Gift ideas

Gifts for systems fans

Know someone who loves systems? Pick their favourite topic for gift ideas, with a fact to share when they open it.

  • Autopoiesis

    Autopoiesis, the property of a system to maintain itself, isn't limited to living organisms; some computer models have also demonstrated autopoietic characteristics.

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  • Complexity

    The complexity of a problem can sometimes be reduced by cleverly changing its representation. A seemingly intractable problem might become easily solvable with a different perspective.

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  • Cybernetics

    The term "cybernetics" was coined by Norbert Wiener, and is derived from the Greek word "kybernetes," meaning "steersman" or "governor."

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  • Dynamics

    Microsoft Dynamics 365's roots trace back to the early 1990s with the release of Great Plains Software's accounting software, which eventually became a core component of the Dynamics ERP suite.

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  • Emergence

    Emergence is a phenomenon where complex systems spontaneously develop properties not present in their individual components. For example, the wetness of water isn't a property of a single water molecule, but emerges from the collective behavior of many.

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  • Feedback

    In audio engineering, feedback is often unwanted, but it's the fundamental principle behind electric guitars' characteristic sustain and distortion.

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  • Patterns

    The patterns on a snowflake are never exactly duplicated, even on the same snowflake.

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  • Processes

    A process can have multiple threads, allowing it to perform multiple tasks seemingly simultaneously within the same program.

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  • Structures

    In computer science, structures (or structs) can be nested—meaning a structure can contain another structure as a member, creating complex data organizations.

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  • Synergy

    Synergy, in a business context, doesn't always mean a perfectly harmonious collaboration. Sometimes, the "synergy" is just the sum of individual efforts, not a truly multiplicative effect.

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  • Systems

    Some distributed systems use a technique called "gossip protocols" where nodes randomly exchange information with each other, eventually ensuring that all nodes have a consistent view of the system state, even without a central authority.

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Other interests

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