Research Methods

The Handbag Paradox

Beijing: what lies within
Been tracking the contents of people’s bags, pockets and car boots for a while now, to understand how people equip themselves for what lies out …



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24 Jan 2012

New Essay: Imperialist Tendencies

10 Jan 2012

In: Cairo
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» What’s is like working for BigCorps pillaging the intellect of people around the world for commercial gain? » How do you sleep at night …
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The Art of Queuing

05 Jan 2012

In: Tokyo
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It might seem counter-productive to travel half way across the world to observe or take part in an activity that we would otherwise try to …
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Drive. Drive. Drive. Fly. Fly. Fly.

23 Dec 2011

In: Chongqing
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Syncing with the team in Chongqing – the city of 30 million souls that most non-locals have never heard of. If you want to understand …
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Connections. Connectors.

18 Dec 2011



A critical part of any ethnographic/design research project is recruiting the right participants for the study – they are the foundation on which the research …
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SpeakEasy

04 Dec 2011

In: Tokyo
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Four transcription services: Cloudwords, Casting Words, Verbalink and Way With Words.
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5 Things B4 Stepping into an Interview

09 Oct 2011

In: Minya Konka
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Over the years I’ve had the (mostly) good fortune to interact with a wide variety of folks from the media – journalists, reporters, photographers, writers, …
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Chinese Bandit Translation Teams

25 Sep 2011



Popular content is available in China, with Chinese subtitles within 8 hours of being broadcast almost anywhere in the world – a short presentation, co-authored …
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UBICOMP Links

19 Sep 2011



The title uberrima fides refers to the legal doctrine covering insurance contracts – where all parties must enter into the contract making a full declaration …
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Welcome to the Ghetto

11 Sep 2011

In: Ibadan
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“Welcome to the ghetto.” A half-day spent in one of Ibadan’s tight shanty town communities, sniffing out sufficiently conducive contexts and people to conduct interviews. The …
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