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A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

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Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#11

Post by crescentfresh »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #6
tzahola wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the knots are basically census records? How disappointing :/

Writing in general began as accounting practices. Put your grain in the common granary, get some token (pebbles) for each measure you put in. Redeem them later. Then they started keeping the tokens in a box. Then they wrapped the tokens in clay envelopes marked with your family symbol. But they had to keep breaking them open to count them, then re-wrapping them, so they started putting hash marks on the outside of th…

What are you summarizing here exactly, how money was invented? It sounds very neat!

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#12

Post by nickbauman »

crescentfresh wrote: post #11
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Writing in general began as accounting practices. Put your grain in the common granary, get some token (pebbles) for each measure you put in. Redeem them later. Then they started keeping the tokens in a box. Then they wrapped the tokens in clay envelopes marked with your family symbol. But they had to keep breaking them open to count them, then re-wrapping them, so they started putting hash marks on the outside of th…

What are you summarizing here exactly, how money was invented? It sounds very neat!

Babylonian Cuneiform.

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#13

Post by da_chicken »

> Medrano comes from a Mexican-American family and speaks Spanish, so understanding the Spanish census document was no problem. Handling numbers and data came naturally to him as well, as an economics major. The challenge, as both Medrano and Urton note, seemed to demand a perfect alignment of his skills and interests.

I wonder how many unsolved problems there are out there with this problem. Problems that are solvable, they just lack one mind that can view the issue from the proper perspective.

I suspect that as the breadth of human knowledge increases, this type of problem will become more and more common.

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#14

Post by saalweachter »

garmaine wrote: post #7
tzahola wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the knots are basically census records? How disappointing :/

None so fast. It allows us to corroborate the Spanish records with the actual records kept by the natives. That’s a pretty big deal in terms of finding out what parts of the conquest were fact what were fiction.

And to read any pre-Columbian census records which have survived, which is also a Big Deal.

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#15

Post by bthallplz »

da_chicken wrote: post #13

> Medrano comes from a Mexican-American family and speaks Spanish, so understanding the Spanish census document was no problem. Handling numbers and data came naturally to him as well, as an economics major. The challenge, as both Medrano and Urton note, seemed to demand a perfect alignment of his skills and interests. I wonder how many unsolved problems there are out there with this problem. Problems that are solvab…

Hopefully people that lack the proper perspective won't lead those with the proper perspective to not even try.

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#17

Post by neves »

tzahola wrote: post #5
TN1ck wrote: post #2

What they actually found out: “Manny has proven that the way in which pendant cords are tied to the top cord indicates which social group an individual belonged to. This is the first time anyone has shown that and it's a big deal,”

So the knots are basically census records? How disappointing :/

No, it can be great.

The Inca had no money: http://www.discover-peru.org/inca-economy-society/ but they had to distribute goods for all the members of society. The knots were probably central to their organization.

If they find older records, it would also corroborate the claims that more Incas died from the diseases bought from the Spaniards, than by violence during the invasion.

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#18

Post by stevenwoo »

da_chicken wrote: post #13

> Medrano comes from a Mexican-American family and speaks Spanish, so understanding the Spanish census document was no problem. Handling numbers and data came naturally to him as well, as an economics major. The challenge, as both Medrano and Urton note, seemed to demand a perfect alignment of his skills and interests. I wonder how many unsolved problems there are out there with this problem. Problems that are solvab…

The recent lichen genetic revelation that rewrote textbook definitions is similar, kinda magical coincidences in all the things that had to fall into place (or survivorship bias?/good writer telling story).

If you are not familiar with it - https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/07/how-a-gu...

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#19

Post by lloeki »

da_chicken wrote: post #13

> Medrano comes from a Mexican-American family and speaks Spanish, so understanding the Spanish census document was no problem. Handling numbers and data came naturally to him as well, as an economics major. The challenge, as both Medrano and Urton note, seemed to demand a perfect alignment of his skills and interests. I wonder how many unsolved problems there are out there with this problem. Problems that are solvab…

You don't need to go out of your way looking for highly challenging world class unsolved problems: I'm versed not just in CS/IT but also in various fields of physics, thermodynamics, solid and fluid mechanics, automation, electricity, and electronics, and it's readily apparent to me that some solutions or effects are just obvious to me while being completely elusive to my colleagues with a good level but pure CS/IT education.

This is a case similar to biodiversity vs monoculture: complimentary knowledge fosters alternative modelling scenarios and patterns, nourishing the mind, not just drawing parallels but spurring creative thinking and easing radical changes of perspective.

Re: A College Student Who Decoded the Data Hidden in Inca Knots

#20

Post by snarf21 »

bthallplz wrote: post #15
da_chicken wrote: post #13

> Medrano comes from a Mexican-American family and speaks Spanish, so understanding the Spanish census document was no problem. Handling numbers and data came naturally to him as well, as an economics major. The challenge, as both Medrano and Urton note, seemed to demand a perfect alignment of his skills and interests. I wonder how many unsolved problems there are out there with this problem. Problems that are solvab…

Hopefully people that lack the proper perspective won't lead those with the proper perspective to not even try.

Even more so, there is a question I asked a professor a long time ago.

Does learning make us dumber? As we learn things and take them as absolute truth, we limit our ability to explore new ideas and concepts. The search is sometimes the more important thing.

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