New Terrain in Interaction Design - Computers as Theatre - page 212

symbiogenesis In 1998, scientist Lynn Margulis wrote an amazing
and controversial book: Symbiotic Planet: A New View of Evolution . Margulis'
view is that symbiosis forms the basis for much of evolutionary novelty.
Beyond symbiotic relations between distinct individuals, some symbiotic
individuals can combine into new organisms. She explains: “Symbiogen-
esis, an idea proposed by its Russian inventor Konstantin Merezhkovsky
(1855-1921) refers to the formation of new organs and organisms through
symbiotic mergers.” Margulis presents persuasive scientifi c arguments for
the origins of organelles in eukaryotic cells (e.g., chloroplasts and mitochon-
dria) as the result of symbiogenic combinations of ancient bacteria. Mito-
chondria, once free-living organisms, were integrated into eukaryotic cells,
where they generate chemical energy and perform other life-sustaining
roles. She observes that when symbiotic organisms undergo symbiogenesis,
some genes with redundant functions are dropped. With cells and bodies
as symbiogenic partners, mitochondria retain only a handful of genes. In
her subsequent book, Acquiring Genomes (Margulis and Sagan 2002), she ar-
gues that symbiogenesis is a prime force in evolution, placing cooperation
(symbiosis) at least on the same level as competition (natural selection).
Digital photography exhibits a sort of technological symbiogenesis.
As it moved from fi lm to the digital sphere, photography “dropped” its
darkroom genes and “took advantage of” existing digital infrastructures
to form new storage and editing capabilities. This formulation is a simile,
of course; photography is not an agent and has no “intent.” We simply
see a pattern we know from Nature recapitulated in technology. We as
designers may choose to weave such patterns into new forms of technol-
ogy and interaction.
nested entities and ecosystems Rob Tow says that the de-
fi ning characteristic of an “entity” is that it demonstrates a “perception-
representation-action” (PRA) loop in its behavior. It can perceive its
environment, it can construct an internal representation of its perception,
and it performs actions based upon that representation. Those actions are
in turn perceived within its environment, forming the loop.
Consider a water strider as an entity. Water striders live in groups in
slow-fl owing streams and other bodies of fresh water, dining mostly on
fallen insects and spiders. Water striders sense their distance from their
fellows through the characteristic vibrations caused by their movements,
distinguishing those particular sensations from other sources of vibration
in the environment: perception. The perception of these vibrations is trans-