• About
    • About the FIA
    • Priorities
    • Our Team
    • Brainstorming Board
    • Partners and Affiliates
    • Contact Us
  • News + Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • @FIAumd
    • In the Media
  • Spark Grants
    • Spark Grants Overview
    • Spark Grants FAQ
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grants
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grant Winners
  • Special Topics
    • SearchReSearch
    • Curated Topics
FIA

SearchReSearch

Delay of game… about where your trash goes…

Dan Russell • March 7, 2019
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
Delay of game… about where your trash goes… Dan Russell

So....



... where DOES the trash go???

I was writing up my solution about the trash / recycling question. I'd read lots of documents, tons of tales, reads of city reports, and was just about to hit publish.

But then I paused.

I found four different places where the recycling goes and where the trash ends up. I realized that 3 out of the 4 made sense, but I couldn't understand the fourth destination. What went there?

As I was writing, I got stuck with a simple question: What DOES that fourth trash/recycling site take in? I know it's a real place (I've actually gone on runs past the place), and I know it's for recycling... but does any of MY trash go there? It's got a contract with my city, it's close to the city, but I couldn't tell. I did not know what to write.

I'd been working on this for a few hours, carefully documenting my research, but as I went back over my documents, I could NOT find the answer. Huh.

So....

... I ran out of time to finish my writeup this week. I'll have time next week, so stay tuned for my update post early next week. I'll tell you what I did, how I noticed the problem, and what I did to get around it.

I admit that I thought this would be a fairly simple story.

But the great thing about doing SearchResearch is that even simple things sometimes have untold depths. (I love these kind of unexpectedly complex issues that come up!)

Keep searching!!

Share

Comments

This post was republished. Comments can be viewed and shared via the original site.
13 comments

About the Author

Dan RussellDan Russell

I study the way people search and research. I guess that makes me an anthropologist of search. While I work at Google, my blog and G+ posts reflects my own thoughts and not those of my employer. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

Recent News

  • Deepfakes and the Future of Facts
    Deepfakes and the Future of FactsSeptember 27, 2019
  • Book cover for Joy of Search by Daniel M. Russell
    The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the BasicsSeptember 26, 2019
  • The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ World
    The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ WorldMay 15, 2018
  • The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Storytelling
    The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive StorytellingJune 6, 2017

More »

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events scheduled. Please check back later.
Event Archive »
Video Archive »

Join Email List

SearchReSearch

  • SearchResearch Challenge (3/22/23):  What do you call the sediment that blocks a river from flowing to the sea?
    SearchResearch Challenge (3/22/23): What do you call the sediment that blocks a river from flowing to the sea?March 22, 2023
  • Answer: What do these everyday symbols mean?
    Answer: What do these everyday symbols mean?March 15, 2023
  • SearchResearch Challenge (3/8/23): What do these everyday symbols mean?
    SearchResearch Challenge (3/8/23): What do these everyday symbols mean?March 8, 2023
  • PSA:  Read Clive Thompson’s article about how he does research
    PSA: Read Clive Thompson’s article about how he does researchMarch 3, 2023

More »

University of Maryland logo
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation logo
Google logo
Barrie School
Library of Congress logo
State of Maryland logo
National Archives logo
National Geographic Society logo
National Park Service logo
Newseum logo
Sesame Workshop logo
Smithsonian logo
WAMU
© 2023 The Future of Information Alliance, University of Maryland | Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility