Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
have “fried” the surge protector while thinking I was protecting my computer.
Another drawback is that the clatter of the keyboard can sometimes be dis-
tracting and obtrusive in certain situations. In most cases, however, a brief
desensitization period will make people feel comfortable with the equipment.
In fact, the laptop can be an icebreaker, helping the fieldworker to develop a
strong rapport with people and at the same time inuring them to its presence.
Given a careful introduction, laptops or any other useful pieces of equipment
can greatly facilitate ethnographic work.
I used a laptop in preparing and revising this topic, writing drafts on air-
planes, at meetings, at relatives' houses, and outdoors. I use this machine at
home, in the field, in the office, and wherever I travel. The power and porta-
bility of the unit allow me to continue working in settings and during times that
are typically not conducive to productive effort. However, it is imperative that
data be backed up, particularly when the laptop is the only computer used. My
hard drive crashed and I was thankful I used an external hard drive and back-
up software. I set the back-up software to restore at 11:00 p.m., and everything
was restored on my new hard drive in the morning.
DESKTOP COMPUTERS
Many researchers use laptops to compose memos, reports, and articles; to con-
duct interviews; and for general data collection, and then upload or send their
files to a desktop computer. There are convenient tools to mechanically trans-
fer or synchronize files. However, an increasing number of researchers are
skipping the transfer or synchronizing issue completely, using their laptop or
notebook-type computers as their primary computers because they are as pow-
erful as the larger systems and are more convenient.
DATABASE SOFTWARE
Traditionally, ethnographers look for patterns by sifting through the data in
their heads and in their notes. This method is effective in identifying gross pat-
terns and practices in the culture under study. It does not, however, provide
strong checks and balances on conclusions. Also, sifting through old notes and
records to look into the simplest hypotheses is enormously time-consuming.
Database software programs enable the ethnographer to play a multitude of
what-if games, to test a variety of hypotheses with the push of a button (and a
few macros—strings of commands—assigned to that button). I have used a
