James Cummings

@jamescummings

Reader in Digital Textual Studies and Late Medieval Literature at @newcastleuni.bsky.social Expertise in: Text Encoding Initiative (Chair of #TEI Board of Directors), digital #editions, #medieval #drama, #REED, #DigitalHumanities #DH #DHAwards, #HTR, #AI

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James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

#DH2026

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

During the Talchum at #DH2026 the Lion dance involves members of the audience

Talchum performance at #DH2026, Lion with the audience

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

The content reminds me of some medieval drama or later mummer's plays.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

#DH2026 Talchum performance kicks off. A bit loud at times so I've put my earbuds in to dampen it slightly.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

Excellent to have it announced at #DH2026 that @juliaflanders.bsky.social is the next Busa Award winner!

Prize: Julia Flanders (Northeastern University)

Julia Flanders has spent over three decades building and sustaining the digital infrastructure that humanities scholarship depends on, most notably as director of the Women Writers Project since 2000. She is a founding editor and, since 2007, editor-in-chief of Digital Humanities Quarterly (DHQ), one of the field's flagship journals, shaping its enduring commitment to open access, multilingual publishing, and collaborative scholarly communication. Through DHQ and her leadership roles at ACH, ADHO, and the TEI Consortium, she has helped define the institutional and intellectual foundations of digital humanities as a field. She has also trained hundreds of scholars in text encoding and digital editing through workshops and institutes, extending her influence well beyond her own publications. Taken together, her sustained work as an infrastructure buil journal editor, teacher, and scholar exemplifies the Busa Prize.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

The closing ceremony of #DH2026 starts with a moving eulogy to Prof. Natsuko Yoshiga (吉賀夏子先生) who sadly died at this conference.

In Memory of Prof. Natsuko Yoshiga (吉賀夏子先生)

Closing ceremony of #DH2026 starts with a moving eulogy to Prof. Natsuko Yoshiga (吉賀夏子先生) who sadly died at this conference.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

I love how #Gemini (and other #LLMs) *still* blatantly lie about being able to read content at URLs, though sometimes they tell you they can't, other times they tell you they can. When they appear to do so, it is an illusion, based on previously ingested material. (When not RAG etc obvs.)

Can you browse an external URL of a GitHub branch's commit if I provide the URL?

Yes, I can browse a specific GitHub commit or branch URL if you provide the complete link.

Once you share the URL, I can fetch the page content and summarize the commit details, review file changes/diffs, or answer specific questions about the code.

If I give you the URL of a file online can you read it as part of your prompt?

Short answer: No, I cannot directly visit or open external URLs to read files hosted online.

However, you can easily share the file with me in a couple of ways:

Copy and Paste: If it's

text-based (like code, plain text, CSV, or an article), simply copy and paste the contents directly into our chat.

Upload the File: You can upload documents (PDFs, text files, code files) or images directly to the chat using the upload attachment button

If I give you a URL I'd like you to read it as part of your prompt, is that ok?

Short answer: yes, you can share URLs! However, there are a few practical limits to keep in mind regarding what I can access:

Public content works best: Standard news articles, blog posts, public documentation, and general web pages are usually straightforward.

Paywalls and logins: If a page requires a subscription, account sign-in, or CAPTCHA, I won't be able to view it.

Complex or dynamic pages: Sites heavilv reliant on complex

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

As someone interested in performance research, I'm eager to see #DH2026 attendees (and @dh2026daejeon.bsky.social local organisers) respond with audience participation in the talchum performance (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) at the closing ceremony. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talchum

Announcement

Closing Session - Talchum: Korean Mask Dance Drama

The closing session will feature a performance of talchum, Korean mask dance drama. Talchum combines dance, music, and theatre: masked performers accompanied by musicians use song, movement, and dialogue to satirize social hierarchy. Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022.

Attendees are welcome to respond during the performance; audience participation is a customary part of the form.

Dh2026 Adho

Organizer,

DH2026: Engagement

James Cummings@jamescummings· 11d

Enjoying @grockwel.bsky.social's and John Bradley's talk at #DH2026. Though there are some amusing moments of presentation.

Integrating Al into Voyant: From ELIZA to Large Language Models in the Spyral Notebook Environment

Problems with AI:

Cognitive Offloading

Automation Blindness

Bullshit (Hallucinations)

James Cummings@jamescummings· 13d

Love that I can get both a yakgwa and a mini-yakgwa at the same break in #DH2026.

A photo of a mini yakgwa and a full sized yakgwa.

An image shows two packaged, flower-shaped Korean yakgwa cookies side by side on a dark gray textured background. On the left is a small cookie inside clear plastic wrapping. On the right is a significantly larger cookie, also wrapped in clear plastic and sprinkled with white sesame seeds across its center. Both pastries have a glossy, golden-brown glaze

James Cummings@jamescummings· 13d

Got to say, I'm loving the @schmidtsciences.bsky.social bento box lunch at #DH2026!

Photo showing a bento box is presented in a multi-compartment black tray and contains a balanced mix of rice, protein, sides, and fruit.Main ComponentsWhite Rice: A large portion of plain, steamed white rice fills the bottom-left main compartment.Meat Dish: The bottom-right compartment contains a savory stir-fried meat dish, which appears to be beef or pork cooked with sliced onions and carrots in a rich, glossy brown sauce.Side Dishes & CondimentsYellow Mash: The top-left small square holds a scoop of yellow puree, likely sweet potato or pumpkin salad.Mixed Appetizers: The top-middle square features a small assortment of items, including a slice of yellow egg omelet (tamagoyaki), a piece of octopus or squid, a broccoli floret, and a couple of golden fried items (possibly tempura or furai).Kimchi and Banchan: The small divided tray in the center holds two distinct spicy Korean side dishes: traditional cabbage kimchi in the lower section and a seasoned condiment or smaller banchan item in the upper section.Dessert & SoupFresh Fruit: The top-right square includes a small selection of fresh fruit, featuring an orange wedge, green grapes, and a cherry tomato.Miso Soup: Served on the side in a small black bowl, containing cubes of tofu and green onions

James Cummings@jamescummings· 13d

In #DH2026 keynote by Maciej Eder, a demonstration of stylometry, seems reasonable. computationalstylistics.github.io/presentation...

