MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING of the Cybernetics Society held in Room K0.17, King’s College London WC2R 1ES on Tuesday 26th July 2011 at 6.30pm.

Present: William Pratt, D J Stewart, Sally Ingram, Martin Smith (Chair), David Dewhurst (Minutes) (Three members arrived next day due to a cross-reading.)

Apologies for Absence: Alex Andrew, Philip Burrel, Ranulph Glanville, Kelvin Hales, Janos Korn, Genevieve Hibbs, Mike C Jackson, Christopher Johns, George Mallen,

1) Previous Minutes: The minutes of the Council Meeting of 27 July 2010 were accepted as an accurate record.

2) Matters arising from the previous minutes: None – other than those already on the agenda

3) Web site development and collaboration: It was agreed that Martin Smith and Sally Ingram would meet Nick Green to learn directly about operating the web site.

4) Annual Accounts for 2010 The latest accounts were noted. Although not all items had yet been charged for there were no concerns covering liabilities. William Pratt would get fuller details about the ING account from Alex Andrew or John Chandler.

5) Organisation – room booking at King’s or elsewhere

The difficulties with booking at King’s had continued. However various further approaches were suggested in the hope that it would not be necessary to seek an alternative venue.

6) Discussion of programme of events and subsequent strategy

a) Annual Conference

There had been no alternative offers to organise this year’s conference and the practical problems with the previous organisers remained. However a social symposium i.e. dinner and talk at Salieri’s, Strand (unless another venue was announced) would take place on Saturday 24th September 2011 at 2pm. (Individual bills typically below £30 – just)

b) Scientific Meetings, discussion meetings /topics /social symposia: The Council remained open to offers and suggestions from the membership. It was hoped to agree on further discussion meetings /symposia during the year at the meeting on 24th September.

c) Draft Calendar of Events:

Symposia / discussion meetings Saturday 24th September 2011 2pm – venue, see 6a)

Further meetings t.b.a. following the first meeting on 24th September ‘11

Council meeting and AGM Tuesday 6.30pm. Kings 24th July 2012 (AGM c.7.15pm)

Annual Conference Saturday 15th September 2012 – provisionally at King’s. A call for papers would be posted on the web site following this year’s social symposium on 24th September ‘11

6) Date of next Council Meeting 24th July 2012 unless issues arise earlier which can not be dealt with electronically or at symposia.

7) Other Activities/ AOB Bill Pratt would write a paper on professional development to which D S Stewart and other members indicating an interest would contribute.

Martin Smith would check that the appropriate wording on our web site was still “ .. specially authorised society by H.M. Treasury and registered by the FSA.”

Other possibilities were discussed but it was deemed appropriate to focus on the basic agenda first.

The Meeting closed at 8.01pm.

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Cybernetics Society held in room K0.17, King’s College London WC2R 1ES on Tuesday 26th July 2011 at 8.01pm.

Present: William Pratt, D J Stewart, Sally Ingram, Martin Smith (Chair), David Dewhurst (Minutes)

Apologies for absence: Alex Andrew, Philip Burrel, Ranulph Glanville, Kelvin Hales, Janos Korn, Genevieve Hibbs, Mike C Jackson, Christopher Johns, George Mallen,

1) Previous Minutes: The amended minutes of the AGM of 27 July 2010 were accepted as an accurate record.

2) Matters arising from the previous minutes: None not dealt with under subsequent items.

3) Election of Officers and Council Members: The Deputy President, D J Stewart took the chair. Martin Smith was unanimously re-elected as President. Prof. Martin Smith resumed the chair.

Following the appointment of Dr. William Pratt by the Council in February he was re-elected formally by the AGM, M Smith proposer, D Dewhurst seconding.

The following persons were proposed by W Pratt, seconded by D Dewhurst and elected unanimously.

Vice President DJ Stewart, Council Members: A Andrew, T Booth, J Chandler, N Green, S Ingram, B Scott.

(Note: No election is required for the Secretary, D Dewhurst and Trustees, M Smith, A Andrew and R Glanville remain in post, elections not being required.)

4) Treasurer’s ReportandAnnual Accounts for 2010 The updated accounts, which had been discussed at the earlier Council Meeting, were received and adopted without alteration. The points made at the Council meeting were reaffirmed. Appreciation was expressed for the new Treasurer’s getting to grips with the accounts despite delays by the bank in transferring the mandate for the main account.

Following the resolution of the 2001 AGM to disapply the provisions requiring audit of the accounts and the accounts not having been audited it was noted that the conditions of that resolution still applied.

5) Formal Society Location: It was agreed to change our registered location from the former Treasurer’s address to that of the Vice President viz.

Brooke Coombes House, 52 Mountfield Road. London, W5 2NQ

6) Secretary’s Report:

The Secretary regretted that we had been unable to guarantee a full programme of sufficient calibre in time for a conference in 2010. Limited but real progress had been made updating member’s records and he would be liaising with DJ Stewart and B Pratt coating their data before the September symposium to ensure we had full use of our collective information.

The Secretary had made enquiries with Nora Bateson about showing her film about William Bateson at the (now cancelled) 2011 conference but notified members that she was now planning the London premiere for this Autumn at an as yet undecided location (along with showings across Europe).

The Treasurership had been successfully transferred following the Secretary acting as a place-holder for six months. A little time had been spent discussing the continuing development of the web-site.

A variety of enquires had been fielded, most enjoyably reviewing a book Spikez about a cyborg hedgehog. The Secretary had been involved in over a hundred threads or individual emails relating to the Society as opposed to cybernetics generally.

The report was accepted.

7) President’s Report:. Points included; proceedings of 2009 Conference edited and published in Kybernetes, workload, matters fed back already, room booking, conference/ meeting locations, Brian Warburton?

8) Matters arising from the previous Council Meeting None

Date of Next Meeting The next AGM will follow the Council meeting (provisionally at Kings) on Tues 24th July 2012, provisionally around 7.15 pm.

AOB: None

The meeting closed at 8.30pm.

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