We usually have to set aside some time to sit down and research for each character. It's usually Kangarube and I chasing as many primary sources as we can, trying (and often failing to) talk with people from those cultures, and immersing ourselves in their literature and art.
Sometimes it's easier, sometimes it's harder. For instance, P and Storm were easy for me because I'm Brazilian and taking notes from my own culture. Khenbish was particularly difficult, it's hard doing research on Mongolia.
You might want to check out some of the other answers we provided in this Q&A, the topic of research came up sometimes.
2. The programmer who did the heavy work for the most intensive systems in the game is nanoff, I cannot credit for his work and its complexity. That said, I am proud of designing the gameplay loop (day starts with some narrative, management session, hangouts, R&D and exploration rewards, end day) and writing the content that works with said mechanics.
I'm also generally proud of how we manage all the game's variables -- we managed to squeeze a lot of complexity and variability while mostly relying on just a few narratively-relevant variables.
3. Probably some geriatric Facebook page where grandmas and grandpas post crunchy GOOD MORNING gifs everyday and exchange knitting patterns. He always says GOOD MORNING.