In this chapter, the methods used by Bowker/Starr for analysis of existing infrastructure are laid out. The cases they provide make a strong case for the salience of the upcoming chapters. I have one reservation so far: They're analysis seems to way heavily on cognition (they claim pragmatism and cognition) and perception of reality and how this cognitive analysis leads to classification and standardization.
IMHO, perception is based largely on the pre-classification of things. The vocabulary that currently exists will lead toward what will be noticed and what will not be noticed. There case for the space in between classification where things 'don't exist,' seem to provide some grounding for this theory. Are the spaces in classification created by a lack of vocabulary? Is the classification that is created derived from existing vocabulary or bootstrapped from existing vocabulary? How do social lexicons and pidgin languages effect these classifications? I'll be looking for these questions to be addressed in the future.
On a side not, the asides continue to be amusing. The 'irate' passenger and the angry harley owners provide breaks in the text that keep the reading light and alluring. These are possibly good literary tools to think about for personal writing in the future.
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