Stylometric graph of 66 English Victorian Novels.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

And a bit of a pansori sample. #DH2026

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

Second Moon (두번째달) and vocalist Park Inhye (박인혜). #dh2026

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

Very Folky!

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

The #DH2026 Opening Keynote has a band! Second Moon Traditional Music. Second Moon (두번째달) and vocalist Park Inhye (박인혜).

Second Moon (두번째달) and vocalist Park Inhye (박인혜).

Park Inhye

Park Inhye is a Pansori artist, a certified practitioner of Pansori, Korea's National Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the artistic director of NOHLAE Box. Through her creative work, she bridges tradition and contemporary performance, expanding the artistic possibilities of Pansori.

She was awarded the Young Artist of Today Award in 2022, and her works have received international recognition, including the Grand Prix at an international theatre festival in Lithuania. Rooted in the tradition of Pansori, she continues to explore new artistic languages that connect music, storytelling, and contemporary performance.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

I like the concluding call to action of the #DH2026 opening keynote.

PART 4. PATH TO FUTURE

A Call to Action for Digital Humanists

3 Missions for Digital Humanists

1.Design Al-collaborative humanities research methodologies.

2. Build public Al research environments for humanists.

3. Establish new educational frameworks for future scholars.

Be Mediators of Transformation Connecting Traditional Humanities with Al

#DH2026 OPENING KEYNOTE

Closing

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

The Forgotten Essence of Classical Humanities

14/33

"To learn, and in time to practice what one has learned - is this not a joy?"

The Analects, Book 1

DH2026 Opening Keynote

Acquisition of Knowledge.

Practice Application in Life.

Joy of Fulfillment & Growth

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

An interesting skeptical question. #DH2026

$PART 1. DIGITAL & CLASSICS 2nd Frustration (2000s): Massive Archives Built 07/33 Government Influx: Massive financial investments in digital humanities databases. Accessibility Improved: Digital archives became the new libraries. The Unresolved Dilemma: Actual time reading texts did not decrease at all. Scholars used only a tiny fraction. Skeptical Question: "Was building these foundational data archives really worth the massive effort?" DH2026$

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

The Opening Keynote for #DH2026 begins. Teaching Al, Training Ourselves: A New Mission for Digital Humanities. kstoryhub.visualasia.com/classics/wik...

Opening Keynote DH2026

DH2026

Teaching Al, Training Ourselves: A New Mission for Digital Humanities

DH2026

Prof. Kim Hyeon

James Cummings@jamescummings· 14d

Very happy that the Hong Kong Association of Digital Humanities (HKADH) has joined @adho-org.bsky.social! Announced at #DH2026.

Welcome HKADH!

Hong Kong Association for Digital Humanities

We are proud to welcome HKADH as the newest constituent organization of the Association for Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO).

Key Contributions & Focus Areas:

Fostering digital humanities research and collaboration in Hong Kong and East Asia

Supporting multilingual DH initiatives and local community engagement

Strengthening global networks of scholars, practitioners, and institutions

hkadh

#DH2026

hkadh.org

James Cummings@jamescummings· 15d

Which one are you in? Mine has this as view from the breakfast room.

James Cummings@jamescummings· 16d

Maybe! On the same train as @quinnanya.me but didn't say hi cuz I was looking for where I should stand for my carriage.

stopping place for carriage 11 at Seoul station

James Cummings@jamescummings· 27d

After going through the #DH2026 programme deciding what sessions to attend (torn on many!) I fed the PDF to NotebookLM, Gemini Thinking 3.5, GPT 5.5, and Claude Sonnet 5.5. Gave them the same prompt asking for 1st & 2nd suggestions based on my interests (listed and name provided), and reasons why.

This is a table listing my choices alongside NotebookLM, Gemini Thinking 3.5, ChatGPT GPT 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5. It is background colour coded with a green, amber, or red background to indicate whether its first choice matched mine, whether the backup choice matched, or whether it suggested two separate sessions.

James Cummings@jamescummings· Jun 30

Guessing my institution has had another issue with someone clicking on a link or attachment cuz they've changed the small yellow warning to large red one. I understand the motivation but this is usually implemented by someone whose emails are mostly internal. Mine are mostly external.

Warning notification from a university warning not to click on attachments.

James Cummings@jamescummings· Jun 13

Wherever I see this view, I think "Not long now"!

James Cummings@jamescummings· Jun 13

I can see some misguided justification for that. I used the elevated platform entrance and talked to the friendly young guard who told me about their career plans and let me know what track it would be before it was on the screen so I could go there slowly and be first on the train after cleaning.

ah empty LNER train except for my luggage.

James Cummings@jamescummings· Jun 13

what's the point of an arrivals board if it doesn't say what platforms most of them are arriving on, and they disappear off when they've arrived? Surely, the platform they arrive on, even with late ones, is known quite a while in advance. So if you aren't going to tell us, why have the display?!

James Cummings@jamescummings· Jun 13

I worry because that sounds very much like what really bad men might say![1] [1] N.B. I'm not saying you have anything in common with such men, it is the defense I'm criticising! 😉

photo of two evil paedophiles with the text "We're just normal men. We're just innocent men." superimposed.

James Cummings@jamescummings· Jun 13

Here once again, but don't worry London, I'll be gone in just over an hour...