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Part 2 of the #DataSittersClub back-to-school spree is @alyssavi.bsky.social DSC little tl;dr #5: What's the Deal with Topic Modeling? Topic modeling is one of the first methods people hear about with digital humanities, but really... what's up with it? And how are you supposed to do it? And when?

What's the Deal with Topic Modeling?

Are Topics Real?

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The #DataSittersClub is back... but the news is Terminal 💀. You'll survive, though, with @alyssavi.bsky.social new DSC little tl;dr #4: Navigating the Terminal for the First Time. It's the honest, practical, funny guide to the Mac Terminal that you need before you get down to work with other tools.

Navigating the Terminal for the First Time

Yikes!

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 22/09/2026

Oh the places you can tat: at the metalhead pizzeria / bar where your girlfriend's physics grad school friend is on tour. It is so amazingly portable. #DHmakes

A tatting shuttle ans ball of thread on one end of the table with a metal show at the other end

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Naomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

No one is disposable, including the canary ❤️🦜✊

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Anastasia Salter @anasalter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Definitely adding this to my syllabus next time I talk about topic modeling!

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MARC in a Cold Climate @marccold.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Vladimir Nabokov said that adultery was the most conventional way of being unconventional and after seeing literally every "innovation" award at my place of work go to AI projects I'm beginning to think that AI is the least innovative way of being innovative

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digitalhumanities.stanford.edu

We're not done with topic modeling today! A convo with @dmimno.bsky.social & @walshbr.bsky.social last week about topic modeling tools for worksohps got me revisiting Scott Enderle's Topic Modeling Tool (sadly now broken, at least for me), jsLDA & what I look for in a tool to teach with.

On Topic Modeling Tools for Workshops

Digital Humanities @ Stanford

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A.L. McMichael @byzcapp.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This is the most user-friendly description of topic modeling that I have ever seen.

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What's the Deal with Topic Modeling?

Are Topics Real?

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Navigating the Terminal for the First Time

Yikes!

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Paula Johanson @paulajohanson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Delighted to see some names I learned at #DHSI back in 2013 when #dhsiKnits began with folk knitting thru lectures, and we started a workshop, too!

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Tomorrow: the #DataSittersClub little tl;dr series returns with two new pieces by @alyssavi.bsky.social: "Navigating the Terminal for the First Time" and "What's the Deal with Topic Modeling?"

Cover of "Navigating the Terminal for the First Time" with Karen freaked out by a monster

Cover of "What's the Deal with Topic Modeling" with Karen looking for a mermaid

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If you're in the Bay Area and interested in lace-making (tatting, bobbin lace, crochet, knitted, anything!), there's a new group forming at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. Fill out the interest form here: lacismuseum.org/east-bay-lac...

Purple, yellow, and green lace butterfly

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Absolutely brilliant idea for reinterpreting craft and cultural heritage. #DHmakes

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Starting a long-term Star Trek: TNG watch-through, and man, Data positing at the start of episode 1 (1987) that he doesn't know the word "sneak" because he wasn't designed to emulate that human behavior? Feels poignant with all the breathless headlines of AI going rogue.

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 19/09/2026

Tried another tatting workshop today, and choosing a thread where I could undo mistakes with my fingers instead of a needle made a huge difference. I am no longer inclined to give up on this craft and I think I'm about at the point where I can experiment with data. #DHmakes

Tatted pirple and blue rings ans chains on a random black and white background (my pants).

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Of all the ways I imagined Google Scholar going up in flames, being made inaccessible from university IP addresses due to AI-driven scraping wasn't at the top of my list.

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 19/09/2026

Well done, crafters of Reddit.

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 19/09/2026

Somehow I've ended up having Topic Modeling Friday: first prepping the new #DataSittersClub tl;dr on topic modeling by @alyssavi.bsky.social, then working my way through a comparison of Scott Enderle's "Topic Modeling Tool" and @dmimno.bsky.social jsLDA specifically as a workshop tool.

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 18/09/2026

Fall has finally come for those of us on the blessed quarter system, so I've written my quarterly round-up of what I was up to during the summer.

digitalhumanities.stanford.edu

DLCL ATS round-up, summer 2026

Digital Humanities @ Stanford

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 18/09/2026

I just started reading this after preordering months ago (I am a huge fan of Lee's zines at @sheerspite.bsky.social), and even before finishing it, I'm ordering copies for friends. Not the easiest to find non-Amazon online options in the US, but you can get it here: cup.columbia.edu/book/the-pol....

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Quinn Daedal @quinnanya.me · 18/09/2026

Some good words for the #DHmakes letterpress friends. 💖

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Put together the perfect outfit for new grad student orientation then missed it with transit delays. 🫠 Earrings & rings mostly from @peculiarityshop.bsky.social, socks to give me the fortitude to deal with messages from my ex, VFC Academic Tarot pants, digitization owl top. #DHmakes #DHsewing

Quinn wearing a bladk hat, black and white mask, rainbow owl shirt, colorful circles necklace, rainbow and dark mode trans pride sweater, Academic Tarot pants, and peacock boots. Other panels have colorful rings and socks that say "none of your emails are finding me well"

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I salute my colleagues on the Emoji Committee for their additions to the v18.0 release. 🫡

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One of my first bosses advised me to "eat a frog for breakfast"-- first, take care of that thing you're dreading. So this morning I used insomnia time to finally update the Textile Makerspace website with the news of its closing. I'll put up a physical sign on the door today, too. #DHmakes

Screenshot of the Textile Makerspace website, with the room number changed to an "in memoriam" and an announcement of it closing.

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