Brands are dead. Advertising no longer works. Consumers are in control. Or so we're told. In Buying In, Rob Walker argues that this accepted wisdom misses a much more important cultural shift, including a practice he calls murketing, in which people create brands of their own and participate, in unprecedented ways, in marketing campaigns for their favorites. Yes, rather than becoming immune to them, we are rapidly embracing brands. Profiling Timberland, American Apparel, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Red Bull, iPod, and Livestrong, among others, Walker demonstrates the ways in which buyers adopt products not just as consumer choices but as conscious expressions of their identities. Part marketing primer, part work of cultural anthropology, Buying In reveals why now, more than ever, we are what we buy—and vice versa.

A thought-provoking, gorgeously illustrated gift book that will spark your creativity and help you rediscover your passion with “simple, low-stakes activities [that] can open up the world.”—The New York Times Welcome to the era of white noise. Our lives are in constant tether to phones, to email, and to social media. In this age of distraction, the ability to experience and be present is often lost: to think and to see and to listen. Enter Rob Walker's The Art of Noticing—an inspiring volume that will help you see the world anew. Through a series of simple and playful exercises—131 of them—Walker maps ways for you to become a clearer thinker, a better listener, a more creative workplace colleague, and finally, to rediscover what really matters to you.

In January of 2000, Rob Walker left a high-powered media job in New York, and with his girlfriend, moved to New Orleans. Letters from New Orleans collects, in one volume, the delightful and unsettling observations Walker sent to friends and fans about his intriguing new life in New Orleans.

Have you ever thought research is boring? "Research" writes Umberto Eco "should be fun". It seems unlikely that Umberto Eco has read many of the standard social science or education research texts. But social research does offer the possibility of involvement in projects that are informative, sometimes revealing, and fun to do. This book shows us that teaching, learning and research are essentially social and deeply personal activities and that fun needs to be an integral part of this. This is not a conventional text, although it is about ways in which research can be used by those in various areas of professional practice. Its main concerns are with qualitative research, action research and case study methods, and it goes back to first principles arguing for research that is concerned with the nature of personal memories and of perception, the use of drawings and photographs, the emotional relationships implicit in any kind of research and the context of the contemporary workplace. The authors develop new directions and new possibilities for research and find ways of bringing together theory and practice, the personal and the social, organisations and their clients. It is an important resource for all who are interested in doing research but are sceptical or critical of most studies that are currently available.

Introduces maps and teaches essential mapping skills, including how to create, use, and interpret maps of towns and cities.

Accessible, inspiring, informed and useful, this book features 131 surprising and innovative exercises, including: Look really, really slowly; Take a colour walk; Discover the big within the small; Drift; Listen selflessly; Hunt for a sound; Get there the hard way; Change scale.

A Vintage Shorts selection. Becoming a first-class noticer is crucial to any creative process, but perhaps it is particularly crucial for a writer. In the era of white noise, when the ability to be present is often lost, Rob Walker’s provocations and exercises will enchant and delight, and help writers of all stripes develop an original point of view. Drawn from his gorgeous illustrated volume, The Art of Noticing, twenty selections ranging in scope from “Hunt for a feeling” to “Detect imaginary clues” make for an enjoyable cure for writer’s block, and a resource that writers of all walks of life will treasure and come to for inspiration again, and again. An ebook short.

OK, you asked for it, here we go (again) The long awaited and highly anticipated sequel; Black Cityll 2nd Hand Smoke!! For this project we've given you much more story. The plot thickens' Follow Roc Allen on "Assignment Outside of Black City" Find out who gets hurt in the battle with Gogulock. Follow me as I take you deeper into my world and read on, as I introduce you to more characters and more Black City. Along with a great story we have (way) more graphics. Check out Ghetto Aggression Poetry and with the help of two brilliant artist you can now start to see into my world, my city

Introduces maps and teaches essential mapping skills, including how to create, use, and interpret maps of mountains.