Monthly Archives: August 2016
Too Late for the Pebbles to Vote, Part 3
When we left off, we had examined the problem of self-organized criticality in social graphs, and were about to tackle the question of whether any more successful individual strategies exist. But before we dive into that, let’s talk about timing. And … Continue reading
Too Late for the Pebbles to Vote, Part 2
Previously, we discussed how sociopaths embed themselves into formerly healthy systems. Now let’s talk about what happens when those systems undergo self-organized criticality. Consider a pile of sand. Trickle more sand onto it from above, and eventually it will undergo a … Continue reading
Too Late for the Pebbles to Vote, Part 1
There’s a pattern most observers of human interaction have noticed, common enough to have earned its own aphorism: “nice guys finish last.” Or, refactored, “bad actors are unusually good at winning.” The phenomenon shows up in business, in politics, in … Continue reading
Defcon Is Problematic
Defcon is hosted in a desert. This is exclusionary to people from cold regions, who cannot handle the heat. Defcon is in Las Vegas. This is exclusionary to people who have gambling problems. Defcon provides attendees with open bars. This … Continue reading
Status 451 