Slug & Lede

As I was listening to Global Pool of Money I found many parts of it distracting.  The music which was played as the two main speakers talked was louder than it needed to be and also it did not fit the topic very well. 

The speakers had a lot of valuable information yet the way they presented it seemed fairly unorganized.  Since their audio did not have any visuals it would have helped if they outlined exactly what they were discussing in a far more organized fashion. 

Although I found the information to jump all over the place, through listenning to the speakers they did come across extremely down to earth which was interesting.  The speakers did not use complicated vocabulary unless it was absolutely necessary. Also as they were conducting their interviews you could hear the questions being asked and they did not delete the laughing which occured at various points.

There were many facts given out throughout the radio show but I don’t think that I ever was clearly informed of the credentials the speakers had.  As the speakers would throw out facts I never heard them reference their sources.  Only when the authors moved on to interviews would they say the credentials of their interview

There were a few spots during the radio show where I questioned what the authors discussed but as they discussed subline morgages for the first time I understood the concept.  All of the information given through NPR would have been more effective if it was in print or had more visuals.  For the audience of this topic visuals such as graphs and charts would have increased the credibility of the speakers. 

Even though I would have liked to have some parts of the audio cleared up I feel that the passion of the speakers was amazing and able to keep me interested the entire time.  The desire to inform by the speakers made me feel like they really wanted to inform me of what is going on in the world around me because they care.

In Girl in the Window, Lane Degregory and Melissa Lytte reveal a both heartbreaking and hopeful story of a 7 year-old girl police found locked in a cockroach invested room wearing only a dirty diaper and lacking the ability to speak.

The short audio slide show published on The St. Peterburg Times website, is a successful compilation of black and white photographs and audio from various people in the girl’s life.

Through the use of black and white photos, Degregory and Lytte set a somber, serious mood for the story. The audio  complimented the photographs excellently, telling the story perfectly in-sync with the pictures and maintaining a steady mood and flow throughout the piece.

In addition, the authors placed noise fillers of the child’s laughter and cries in various points of the story. While the laughter successfully transitioned between pictures well, the painful shrieking noise we hear the child make at school is definitely held too long. If I were editing this piece, I would make that segment shorter because It is too painful on the listeners ears to be held for such a long time.

Another aspect of this piece I would edit out were the two moments when it became a color video. Rather than adding anything, these two images disrupted the overall flow of the black and white slide show and seemed to not fit in.

Despite these problems, “Girl in the Window” maintained success through the narration. The authors constantly, and obviously, changed the speaker while telling the story. This kept the readers attention while making it a very well rounded story.

The concluding scene of the father and child looking out the window, with “I Will” as the audio, was a perfect way to end the story. The whole piece centers on her potential to lead a healthy life with her loving family. That last lingering scene relayed hope for the child’s future, as well as the parent’s determination to help her.

In listening to This American Life’ s story “The Giant Pool of Money” critically, one takes note of several things; the wording and then rewording of quotes, the voices and accents of people involved with the story, the way the narrator sets a scene, and of course, music. Within the show’s first ten minutes, I was impressed with the show’s ability to set the mood with said music. I’m a bit of a music nerd, and I recognized a song from Sigur Ros and moments later, an excerpt from Danny Elfman’s score from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” which definitely set a more serious, somber tone while the global economic crises was put into perspective. Obviously one can be playing music while reading an article on the leader of the Sudan being charged with human rights violations in the New York Times, but more than likely, its author didn’t have Kylie Minogue in mind as a mood setter for his story, which is how I experienced that story earlier today. “The Giant Pool of Money’s” creators certainly were able to contribute more to their listener’s experience and express their points of view more easily because of their use of the medium.

After further listening, I also took note of the sort of “casualness” with which the show’s hosts described such a very complex subject. I can’t imagine their tone (joking and laughing about certain aspects of the subject in a way that lends an almost absurd quality to their story) carrying over to the medium of print. To further drive this point home, they interview someone who before getting into the mortgage business had tended bar. What one immediately notices is that he sounds very young. I picture a bartender at a downtown Iowa City bar contributing to the collapse of the world’s economy all of a sudden, and do so because of radio’s ability to convey what would be tougher to accomplish with mere print.

