Not entirely! Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology Clark University [email protected] https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson https://substack.com/@monist
On Wed, Feb 4, 2026 at 2:21 PM Marcus Daniels <[email protected]> wrote: > Did you run out of reasons to listen? > > > > *From:* Friam <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Nicholas Thompson > *Sent:* Wednesday, February 4, 2026 1:08 PM > *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group < > [email protected]>; [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Dead Stack? > > > > OH AND: What was Owen's question. > > > > On Wed, Feb 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM Steve Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > > Nick - > > You haven't met my dog. He has a stare that very explicitly means "please > pass me the salt<kibble>" and he means it, he will followup with a pawing > gesture if I ignore him for more than about 2 minutes. > > My chickens have a very acute body-language-gesture that tells the > foraging big-birds in their yard "get the H3ll outta here!" and similarly > to the small-birds, their body language seems to say "I can't see you!"? > > Though both may in fact be doing it in their own mythopoetic form, my > linear-linguistic self turns it into a simple directive. *Humans can be > so effing linear!* > > - Steve > > On 2/4/26 1:32 pm, Nicholas Thompson wrote: > > Communication has occurred when your behavior directed toward me has > designed my behavior to suit your needs. "Please pass me the salt" is a > communication when, as a consequence of its utterance, I pass you the > salt. We could bicker about what we would call it if I passed you the > pepper, but the basic principle is as above. > > > > To say that communication is impossible is nonsense. We do it all the > time. It is what makes humans special. Other animals are happy to do > poetry, art, or music, but they have a heluva time asking for the salt. > > > > Grrrr > > > > Nick > > > > On Wed, Feb 4, 2026 at 1:12 PM Steve Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I think you’ve answered Owen’s question? > > > > and to paraphrase/convolve glen and the five-man-electric band: > > *"Words, words, everywhere words, can't you bleep the words?"* > > Glen has regularly asserted here (paradoxically) that he *doesn't believe > in communication at all *(my lame paraphrase, demonstrating the > point?!). I'm inclined to (paradoxically) believe him. > > I have been chattering with the *swarms* of Robins which are (re)migrating > through the area again (heading back north I suppose?)... their group > dynamics are unfamiliar to me this year. Usually we get groups (not flocks > as such) of 10-20 visit... but yesterday I saw tens and tens in my yard, > around my pond (they love the pond) but when I disrupted them, they fled to > a large cottonwood tree where there were perhaps hundreds who joined them > in flight, almost "murmurating" away... fascinating. > > And of course, they don't give a birds-ass about my words, about "groups", > or "flocks" or "swarms" or "fleeing" or "flight" or "birds-ass" for that > matter... this is the first year in my memory (25 years at this location, > 45 in the general area, 69 in the southern Rockies and nearby high deserts) > that Robins have remained present through the winter. My chickens > tolerate "little gray sparrow-like-birds" in their "pasture" scavenging for > grain, but run off anything bigger (at least jays, robins, flickers)... I > never noticed that before. > > And do the ClawdBot Agents thrashing around on MoltBook have the same > conversations as we do here? Maybe indistinguishable? > > What kind of Stochastic Parrot-Farm (nod to Doug) are we anyway? > > - Steve (the Stochastic Parrot and erstwhile Underdog Character who flies > off in all directions at once like a ChatterBot running on a TPU cluster?). > > > > *From:* Friam <[email protected]> <[email protected]> *On > Behalf Of *Nicholas Thompson > *Sent:* Wednesday, February 4, 2026 11:12 AM > *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > <[email protected]> <[email protected]> > *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Dead Stack? > > > > Ok, so here is an example of the KIND of thing we might have discussed at > a FRIAM meeting in the old days: > > > > > > NICK: iF friction is negligible between two layers, how in fact do two > layers come to affect one another? > > > > FRIAM MOB:: (affectionate exasperation) When you have read a physics > book, a philosophy book, and 8 math books, come back and we'll explain it > to you. > > > > NICK TO MOB: Nuthn' doin'. If you are so smart, you should be able to > explain it to me NOW. > > > > MOB TO NICK: Oh, God. Do we have to? OH, OKAAAAAAAAAAY. > > > > SUB MOB 1 TO NICK: Any idiot knows that THIS is how it works > > > > SUB MOB 2 TO NICK: Any idiot knows that THAT is how it works. > > > > NICK TO MOBS: Any idiot knows that THIS and THAT can't both be true. > > > > ETC. > > > > I learned almost everything I know from those conversations. I miss them > terribly. > > > > Nick > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 4, 2026 at 11:32 AM Gary Schiltz <[email protected]> > wrote: > > My feeling is that there was a bubble of activity in Santa Fe about > complexity in the late 1990s (see Wired’s article about “Silicon Mesa”) > that burst in about 2001. Many who were there are now old farts 😆 > > > > On Tue, Feb 3, 2026 at 7:47 PM Jon Zingale <[email protected]> wrote: > > I know I came to this group in what appears to be its twilight. The > in-person meetups are weirdly sad. I feel pressed to ask if it is the case > that everyone is either: > > > > 1. on vacation/ too busy > > 2. too depressed / failing to find inspiration > > 3. moved on to greener forums > > 4. preferring the company of LLMs > > ... > > N. waiting for someone frail to post > > > > Sometimes I trawl reddit or whatever discord, but I cannot help but feel > like beacons of inspiration are becoming fewer and further between. This > group has managed to inspire me, keep my interest, for over a decade. In > that time, I pushed myself to understand perspectives that I would never > have dreamed existed. I hope there is still something to talk about. > > > > > > > > > > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / > ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / > ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > > > -- > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology > > Clark University > > [email protected] > > https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson > > https://substack.com/@monist > > > > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / ... > --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / > ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > > > -- > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology > > Clark University > > [email protected] > > https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson > > https://substack.com/@monist > > > > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / ... > --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / > ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ > > > > -- > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology > > Clark University > > [email protected] > > https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson > > https://substack.com/@monist > .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / > ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom > https://bit.ly/virtualfriam > to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: 5/2017 thru present > https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/ > 1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/ >
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