@pluralistic 's blog on why social media barons hate sociality reminded me of Stafford Beer's introduction to variety.
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@pluralistic 's blog on why social media barons hate sociality reminded me of Stafford Beer's introduction to variety.
He starts with a simple system. Then introduces a cat. The cat, doing what cats do, makes the system massively more complex.
Beer uses this to explain that an effective system needs as much variety as its environment, or cleverly attune to it.
Or you change the environment and shoot the cat.
That's what techbros do when we don't conform to their data. They shoot the cat.
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@pluralistic 's blog on why social media barons hate sociality reminded me of Stafford Beer's introduction to variety.
He starts with a simple system. Then introduces a cat. The cat, doing what cats do, makes the system massively more complex.
Beer uses this to explain that an effective system needs as much variety as its environment, or cleverly attune to it.
Or you change the environment and shoot the cat.
That's what techbros do when we don't conform to their data. They shoot the cat.
@pluralistic the blog in question is here: https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/19/billionaire-solipsism/#sirius-cybernetics
The reference to the cat is from "Designing Freedom".
And to prove that I'm personally pro-cat, here is a photo of our very own guardian.
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@pluralistic 's blog on why social media barons hate sociality reminded me of Stafford Beer's introduction to variety.
He starts with a simple system. Then introduces a cat. The cat, doing what cats do, makes the system massively more complex.
Beer uses this to explain that an effective system needs as much variety as its environment, or cleverly attune to it.
Or you change the environment and shoot the cat.
That's what techbros do when we don't conform to their data. They shoot the cat.
@thecasualcritic @pluralistic Like with self driving cars. The techbros solution to the variety of pedestrians was to require all pedestrians to wear always-on GPS trackers broadcasting their position. This was a serious suggestion that got rejected.
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@thecasualcritic @pluralistic Like with self driving cars. The techbros solution to the variety of pedestrians was to require all pedestrians to wear always-on GPS trackers broadcasting their position. This was a serious suggestion that got rejected.
@geolaw @pluralistic
I did not know about this, but it doesn't surprise me. The solution always seems to be "if my system doesn't work, *you* just have to adapt". -
@thecasualcritic @pluralistic Like with self driving cars. The techbros solution to the variety of pedestrians was to require all pedestrians to wear always-on GPS trackers broadcasting their position. This was a serious suggestion that got rejected.
@geolaw @thecasualcritic @pluralistic Do we implant all the kangaroos/deer/elephants/whatever animal randomly runs into the road as well?
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@geolaw @thecasualcritic @pluralistic Do we implant all the kangaroos/deer/elephants/whatever animal randomly runs into the road as well?
@Brett @geolaw @pluralistic
Presumably this is why the next upgrade to self driving cars will be self targeting guns... -
@Brett @geolaw @pluralistic
Presumably this is why the next upgrade to self driving cars will be self targeting guns...@thecasualcritic @geolaw @pluralistic Having spent my youth playing Car Wars from Steve Jackson Games, I'm ready.
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@thecasualcritic @geolaw @pluralistic Having spent my youth playing Car Wars from Steve Jackson Games, I'm ready.
@Brett
So it's about time for... https://thewaroncars.org/ !
@thecasualcritic @geolaw @pluralistic -
@Brett @geolaw @pluralistic
Presumably this is why the next upgrade to self driving cars will be self targeting guns... -
@pluralistic 's blog on why social media barons hate sociality reminded me of Stafford Beer's introduction to variety.
He starts with a simple system. Then introduces a cat. The cat, doing what cats do, makes the system massively more complex.
Beer uses this to explain that an effective system needs as much variety as its environment, or cleverly attune to it.
Or you change the environment and shoot the cat.
That's what techbros do when we don't conform to their data. They shoot the cat.
@thecasualcritic @pluralistic There is even formal mathematical proof in cybernetics, in short and out of memory that a control system must be as “complex” as the target, or it can provably not control it. Complex enough is hard and expensive to make, so easy to convince investors time should be spent on a “simpler”, more malleable problem by forcing change on the target…
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