I’m satisfied with my final project, but I think a little more time and research locally could have lead to some more creative stories. My topic was tough. I didn’t see myself having problems getting quality stories, but that seemed to be the case. Not knowing the area or many people surrounding it – it was tough for me to get good pictures.

The overall process of putting this entire project together was something that was definitely fun to experience. I’ve together ad campaigns and some business proposals for other classes, but never really a semester long project, like this one. It was something that I enjoyed doing and could do again – especially if I’m into the topic.

Technology is something that appeals to me, but I feel like if I was assigned something that had to do with sports or snowboarding or music, I could have done a much better job. Those are hobbies and interests that I read about every day, and I could see myself putting something together with what I’ve learned that could be really interesting.

Anyways, here it is. Hope you like it.

Back a few years ago, in 2001 to be exact, Korey Stringer died from complications brought on by heat stroke during practice. Stringer was an offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, a professional football team. Had this technology been around then, he could have avoided the heat stroke.

Mark this technology as the first for athletes to track their health while they are playing. With today’s high level of competitiveness and athletes only pushing themselves harder and faster, health risks are only going to increase. Professional sports in the U.S. has to be one of the richest businesses to be in – it seems only right that the players are protected.

This story did bring back memories of high school football. I played quarterback, and I remember when a helmet was just a helmet. Now they are going to have this technology, they already have microphones in them – and who knows what’s next. Had I found out about this a while back, I would have tried to talk to the Towson football team to see if they were doing anything with their helmets and would have considered it for a module if I found out something interesting.

While I was there, I was introduced to some really interesting research software that I didn’t even know existed. Similar – but far more advanced than MRI – I wanted to know more and gave Jaime a call to inquire. I also wanted to see if I could maybe uncover a story for my project – which I wasn’t able to – but I did still conduct a proper phone interview.

I wasn’t disappointed with the information I received – I just made a judgement call that it wasn’t newsworthy enough for me to do a story about it. Basically Jaime told me about new updates that are coming out for this software (called Stradegy). He told me some more intricate details about how the information is gathered and such, and what he thought the future held for research.

Technology is indeed changing our lives in many, many ways. I tried to gear my project in unusual ways that it’s doing so. I didn’t realize it when I did it, but I just put this story aside, thinking to myself it wasn’t unusual enough.

I also wanted to comment on the ‘Whale Hunt.’ I really liked the design of this as well, as it was unique and creative – but at the same time informational. The creator also did a great job in guiding the reader through the website, as I could see it being a little tricky without some assistance.

In my opinion, a websites design and look is almost as important as the information on it. If your website is attractive, people will come. The information they find on the site is one thing, but getting them to stay because of design is another. I’ve surfed many sites and have stayed because of the way they look, and with the ever growing web, design will only become more important.

I think this is rather unusual and strange. Knowing how society works, you can imagine the use these things are going to get. These devices can be very powerful if the wrong people use them. Without getting into it, you can imagine what the future holds for stalking, stealing, drug trafficking, possible terrorism, etc.

Being able to know where an item or a person is at anytime can become dangerous.

It can also provide to be very useful, they can be beneficial to parents keeping tabs on their children; they can be useful for people wanting to keep track of their cars. It is becoming more noticeable to me how technology is completely transforming the way we live, and I think it is going to continue to change our values, morals and way of life.

One of the readings that I did find informative was one about ethical issues and values when it comes to online journalism. They are values that seem to sometimes slip your mind when your commenting on a blog or writing a story.

I think a lot will need to be considered when it comes to blogging and the comments that are made after blog posts. It’s a difficult question to answer. The reading about Libel Suits, blogs and comments really gets you thinking. I don’t know where I stand; I think I need to seemore develop before I can take a side. Freedom of speech is the obvious underlying policy that is being debated here. How do we control and regulate the internet is the underlying question.

I wasn’t able to talk face to face with everybody that I wanted to simple beacause there are too many establishments in Towson, so to save time, I called a bunch of the establishments to find out if they used the scanners.

I called Top Shelf Liquor and spoke with one of the managers named Linda. She was very helpful and friendly as she answered all my questions thoroughly. I actually got to record most of the phone call, after her permission. I am going to try and fit some of the sound bites I got into my slideshow.

Top Shelf Liquor is a new place on York Rd. Linda told me about the preparation and decisions management put into before opening. A big part of it was the ID scanner.

She also told me she was advised by a lawyer to do so just incase a situation played out where an underrage person used a fake ID, she could say that she has a state of the art ID scanner.

I asked her if I could come in and take pictures, and she gladly obliged. They will be featured in my slideshow.

I found a video on CNN during my morning cycle of websites that took this story to the next level. It turns out text messages are ending marriages as well…

I reported last week that I interviewed my neighbor, which lead to this story. I waited a few days for a call back from Mr Tortolla and I finally got one, and it was a pleasant one. He informed me that the gentleman who purchased the GPS trackers didn’t mind if Mr Tortolla gave me his information.

His name is Lee Gaitsburg. Lee is from Port Washington, NY, husband to Joanna Gaitsburg, and father of six. Mr Gaitsburg works on Wall Street as a trader.

With no time on my hands to get up to New York, I phoned Mr Gaitsburg. We spoke for around an hour, I had a set of questions that I asked him which lead to a bunch of other conversations.