The Two-Platform Rule

The Kurgan recently wrote a post about the Substack platform [1], in which he points out one issue that many communications platforms have. And it's not just communications platforms, it's also an issue with things like cars, computers, even the power grid. The problem is that these things can get taken down/out without their users, like you or me, having any say in the matter.

These outages and crashes do not even have to be the result of enemy action. Sheer incompetence is often enough to make things really fragile [2]. Most systems are neither stable nor secure, and they are getting worse. The two-platform rule exists for things that you cannot go without for a while. Here is said rule:

If you need something, get it twice. 

For example, I have two computers and two phones. If one of either fails, I can use the other one to try and figure out a fix. If the fix takes a while, I have most of the functionality on the backup. For financial reasons, none of these four devices are state-of-the-art, but they all get the job done. Most importantly, all the key functions are covered redundantly.

Back to the Kurgan's example: if you need access to a specific content creator / geographically distant individual, connect with them on two platforms, preferably more. This way, any cancellation or just plain server outage cannot sever the lines of communication.

All of this applies twice as much to actual necessities, such as food, energy, and defense. It is better to have two mediocre guns than a really good one. Some kind of electrical generator, or a heater, and a bunch of fuel are also an extremely good investment. For food, it is prudent to have at least some of it in a different part of the house, so that a kitchen fire cannot destroy all of the supply.

In general, the backup only makes sense if it is reasonably well protected from things that can happen to the primary thing. Case in point, my second computer and phone are not plugged in when I don't use them, should there be a power surge. There may be surge protections in the building and/or power strip, but I don't know, so I'm not about to find out.

Those are all the necessities that I can think of on the fly, but there are certainly more. People who cannot walk to any grocery store, for instance, should have two cars. If you can think of more, leave a comment. Much Love!

[1] https://www.gfilotto.com/substack-suspect

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2gJdbb3Pec