Office ladies please stop reading here and return to your search result immediately. This is **NOT** about how you tackle with job interviews nor how to make attracting presentation.
The slide provided [here](http://www.public.asu.edu/~kroel/www500/Interview%20Fri.pdf) is about how to conduct interviews for qualitative research. The highlights including the checklist before and at the beginning of the interview, and issues about processing of interview data.
2007年4月11日星期三
2007年4月7日星期六
Week 27: Brain ferreting
After I really go down to the work and made a series of plans and budgets, I find that planning an expedition is not so dreadful as I thought before. There are still many uncertainties but apparently they will not prevent my plan from being carried out.
The contact with local government and researchers is going well.
But for a newbie in interviewing like me, I am not sure if my interview outline is as good as it should be. I have so many questions to ask yet I find the question list already a bit long for a group interview. I am also uncertain about the sequence of the questions.
The application for this year's Slawson award failed, which renders my fieldwork more costly. I hope that I can get other funding later this year and next year.
The contact with local government and researchers is going well.
But for a newbie in interviewing like me, I am not sure if my interview outline is as good as it should be. I have so many questions to ask yet I find the question list already a bit long for a group interview. I am also uncertain about the sequence of the questions.
The application for this year's Slawson award failed, which renders my fieldwork more costly. I hope that I can get other funding later this year and next year.
2007年4月6日星期五
Will scientists save the world (again)?
This week's *Science* magazine published [an editorial](http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/5821/17) by Rosina M. Bierbaum and Peter H. Raven. This editorial promotes another effort to prevent reaching the tipping point of global climate change by urging the government and companies as well as individuals to take measures. Different from IPCC, this new initiative is managed by the UN (see [http://www.unfoundation.org/SEG/](http://www.unfoundation.org/SEG/)). Hopefully, the influence of UN will be more useful than IPCC, which can only ``suggest'' the governments but cannot ``urge'' them to act.
However, a group consist of purely scientists may have a problem, that their suggestions are often theoretically sound but politically too abstract or impractical. Arguably, the suggestion made by the SEG suffers from the same problem. If you want to give advice to all over the world, you have to be abstract.
I think the next step would be giving every country a ``recipe'', indicating the costs and benefits of every measure they mentioned, that is what politicians really care about.
