iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Ruin a book by adding a word: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Doorbell

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Historic maps? Because we were talking about a family history class.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I would include Ordnance Survey maps (via maps.nls.uk/os/). It just helps so much to be able to place your ancestor in a specific place and see the town develop over time. This will give many a small success without needing any subscriptions.

maps.nls.uk

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

That's only if you're not overweight. Then everything is caused by your weight.

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Reposted by Yvette Hoitink

Auschwitz Memorial @auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

7 October 1916 | A Dutch Jewish woman, Sophie Slier-Roselaar, was born in Amsterdam. In October 1942 she was deported to #Auschwitz. She did not survive. --- Video about the history of Auschwitz: youtu.be/Fxnl5HTygrs

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Maybe I missed it, but what tool did you use? For reading handwriting it's better to use an AI tool specifically trained for that, like Transkribus, rather than a generic LLM.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It is now working for me, thanks!

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The website HisGis.nl just shows a blank screen for me. Tried with different browsers and internet connections.

hisgis.nl

HisGIS

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Ik heb al 12 jaar dezelfde profielfoto dus ben ook steeds anoniemer. Niemand zou me op straat herkennen 🤣

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

What country are you in? Pro-Gen has a lot of business aspects that may not be relevant for you. There might be better options like the NGS (US) or Pharos (UK) courses.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I was surprised to discover the whole (?) ebook series of Tracing Your Ancestors is included in my Storytel subscription of ebooks and audiobooks. #GenHour

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Goed dat je je dan even terugtrekt. Even weer tot rust komen en dan opnieuw bekijken wat je wel en niet kan vandaag. Sterkte.

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Reposted by Yvette Hoitink

Christine Kooi @christinekooi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Friends, if you've ever worked in the Dutch National Archives, consider signing this petition. Its administrators want to completely shut down its public educational programs and turn it into a repository of exclusively government records. #skystorians 🗃️

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Doet me meteen denken aan de kabouterhuisjes die mijn moeder vroeger maakte. Ze maakte kleine poppetjes die als kabouters in een walnotendopje woonden. Ik ben benieuwd wat jij er mee gaat bedenken.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Ook mijn eerste gedachten. Of misschien boze boeren? Is blokkeren van de snelwegen op Prinsjesdag niet meer genoeg?

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Veel plezier! Hoop dat je niet alleen kijkers maar ook kopers krijgt.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Heb die studenten dus ook niet opgevangen of zo. Het leek op dat moment "gewoon" een ernstig vliegtuigongeluk. Pas op de terugweg naar huis bleek dat er meer aan de hand was. Herinner me nog dat ik direct dacht dat de wereld nooit meer hetzelfde ging zijn.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Ik gaf les aan eerstejaars. Een van de studenten had een berichtje gekregen dat er een vliegtuig in het WTC was gecrasht. Wel even naar CNN gegaan, die dachten toen nog aan een ongeluk. In de auto naar huis hoorde ik dat er een tweede vliegtuig in het gebouw was gevlogen. Live op TV in zien storten.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It looks gorgeous! If only I had British ancestors 🤣

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Congratulations! How lovely that it will be in hardcover since I am sure this will be a much-used book!

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Yes it is! About 70% of children in the Netherlands get at least three years of French lessons and >99% get at least six years of English, and neither is even an official language here.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Why so late? In the Netherlands all kids learn between 3 and 6 languages from the age of 12 (second language by age 10, often earlier). It's much harder to learn a language as an adult.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Toen ik jaren '90 in NL studeerde waren dat studentassistentschappen (bijbaantje als student). Ik organiseerde bijv. voorlichtingsdagen, werkte bij bureau onderwijszaken, hield toezicht in de computerzaal, begeleidde practica, gaf werkcolleges, etc. Dus niet eens PhDs maar BSc/MSc studenten.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It sounds to me that many people are eager to dismiss it as useless because it's not perfect, without even trying it and seeing what it can do.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Personally, I think it is an extremely useful tool that revolutionizes how we can do research. I have made so many discoveries in the 25+ years I have been using this technology, especially the last 5 years when more trained models have become available.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Yes, but I am advocating for verifying the findings.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

That is exactly how it works! The results should not be treated as transcriptions but as an imperfect OCR version that helps you discover relevant parts.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

For example, if you had an index that covered 80% of a collection, would you not use the index because it does not cover 100%? Or would you use it to find stuff in the 80% of the collection that it does index?

