Democracy Now!

            Democracy Now! is a news program that is hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.  From my visit to the station, I was able to see the inner workings of a news broadcast station.  We started our tour off in the control room, where, as the name implies, we saw the controls for everything in the studio.  Every switch served its own purpose, and there were people who oversaw various operations. This was fascinating, for it was an entire network of operations going on in one room. 

            We then moved to the part of a studio that is separated by a glass; we were on one side and the live broadcast was going on behind the other side of the glass!

            From my visit, I was able to observe an incredible anchorwoman, who not only delivered the news, but also did so in an objectively interesting fashion.  Her way of stripping her thoughts from her report, and then feeding it to the public is something I most definitely want to learn from.

            After the broadcast was over, Amy came over to the adjoining room to talk to us about her experiences in the world of reporting.  Ms. Goodman has lived and is still living an exciting life in which each day has a new adventure.  Her curiosity and ambition has led her to her present-day job as an anchorwoman.  The tour, overall, was very insightful and educational.  I look forward to my next visit to Democracy Now!

Website I Like

I love the layout of Netflix.  It is geared to serve the consumer's interest, obviously.  However, it does so in a grand effort; it makes the process of choosing a movie/show so much simpler.  At the top left corner of the page, Netflix presents to the user what he/she has recently watched.  Afterward, Netflix arranges the top 10 movies/shows for the user, making a selection easy as ABC.
Maneuvering around the website is effortless, and the layout only improves the process of movie selection.  Because there are thousands of films to choose from, Netflix has created a simple, fun, and interesting way for the selection.  The layout of the site is not too extreme; it is rather plain with a red toolbar and an off white page.  This design does not take away from the purpose of the site, and it enhances the process.  Time is not spent admiring the extravagant layout, but it is spent using the website.
When moving the cursor over a movie/show, a small box pops out that gives one a summary of the film/show, the director, main actors, date of release, running time, rating, and star rating.  This allows for one to read up about his/her possible choice before being taken over to a new page.  Once the selection is made, and a user chooses a movie, he/she is taken to the page of the film, on which there are is the same information as in the little box just mentioned, but in greater detail.  Almost the entire cast is listed, with links redirecting to their pages that have their list of film shown on Netflix.  The genres are listed; there are also user reviews, and options for subtitles.
 This convenient way of movie browsing has made the dreadful process quite fun.  Rather than getting lost in the countless number of film/shows, I am able to choose what I'd like to see quickly and get introduced to something new based on my preference.
The only thing that I'd prefer to change about Netflix is the instant redirection to a new page, once I click onto the box of the movie/show.  Sometimes the little summary does not load quickly enough, so I click onto the actual selection, which has a giant play button over it.  This action not only redirects me, but also begins playing the film.  Sometimes I only want to read about it or read the reviews, not watch the film.

Photoshop Assignment

Traffic with Nicole, Kevin, and Regina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfdlgVnP6L4