My name is Luis Miguel Ramirez. I was born in the Rio Grande Valley and raised in Mission, Texas. As a child, catching the news before school was always routine and made me become interested in what events were happening in the world. Writing was always a strength of mine and I aspired to become a journalist. In high school, I was active as a reporter and competed in the 2006 State Skills USA News Anchor competition. This experienced helped fuel my desire in become a journalist. I was later admitted into the University of Texas at Austin where I am now majoring in Broadcast Journalism. I will be interning at KXAN- the CW Austin this summer and am looking forward to finding out the ins and outs of being a reporter.

This will cover the history of the Thingamagoop and why they decided to create it.

Page 2-How it works

This page will give information on how the Thingamagoop functions in comparison to normal synthesizers. This page will contain an infographic and a video interviewing Dr. Bleep, his technicians, our neutral expert and a local band that uses the Thingamagoop.

Page 3- Comparisons and importance

This will discuss the effectiveness of the Thingamagoop in relation to other synthesizers and why it is a unique technology. It will also discuss the issue of the rising importance of inexpensive devices and technology in the music industry due to today’s economy. This page will contain a photo gallery of different products and prices.

Progress

We have interviewed our neutral expert and developed our headlines and Wordpress layout. An interview is set up for next week with Dr. Bleep and his technicians. We are working on finding a band to interview.

• Video
• Slideshow
• Online poll
• Article

We will be including a video to show footage inside the Blanton Museum to show how the different aspects play a role in enhancing the art and patron’s experience. Also, the video will show that the Blanton is a truly interactive place where the community can gather and participate with the art and not just simply observe it. Along with the video, you will hear from Blanton employees on how they use technology in their jobs and why it is important in displaying the art and keeping the museum cutting edge.

The slideshow will include photos of the Blanton and narration detailing how lighting, climate control and overall layout enhance the art.

The online poll will allow readers of our story who have been to the Blanton to answer questions about the museum and compare it other museums. This will give a perspective into how well the technology is working in enhancing the patron experience.

The article will be a comprehensive look from all of our sources on how technology helps the museum function.  

Group 8

Progress: We have met with two companies that are involved with Austin Technology Incubators. One is called ActaCell, which deals with improving lithium battery life for batter-operated vehicles. We have interview on America for a video, we took pictures for a slide show, and got quotes for a written article. We did the same with another company called Q-cue that uses original algorithms software to create the “perfect ticket price.”

            We will be attending a conference on Wednesday put on by Austin Technology Incubators where they be putting on a product demonstration.  Then on Thursday we will do an interview with Austin Technology Incubator management to flesh out the rest of our story.

Outline:

The UT Catalyst: Getting Companies On Their Feet

Austin Technology Incubators

-Who we are (ATI)

-Goals/Importance to New Companies

-Funding Source

-Successful Technologies

-From Ideas to Reality: ActaCell and Q-Cue

Josh Haney

Morgan Moss

Kris Firth

The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously condemned North Korea’s rocket launch on April 5 as contravening a U.N. ban and demanded enforcement of existing sanctions.

North Korea said in a statement the U.N. action and separate six-country nuclear talks were an infringement of its sovereignty and it “will never participate in the (nuclear) talks any longer nor … be bound to any agreement”.

The statement, carried by the official KCNA news agency, said North Korea would “bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defence in every way”.

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said North Korea had ordered U.N. inspectors to leave the reclusive communist country.

“(North Korea) has today informed IAEA inspectors in the Yongbyon facility that it is immediately ceasing all cooperation,” IAEA spokesman Marc Vidricaire said in a statement issued in Vienna.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said: “North Korea will not find acceptance by the international community unless it verifiably abandons its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”

Experts said the impoverished and energy-starved North lacked the technology to make an advanced light-water reactor.

Financial markets in Seoul and Tokyo were not affected by North Korea’s announcement, with investors seeing it as more of the sabre-rattling they have come to expect from Pyongyang.

North Korea began taking apart its Soviet-era Yongbyon nuclear plant more than a year ago as a part of a disarmament-for-aid deal it reached with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

The U.N. response to a launch widely seen as a disguised test of a long-range missile will have little immediate impact on the North’s faltering economy and the divided international reaction could embolden leader Kim Jong-il, analysts said.

As well as the United States, Japan and Russia also urged North Korea to return to the often-stalled nuclear talks. ]]> http://2009.texasangle.com/north-korea-something-something/feed/ http://2009.texasangle.com/bankruptcy-fuels-fear-over-preakness/ http://2009.texasangle.com/bankruptcy-fuels-fear-over-preakness/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:45:11 +0000 group18 http://2009.texasangle.com/?p=178 <table border=”0″ width=”580″>

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Bankruptcy Fuels Fear Over Preakness

By THEO EMERY

BALTIMORE — With just a month to go before the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course here, the bankruptcy of the company that owns the track and the race has unleashed a wave of distress among politicians and the public over whether Maryland could lose its cherished second leg of the Triple Crown.

