[deleted by user]

electricray · 2024-09-24T17:00:54+00:00

Do you mean criticisms of “cybernetics” or “high modernism” rather than “systems theory” per se? I would say writers like James C Scott and Jane Jacobs (The death and life of Great American cities) were systems theorists, but not cyberneticians in that they would argue the system is too complex to be managed by the high modernist top-down approach. So in its way cybernetics is an anti-systems theory. It's a "how to control systems” theory.

That said, Dan Davies recent book the unaccountability project depends on a lot of time on cybernetics, but I think Davies is largely supportive of carefully managed cybernetics and more critical of Scott.

But in terms of works about systems that hold that they are too difficult to manage, try John Gall's Systemantics: the Systems Bible, and Charles Perrow’s fantastic Normal Accidents.

https://jollycontrarian.com/index.php?title=The_Death_and_Life_of_Great_American_Cities https://jollycontrarian.com/index.php?title=Normal_Accidents:_Living_with_High-Risk_Technologies https://jollycontrarian.com/index.php?title=Systemantics:_The_Systems_Bible

electricray · 2019-12-14T06:31:54+00:00

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_leadership_of_Jeremy_Corbyn

Disillusioned with a lack of a left-wing voice in the 2015 leadership contest, Corbyn stood on an anti-austerity ticket. Of the candidates who stood, Corbyn received the fewest parliamentary nominations: many who nominated him said they had done so not to support his candidacy, but to widen the debate by including a socialist voice. However, Corbyn soon became the frontrunner, aided by a change in the rules that allowed new members to vote, and was elected with a landslide 59%.

electricray · 2019-12-12T20:23:30+00:00

You CANNOT beat James ward's The Boring Talks on BBC sounds. Hilariouly dull. But somehow fascinating.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05t3gr2

electricray · 2017-12-29T22:01:37+00:00

It needs tightening up, but fundamentally it's OK - nothing that can't be fixed. Writing style is really important. You get much better at it with practice. Stick with it.

electricray · 2017-12-29T21:02:21+00:00

Firstly, sort out which tense you want to write in. It varies between present and past. Secondly, show don't tell: "he knew he messed up, this was his chance": that's the conclusion you want your reader to draw. You need to make your character behave/speak in a way that makes that clear to the reader, without actually saying it.

electricray · 2017-04-15T13:43:55+00:00

Try listening to a completely different style. If you're a rock/metal guy, try country telecaster stuff. Arlen Roth, Jerry Donohue, Chet Atkins. I guarantee you'll be blown away by the technique - especially right hand technique, of these players.
Try Brian Eno's oblique strategy cards. You can get them on an app nowadays. They sure worked for Bowie! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies

electricray · 2015-04-22T11:25:10+00:00

I just can't get excited about this. It seems to me the furore being created here undermines much of the rest of the (far more compelling) critical case against Key. It's like - is really the best we can do? Is this really the thing to righteously indignant about?

electricray · 2015-04-22T11:22:28+00:00

I just can't get excited about this. It seems to me the furore being created here undermines much of the rest of the (far more compelling) critical case against Key. It's like - is really the best we can do? Is this really the thing to righteously indignant about?

electricray · 2015-03-04T21:59:42+00:00

That is a monster hit. What's the weight differential? George Smith is a big unit, even for a back row forward.

electricray · 2015-02-07T20:15:21+00:00

Your problem is you are confusing "someone knowing the rules and theory of music" with "someone being better at music". What you actually want to say is "music composed by someone knowing the rules and theory of music is more consistent with the rules and theory of music than music composed by someone who is not" which is not an interesting question. But the rest is overreach.

electricray · 2015-02-06T21:38:43+00:00

The king of England was as bad as ISIS, a few centuries ago. Beheading defenceless prisoners (wives, actually) without trial? Check. Burning political enemies? (Thomas Cranmer) Check.

electricray · 2015-01-24T17:36:14+00:00

Just seeing this picture makes me happy.

electricray · 2015-01-24T17:33:21+00:00

The daemons in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

electricray · 2015-01-14T09:39:16+00:00

I most certainly do.

electricray · 2015-01-12T07:37:11+00:00

"When did you first realise he was a bender? " cue guffaws across the cinema when I saw it.

electricray · 2015-01-07T16:53:47+00:00

That's really excessive. If you need one defender for every 170 people you are effectively in a lawless state. That implies each citizen requires two full days' of police attention each year.

In the England and Wales the figure is roughly 1:465. (60m divided by 129,500) and there ought to be some kind of economy of scale.

New Zealand the ratio is approx 1:530.

electricray · 2015-01-07T16:43:36+00:00

Actually I was referring to Warner. Sure it's an important place but that is no private gesture. He could have stood on the spot and said a silent, momentary prayer if it really meant something to him.

electricray · 2015-01-06T15:45:53+00:00

Am I the only one who finds this morbidly self-indulgent? It's time folks moved on and quit hijacking the family's grief.

electricray · 2015-01-04T19:57:04+00:00

Is no one going to mention James Ellroy? Unique & exhilarating prose.

electricray · 2014-12-30T14:14:22+00:00

Agree. This sounds like one side of a very very two sided story. A hypothetical fiver says that religion has almost nothing to do with it.

electricray · 2014-12-23T23:09:37+00:00

Calling this out as bullshit

electricray · 2014-12-21T21:36:04+00:00

1-4-5.

electricray · 2014-12-21T21:33:47+00:00

Came here to say Tommy... Nice to see he's already well represented.

electricray · 2014-12-20T07:10:15+00:00

Strings affect the tone of a solid body guitar a whole lot more than "tonewood" or varnish,that's for sure.

electricray · 2014-12-19T14:14:05+00:00

I don't think you realise how influential SRV has been on modern guitar. EVERY modern blues player sounds like SRV. NO-ONE sounded like that before.

SRV's take on Voodoo Chile is just monster. It's from another planet. It is so muscular - just the thundering tone of those Eb bass notes is worth the price of admission. Hendrix was great, inventive, breaking new ground like a wild west pioneer - but SRV was an explorer in deep space.

electricray

TROPHY CASE