Media, Information and Technoculture 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Norbert Wiener, Plunger, Cybernetics

• School: Western University
• Department: Media, Information and Technoculture
• Course: Media, Information and Technoculture 1020E
• Professor: John Reed

Document Summary

Military cybernetics, military cyborg, cyborg & binarism, cyborg symbiosis. Cyborg: not simulated or non human (hybrid = human) Cyborg hybrids are about property and interconnections (not truly independent) Studying how animals + machines are similar (similarities artificial and living systems) Def: the study of comm among machines. Norbert wiener: world is a self-regulating information system (adjusts and regulates itself) Eg: toilet plunger; regulation in taking in feedback (self regulates with feedback) German planes faster than human weapons systems. Complexity of human-machine battle (thinks like human, keep up with machinery) Design machine thinks like people (also automated) Target plane, inputs, predictory, gun, human as one system. Humans are a node in an assemblage, not the centre! Military first place things rhizomatically (extreme complexity) Norbert wiener: nature and biology regulate thru negative feedback. Cybernetics: comes from greek boat (water, boat, self) Eg: chattering to keep warm from the cold (compensating to corrective restore feedback) Negative feedback: correction restores stability (this is good!)