However, a group consist of purely scientists may have a problem, that their suggestions are often theoretically sound but politically too abstract or impractical. Arguably, the suggestion made by the SEG suffers from the same problem. If you want to give advice to all over the world, you have to be abstract.
I think the next step would be giving every country a ``recipe'', indicating the costs and benefits of every measure they mentioned, that is what politicians really care about.
2007年4月5日星期四
（我是）孤独的人（也）是可耻的
早上4点爬起来给准备去考察的县的政府打电话，也不知道电话那头有没有听出我的睡眼惺忪，不过我是觉得自己现在打电话完全没有当年那种面对任何一个小秘书都怯生生的模样了，奇怪啊奇怪，前几天给一个大学的研究员打电话还不是这样的。今天打电话的口气就好像说本西域总督大爷要到你们县视察，你们给安排车……这样。莫非本人刚起床的时候就是这么痞？还是说没睡醒就像喝醉酒的时候一样胆子会没来由地大一点？
放下电话，我又在想，我要是真变成一个坏人，该怎么办呢？
我已经是挺坏的一人了吧，灌个水都很刻薄，跟邻居室友的关系也极差。有时候我回来的时候他们在开 party，我就等到晚上10点多他们人散了我才去做晚饭。技术上说，他们只占用了客厅，我完全可以穿过客厅到厨房做饭。但是心理上，这么做我完全受不了。那简直就像一个可耻的罪犯被游街示众一样，他们的凝视会让我觉得快要发疯。
于是孤独的人会习惯于孤独并且寻求孤独，直到变成一个孤独得可耻的人。
在这种情况下，我会不断告诫自己要 tough，今后在考察的地方呆两个月，还会更加 tough，跟那些到八角街转了一圈，回来就为自己小小的头疼和皱着眉头喝下第一碗酥油茶而兴奋和夸耀不已的小青年们，和那些在西藏一边开着4500一边骂娘，在海拔5000米的县城钻头觅缝找地方浪费水洗澡，回来又一边数自己掉了几公斤肉，一边表达自己对西藏的再度向往的半老头子们都完全不同。
Tough 的人要跟人划清界限，所以就更加孤独，孤独的人需要更 tough，如是反复。
但是昨天才被人提醒，自己能还算正常地撑到现在，完全是靠别人上班似地每天花一两个小时陪我说话。没有她我会怎么样？可能是孤独到极点然后死掉，也可能是 tough 到极点然后成了不知道同情和理解的魔头。从这个意义上说，tough 的人同时也是脆弱的人。
Jason Bourne 系列的第三部电影今年夏天上映。我对它的浓厚兴趣不仅来自于 Matt Damon 的表演和（从 teaser 来看）扣人心弦的剧情，更多地是想看看 Marie 走后那些夜晚 Jason 是怎么熬过来的——在那之后，他比我更孤独。我很好奇第三部里会不会加进一些 Jason 在他的过去与现实之间挣扎，在光明与黑暗之间选择的剧情。
好吧，我知道 Jason Bourne 不是 Anakin Skywalker。
放下电话，我又在想，我要是真变成一个坏人，该怎么办呢？
我已经是挺坏的一人了吧，灌个水都很刻薄，跟邻居室友的关系也极差。有时候我回来的时候他们在开 party，我就等到晚上10点多他们人散了我才去做晚饭。技术上说，他们只占用了客厅，我完全可以穿过客厅到厨房做饭。但是心理上，这么做我完全受不了。那简直就像一个可耻的罪犯被游街示众一样，他们的凝视会让我觉得快要发疯。
于是孤独的人会习惯于孤独并且寻求孤独，直到变成一个孤独得可耻的人。
在这种情况下，我会不断告诫自己要 tough，今后在考察的地方呆两个月，还会更加 tough，跟那些到八角街转了一圈，回来就为自己小小的头疼和皱着眉头喝下第一碗酥油茶而兴奋和夸耀不已的小青年们，和那些在西藏一边开着4500一边骂娘，在海拔5000米的县城钻头觅缝找地方浪费水洗澡，回来又一边数自己掉了几公斤肉，一边表达自己对西藏的再度向往的半老头子们都完全不同。
Tough 的人要跟人划清界限，所以就更加孤独，孤独的人需要更 tough，如是反复。
但是昨天才被人提醒，自己能还算正常地撑到现在，完全是靠别人上班似地每天花一两个小时陪我说话。没有她我会怎么样？可能是孤独到极点然后死掉，也可能是 tough 到极点然后成了不知道同情和理解的魔头。从这个意义上说，tough 的人同时也是脆弱的人。
Jason Bourne 系列的第三部电影今年夏天上映。我对它的浓厚兴趣不仅来自于 Matt Damon 的表演和（从 teaser 来看）扣人心弦的剧情，更多地是想看看 Marie 走后那些夜晚 Jason 是怎么熬过来的——在那之后，他比我更孤独。我很好奇第三部里会不会加进一些 Jason 在他的过去与现实之间挣扎，在光明与黑暗之间选择的剧情。
好吧，我知道 Jason Bourne 不是 Anakin Skywalker。
Status update: privatisation in Naqchu
[ 那曲地区2007年落实和完善草场承包经营责任制工作会议胜利闭幕 ](http://xznm.agri.gov.cn/show.asp?id=10567)
The "responsibility system" will be adopted by all pastoralists on their spring/winter pastures before April 20th.
[ 进一步完善草场承包经营责任制工作](http://xznm.agri.gov.cn/show.asp?id=10580)
There are still a few villages in Shuanghu District where the privitisation is not complete. Namely Yaqchu (雅曲) and Gatso (嘎措).
Apparently I will still be able to find a few *real* nomads although to establish contact with them may be quite complicated. The help from the government will be quite delicate, while contact through networking can only rely on luck.
