Recording Studio Tour

I really liked the Pachyderm Studio tour, it was more like a resort than a recording studio.  They had a pretty big piece of land out in the middle of the forest that created a really relaxed environment which would be really important for artists or clients.  I also liked that fact that they had guest houses where their clients were welcome to stay while they were using the facilities which would be really nice if they had to travel a ways to get to the studio.  They also seemed to have a really nice studio set up with a ton of equipment, none of which I knew what they were however.  They had a lot of big names bands use their studio such as Nirvana and Live.  This was by far my favorite one, if I was a musician this is where I would want to go!
I was not a big fan of the Radio Ready Recording Studio, there wasn't anything that really stood out to me although they claimed to have worked with a lot of big name companies such as Universal.  I did like that they help bands or individuals promote their music however, it showed that they really do care about their clients.  They also offered a pretty inexpensive rate to use their facilities which would be really good for beginning musicians.

The Screening Room

I watched the video "Force 1 TD" it was about a group of roommates, one who was visually impaired and had a miniature guide horse because he was allergic to horses.  This guide horse, Carmen, was quite original because he was always wearing sneakers, nice ones at that from Air Jordans to Nikes, all of which were custom fit for his hooves.  Lewis, the owner of the horse would carry around ziploc bags to put over his shoes when he went to the bathroom so he wouldn't get any stains on them.  These three roommates went on a short road trip to get Carmen a new pair of gold sneakers to complete his prom outfit running into a few speed bumps along the way.

I thought this was a really cute film, short and sweet.  I have worked with guide animals in the past which is the main reason that this filmed jumped out at me.  Lewis had a really special bond with Carmen, and his roommates would do anything to help either of them out.  This story showed really good morals, that no matter how different you are you should still be treated with all the care and respect you deserve.

Warner Bros. VIP Studio Virtual Tour

I think it would be really cool to go on one of these tours, to actually see some of the stages and possibly some of the actors from your favorite shows.  It would almost make you feel like you are a part of it because you have been there before, and from then on every time you watch that show you could actually say "I was there!"  It is amazing that so many different big name actors and shows are all in the same place.  I have always been a fan of Ellen Degeneres, and it's for reasons like those videos showed, she loves to surprise people and is a big jokester.  If I ever make it on one of these tours I would hope I get to see her or some other of my favorite actors.

The Weather Channel Virtual Tour

I really liked that when they designed this studio, they were environmentally conscious which is a big deal in today's society.  They said they used certain types of paints, sealants, and carpets that would ultimately eliminate or reduce items that contribute to ozone depletion.  I also thought it was really cool that the actual achor's desk was on a swivel, so it would be positioned in a multitude of ways around the studio depending on what was being reported.  It would also be nice that the cameras are robotically controlled, however that means that more people are out of a job which is never a good thing either.  I never knew that you had to make such profound adjustments to the studio when you are shooting in HD, a four-story tall studio seems a bit drastic if you ask me.
When I saw that they had so much lighting which a large number of circuits in the studio, I was not surprised but when they said that every one had its own backup I wondered how they could claim to be so environmentally friendly after all.  I thought the idea of the swiveling green screen was pretty neat as well, it would make room for other things rather than installing multiple green screens throughout the studio.
Overall I really like the tour, however I'm not sure if it was my computer being slow or if it was the actual website.  It seemed like it took a while for things to get loaded and to figure out exactly what or where you clicked.

New York Times Virtual Tour

I would have never guessed that you would need such a huge building to publish a newspaper but then again I'm no expert.  I thought that the exterior feature of the bars to block some sunlight was a strange idea.  I would think that you would want as much sunlight to get into that building as you can to decrease the overall need for indoor lighting.  I understand that they are wanting a more private type of environment, but I don't fully understand why they would just put a bunch of bars around the building, personally I would feel like I was in a prison.  I was not able to access the other parts of the virtual tour for some reason so I cannot give my full assessment.  I have always hated working behind a desk, so I know this would not be the type of building I would want to be stuck in, but for those who don't mind working behind a desk, this seems like a nice place to work.

State of the Media

When I was reading through some of the stats this website presented I was very surprised.  I would never have guessed that there has been a decline in the viewing audiences of the key news slots, I would have assumed that these areas would have increased in their audience numbers.  However, when you really begin to think about it, it seems more reasonable that people are drawing their attention elsewhere to get their news.  Especially when there is so many bias opinions on many of the main news networks, people don't want their news reported in a way that makes it seems like something that it is not, they want the truth not a modified version of it.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the increase or steadying of the newspaper distribution however.  With everything that I have learned about the shift towards more technological forms of news, I would have assumed that many newspapers would soon be out of business within the next decade.  I realize that in order to survive the technological advances of our society, many companies are going digital.  Whether they are offering a digital subscription to their newspaper or magazine, or adding other features to their printed documents that can be accessed online for further information or details.
I did expect a huge increase in the advertising that is directed towards mobile devices, but I would have never guess such a dramatic increase of 80% in just one year.  Especially since the majority of these advertisements are being directed through just a few companies such as Pandora and Facebook.  Those who are in charge of a companies marketing are realizing that in order to get the attention of more people, you need to be where they are, wherever they are, which is with their mobile devices.

Ethical Decision Making

Accuracy and Fairness:

Reading the first case study entitled "Miracle Match" which dealt with the doctor who saved a young girl's life but was found to have a criminal record.  In this situation I would avoid revealing this information about him, it seems that lately the media only wants to release the bad side of things because they may be more exciting or shocking to their audiences.  Although I do not condone his past activities, if he has paid his dues for his mistakes there is no reason that he should have to continue to do so, years later.  Even though I may not expose the individual, chances are someone will.  Once one person finds out, it will spread like wild fire, as scandals like this one usually do.

Conflicts of Interest:

In such an extreme and obvious conflict of interest situation such as discussed in the case study "Cokie's Conflict of Interest" it can really get in the way of accurate and complete reporting.  However, after learning about just how biased some news networks are, it was no surprise that they did not see a problem with Cokie's volunteer services.  In most other professions this would not be allowed, because it just doesn't really seem to make much sense; having to sacrifice aspects of your work life or personal life to benefit the other, does not benefit you at all.