchester goodie bags after derision on social media

www.theguardian.com

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Maartje Abbenhuis @maartjeabb.bsky.social · 4d

Lectureship in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland! Come join me and my wonderful colleagues! jobs.smartrecruiters.com/TheUniversit...

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John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 4d

The meme-ification of political violence

Very thoughtful discussion here

www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/m...

The meme-ification of political violence

It's less ideology than the internet — what the media and Trump don't understand about the current wave of shootings.

www.msnbc.com

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James Crossland @jamescrossland.bsky.social · 4d

This is an extreme example, but if people travelled abroad more via train there might be a little less tolerance for the shit burger of public transport Britain gets served.

Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 4d

After a trip across Ukraine on trains that keep running in spite of Russian air raids, nothing says welcome home quite like those three magical words:

Rail Replacement Bus

Reposted by James Crossland

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 4d

It's time we do something to make our overly woke military more violently masculine, says this fella named George Lincoln Rockwell (who you may have heard of) in the pages of the American Mercury in 1957.

WHO WANTS PANTY-WAIST MARINES?
by G. Lincoln Rockwell
On his flank, a Marine assault group under Colonel "Chesty"
ing. Three times he had led his Puller had been making simulta-men up that Korean hill in the face of murderous fire, and three times
neous attacks up the hill. He had also been driven back three times,
he had been beaten back, with men with fearful losses. But the Ma-dropping like fies. He had risen to lead
rines came back four times, under
a fourth charge up that the blazing leadership of the pint-bloody slope. But he had risen sized colonel, and took the hill. alone. In spite of personal gallant-
Now, back at field headquar-
ry and inspiring leadership, he had ters, the Army Colonel who had been unable to rally his demoral- been unable to get that last ounce ized men.
of fight out of his men was emo-

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