illandancient.bsky.social
@illandancient.bsky.social
Manufacturing engineer, product configurator, corpus linguist (Scots language), amateur drainage specialist, Englishman
Pinned
Scots in different social contexts
This is a survey to check public perceptions and attitudes towards the use of Scots in different social contexts
forms.gle
Would anybody like to do my wee survey about attitudes to speaking the Scots language in different social contexts?
forms.gle/KNKQTQMXRH1Z...
forms.gle/KNKQTQMXRH1Z...
Are there many bots on SubStack, who just go around liking articles but without actually having a human behind them driving, or writing their own articles?
February 13, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Are there many bots on SubStack, who just go around liking articles but without actually having a human behind them driving, or writing their own articles?
The other week I finished reading "The Lost City of the Monkey God" which is a National Geographic writer's account of exploring an abandoned city in Honduras with a bunch of archaeologists.
www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-City-Mo...
www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-City-Mo...
February 13, 2026 at 1:59 PM
The other week I finished reading "The Lost City of the Monkey God" which is a National Geographic writer's account of exploring an abandoned city in Honduras with a bunch of archaeologists.
www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-City-Mo...
www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-City-Mo...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
Pios inntinneach mu aiseirigh na Scots anns na meadhanan sòisealta.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Agus bho seo a-mach tha mi a' dol a chleachdadh "wha stole yer scone" san dà chànan! Cò ghoid do sgona-sa!
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Agus bho seo a-mach tha mi a' dol a chleachdadh "wha stole yer scone" san dà chànan! Cò ghoid do sgona-sa!
Can social media resurrect the Scots language?
Inside the decidedly modern campaign to revitalize a lost language (that some say isn’t truly a language).
www.nationalgeographic.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Pios inntinneach mu aiseirigh na Scots anns na meadhanan sòisealta.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Agus bho seo a-mach tha mi a' dol a chleachdadh "wha stole yer scone" san dà chànan! Cò ghoid do sgona-sa!
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Agus bho seo a-mach tha mi a' dol a chleachdadh "wha stole yer scone" san dà chànan! Cò ghoid do sgona-sa!
The English language is in crisis, most people who claim they can speak it don't even know what "filipendulous" or "jentacular" mean.
This language is dying.
This language is dying.
February 13, 2026 at 10:47 AM
The English language is in crisis, most people who claim they can speak it don't even know what "filipendulous" or "jentacular" mean.
This language is dying.
This language is dying.
I feel the need to comment about this article about the resurgence of the Scots language on social media.
Its a relatively comprehensive roundup of the field, speaking to many Scots social media luminaries, but there's something I feel is a bit off.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Its a relatively comprehensive roundup of the field, speaking to many Scots social media luminaries, but there's something I feel is a bit off.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Can social media resurrect the Scots language?
Inside the decidedly modern campaign to revitalize a lost language (that some say isn’t truly a language).
www.nationalgeographic.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:12 AM
I feel the need to comment about this article about the resurgence of the Scots language on social media.
Its a relatively comprehensive roundup of the field, speaking to many Scots social media luminaries, but there's something I feel is a bit off.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Its a relatively comprehensive roundup of the field, speaking to many Scots social media luminaries, but there's something I feel is a bit off.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Recently an acquaintance's car number plate was clones / copies and they were chased for stealing diesel from some petrol station in the west midlands.
So of course they tried to report it to the polis and the DVLA.
So of course they tried to report it to the polis and the DVLA.
February 12, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Recently an acquaintance's car number plate was clones / copies and they were chased for stealing diesel from some petrol station in the west midlands.
So of course they tried to report it to the polis and the DVLA.
So of course they tried to report it to the polis and the DVLA.
I was going to write a Substack article about the crop of Scottish slang dictionaries from the last twelve months on Amazon.
There's about a dozen of them, some sell poorly, and some sell quite well.
There's about a dozen of them, some sell poorly, and some sell quite well.