Detrimental to the show however, is the complexity of its subject. Several times, I caught myself having to listen to certain points again, simply because of my lack of knowledge on the subject and the speed at which the show’s hosts and those interviewed went through their points. Were I listening to the show live without access to a computer, I’d simply be lost. With a newspaper, one can reread until the information is gathered.

At the end of it all though, This American Life and shows like it achieve their aim of good story telling easier than print journalism, in my estimation. Its ability to set a tone without the use of the written word is impressive, and the fact that the term “convergence of media” is thrown around in journalism circles the way it is speaks to this point. There’s a reason newspapers are folding, no pun intended.

Child Pornography Iowa Case
An Iowa woman is charged with child pornogrophy-related charges, these charges come as a result of an investigation in the Southern District of Iowa called Operation Wirebreaker. Jane Doe, an Iowa City resident, was charged allong with nine others and could face up to ten years in prison as well as a $250,000 fine if found guilty. The United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District announced the charges Wednesday Morning.

Iowa Govenor Culver Speaks of More Budget Cuts
New Iowa state budget may decrease in the economic crisis. Govenor Chet Culver is preparing to propose a new state budget that would decrease funds for the University of Iowa by %9. The legislature will approve the budget in April.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences which holds the most students has already cut their budget by $600,000 to $700,000. The total cut for the U of I could be $26 million. In order to meet their cuts, the university has already left some faculty positions unfilled. Dean Linda Maxson said she is considering unpaid time off for some that could be as long as two or three days, she claims this is hypothetical as of now but she does not expect the federal stimulus package to change the Universities financial Standing.

Iowa Air Traffic Causes Delays
Air traffic across eastern Iowa Thursday was disrupted due to hail and fog conditions. Flights from the Cedar Rapids Eastern Iowa Airport were delayed or cancelled after one plane had to turn around while on its way to Chicago.
Another plane, an American Eagle flight reported smoke on its flight to Dallas but it landed safely. It was welcomed by firetrucks on the run way. The cause appeared to be due to a smoke detector in the cargo section of the plane, it had gone off during the flight. An airport spokesmen said this event is routine. All 51 passengers were safe.

Culver to propose new state budget
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is getting ready to propose a new state budget that may decrease funds for the University of Iowa by 9%. The University could see a decrease by as much as $26 million. The Iowa legislature will approve a budget in April.

The college has already left some faculty positions unfilled. Dean Linda Maxson is said to be considering furloughs (unpaid time off). The furloughs could be two or three days long. Maxson stressed that it was all hypothetical, and she does not expect the federal stimulus package to change the university’s financial standing.

Nine people charged in child pornography case
Nine people, including an Iowa City woman, were charged with child pornography-related charges. The charges are a result of a federal investigation in the Southern District of Iowa called Operation Wirebreaker. Those who are found guilty could be facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Eastern Iowa flights delayed due to weather concerns
Many flights were delayed from the Eastern Iowa Airport due to concerns over hail and fog. One plane had to turn around en route to Chicago because of weather related issues. A second plane, an American Eagle flight, reported smoke during its flight to Dallas, however, it landed safely at the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport. A smoke detector in the cargo section of the twin-engine went off during the flight and gave fair warning to its passengers. All 51 of the passengers arrived safely at their destination.

Monkey and Meesha play with twine on a chilly fall day.

Monkey and Meesha are my neighbor’s barn cats. They have grown so much since I took this photo last year! They are so sweet and love attention. I wish I wasn’t allergic to them!

http://www.startribune.com/video/?vid=35155354&elr=KArks5PhDcU9PhDcU9PhDcU5PhDco8P77jyPhU

                The video “Airport homecoming” portrays Andover, Minn., resident Michael Moriarty at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport.   Moriarty is waiting for his son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren to arrive from Norfolk, Va.

