James O’Sullivan

Just a reminder that applications are open brilliant the 17th for our Digital Artist in Residence programme here at Digital Humanities @ucc.ie

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions etc.

Please read this excellent article about the dramatic rise of costs in publishing by a truly great indie press. When you buy a book, 'you are buying a stake in the survival of our world of letters'.

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.

NEW

WIRED led the way in reporting on Elon Musk's efforts to dismantle the US government. My colleagues and I spoke to 100s of employees at dozens of agencies to understand what happened.

This is the definitive story of DOGE as told by those who experienced it

www.wired.com/story/oral-h...

To save in-person lectures, unis need to provide lessons worth showing up for In-person lectures have been a staple of university learning for centuries. But they are going out of style in an age of TED Talks and Tiktoks.

Hobbyhorse: at university, lectures remain an incredible format. They introduce & explore a huge amount of content in a short period of time. They scaffold further reading, with a personal twist. Workshops, etc, do their own thing, but don't replace effective lectures:

share.google/AyFxBwYh5BYM...

Open Courses logo with the tagline “Recognising Professional Development,” alongside the Higher Education Authority (HEA) logo and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education logo.

Delighted to share the launch of this year’s Open Courses call. A fantastic opportunity to work together nationally to design and deliver short courses on strategically important areas in teaching and learning. Info webinar on 8 October.

Full Details:
www.teachingandlearning.ie/invitation-f...

#DigitalHumanities @ucc.ie has a two-year postdoc suited to researchers from broad range of disciplines.

my.corehr.com/pls/uccrecru...

Key tasks include coordinating a national survey of digital heritage practices & assisting with prototype development for communit archives.

Deadline: Oct 3rd.

I had no idea dial-up still existed.

Fellow elder millennials, this is for you. 🫶🏽

Arts Council Digital Artist in Residence at University College Cork (Pilot) - The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

Delighted to share that the Department of #DigitalHumanities @ucc.ie will host a digital artist as part of the first @artscouncilireland.bsky.social Digital Artist in Residence pilot programme.

Applications are now open!
Enquiries to @stephenroddy.bsky.social

artscouncil.ie/funding-oppo...

The Last Days Of Social Media | NOEMA Social media promised connection, but it has delivered exhaustion.

Feels like the "dead internet theory" is becoming the mainstream POV.

Great essay from @jamesosullivan.bsky.social

www.noemamag.com/the-last-day...

Tahoe isn’t so bad.

Generative AI in Higher Education Teaching and Learning – Sectoral Perspectives | Higher Education Authority →

The findings from the Higher Education Authority’s sectoral engagement on gen AI in higher education teaching and learning have been published. The perspectives that emerged through this process have fed directly into the development of our forthcoming policy framework.
hea.ie/2025/09/17/g...

Sorbonne University decides to withdraw from the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings As of 2026, Sorbonne University will no longer submit data to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The decision comes as part of a wider approach to promote open science and ref...

The Sorbonne's justification of its decision to leave the Times Higher Education league table game raises key issues for universities in an era of attacks on science and for UK science (SHAPE & STEM) & the escalating growth of proprietary bibliometrics. 1/4

I don’t like iOS 26 and I suspect I won’t like Tahoe.

Just so you all know, I’ve withdrawn from the presidential election.

Glad to be at Munster Technological University’s Cork campus with @marygalvin.bsky.social to mark the 50th anniversary of their student GAA club. Still have my jersey (no, it doesn’t fit).

Material Algorithms: Bridging the Gap between the Virtual and the Physical in Latin American Digital Literature This essay investigates the complex interplay between the virtual and physical realms in Latin American digital literature through the lens of material algorithms. By analysing three digital works ...

Super thrilled to share with y'all that my new article on the infrastructures behind Digital Poetry in Lat Am just dropped at @jlacstravesia.bsky.social, under the amazing editorial work of @azucastro.bsky.social and Estefi Bournot <3 *YAY* #elit

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

My experience has been that many people in higher education leadership positions don’t align with John’s view. Which is a pity.

. @junsworth.bsky.social: "21st-century fascism is not just about governing through force. It’s also about surveillance...AI in the service of fascism...dismembering the public sector... systematically erasing history...deprive people of public data so that there is no independent source of fact"

Really enjoyed reading this interview with John who, once upon a time, directed the dissertation of an awkward but maybe slightly precocious graduate student who wanted to write the thing live on the WWW, in HTML. Learned a lot from that, and him, and still do.

Portrait of John Unsworth in a suit, standing in sunlight with a shadowed background.

"I think the advice I would offer is to remember that leadership is a service role. Your job as a leader is to support the people who work for you, to protect them, to listen to them, & prioritize them."

ARL Views with John Unsworth, UVA University Librarian 2016-2025

www.arl.org/blog/john-un...

The Last Days Of Social Media | NOEMA Social media promised connection, but it has delivered exhaustion.

"The feed no longer surprises but sedates, and in that sedation, something quietly breaks, and social media no longer feels like a place to be; it is a surface to skim."

@jamesosullivan.bsky.social for @noemamag.com: www.noemamag.com/the-last-day...

the dailup sound was a protection spell the computer said for us every time we went online but we thought we were too good for it. we wanted to be on the phone and the computer at the same time. we wanted to be on the phone and the computer at the same time and now we’re fucked

The Last Days Of Social Media | NOEMA Social media promised connection, but it has delivered exhaustion.

RIP SoMe (as we know it). Great reflections by @jamesosullivan.bsky.social in @noemamag.com

"The problem is not just the rise of fake material, but the collapse of context and the acceptance that truth no longer matters as long as our cravings for colors and noise are satisfied."

#technology

I know the Great DH Wars are over & all & we’re supposed to be cool with the full spectrum of DH engagement & not tell people to learn to code or anything but I still get pretty darn annoyed at any project idea that boils down to "and then I’ll hire some grad students to do all the computery stuff"

I worry refusal is no longer possible. One can opt out of having a ChatGPT/Claude/Copilot account, but LLMs are increasingly embedded in everyday apps. If an organisation won’t shut specific features off, or if (as is already happening) monopoly vendors don’t offer that choice, we’re constrained.

So great to see this in the world. Thank you to editor Janneke Adema, all of the authors, reviewers, and fine folks at @michiganpublishing.bsky.social for creating this timely special issue!

The Last Days Of Social Media | NOEMA Social media promised connection, but it has delivered exhaustion.

“Social media as we know it is dying, but we’re not condemned to its ruins.”

— @jamesosullivan.bsky.social

#socialmedia #attentioneconomy #aislop

Back @ucc.ie in a part-time capacity today after 12 months fully seconded to Higher Education Authority. But pleased to be staying on with the HEA for a bit longer as we work towards publishing our policy framework on genAI in higher ed teaching & learning, as well as some other research/reports.

Delighted to be @uccstafffpl.bsky.social August Champion!

Might have to take my PhD off the wall to make room for this beauty.

Thanks @aodhquinlivan.bsky.social & co for keeping the show on the road year in, year out. Makes Mondays that bit easier.