but how can we “unbracket” critical computing?

thank you Aram! Would love to hear your thoughts on this

Looking beyond live music culture, what if we took this ethics seriously across domains? What would it mean to design algorithmic systems—not to eliminate errors—but to anticipate, establish shared expectations, and repair them together?

But as real-time algorithmic techniques like quantization, looping, and tempo correction become embedded in performance, we need a different frame. I argue that liveness is no longer defined against machines, but with them—through a shared dance with the possibility of failure.

In live music, liveness is often defined negatively: it’s what machines can’t do. A performance feels live when there’s risk—when the artist might mess up, improvise, or push the limits of their craft.

Very grateful to @mikeananny.bsky.social and Simogne Hudson for their editorial vision! Please check out my brilliant colleagues' work on the topic of sociotechnical errors.

The Failing Media Conference also further pushed me to rethink this in a new light: voices.uchicago.edu/failingmedia/