The hottest Cybernetics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

Conversations with Maverick Machines

Cybernetic Forests • 59 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Cybernetics AI Technology Culture Music
  1. Gordon Pask made significant contributions to cybernetics, challenging the idea of black boxes and exploring the distinctions between conversations and communication.
  2. Artists like Eryk Salvaggio are inspired by Pask's work and aim to challenge technology orthodoxy, similar to Pask's approach to machine building.
  3. Events like Big Ideas in Art + Culture and Future of Arts, Culture & Technology Symposium offer platforms for exploring the intersection of technology and the arts, including discussions on AI, automation, and climate impact.

eisenhower as cybernetician

Dan Davies - "Back of Mind" • 373 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Cybernetics Decision-making Information Technology Computers
  1. Dwight Eisenhower highlighted the importance of maintaining balance in national programs and between private and public sectors.
  2. There was a new decision-making system created by the conjunction of military and industrial establishments.
  3. The warning was given that this system could generate outcomes not necessarily desired, seek growth, and be influenced by technological advancements.

The Tragedy of Stafford Beer

Never Met a Science • 50 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Cybernetics Information Technology Social media
  1. Stafford Beer led a remarkable life, from running Project Cybersyn in Chile to advocating for cybernetic socialism.
  2. Beer's book, Platform for Change, showcased his radical ideas for societal reform but faced commercial failure.
  3. Beer emphasized using communication technology to enhance human freedom while avoiding centralization for preserving human agency.
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10. On Emergence

Insight Axis • 79 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🔬 Science Philosophy Computation Geometry Cybernetics
  1. Emergence occurs when an entity has properties that its individual parts do not possess, displaying behaviors that only emerge in interaction.
  2. Simple computational or geometric rules can lead to unpredictable and complex outputs, showcasing the beauty of emergence.
  3. Emergence, as seen in cybernetics with Braitenberg's Vehicles, demonstrates how simple structures can give rise to emergent, complex behavior, hinting at the potential for understanding the universe through simple rules.

In Hyperbolic Geometry, Two Parallel Lines Are Taken to Converge in One Direction and Diverge in the Other

Zero HP Lovecraft • 24 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🔬 Science Quantum physics Neuroscience Technology Cybernetics Philosophy
  1. In Hyperbolic Geometry, parallel lines converge in one direction and diverge in the other
  2. Birthright is a place with strict rules and restrictions, where modern technology like projecting is forbidden
  3. The story reveals a unique and dangerous portal gun rivalry that transcends time and reality

Brick Lane Cybernetics

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 27 Dec 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Cybernetics Language Architecture Design
  1. Annetta Pedretti was a cybernetic linguist known for fostering conversations about conversations, emphasizing the importance of writing and communicating consciously.
  2. Language is a complex system that reflects history and meaning, requiring active listening, questioning, and response to understand its nuances.
  3. Cybernetics is about relationships between complex systems, such as language and architecture, and involves navigating boundaries, challenging clichés, and engaging in curious, slow-building conversations.

This Emptiness is Normal

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 14 Mar 21
🕹 Technology Cybernetics Philosophy Art Algorithm Computer Science
  1. Contemporary computing culture stems from a simple idea of punch cards, leading to a series of binary choices that automate decisions.
  2. Yuk Hui suggests viewing organisms as behaviors of their components and interactions, blurring the lines between organic and built systems.
  3. Hui encourages a shift from mechanistic thinking to understanding machines based on their behaviors, interactions, and integration into human lives.

Toy Cars and Cybernetic Communism

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 28 Mar 21
🎨 Art & Illustration History Cybernetics Science fiction Education
  1. Toys and education in socialist Germany aimed to shape imagination, craftsmanship, and future careers, contrasting with mass-produced 'kitsch'.
  2. Imagination was constrained in the Soviet Union under Stalin, but cybernetics gradually gained acceptance later.
  3. The concept of cybernetics in Soviet regimes involved democratic participation in management systems and anticipatory planning for socialist futures.

Toward Ontogenetic Resilience

Cybernetic Forests • 0 implied HN points • 10 Jul 22
📖 Philosophy Identity Resilience Cybernetics Ontology Reality
  1. Stories shape systems through design and the narratives we create, offering continuity and orientation in a world filled with uncertainty.
  2. Ontogenetic Resilience proposes an adaptive identity that embraces change and uncertainty, fostering exploration and growth.
  3. Resilience in the face of constant change is compared to surfing - balancing between stability and adaptation, learning to navigate and lean into the ever-shifting currents of life.

Emergent Futures

Cybernetic Forests • 0 implied HN points • 11 Jul 21
🎭️ Culture Cybernetics Artists
  1. In times of uncertainty, the future can manifest in unexpected, rapid ways, challenging traditional methods of prediction.
  2. Collaboration and input from diverse perspectives, like hacker-artists and activists, can help identify emerging signals and drive positive change.
  3. Focusing on emergent futures involves imagining multiple possibilities beyond current norms, valuing inclusivity, and planning collectively for a shared future.

What was the listserv?

Cybernetic Forests • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jun 21
🕹 Technology Internet Artificial Intelligence Digital Communication Cybernetics Automation
  1. Listserves are email discussion lists where people share thoughts and responses on similar topics without likes or shares, but through emails exchanges.
  2. Listserves have roots in academic conversation structures and Usenet Newsgroups, encouraging collaboration and feedback to continue a conversation thread.
  3. Participation in listserves contrasts with modern social media, focusing on thoughtful contributions and respect for ongoing discussions rather than likes and clicks.

Latent Space Art Academy

Cybernetic Forests • 0 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Data Ethics Cybernetics Art history Digital Art
  1. The Latent Space Art Academy offers a course on AI images, delving into data ethics and media studies through histories of computation and art.
  2. The course includes guest lectures, exploring topics like cybernetics, art, AI-generated knitting patterns, and the societal impacts of AI technologies.
  3. By focusing on making images with AI, the course aims to help students understand how AI works, its cultural context, and how it can redefine our relationship with technology.