Sebastian Karcher
@adam42smith.bsky.social
Director, Qualitative Data Repository (personal account).
Data, Zotero, Social Science Methods
https://sebastiankarcher.com
Data, Zotero, Social Science Methods
https://sebastiankarcher.com
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Nearly-perfect printed and handwritten text recognition is the most consequential technical contribution to the study of human culture of the last fifteen years, and it's not even close.
It fundamentally changes our (both lay and expert) relationship with the written past.
It fundamentally changes our (both lay and expert) relationship with the written past.
New issue of my newsletter: "The Writing Is on the Wall for Handwriting Recognition" — One of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved, and it's a good use of AI newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...
The Writing Is on the Wall for Handwriting Recognition
One of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Nearly-perfect printed and handwritten text recognition is the most consequential technical contribution to the study of human culture of the last fifteen years, and it's not even close.
It fundamentally changes our (both lay and expert) relationship with the written past.
It fundamentally changes our (both lay and expert) relationship with the written past.
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Upcoming deadlines to apply to Syracuse U's great Qualitative and Multi-Method Research 2-week summer program! Fellowships available to cover the costs! Pls circulate widely!
www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
November 25, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Upcoming deadlines to apply to Syracuse U's great Qualitative and Multi-Method Research 2-week summer program! Fellowships available to cover the costs! Pls circulate widely!
www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
OH SHIT THE BILLS HALLMARK XMAS MOVIE IS AIRING ON SATURDAY
The *entire* city of Buffalo participated in the filming of this movie LOL they filled the stadium and everyone was talking about it 😂
The *entire* city of Buffalo participated in the filming of this movie LOL they filled the stadium and everyone was talking about it 😂
November 21, 2025 at 2:24 AM
OH SHIT THE BILLS HALLMARK XMAS MOVIE IS AIRING ON SATURDAY
The *entire* city of Buffalo participated in the filming of this movie LOL they filled the stadium and everyone was talking about it 😂
The *entire* city of Buffalo participated in the filming of this movie LOL they filled the stadium and everyone was talking about it 😂
Less than 2 weeks to apply to the Open Pool Fellowships of the Institute for #Qualitative & #Multi-Method Research (IQMR)
Details: www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
The APSA/IQMR Fellowship for scholar from Arab MENA countries is also open (Dec. 14 deadline): web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
Details: www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
The APSA/IQMR Fellowship for scholar from Arab MENA countries is also open (Dec. 14 deadline): web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
web.apsanet.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Less than 2 weeks to apply to the Open Pool Fellowships of the Institute for #Qualitative & #Multi-Method Research (IQMR)
Details: www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
The APSA/IQMR Fellowship for scholar from Arab MENA countries is also open (Dec. 14 deadline): web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
Details: www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
The APSA/IQMR Fellowship for scholar from Arab MENA countries is also open (Dec. 14 deadline): web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
I make a Data Sources Catalog for every project I work with and I can't tell you how often the project team refers to this document to remember what measures are being collected and when. I highly recommend summarizing your plan in a simple format like this.
datamgmtinedresearch.com/dmp#dmp-cata...
datamgmtinedresearch.com/dmp#dmp-cata...
November 19, 2025 at 2:49 AM
I make a Data Sources Catalog for every project I work with and I can't tell you how often the project team refers to this document to remember what measures are being collected and when. I highly recommend summarizing your plan in a simple format like this.
datamgmtinedresearch.com/dmp#dmp-cata...
datamgmtinedresearch.com/dmp#dmp-cata...
Ethnographers be like
November 18, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Ethnographers be like
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Science People: We at NSF are still recovering/catching up/getting our lives together. But the agency posted these FAQs about post-shutdown resumption of operations which might answer a lot of Qs for you: www.nsf.gov/resumption-o...
Resumption of Operations at NSF
Information for NSF staff and the research community regarding the agency's resumption of operations after a lapse in appropriations.
www.nsf.gov
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Science People: We at NSF are still recovering/catching up/getting our lives together. But the agency posted these FAQs about post-shutdown resumption of operations which might answer a lot of Qs for you: www.nsf.gov/resumption-o...
One sign of US political polarization is that Congressional Rs thought "We're going to sink Larry Summers; that'll show the libs" was a great idea.
November 17, 2025 at 9:58 PM
One sign of US political polarization is that Congressional Rs thought "We're going to sink Larry Summers; that'll show the libs" was a great idea.
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
I recently discovered Conventional Comments (conventionalcomments.org) for providing a pseudo-standard set of labels for feedback and just tried it for an article review and it was really helpful to specify issues vs. thoughts vs. suggestions, etc. Hopefully it's helpful for the authors too!
November 17, 2025 at 3:52 PM
I recently discovered Conventional Comments (conventionalcomments.org) for providing a pseudo-standard set of labels for feedback and just tried it for an article review and it was really helpful to specify issues vs. thoughts vs. suggestions, etc. Hopefully it's helpful for the authors too!
Think piece about how Gilmore Girls did to aspiring journalists what West Wing did to aspiring political staffers.
