While my comments have little to do with the imitation vs. emulation
issue, I wanted to comment on Jay Lemke's posting.
I think that attempts to synthesize ANT with complex systems theory is
right on target -- ANT has much to offer most other perspectives, but is
far from complete in itself (for example, Miettinen's extremely valuable
contribution to the CSTT Workshop 'Actor Network and After'). Also,
adding just a little to what Jay has written, artifacts participate not
only in "cultural-historical meaning relations and in
ecological-material physical interactions," but also in the
socio-interactional realm that is the focus of ethnomethodology. One of
the features of activity theory that makes it so powerful and
heuristically valuable is its steadfast and thoroughgoing
object-/artifact-orientedness because, as Jay wrote, relations
with/among objects/artifacts pervade and link all levels. Finally, an
extremely interesting contribution to ECSCW '97 by Jakob Bardram
illustrates the applicability of activity theory to such emergent
phenomena as Suchman's plans as situated action.
Being new to xcma, I find the theoretical discussions and syntheses
suggested by listserv participants to be extremely exciting.
Mark
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Mark A. Spasser
Center for Botanical Informatics
Missouri Botanical Garden
mspasser who-is-at cbi.mobot.org