On Monday the General Assembly passed emergency legislation authorizing the state to buy or seize the race course by eminent domain if necessary, declaring the Preakness “a sporting event of historical and cultural importance to the State of Maryland.”

The bill, passed on the last day of the General Assembly’s session, also approved the purchase or seizure of the race’s trophy, the Woodlawn Vase; another track, in Laurel, Md.; a training center; and all trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property associated with the Preakness, including the name itself. All are owned by the Magna Entertainment Corporation, a Canadian company that declared bankruptcy in March, and said it expected to sell the property and other assets.

Gov. Martin O’Malley, with the backing of legislative leaders and the state attorney general, proposed the legislation last week in an effort to ensure that Pimlico, the Preakness and the economic activity they generate remain in Maryland.

“The centuries-old heritage of horse racing and horse breeding is woven deeply into the cultural fabric of Maryland,” Mr. O’Malley, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday, “and we will take advantage of every available tool to ensure it remains.”

But the tool lawmakers handed him may in fact not be needed, and a similar effort in the 1980s in California failed.

The move to exert state control over Pimlico came after a Maryland developer, Carl Verstandig, who owns several commercial properties in the area, expressed interest in buying and building on the land, but said he did not want to take over the Preakness itself.

The comments led to fears that the race might leave Baltimore, and the governor and other elected officials sought the legislation.

Mr. Verstandig, though, insisted that he had been misunderstood, and that he had never planned to raze Pimlico. He said he wanted only to develop excess land there, and had been talking with companies interested in running the track. Pimlico, like other race courses around the country, is suffering from declining attendance and revenue.

Politicians, Mr. Verstandig said, have been “going off half-cocked into a rampage of political chaos and showboating.”

“I think they’re leaving themselves open for some major, major litigation,” he said. It was not the first time Maryland has moved to prevent a sports enterprise from leaving the state. The General Assembly was too late in passing a similar bill 25 years ago to try to prevent the Colts from moving to Indianapolis. The loss of that football team still galls many in Baltimore.

Oakland, Calif., failed in its effort to use eminent domain to prevent the football Raiders from moving to Los Angeles in the 1980s, said Matt Mitten, director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University.

When the football Oilers considered leaving Houston, Mr. Mitten said, he cited the Oakland case in advising the city against trying to use eminent domain to keep the team. “It’s a strategy that’s rarely tried, and the times that it was, it was unsuccessful,” he said, although he acknowledged that the Pimlico case differed in some respects.

A spokesman for the Maryland subsidiary of Magna would not comment beyond an earlier statement saying that the actions by Maryland officials “will only lead to more confusion and litigation while these matters are in bankruptcy.”

1. You are expected to design a graphic as the logo banner for our online magazine, which presents technology news by and for young people.

2. The dimensions (width and height) must not exceed 900 x 180 px to fit the template at at http://2009.texasangle.com or http://demo2.texasangle.com/ .

3. The file size (no more than 100KB), and the quality (clear photos, anti-aliased text) must be appropriate for Web publishing.

4. The graphic must include both photographic and text elements. (Exceptions can be made for design considerations but you need the approval from the TA before the deadline.)

• Photo element: It is desirable to take your own photo. If you use copyright-free images, please indicate the source clearly in the email. Using any copyrighted materials without permission will result in a zero on the assignment.

• Text: Please come up with an appropriate, relevant, and creative title for this issue of the magazine and include the text onto the logo. (You may also include the slogan “technology news by and for young people” in your design but it’s optional.) Make sure the size, style, and color of the text are aesthetically pleasing and go with the template at http://2009.texasangle.com or http://demo2.texasangle.com/ .

5. Save the original Photoshop file (with all layers) in PSD format and then Save for Web & Devices and pick the BEST format for Web publishing based on guidelines covered in class (see PPT on image processing).

6. Upload both files to your account at http://webspace.utexas.edu.

7. Email the two URLs (not the files) of your graphics with your full name to your TA at __________ by ___ pm, _________ (Subject line must be: J321C Photoshop). Please make sure you allow access to these files and test the link before sending the message. A broken link will be considered late. You are expected to share your work with the class.

Grading is based on quality of work, creativity, and your efforts. That is why we want to see your psd file.

• Technical aspects: 80% (including but not limited to: graphic dimensions, file size, file format, existence of both text and photo elements, quality of text and photo elements, 10 points each).
• Aesthetics and professionalism: 20% (including but not limited to: relevance and creativeness of text and photo elements, font/layout choices, efforts). ]]> http://2009.texasangle.com/secondtestpos/feed/