February 11, 2026 at 3:30 PM
I was going to write a Substack article about the crop of Scottish slang dictionaries from the last twelve months on Amazon.
There's about a dozen of them, some sell poorly, and some sell quite well.
There's about a dozen of them, some sell poorly, and some sell quite well.
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
Aig an aon àm ann an Èirinn... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
February 11, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Aig an aon àm ann an Èirinn... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
Kirkwall 1798 map discovery orkneyarchive.blogspot.com/2026/02/kirk...
Kirkwall Map Discovery
Our team of volunteers have been hard at work sifting through the bundles of documents in the Balfour of Balfour & Trenaby papers. They have...
orkneyarchive.blogspot.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:38 AM
Kirkwall 1798 map discovery orkneyarchive.blogspot.com/2026/02/kirk...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad
February 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad
Is there something like the Corruption Perceptions Index for UK political parties?
It can be difficult to judge empirically which parties are worse than other parties.
It can be difficult to judge empirically which parties are worse than other parties.
They most certainly are not as corrupt as the tories. Just quite corrupt vs totally corrupt. That's not an endorsement! But when you think of all their talk about cleaning up politics it feels somehow worse. It's a betrayal.
February 10, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Is there something like the Corruption Perceptions Index for UK political parties?
It can be difficult to judge empirically which parties are worse than other parties.
It can be difficult to judge empirically which parties are worse than other parties.
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
Gaelic education has been a huge success in Glasgow, but some worry the culture is being watered down
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/gaelic-mediu...
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/gaelic-mediu...
Gaelic’s popularity in Glasgow is a lifeline — but has it come at a cost?
A new generation of Glasgow Gaels have revived Scotland’s traditional tongue. Some worry about cultural erasure
www.glasgowbell.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Gaelic education has been a huge success in Glasgow, but some worry the culture is being watered down
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/gaelic-mediu...
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/gaelic-mediu...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
Re-upping this for the Monday crowd... I think my favourite, most revealing detail is that the guy seems to not realise he's in trouble because London Centric's reporting didn't hit anything like his view counts, so therefore it can't really matter.
Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
February 9, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Re-upping this for the Monday crowd... I think my favourite, most revealing detail is that the guy seems to not realise he's in trouble because London Centric's reporting didn't hit anything like his view counts, so therefore it can't really matter.
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
"Israeli settlers have attacked one of the main water distribution points in the occupied West Bank
Nida' Ibrahim reports.
Nida' Ibrahim reports.
February 9, 2026 at 9:12 AM
"Israeli settlers have attacked one of the main water distribution points in the occupied West Bank
Nida' Ibrahim reports.
Nida' Ibrahim reports.
31% of people in Scotland reported that the speak or read the Scots language, but only 0.05% of books stocked in Scottish public libraries are written in Scots.
In some respects the story about book-banning misses an elephant in the room.
www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...
In some respects the story about book-banning misses an elephant in the room.
www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...
Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech
Dozens of complaints about reading material in school libraries have been received, with campaigners warning that "book bans" could increase.
www.theferret.scot
February 8, 2026 at 2:39 PM
31% of people in Scotland reported that the speak or read the Scots language, but only 0.05% of books stocked in Scottish public libraries are written in Scots.
In some respects the story about book-banning misses an elephant in the room.
www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...
In some respects the story about book-banning misses an elephant in the room.
www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
This section of McCulloch's View of Glasgow in 1853 looks almost empty, but it gives us a glimpse of some of the least glamorous yet most essential vessels ever to use the river: the mud punts of the Clyde Navigation Trust.
🧵
🧵
February 8, 2026 at 8:10 AM
This section of McCulloch's View of Glasgow in 1853 looks almost empty, but it gives us a glimpse of some of the least glamorous yet most essential vessels ever to use the river: the mud punts of the Clyde Navigation Trust.
🧵
🧵
After discussing proverbs with my kids, a question is asked -
Specifically how many cooks does it take to spoil the broth?
Specifically how many cooks does it take to spoil the broth?
