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Design Innovation

Watch Charles Limb’s “Your brain on improv” talk on TED

Musician and researcher Charles Limb wondered how the brain works during musical improvisation — so he put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI to find out. What he and his team found has deep implications for our understanding of creativity of all kinds […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

Architecture & Urban Planning in China: Average building lasts only 20 years

More than half of China’s existing residential structures will be demolished and rebuilt in the coming 20 years, according to a senior researcher from the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, a claim that has sparked fresh questions about the short lifespan of Chinese buildings […]

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China Consumer Behavior Trend Watching

China, Socialism & Consumer Behavior: 10 Things Every Luxury Marketer in China Should Know

Chinese researcher Patricia Pao, who specializes in luxury marketing trends in China, offers ten tips to help advertisers reach affluent customers in the mainland […]

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Design Innovation Readings

Watch Jeremy Myerson’s “The designer as collaborator” talk at Victoria and Albert Museum’s The Future Designer Series

Jeremy Myerson talks about the designer as collaborator in a co-design process […]

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Design Innovation Software

Watch Mark Baskinger’s “Drawing Ideas and Communicating Interaction” talk at Johnny Holland

Last year at IxDA’s Interaction 09, Johnny Holland interviewed Mark Baskinger, associate professor at the School of Design of the Carnegie Mellon University.Mark talks about drawing ideas and shares his thoughts about the differences between industrial designers and interaction designers and how interaction designers can use sketching to communicate their designs better […]

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Design Information Technology Innovation Software Trend Watching

Watch Cyd Harrell’s “Remote Design Research” talk at IxDA | Interaction ‘10 Conference

Want to do design research cheaply and efficiently with participants anywhere in the world? (Of course.) Want to observe real users in their native technology environments, from the comfort of your own desk? (Who doesn’t?) But what software and hardware do you need, and will it actually work?Bolt|Peters’ Cyd Harrell covers the most powerful tools for un-moderated conceptual research, remote screen observation, participant communication, observer involvement, session recording, time-aware tasks, and real-time recruiting. Get the lowdown on UserVue, Acrobat Connect, GoTo Meeting, Loop11, OpenHallway, UserZoom, Optimal Sort, Ethnio, and more […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

China, Technology & the Environment: Emissions goal “will cost China $30b”

Researchers have been busy calculating what China’s carbon emissions target announced last year will mean for the average family […]

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Design Information Technology Trend Watching

Watch Sebastian Wernicke’s “Lies, damned lies and statistics” talk at TED

In a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek analysis, Sebastian Wernicke turns the tools of statistical analysis on TEDTalks, to come up with a metric for creating “the optimum TEDTalk” based on user ratings. How do you rate it? “Jaw-dropping”? “Unconvincing”? Or just plain “Funny”?

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China Trend Watching

Education in China: Ghostwriting hits frightening levels at universities

Many university students under pressure are turning to the Internet for help – not for research, but to find someone to write their reports for them […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

China, Technology & the Environment: emission target costs money, triggers lifestyle changes

China’s announced target to cut carbon intensity would cost the country 30 billion U.S. dollars each year during the next decade, a report carried by China Daily said […]