"The channels for semantic instability and simple message instability are difficult to separate in computers." #readingToday

In a mechanical systems, we often test resistance to perturbations by throwing a controlled force at them. This can be a useful way of stress testing the system to see how it holds up. This method fails in information systems, however, because the problem is not merely one of force, but one of interpretation and 'logic'. The channels for semantic instability and simple message instability are difficult to separate in computers. The semantics of a message depend on the message, and possibly its history, and go on to lead to branching channels of behaviour that further add complexity.

In Search of Certainty, Mark Burgess, 2013