"The idea of control can be applied to a great many processes that are neither living nor mechanical in the accepted sense, but can be thought of as behaving like self-regulating machines. Studious children, living animals, political system, production line, moving traffic, electronic computer, gathering storm, Stock Exchange: the common factor - all are cybernetic systems."
(p. 17 from The Story of Cybernetics, adapted from an exhibition produced by IBM at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London)