A writer friend of mine described the emergence of the 'memoir by a 25 year old' phenomenon as involving just out-of-college aspiring writers going somewhere in the world—somewhere exotic, maybe somewhere dangerous—just to accumulate material for that book. It's not impossible
November 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Think piece about how Gilmore Girls did to aspiring journalists what West Wing did to aspiring political staffers.
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Our beloved Alice Wong has joined the ancestors. It was one of the great honors of my life to call Alice my friend, co-author & co-conspirator. She was a true genius, a force of nature the likes of which the world has never seen before. I love you, Alice, and am equal parts grateful and devastated
November 15, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Our beloved Alice Wong has joined the ancestors. It was one of the great honors of my life to call Alice my friend, co-author & co-conspirator. She was a true genius, a force of nature the likes of which the world has never seen before. I love you, Alice, and am equal parts grateful and devastated
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
WE WON. I am *begging* you to take note of who did this. *Not* UCLA admin—they’re still scuttling around behind closed doors, attempting to appease—but FACULTY AND STAFF, led by AAUP.
BREAKING: In AAUP et al v. Trump (wall-to-wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of TItle VI to reshape the University of California system), the faculty and staff of the UC system WON!!!
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:01 AM
WE WON. I am *begging* you to take note of who did this. *Not* UCLA admin—they’re still scuttling around behind closed doors, attempting to appease—but FACULTY AND STAFF, led by AAUP.
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Statistical Intuition without Coding (or Teachers) [and w/o LLMs]
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
I think this is a very useful approach when one does not want to teach coding in parallel. Simulating data and quantities of interest are insightful features, though at the expense of not using 1/
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
I think this is a very useful approach when one does not want to teach coding in parallel. Simulating data and quantities of interest are insightful features, though at the expense of not using 1/
November 14, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Statistical Intuition without Coding (or Teachers) [and w/o LLMs]
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
I think this is a very useful approach when one does not want to teach coding in parallel. Simulating data and quantities of interest are insightful features, though at the expense of not using 1/
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
I think this is a very useful approach when one does not want to teach coding in parallel. Simulating data and quantities of interest are insightful features, though at the expense of not using 1/
Circe's Catering. Food that transforms you
Theseus' Marina and Repairs. We can replace *everything*
Pandora’s home organizer. Hire us and all your boxes will be emptied.
November 14, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Circe's Catering. Food that transforms you
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Theseus' Marina and Repairs. We can replace *everything*
Pandora’s home organizer. Hire us and all your boxes will be emptied.
Sisypheus hauling services. You’ll keep calling us back.
November 14, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Theseus' Marina and Repairs. We can replace *everything*
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
a “Space Force”, if you will
November 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
a “Space Force”, if you will
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Paul G-P with the public goods provision
For folks (and journalists) who want to search the Oversight Committee email texts, I made a database for searching the 20k text files:
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
Epstein Document Search
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
November 13, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Paul G-P with the public goods provision
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
We have some unpublished data where we find that pretty much all the attention checks we tried filter out people with lower incomes
November 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
We have some unpublished data where we find that pretty much all the attention checks we tried filter out people with lower incomes
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Experimental participants to us
November 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Experimental participants to us
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
There is still time to register for our upcoming hackathon hosted by @rdapassociation.bsky.social ! Join us TOMORROW Nov.13, from 1-2pm Eastern.
Zoom registration: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Zoom registration: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
November 12, 2025 at 2:07 PM
There is still time to register for our upcoming hackathon hosted by @rdapassociation.bsky.social ! Join us TOMORROW Nov.13, from 1-2pm Eastern.
Zoom registration: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Zoom registration: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
You'd have figured they learned about the importance of getting business names straight right in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, but alas...
It's the "Magnificent Mile"; crime in Chicago is down significantly; vacancy rates on the Magnificent Mile are improving from 34% two years ago (obviously this problem is hardly solved, of course)
Other than that, spot on.
Other than that, spot on.
Call in the troops to solve the commercial real estate crisis in our swanky downtown cores
You can’t make this shit up, folks
You can’t make this shit up, folks
November 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
You'd have figured they learned about the importance of getting business names straight right in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, but alas...
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Wait...! I know these people!
@lyndamk.bsky.social 🥳
@lyndamk.bsky.social 🥳
This week we have a conversation between Sam and two of the leaders of the independent volunteer archiving project Save Our Signs, an effort to archive national park signs and monument placards.
Podcast: A Massive Archiving Effort at National Parks (with Jenny McBurney and Lynda Kellam)
This week we have a conversation between Sam and two of the leaders of the independent volunteer archiving project Save Our Signs, an effort to archive national park signs and monument placards.
www.404media.co
November 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Wait...! I know these people!
@lyndamk.bsky.social 🥳
@lyndamk.bsky.social 🥳
Reposted by Sebastian Karcher
Do you happen to work with data from the Integrated World Values/European Values Study? If so beware: there is a rather influential coding error in the variable on religious denomination (F025). Go and check e.g. Spain and Germany and compare to F025_EVS and F025_WVS @gesis-dataservices.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Do you happen to work with data from the Integrated World Values/European Values Study? If so beware: there is a rather influential coding error in the variable on religious denomination (F025). Go and check e.g. Spain and Germany and compare to F025_EVS and F025_WVS @gesis-dataservices.bsky.social