Founders Day

getting back on topic

Whoa, got way off topic again on some AC rant. I really got to work on staying focused Getting back to the topic of podcasts, listening to the NYtimes front page podcast and they're talking about the dangers of texting with the recent train wreck. Something studnets could easily relate to. Texting, not trains. Might even be my first opinion article if I can get something out soon enough. Last think I need to be is untimely. I admit, I've texted while driving. Usually while on an open highway but it is stupid. As if talking wasn't bad enough, now we're trying to type out messages? The brings me to Jott feeds. I think Jott could become pretty popular since you could sent emails just my speaking your message instead of typing it. Something I definitley want to talk about in the podcast.

Need some stats once again like amount of text related accidents and so on. Starting to seem more conclusive that the conductor of that train was in fact texting around or at the time of the crash. 25 people dead I think. Might even check with the Macomb PD to see how many accidents around here are text related or just cell phone related. Could be an article too I guess. Feels like it's been so long since I wrote one. Last thing I wrote was this article about the Geothermal truck here working on the multicultural center. Not the most exciting thing. Also need to remind Ed to get his writers conducting more interviews. One interview for an article is just lazy journalism. There's alway someone else that can say something. Just gotta look for them sometimes.

I think I got off topic again. Getting back on podcasts, need something entertaining. but not like some hollywood gosip crap. Want to get in some tech news but reach I wide audience. Can't just be something I like. Speaking of audience, don't want it too wide. If it's too broad, won't have the same connection but we'll figure that out.

Interviews- Try to get the president in at some point. Probably make a list of people and contact them to try and get an interview and if we're going to do this, probably need something a little more professional that a video camera that we extract audio from. Took me forever to figure out how to convert .mov files to mp3 but I did so that's good.

Students. Talking to students will not only give people someone else to listen to but let other people know about the show. Maybe we should get some business cards out for the podcast. Also, special guests on campus like musicians, entertainers, etc.

We need a length too. I was thinking something under 10 minutes that students could listen to between classes and then maybe a longer show on the weekend for a recap.

Need to let people know what there is to do around town since Macomb isn't the most exciting place.

I heard a lot of mistakes I was doing during the first cast like rubing my hands is really noisy and probably need to breathe quieter. Yes, I am a mouth breather and the mic always seems to pick it up. Sometimes, I have good days where my nose is pretty cleat but others, not so much. I know how I sound now so I'll try to sound more professional for next time but not boring. I'll find something in between.

Don't think I really feel like typing much more. Football today at 6:05pm and Volleyball at 7. I'll have a few of my new photographers out there learning how to shoot sports. Thing is, I think only one of them has a camera so I'll need to figure out that and do the same for Sunday when there's soccer at 2pm and I'll have 2 more people out there. Sounds like it's going to be a busy weekend. I better get to the office and get ready.

later.

Just need ideas

Second home game of the season of football. Wish the game was in Texas but whatever. As for the podcast, I've been trying to get some ideas on what exactly it's going to be about. We definitely need an outline and a set day to record with a few extras here and there.

Been checking a whole bunch of different sites. Started out with what's going on on Campus. Campus briefs like what's going on for the week. It'll be quick becasue unless something is ridiculous, it'll probably get old and boring quick.

Weather is something I want. Something more than just weather though. Somehow relate it to peoples actual schedules (wake up, heading to class, comming home, out at night. The average temp just doesn't do me any good if the temp drops 20 degrees at night and I'm freezing my arse off walking home after production night in the office.

It'll just be the next day or 2 becasue I never remember much past then. Maybe weekend.

Speaking of weather. It was the middle of August and I was back in Macomb FREEZING. I really hated that first week in the dorms. I'm not a big fan of the cold and hate winter (love summer) and it was such a huge change becasue I go from the heat of summer in Kansas for the internship to my parent's house back in Chicago. My mom isn't running the AC and we've just got fans going around the house to stay cool so going from that to the dorms was soemthing I wasn't used to. The part that was so frustrating was I couldn't control how much the AC was on in my room. I'd leave the window open just to try to stay warm and let some heat in. I even covered the top of the AC with duct tape and put a towel below but it really didn't do much.

As much as I hate it, I wonder how much money Western wastes on blasting the AC. I'm going to have to check on that. I know other dorms have some controls but mine, none. I'm sure I just sound like I'm complaining but students end up footing the bill when energy prices are skyrocketing and the University does little to change. What I want to find out is the cost of comfort.

I can understand partly why the university doesn't completely change things becasue I'm sure somebody's gonna go apesh*t when the temp goes up a few degrees becasue they can't handle it. If the university got solid facts, some thing concrete that students could see and then used those numbers to show how much money could be saved and what that money could be used for, who knows? Doubt anything is going to change but when I'm wearing a sweatshirt and hat in the middle of the summer, maybe it's just a little wasteful.

I remember last year, the theme was global responsiblity. I saw a few things the university did to try and be more green. Now, I don't mind being cool and people can suck it up and deal with it but when I'm needing to remember to bring a sweatshirt with me to the library when it's 80+ degrees outside, maybe it's just a little bit much.

Speaking of stats, I'll try to get some of those.

Wow that was long.

Up and running

Finally getting those podcasts started again. I'll be honest, they suck now or I guess I should say it sucks since we've only done one. I'll talk to Jon Oakley, a broadcasting major for some tips and once we get interviews and some stories to talk about, we should be good.


http://www.westerncourier.com/podcasts/


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Now playing: Bush - Cold Contagious
via FoxyTunes

Choices

It's nice to have options. Liberal/Conservative, Energizer/Duracell, PC/Mac. Choices allow people to think about decisions instead of having others do it for you. Let me just get right into it. So the university theme or whatever is Health and Wellness and yet the only late night options we have around campus are Pizza, Burger King and the crap in the C-stores?

This semester, The Union lost the sandwich place I never went to and replaced it with Mexican food. Don't get me wrong, I love good Mexican food. The problem is I love good Mexican food. Now I'm left with Burger King at night. Despite getting a salad when I can make it in time for dinner in the dorms, the overall menu's there haven't seemed to change much either.

Now, what can Western do to change this or... oh I don't know, be more healthy? Leaving a fast food restaurant as the only option doesn't seem like a good start. After eating at Burger King, I don't feel healthy or well. Actually, I end up feeling a little gassy.

Complaining only does so much so what can Western do to be more healthy or well? I understand being healthy usually costs more money but if the university is going to make it a theme, they better but their money where their mouth is. I appreciate the effort the university puts in to get various speakers and maybe there are things going on for the first year students but besides what the university already offers such as intramural athletics or the Rec, nothing is really standing out and changing my feelings about wellness.

Hopefully the theme is much more than speakers and posters. Students should take advantage of whatever comes next, if anything, and make real changes for a healthier life.