"How I Met Your Mother" Finale Thoughts

So, people are really, really, really upset about this ending. Since Ted ended up with Robin, the show was a hoax, they say. The writers essentially wasted nine years of storytelling-the could have just told the story with the pilot. What people are forgetting is perhaps the central element of the show - it's realness. Real life is messy. People get into fights, they breakup, they get divorced. People die. Christin Miliotti's role as "the Mother" served as far more than a prop for Robin. Ted's story is a real story. After going through tremendous heartbreak, he finally meets the "one," and they fall in love, have kids, etc. And that's all great. The show probably could have ended with the Ted and Tracy smirking to each other under the yellow umbrella, and people would have been happy. It was revealed in the 200th episode that Tracy's longtime boyfriend passed away, leaving her incredibly heartbroken, wrought beyond despair. And then Ted came into her life. So why isn't it fair that Ted falls in love again after McConell's death?

Audio Final Assignment

https://soundcloud.com/josh-needelman/interview-mixdown Things I did well: I asked her all of the necessary questions, and I think I painted an accurate depiction of her job. I was able to capture her laughing, cleaning dishes and talking to a customer. The clip offers a nice slice into her life. Things I need to work on: Its kind of hard to here her, probably because the freezer is really loud. I worry that you won't be able to hear what she's saying, but its the best I could do. Note: only listen to the first 30 seconds, rest is not supposed to be there

Audio Assignment #2

For this assignment I interviewed George Solomon, the coordinator of the Shirley Povich Sports Journalism Center.

Things I did well: I have a relationship with Mr. Solomon, so the setting was comfortable and relaxed. we know each other and the interview flowed smoothly. I covered all my bases and had him introduce himself and spell his name.

Things I need to work on: I thought there were only two sports journalism classes offered, but he corrected me. There are five. I should have been more prepared going into the interview.

Audio Assignment #1A

For this assignment I recapped the Terps' ACC first round loss to Florida State.

Thing I did well: I covered everything that needed to be covered, and told an accurate recap of the entire game in under fifty seconds.

Things I need to work on: My radio voice. I tried to implement it, especially towards the end, but I think I could work on putting more expression and character into my presentation skills.

Exploring with the Recorder

For this assignment, I recorded myself talking in the diner and while alone in my dorm room.

While in the diner, I was able to hear myself from 3 inches away, but it was much more difficult to hear from 6 inches away. I still my heard my voice, but it was a lot less clear. When I moved it to two feet away, it was nearly impossible. I did this around 6 o-'clock at the North Campus Diner -- prime time. It was packed. My words were barely audible.

Expectedly, I got different results while performing this activity in my dorm room. Keeping the recorder 2 feet away from me yielded very listenable audio - a stark contrast from when I performed this activity in my diner. At 6 inches the quality was still pretty good. At three inches though, the resulting audio wasn't good. I was too close and my voice was way too loud, making for unclear results.

Photo Final

One thing I did well: Capturing the signs and posters scattered throughout the room. I made it a point to frame the wrestlers near the signs, and I think it turned out well. It gave context to my story — ACC's are right around the corner, and these guys are working really hard to prepare for them.

One thing I can work on: I think the presentation would've been better if I was able to kneel down near the wrestler's and capture their emotions. This would've been another way to show how intensely they are training for the postseason. I also could've gotten some cool framing shots. Admittedly, I was a bit shy to just approach wrestlers and adapt them as characters in my story; they are people, after all.

Photo Assignment #3

 A student drifting off during class, his hand on his backpack and ready to dive into bed.

A student enjoying the scenic views of beatiful, yet snow College Park.

One thing I did well:

In the first photo, I think my angle was a plus. I was able to get low on the floor, so I captured the details on the person's face, which gave away his lethargic state. Getting lower also allowed the image of the backpack to come into play, giving more context to the scene and the student's desire to head to bed.

One thing I need to work on: 

The second photo is the antithesis of the first photo. It's kind of boring, and just kind of there. It's a kid next to a bush, so what? I could have done a better job at framing. I possibly could've zoomed in a bit more on the bush, with the student serving in the background. I also could have cropped out the left side of the image and cut it at the side of the boy.