<div dir="ltr">Did Owen ask a question? I think Stephen philters phriam messages from me because he worries about my blood pressure. I can handle it Stephen! WHAT DID OWEN SAY? </div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Feb 4, 2026 at 1:12\u202fPM Steve Smith <<a href="mailto:sasmyth@swcp.com">sasmyth@swcp.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think you\u2019ve answered Owen\u2019s question?</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>and to paraphrase/convolve glen and the five-man-electric band: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><i>"Words, words, everywhere words, can't you bleep the words?"</i></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Glen has regularly asserted here (paradoxically) that he <i>doesn't
believe in communication at all </i>(my lame paraphrase,
demonstrating the point?!). I'm inclined to (paradoxically)
believe him.</p>
<p>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.
</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>And do the ClawdBot Agents thrashing around on MoltBook have the
same conversations as we do here? Maybe indistinguishable? </p>
<p>What kind of Stochastic Parrot-Farm (nod to Doug) are we anyway?</p>
<p>- Steve (the Stochastic Parrot and erstwhile Underdog Character
who flies off in all directions at once like a ChatterBot running
on a TPU cluster?).</p>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<div style="border-width:1pt medium medium;border-style:solid none none;border-color:rgb(225,225,225) currentcolor currentcolor;padding:3pt 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
Friam <a href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com" target="_blank"><friam-bounces@redfish.com></a> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Nicholas
Thompson<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, February 4, 2026 11:12 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee
Group <a href="mailto:friam@redfish.com" target="_blank"><friam@redfish.com></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] Dead Stack?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ok, so here is an example of the KIND
of thing we might have discussed at a FRIAM meeting in the
old days:<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">NICK: iF friction is negligible
between two layers, how in fact do two layers come to
affect one another?<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">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. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">NICK TO MOB: Nuthn' doin'. If you are
so smart, you should be able to explain it to me NOW.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">MOB TO NICK: Oh, God. Do we have to?
OH, OKAAAAAAAAAAY. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">SUB MOB 1 TO NICK: Any idiot knows
that THIS is how it works<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">SUB MOB 2 TO NICK: Any idiot knows
that THAT is how it works. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">NICK TO MOBS: Any idiot knows that
THIS and THAT can't both be true.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">ETC. <u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I learned almost everything I know from
those conversations. I miss them terribly.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nick<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Wed, Feb 4, 2026 at 11:32<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">\u202f</span>AM
Gary Schiltz <<a href="mailto:gary@naturesvisualarts.com" target="_blank">gary@naturesvisualarts.com</a>>
wrote:<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<blockquote style="border-width:medium medium medium 1pt;border-style:none none none solid;border-color:currentcolor currentcolor currentcolor rgb(204,204,204);padding:0in 0in 0in 6pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">My feeling is that there was a bubble
of activity in Santa Fe about complexity in the late
1990s (see Wired\u2019s article about \u201cSilicon Mesa\u201d) that
burst in about 2001. Many who were there are now old
farts <span style="font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif">\U0001f606</span><u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Tue, Feb 3, 2026 at 7:47<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">\u202f</span>PM
Jon Zingale <<a href="mailto:jonzingale@gmail.com" target="_blank">jonzingale@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<blockquote style="border-width:medium medium medium 1pt;border-style:none none none solid;border-color:currentcolor currentcolor currentcolor rgb(204,204,204);padding:0in 0in 0in 6pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">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:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">1. on
vacation/ too busy<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">2. too
depressed / failing to find inspiration<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">3.
moved on to greener forums<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">4.
preferring the company of LLMs<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">...<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">N.
waiting for someone frail to post<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">.- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - .
.-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / ... --- --
. / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-..<br>
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</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br clear="all">
<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
<span>-- </span><u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nicholas S. Thompson<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Emeritus Professor of Psychology and
Ethology<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clark University<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:nthompson@clarku.edu" target="_blank">nthompson@clarku.edu</a><u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson" target="_blank">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson</a><u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://substack.com/@monist" target="_blank">https://substack.com/@monist</a><u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<pre>.- .-.. .-.. / ..-. --- --- - . .-. ... / .- .-. . / .-- .-. --- -. --. / ... --- -- . / .- .-. . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-..
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</pre>
</blockquote>
</div>
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</blockquote></div><div><br clear="all"></div><br><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div>Nicholas S. Thompson</div><div>Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology</div><div>Clark University</div><div><a href="mailto:nthompson@clarku.edu" target="_blank">nthompson@clarku.edu</a></div><div><a href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson" target="_blank">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson</a></div><div><a href="https://substack.com/@monist" target="_blank">https://substack.com/@monist</a></div></div></div>