Bits and Bobs 1/22/25

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Emergence and optimization are in tension.

Emergence comes from the space between.

Optimization removes the space between.

Bits and Bobs 1/22/25

A new paper: "The more unequal income distribution is in a democracy, the more at risk it is of electing a power-aggrandizing and norm-shredding head of government."

Bits and Bobs 1/22/25

A big threshold in a system: Not “I can do it” but “I’m not not going to do it.”

That’s the difference between demo and usable.

When you cross that threshold, doing things inside the system is easier and better than doing it outside.

A positive boundary gradient that makes people want to use it.