inControl ep38 - inControl guide to ... Feedback
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Nov 17, 2025 Discover the fascinating anatomy of feedback loops and their historical origins, from ancient water clocks to modern AI dynamics. Explore the contrasting roles of negative versus positive feedback in biology, economics, and game design. Learn how feedback impacts stability, causality, and the very arrow of time. Delve into adaptive control and the implications of reinforcement learning in today's technology. Reflect on feedback as a learning tool that shapes our understanding of systems, both natural and artificial.
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Feedback Is Circular Causality
- Feedback means actions depend on results and creates circular causality in systems.
- It lets systems adapt, stabilize, or destabilize by continuously sensing and adjusting.
Ancient And Steam Feedback Devices
- Ktesibios built an ancient self-regulating water clock using a float and valve to keep flow steady.
- James Watt adapted a centrifugal governor to stabilize steam engines by throttling steam with spinning balls.
Black's Ferry Eureka Moment
- Harold Black had a Eureka moment on a ferry and sketched the negative feedback amplifier idea in 1927.
- Bell Labs trials later proved feedback reduced amplification distortion dramatically across long telephone lines.
