We understand cybernetics to be profoundly concerned with, and shaped by, the drawing of distinctions, recursion, circularity and re exivity, re ection, construction and interaction. We constantly consider what cybernetic actions might be and when they should and should not be taken, continuing to consider how to behave in a cybernetic manner—without denying the value, on occasion, of behaving in
more traditional ways. We recognize the centrality of the presence of the observer in observing, the speaker in speaking and the actor in acting. We have recently extended the notion of conversation (and interaction) into a medium through which we organize and interact in our conferences, and in how we record them, as can be seen on their web sites. Although our origin is in the USA, our membership is now worldwide. We are developing uses of new communication media to increase the bene ts of this international community.