The "responsibility system" will be adopted by all pastoralists on their spring/winter pastures before April 20th.
[ 进一步完善草场承包经营责任制工作](http://xznm.agri.gov.cn/show.asp?id=10580)
There are still a few villages in Shuanghu District where the privitisation is not complete. Namely Yaqchu (雅曲) and Gatso (嘎措).
Apparently I will still be able to find a few *real* nomads although to establish contact with them may be quite complicated. The help from the government will be quite delicate, while contact through networking can only rely on luck.
2007年4月4日星期三
More policy-friendly ecology?
[Making ecological science policy-relevant: issues of scale and disciplinary integration](http://www.springerlink.com/content/n086m8543l301q83)
One of the main reason that ecology study is not widely applied in policy making is that the two processes are carried out in very different scales. Experiments successful in smaller scales are not necessarily so in a larger scale. **Scaling** thus becomes an important issue in ecological studies.
Knowledge transfer between ecologists and policy-makers can only be done in an interdisciplinary way. However, it is still easier said than done. The difficulty is brought along by misunderstanding, misconception (from each other's perspective), and the neglegence of funding/evaluating agencies. The non-linearity of the ecosystem complicates policy-making more.
To realise these problems is the first step. The researchers from different disciplines must establish trust in each other, The funding system should make some changes to meet the demand of long-term ecological studies.
As an individual researcher, I think knowing more about policy-making process in the region/country is desirable. To make the research more useful for policy making, an accumulation of large-scale, long-term experiments and theories/models derived from them is necessary. It is not saying that a 3-year PhD program will not be useful. But to make the policy-makers know the meaning of the study and adopt corresponding policies, the researcher will have to do more work to get the idea crossed, and try to understand how the policy-makers think.
One of the main reason that ecology study is not widely applied in policy making is that the two processes are carried out in very different scales. Experiments successful in smaller scales are not necessarily so in a larger scale. **Scaling** thus becomes an important issue in ecological studies.
Knowledge transfer between ecologists and policy-makers can only be done in an interdisciplinary way. However, it is still easier said than done. The difficulty is brought along by misunderstanding, misconception (from each other's perspective), and the neglegence of funding/evaluating agencies. The non-linearity of the ecosystem complicates policy-making more.
To realise these problems is the first step. The researchers from different disciplines must establish trust in each other, The funding system should make some changes to meet the demand of long-term ecological studies.
As an individual researcher, I think knowing more about policy-making process in the region/country is desirable. To make the research more useful for policy making, an accumulation of large-scale, long-term experiments and theories/models derived from them is necessary. It is not saying that a 3-year PhD program will not be useful. But to make the policy-makers know the meaning of the study and adopt corresponding policies, the researcher will have to do more work to get the idea crossed, and try to understand how the policy-makers think.
2007年4月1日星期日
Week 26: Need some ``salt''
First of all, I have to admit that I did not do much during the week. I spent considerable time wrestling with Ruby on Rails, Mephisto and Typo, and strange \.htaccess files. The writing on resilience has brought along some interesting questions, such as social vurnerability, ecosystem restoration, and perhaps equity, which I did not address enough in the writing. However, I find myself pretty fed up after so much reading (on the same guys' articles). I can only write one or two paragraph one day, just feel not like writing.
The other part of the work, preparation of the fieldwork, has some progress. However, from time to time I feel it pressing. There may be questions that I cannot solve here but can only tackle in China. Therefore I decided that I should go back some days earlier so I can do something before May Day holiday.
Perhaps I need some fresh air, as well as some social activities, to diversify my life a bit. Or there will be weariness and tedium.
The other part of the work, preparation of the fieldwork, has some progress. However, from time to time I feel it pressing. There may be questions that I cannot solve here but can only tackle in China. Therefore I decided that I should go back some days earlier so I can do something before May Day holiday.
Perhaps I need some fresh air, as well as some social activities, to diversify my life a bit. Or there will be weariness and tedium.
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