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/
