on a shoestring · margin
The space between the current state and the wall where a thing ends has nearly vanished, because maintenance has been reduced to the minimum that keeps it inside the window, leaving no buffer for drift or surprise.
ordinarily means: operating with very little money or resources
Examples
- The Hubble Space Telescope operated for years with degraded gyroscopes, relying on minimal hardware to maintain orientation. engineering
- Detroit's streetlights remained functional in 2012 only because volunteers maintained a fraction of the grid after city budget cuts. institutions
- The 2008 LHC startup proceeded with reduced cryogenic safety margins after funding delays forced deferred upgrades. physics
Emergence
Chain to foundations
as tree
- on a shoestringL16
- windowL7
- parameterL4
- rangeL3
- boundaryL2 (shown above)
- persistL1 (shown above)
- changeL1 (shown above)
- outsideL6
- partL1 (shown above)
- wallL10
- maintenanceL14
- workL3
- parameterL4 (shown above)
- windowL7 (shown above)
- holdL13
- touchL3
- forceL12
- keepL5
- motionL2 (shown above)
- insideL5 (shown above)
- driftL11
- parameterL4 (shown above)
- changeL1 (shown above)
- goL3
- makeL4 (shown above)
- nothingL10
- noneL9
- differenceL1 (shown above)
- amountL8
- sizeL2
- quantityL7
- numberL6
- differenceL1 (shown above)
- distinctL3
- differenceL1 (shown above)
- othersL2 (shown above)
- othersL2 (shown above)
- spaceL0 (shown above)
- marksL5
- differenceL1 (shown above)
- partL1 (shown above)
- changeL1 (shown above)
- patternL0 (shown above)
- surfaceL4 (shown above)
- sizeL2 (shown above)
- numberL6
- numberL6 (shown above)
- offL2
- spaceL0 (shown above)
- differenceL1 (shown above)
- noneL9
- wayL9
- marginL11
- windowL7
Neighborhood
Concepts that depend on this one above; what it is built from below.