
211
26
System Efficiency
Solving Detection Problems
to Improve Control
During the Efciency stage, the Control becomes more sophisticated by
detecting various states of system elements (e.g., properties of the Packaged
Payload). Furthermore, the Control stores and analyses this information to
anticipate and optimize the system’s performance.
“They have nished Phase One: reconnaissance,” Lio concluded, “and
yesterday began Phase Two: which is—who knows?”
“Actually doing something,” Barb said.
—Neal Stephenson, Anathem [85, p. 311]
Consider, for example, an electronic program guide (EPG) implementa-
tion by the TiVo digital video recorder (DVR). The device ...