[mtdewcmu]

There are lots of machine learning papers in there, and lots of papers about mobile, search, social networks, etc. This one seemed a little out of place: "Taking Stock of Toilets in Bangalore’s Government Schools: Status, Challenges and Opportunities"

[msutherl]

Many if not most large corporations employ anthropologists who conduct ethnographic studies of how people all over the world use technology. Toilet jokes aside, this is not at all out of place.

[mtdewcmu]

I had no idea that Microsoft did that kind of research. Maybe this is connected to Bill Gates's philanthropic work.

[msutherl]

I don't think so. It's pretty standard for companies with a global presence – they need to employ to find out how (potential) customers use technology in other parts of the world with different cultural and socioeconomic conditions. Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, etc. all do this. A great blog from a Nokia ethnographer: http://janchipchase.com/themes/future-perfect/.