                This video does some things noticeably well.  The most prominent, in my mind, is the variety of shots filmed.  Although there are few moving shots, there are several short standing shots, which give viewers the impression of constant action.  There are also a few great close-up shots.  For example, the shot of Moriarty greeting his grandchildren is extremely telling.  It is obvious that Moriarty loves his family.   The second thing this video does well is to include natural sound.  Natural sound lends itself to creating an impression of bustle at the airport.

                There are, however, some things that this video could improve upon.  My biggest suggestion would be the use of a tripod, as a number of shots were fairly shaky.  I would also suggest that the captioning be changed.  The captioning seemed too large and cut off part of Moriarty’s face.  My last suggestion is to make the sequence of shots clearer.  Only after watching the video several times was I able to pick up on the fact that the rolling suitcases in one shot were the same suitcases being dragged by Moriarty’s family in another.

                Ultimately, this video was ok at best.  The videographer’s introduction was necessary for the viewer to understand the subject matter of the video, and I’m still not convinced that the subject matter can even be considered news.  Nonetheless, the medium selected was appropriate.  Audio alone could not have displayed emotion fully and text would have been boring.    

The multimedia piece “Frank Bruni on Market Table” uses an audio slideshow to present the opinion of restaurant critic Frank Bruni on the ambience and food offered by a popular New York City restaurant, Market Table.
This piece does a few things very well. The most prominent is its syncing of audio with visual images. For example, when Bruni speaks about specific menu items, pictures of these items appear in an accompanying slideshow. Every picture displayed is definitely worth a thousand words. Without them, I would have been unable to visualize the food.
The second thing that this piece does well is to provide the context necessary to introduce the same menu items mentioned above. For instance, Bruni comments that such items are commonplace on restaurant menus in New York before he explains the features which make Market Table’s food unique and worth sampling.
There is a shorter list of things that the piece could improve upon. The main being more voice tone fluctuation. At times, the voiceover can seem slightly monotonous… although I must give Bruni credit for keeping my attention throughout the entire piece. I should also note that the format of the piece was appropriate. Text would have been incapable of adequately describing the restaurant experience, and video would have distracted the audience from listening to the voiceover.
The only other thing that could make the piece better in my mind would be the inclusion of natural sound. Natural sounds add excitement and reality. Overall, however, the piece is good. It made me want to visit Market Table.

The New York Times multimedia series The Debt Trap. is a series about the surge in consumer debt and the lenders who made it possible. It includes articles, videos, interactive maps and graphs, and photographs about credit card debt and how it is affecting citizens not only in America, but all over the world.
The opening page was nice and simple. There was a nice introduction that explained what this multimedia piece was about. The page was really simple and the audience was greeted by a photo-slideshow that described the topic. I really liked how we were not overwhelmed with words, pictures and random icons, but we were able to absorb what this multimedia piece was about. A simple start flash button was obviously ready for one to press when ready to begin interacting with this piece.
After pressing start, we were taken into a page with just one sentence in the middle of a white screen. The sentence would have large, blue, boldfaced phrases that had an arrow with the word “explore” beneath it. When placing the arrow above this “explore” sign, we were able to begin the interaction. Each blue phrase would transfer one to another page that contained an article, a video, photo or a interactive map or graph. I really liked how everything was organized and simple. I knew what each explore flash button would lead me to, and I also had the freedom to go explore it or not.
However, one thing that was not convenient was how we had to press next for each new sentence. This seemed like a design element which was probably to keep everything simple. However, I felt that it was just wasting my time. There were only five sentences, and if I were to design this aspect of the piece, I probably would have placed all the sentences in a row. It would have been just as simple, without annoying a person viewing this page.
The flash buttons in this piece were very clear, and they made the navigation process really easy. The only complaint that I had was when I pressed the back button, it took me to the very beginning of the piece, not the page where I left off.
Overall, this multimedia piece was very simple and nicely organized. It had a little bit of everything for everyones interest. The topic presented was nicely presented, making it easier for someone who did not know about the issue learn something new. A person who was a visual learner, learned something through videos or photographs, and someone who liked to read learned something through articles. Both were able to also learn something through interactive maps and graphs.