February 7, 2026 at 8:57 AM
After discussing proverbs with my kids, a question is asked -
Specifically how many cooks does it take to spoil the broth?
Specifically how many cooks does it take to spoil the broth?
This is a link to the Scottish census data for Scots language ability and "General health"
9.11% of people who can "speak, read and write Scots" reported they have bad or very bad general health, compared to 6.37% of the people who have no skills in Scots
www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/opent...
9.11% of people who can "speak, read and write Scots" reported they have bad or very bad general health, compared to 6.37% of the people who have no skills in Scots
www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/opent...
SuperWEB2(tm) - Log in
www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk
February 6, 2026 at 11:19 AM
This is a link to the Scottish census data for Scots language ability and "General health"
9.11% of people who can "speak, read and write Scots" reported they have bad or very bad general health, compared to 6.37% of the people who have no skills in Scots
www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/opent...
9.11% of people who can "speak, read and write Scots" reported they have bad or very bad general health, compared to 6.37% of the people who have no skills in Scots
www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/opent...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
I hate this new kind of language dictated by clickbait. “Edinburgh” would have been easier to write that ‘major Scots city’.
Hundreds to march in Orange walk as parade gets the go ahead in major Scots city
Hundreds to march in Orange walk as parade gets the go ahead in major Scots city
HUNDREDS are set to march through the streets of Edinburgh after plans for an Orange walk were given the go ahead. Councillors approved the proposal to hold the large parade on June 26 at a licensi…
www.thescottishsun.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 10:07 AM
I hate this new kind of language dictated by clickbait. “Edinburgh” would have been easier to write that ‘major Scots city’.
My son is binge-watching a TV show called "Scam Interceptors" which makes a big point about being based in Glasgow, filmed in the BBCs Pacific Quay studios
There's a lack of people with Scottish accents.
There's a lack of people with Scottish accents.
February 5, 2026 at 6:32 PM
My son is binge-watching a TV show called "Scam Interceptors" which makes a big point about being based in Glasgow, filmed in the BBCs Pacific Quay studios
There's a lack of people with Scottish accents.
There's a lack of people with Scottish accents.
I'm keen to understand just how many different people are mentioned in the Epstein files.
And then what the median number of mentions are per person. And then who the top twenty most are.
Like if someone is "mentioned" ten times, is that a lot or is it just background noise?
And then what the median number of mentions are per person. And then who the top twenty most are.
Like if someone is "mentioned" ten times, is that a lot or is it just background noise?
February 5, 2026 at 9:21 AM
I'm keen to understand just how many different people are mentioned in the Epstein files.
And then what the median number of mentions are per person. And then who the top twenty most are.
Like if someone is "mentioned" ten times, is that a lot or is it just background noise?
And then what the median number of mentions are per person. And then who the top twenty most are.
Like if someone is "mentioned" ten times, is that a lot or is it just background noise?
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
If I was more imaginative, I'd set up an alt.account on BlueSky and write Epstein-related confessions in the manner of a @fesshole.bsky.social confession, and just churn out hundreds of them.
"Accidently gave my wife an SDT that I caught from an underage sex-trafficking victim, but I'm very rich."
"Accidently gave my wife an SDT that I caught from an underage sex-trafficking victim, but I'm very rich."
I'm really bad at my job, beyond the usual imposter syndrome. I used to worry about this but if you manage to blag your way through probation, truth is, most people, including managers, are nearly always either too bad at their own jobs, or too busy to notice anybody else.
February 4, 2026 at 12:45 PM
If I was more imaginative, I'd set up an alt.account on BlueSky and write Epstein-related confessions in the manner of a @fesshole.bsky.social confession, and just churn out hundreds of them.
"Accidently gave my wife an SDT that I caught from an underage sex-trafficking victim, but I'm very rich."
"Accidently gave my wife an SDT that I caught from an underage sex-trafficking victim, but I'm very rich."
Reposted by illandancient.bsky.social
