Duration: 1 year
Data Collected: For one year I recorded every sentence that I uttered containing a swear word. I noted these down in a small notebook alongside the suspected reason for the outburst. These were then transferred to an Excel spreadsheet with the date, time and the name of the person the sentence was aimed at (if any). I also kept a monthly diary recording anecdotal information about the problems of maintaining the project.
Objectives: I began this project with the same objectives of anyone setting up a traditional swear box - to make me more aware of my language usage and to cut down my swearing by imposing a consequence for each utterance. In this case, rather than financial, the penalty required me to do more work in updating the project.
Outcomes: A total of 142 swear words were uttered and recorded over the course of the year. They were each archived in an animated online Swear Box, which was updated as and when the swear words occurred. The Swear Box Diary was also published in monthly instalments on my website. This became a forum for discussing the problems I encountered with the project and a way of complementing the pared down visualisation of the Swear Box with more subjective information about my life.
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