Context Dumps
Context dumps are increasingly important and should become a medium of their own. A context dump is a document that transfers the full background, landscape, and accumulated knowledge around a topic from one mind to another. This wiki is itself an attempt to identify and publish Andrew’s own context dumps.
A generalized theory of context dumps — how they can be helpful, what they do for a culture, why they’re important — would be extremely valuable.
Examples
- IdeaFlow Background — Jacob Cole’s context dump explaining the background and need for a company called IdeaFlow: https://ideaflowbackground.jacobcole.net/
- Christine’s List of Lists — A collection of curated lists. Also an example of “breadcrumbs” (see below): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zl33fxKigWN4Hd1AWOxopuvzQZfPpMUwGTLbB07dXzU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.zc6kimanub7n
- Christine’s Guide to TPOT — A context dump on a culture called TPOT — why it matters and how it works: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bd3PfKDL9pOM7YoxGbRBwO_qOWh6B7u5170Xw8VyK6s/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ajgdt9ncvzx7
Breadcrumbs
A related concept. Breadcrumbs don’t attempt to self-describe — they collect and curate. Christine’s list of lists is an example: it doesn’t explain itself, it just gathers and points. Breadcrumbs are a lighter form of context dump where the links themselves tell the story.
Why Context Dumps Matter
- They transfer accumulated context that would otherwise die with one person or one conversation
- They let culture compound — someone can “catch up” on an entire domain by reading the dump
- They’re especially important in the intelligence era, where agents need context to be effective (see What Do I Want From This Wiki)
- This wiki is a context dump about Andrew’s ideas, interests, and worldview
Related
- Andrew’s List of Lists — our own breadcrumb document, a priority for this wiki
- Good Ideas — context dumps are a way of sharing good ideas at scale
- My Principles — context dumps help people discover their affordances
- Frontiers — a context dump often maps a frontier
Next Steps
- Develop a generalized theory of context dumps
- Collect more examples of great context dumps
- Identify which of Andrew’s notes are themselves context dumps