Using CrossSearch to do Design Research

CrossSearch is the University of Dundee’s database for journal, magazine and newspaper articles. It’s useful for quickly surveying what’s available in a particular area, then accessing PDFs or physical copies of things you’re interested in.

Using CrossSearch for the first time can be tricky but once you’re used to it, it’s a piece of cake… Well, very chewy cake.

Read the tutorial to get started or, if you prefer, view the video walkthrough below.

Using Twitter Lists

Twitter’s List feature allows you to group together people by common topic (e.g. “friends”, “textile designers”, “news”) and get an overview of what’s being said. The benefit of Twitter Lists is that you don’t have to follow people in your lists, which means your normal Twitter timeline can be kept under control. Here’s how to create a list.

Help O’Reilly research the UK Maker community

Andrew Sleigh is doing a research project for O’Reilly UK. O’Reilly are the publishers of Make magazine and the Makezine.com website; they’re the people behind Maker Faire and Maker Shed; and they publish great books on Arduino, circuit-bending, amateur robotics, creative hacking and related topics.

They want to understand how they can better support the UK maker community, and he’s helping them find out.

Maybe you’re a maker of some sort, or you’re involved in innovation or manufacturing, technology or the creative industries, a supplier of maker products or services, or involved in education or training in maker skills.

Andrew wants to carry out short phone interviews, or for you to answer seven survey questions.

You can find out more at Andrew Sleigh’s website or send him a tweet.

links for 2011-09-27

• Opinion: Facebook and Spotify drop the other shoe
  There’s a succinct phrase floating around the Internet that goes, “If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.” This is how Google, Facebook, and other such services operate. You’re offered these services not because of the philanthropic tendencies of these companies but rather because you have something of value that they want—your personal information. This information gets churned with the information of countless other individuals and sold to advertisers, who use it to find ways to more efficiently market their stuff. This includes targeting individuals for particular products.
  (tags: Facebook Spotify privacy Google data)
• Messi business! FC Barcelona stars in a sweat over new shirts
  A shirt that weighed 200 grams at the beginning of a match can now weigh up to two and half times as much just 45 minutes later. Dressing room sources told El País that players noticed during a pre-season tour of the US that the shirt "weighed a tonne" and "stuck to the body like a limpet". They hoped the problem would not persist when they returned to the more forgiving weather conditions in Spain, but on Friday the club called a meeting with Nike to seek solutions. Nike said it has begun testing the shirt. "Nike's product team is working to address concerns with the FCB home jersey," a spokeswoman said. "All product concerns are treated with the utmost importance and a solution is expected when all appropriate testing is completed."
  (tags: textiles design Nike)

links for 2011-09-26

• Talking bins set for city streets
  Famous people could be congratulating you for throwing your rubbish away responsibly in talking bins.
  (tags: waste rubbish UK service design)

links for 2011-09-25

• How to build a profitable blog: choosing a domain name
  Glen Allsopp (my blogging guide) says: "I always try and pick something 'brandable'. If it's relevant to the niche that's great, but it doesn't have to be. Ideally, the fewer the words the better. It helps people remember the site." A popular keyword phrase in your industry or niche might work perfectly as your blog name, and you may strike lucky and find the related domain hasn't been purchased. The domain name I have chosen is not immediately obvious to the niche I've decided on, but it is a single word that has been manipulated, and is very memorable. At least, I'm hoping so. To research your possibilities, Glen recommends using the Google keyword Tool and the free Wordtracker keyword tool, and inputting the kinds of search terms you may use yourself in looking for sites related to your niche (for example, "brick laying" if your blog is about building). The results may give you name ideas.
  (tags: blogging)

When town meets gown, communities can flourish

Bath Student Community Allotments was borne out of frustration from a group of students on long waiting lists for allotments. They wanted productive gardens but were only around for three years. Starting up in a space at the back of a pub, the group now has use of a plot at Bath City Farm. Members teamed up with the Growing Together project to match students and local residents with unused gardens, increasing their productivity and the relationship between students and other Bath residents.
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