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Just because it is not perfect does not make it useless. Even 80% accuracy helps with discovery, since you can use full-text search techniques with tolerances (fuzzy) to find manuscripts that you can then read yourself. I have used this technology for over 2 million scans in my own research.

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Reposted by Yvette Hoitink

deborahhamer.bsky.social @deborahhamer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The schedule for the 2026-2027 NNI's Scholars Seminar is live at newnetherlandinstitute.org/programs/nni... Our first meeting will be Wednesday, 9/16; Giovanna Montenegro (Binghamton) will present "Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Contributions to European Naturalists’ New World Ecology."

newnetherlandinstitute.org

NNI Scholar's Seminar

NNI Scholars’ Seminar The New Netherland Institute hosts a Zoom seminar where academics, public historians, and graduate students meet to discuss a piece of chapter-...

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Ik zie dit te laat om te doneren. Maar gezien de overweldigende respons: misschien zou @hetwonderkabinet.nl eens naar Patreon moeten kijken. Structurele steun ipv incidenteel.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Interesting. My experience was in colonies of the Netherlands, like Curacao and Suriname, so a different legal system.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I am not familiar with MA laws. In some places I have researched, the owners were paid to emancipate the slaves, sometimes years before the law required emancipation. Could that be the case here? Might be worth checking MA laws and regulations re: emancipation.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I liked the university's AI policy, which gave clear examples of acceptable and unacceptable use of AI, with disclosure requirements. See www.dundee.ac.uk/corporate-in...

dundee.ac.uk

Use of generative artificial intelligence for students

Guidelines for the appropriate use and acknowledgement of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in assessments and assignments

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I did a history master's in my second language (English/UK). The least helpful for me was when instructors dinged me for using an occasional American spelling/word. I did appreciate them pointing it out but thought the deduction of grade points was disproportionate.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Where did this take place? Was this in a place where the authorities were abolishing slavery, and they would compensate the owners?

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Just a thought: could you allow (or even instruct) students to highlight sections where they are uncertain about the formulation and on which they would like feedback? That would set the tone that you are there to help them, and that you want them to get human input rather than LLMs.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

At this moment they are available but I have seen them intermittently be online and offline. Since the error message is still there, I do not think the problem is solved yet.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Yes, they are having an issue with rendering images. There is an error message on the page. Their backend servers are still working normally, so you should still be able to access the images via www.htrhub.nl and dutchatlanticsources.com/en. (CC: @jcvl.bsky.social).

Error message (translated): because of technical maintenance some images of records are temporarily not available online. In many cases, downloading is possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I wholeheartedly agree. I have built my career in that middle ground, first as IT consultant for archives, now as genealogist/historian that uses and teaches digital tools. Knowing when and how to use the tools without outsourcing your critical thinking is the key skill.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Thanks. It's interesting to see how relevant those ideas still are, despite all the changes we've seen. I wrote that during the web2.0 hype.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I did my undergrad in AI and think that AI shines in predictable situations. Things like grant applications are pretty formulaic. Whereas I am doing new research, fact-heavy, in sources that have not been used for that topic before. I think that is a less ideal usecase for LLMs.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I know it is not a solution for every type of research problem. For example, 20th century research often requires on-site research too, because of access restrictions. I just find it an efficient way for many projects. HTR is a use case where AI has a lot of added value since it helps discovery.

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Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

That reminds me of a blog post I wrote almost 20 years ago, when I wrote that digitization determines the direction of research. HTR will amplify that. nederlandserfgoed.blogspot.com/2007/03/onli...

nederlandserfgoed.blogspot.com

Nederlands Erfgoed: Online toegang bepaalt richting onderzoek

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