Radical Complexity (John T. Murphy)
@johntmurphy.bsky.social
PhD, MA Ed. Former researcher at Argonne National Lab, University of Chicago, and Northern Illinois University. Archaeology, Anthropology, and Computation. Finding complexity in the past to build a better future.
TWoP was awesome. The recaps of Buffy were my favorite. Good times.
November 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM
TWoP was awesome. The recaps of Buffy were my favorite. Good times.
I have no advice on this one, but I am intensely curious about which you choose...
October 31, 2025 at 9:00 PM
I have no advice on this one, but I am intensely curious about which you choose...
Maybe, but there are other lines of attack on them. These pools of knowledge are much deeper reservoirs & engines for a wider array of solutions. AI boils down to the claim that tech & number crunching knows better than the entire human past. That knowledge should be celebrated, not have to hide.
October 30, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Maybe, but there are other lines of attack on them. These pools of knowledge are much deeper reservoirs & engines for a wider array of solutions. AI boils down to the claim that tech & number crunching knows better than the entire human past. That knowledge should be celebrated, not have to hide.
When tech co.s & their fans insist that LLMs are trained on 'all of human knowledge', I always think of languages and other forms of knowledge that are not (and often can't be) in LLM training sets, and how they are devalued and marginalized by that claim.
October 29, 2025 at 11:04 AM
When tech co.s & their fans insist that LLMs are trained on 'all of human knowledge', I always think of languages and other forms of knowledge that are not (and often can't be) in LLM training sets, and how they are devalued and marginalized by that claim.
This is good to hear. I was on a project a few years ago that relied on the Big Data approach. We were trying to bring more truly social science approaches to the table, but this was overshadowed by a data science take within our team (& driven by the structure of the project as a whole).
October 20, 2025 at 11:12 AM
This is good to hear. I was on a project a few years ago that relied on the Big Data approach. We were trying to bring more truly social science approaches to the table, but this was overshadowed by a data science take within our team (& driven by the structure of the project as a whole).
But even if the website isn't available, the final report is still available at:
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And in Spanish:
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And all the data are available at:
data.openei.org/submissions/...
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And in Spanish:
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And all the data are available at:
data.openei.org/submissions/...
October 17, 2025 at 7:47 PM
But even if the website isn't available, the final report is still available at:
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And in Spanish:
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And all the data are available at:
data.openei.org/submissions/...
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And in Spanish:
docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy24ost...
And all the data are available at:
data.openei.org/submissions/...
Yep- 100% agree. I will also miss Midwestern fare like corn on the cob and casseroles, but there's plenty to make up for it.
September 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Yep- 100% agree. I will also miss Midwestern fare like corn on the cob and casseroles, but there's plenty to make up for it.
Make sure to visit the Carolina Rediviva exhibition. Among many other treasures, it has drawings from the design phase (the yellow tubes are sadly absent) and an associated exhibit on floor tiling patterns, for all floor-tile-pattern fans.🙂
August 19, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Make sure to visit the Carolina Rediviva exhibition. Among many other treasures, it has drawings from the design phase (the yellow tubes are sadly absent) and an associated exhibit on floor tiling patterns, for all floor-tile-pattern fans.🙂
I don't know how hard it hit except to say my mom got the album & really liked it. It might still be in the basement.
August 14, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I don't know how hard it hit except to say my mom got the album & really liked it. It might still be in the basement.
I like cucumbers, so it sounds delicious!
August 12, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I like cucumbers, so it sounds delicious!
Their loss! What is it?
August 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Their loss! What is it?
(And you're still an archaeologist/archeologist! It's a set of habits and skills, and those will always remain, even if they're a few strata below the current floor surface.)
August 6, 2025 at 8:20 PM
(And you're still an archaeologist/archeologist! It's a set of habits and skills, and those will always remain, even if they're a few strata below the current floor surface.)
Ha! I think I remember noticing that at my university all the web-presence regarding the anthropology department (course listings, professor specialties, major specializations, etc.) uses "archaeology," but all the signage in the department (office door signs printed by the U) uses "archeology."
August 6, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Ha! I think I remember noticing that at my university all the web-presence regarding the anthropology department (course listings, professor specialties, major specializations, etc.) uses "archaeology," but all the signage in the department (office door signs printed by the U) uses "archeology."
In addition to helping with some school assignments and being a genuine source of fun reading, the main impact it had on me was making it very confusing for me to try to spell 'encyclopedia' the way my teachers in school wanted me to.
August 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
In addition to helping with some school assignments and being a genuine source of fun reading, the main impact it had on me was making it very confusing for me to try to spell 'encyclopedia' the way my teachers in school wanted me to.
I was very depressed to learn a few years ago that my parents got rid of the Encyclopaedia Britannica set that they bought when I was a kid. It was 40 volumes and roughly 900 pounds, and included all the British-approved knowledge in the world as of 1973.
August 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
I was very depressed to learn a few years ago that my parents got rid of the Encyclopaedia Britannica set that they bought when I was a kid. It was 40 volumes and roughly 900 pounds, and included all the British-approved knowledge in the world as of 1973.
This is exactly right. I have sketched out the barest possible outline/idea/Hail Mary for a way to build and integrate these kinds of teams:
perfectknowledgedb.com/project2029-...
It's threadbare as yet, and maybe silly. But I would love it if people excited about specific areas would dive in.
perfectknowledgedb.com/project2029-...
It's threadbare as yet, and maybe silly. But I would love it if people excited about specific areas would dive in.
August 2, 2025 at 2:06 PM
This is exactly right. I have sketched out the barest possible outline/idea/Hail Mary for a way to build and integrate these kinds of teams:
perfectknowledgedb.com/project2029-...
It's threadbare as yet, and maybe silly. But I would love it if people excited about specific areas would dive in.
perfectknowledgedb.com/project2029-...
It's threadbare as yet, and maybe silly. But I would love it if people excited about specific areas would dive in.
Definitely agree. I believe I may have bet my entire professional career on this specific point. (It's still a work-in-progress!)
perfectknowledgedb.com/bio.html
I'm also looking at Dan McQuillan's 'decomputing' work- looks amazing:
www.danmcquillan.org/pages/about....
perfectknowledgedb.com/bio.html
I'm also looking at Dan McQuillan's 'decomputing' work- looks amazing:
www.danmcquillan.org/pages/about....
July 30, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Definitely agree. I believe I may have bet my entire professional career on this specific point. (It's still a work-in-progress!)
perfectknowledgedb.com/bio.html
I'm also looking at Dan McQuillan's 'decomputing' work- looks amazing:
www.danmcquillan.org/pages/about....
perfectknowledgedb.com/bio.html
I'm also looking at Dan McQuillan's 'decomputing' work- looks amazing:
www.danmcquillan.org/pages/about....