Kristin Subia's Report on
"How Driver's Communicate
with Each Other"
Why I Chose This Report
I chose Ms. Subia's report because of the detailed topics she had listed in her table of contents. The topics were narrowed down to specific aspects of driver commmunication. I was also impressed with the simplisity of the page itself. A plain purple background makes the report easy to read as opposed to some pages which have dark, distorted backgrounds making it hard on the eyes. Ms. Subia's choice of font stood well against her page as well.
As I browsed through the Generational Library, I randomly selected generations reports to view, with not much of a specific order in which I was to choose the right one for me. I was open to most anything for this was my first real report and I did not want to restrict myself in terms of style, appearance and content. (I am basically very green when it comes to home pages and online reports.) However; as I skimmed through almost 10 reports I began to realize my preference in colors, fonts, backgrounds, presentations and content. Some reports were too fancy, some to bright, others were really short and lacking significant amounts of information. I started to form opinions, I now know that I dislike dark backgrounds with broken patterns and bolded font. This really makes it difficult to stay focused and gives me a headache. It also seems that yellow is a bad color of choice for table of contents sub-titles, they are very hard to read against a light background. I prefer plain backgrounds and color doesn't really make a difference here as long as it isn't pink with yellow lettering:).
I must have spent a total of an hour before selecting Ms. Subia's paper. It was a bigger task and a much harder one then I had previously thought. After sorting through many different topics and reports, I recollected the many likes and dislikes I had formed and chose Ms. Subia's which was the 18th report I had seen. Her paper flowed very well, her transitions from topic to topic were smooth and the extreme detail to which she described different situations like waving other drivers on to the road and facial gestures that determined angry, pleased and confused drivers was precise. Ms. Subia's paper was perfect for my tastes...not too plain or fancy, to the point and very descriptive.
Ms. Subia's focus was "How Drivers Communicate with Each Other," and she chose the method of personal observation to reveal these different ways. She starts off by describing situations such as making turns, tailgating and changing lanes among others. She then goes on to explain effectiveness of methods in which she lists vehicular, verbal communication, gestures and facial expressions. An example of this would be her observation of people and the use of their horns which she feels some drivers take advantage of. She ends her paper by throwing in reccomendations for safe driving communication in the form of cellular phones which can be directly dialed to the car that you wish to communicate with. Thus, preventing much confusion and miscommunication.
I was very impressed with the orderly fashion to which Ms. Subia arranged her report. The topic she chose was very interesting to me and her descriptions were detailed. For example, Ms. Subia states in her Changing Lanes section, "You have to look to see if the lane next to you is clear to change into, make sure that you don't bang the person in front of you , and check to see if anyone from the far left lane isn't trying to change into that same lane at the same time (a precaution we tend to overlook while changing lanes.)." As she reveals the art of lane changing. I am not sure if I could have done such a comprehensive report for it seems she spent many grueling hours of observing and documenting, it is prevelant in her work, something I feel I would like to attempt but not certain my report would be as precise as Ms. Subia's. I was very impressed with the selection of internal topics she chose as well. Ms. Subia's ability to please a varied audience in terms of being victims or initiators of Tailgating, Overtaking and Racing shows her complete attention to many different types of driver's roaming the streets today.
I believe the strongest part of Ms. Subia's paper is the detailed content. As she states each situation in specific terms I am able to picture myself in a car viewing or doing the exact moves she mentions. Anyone who reads her report will find a section or situation they are familiar with, this prevents the reader's mind from slipping away from the basis of the report. In my opinion there are no weak points in Ms. Subia's content or presentation; the one thing I would change though is the purple colored background( I prefer to read off a white background when having to review something as lengthy as a report).
A Comparison to Other Reports
One apparent comparison was that Ms.
Subia's paper did not have any moving lines or images that I noticed
on other reports of the same generation. These tactics can sometimes
be annoying when on an informational report. It could also just be my opinion
for I feel that the glamour should be saved for the homepage and not on
the reports themselves. Some decoration makes my eyes hurt and that could
have a first impression on my choice to read the report or not. Other
reports had a list of just links on their report page which made it hard
to view the whole document at once. It seemed one had to click on
one section to open it up and then click on another to view a seperate
section thus, losing the previous section making it impossible to view
both sections at once.(you know what I mean?) Ms.
Subia's report had the sections linked as well however, it was
also possible to view all the sections at once by scrolling down the page
when you felt like it. This prevents the hassle of clicking back
and forth thus, entitling the reader to browse freely up and down
the page.
Shawna Honeycutt's Report on "Frequently Asked Questions About Cyber Psychology"
This is one of the few reports with a non-plain background that caught my attention. The marble looking background was a good setting for the bold font which Ms. Honeycutt chose. The easy access to topics in the table of contents was one thing that I admired. Each question was a topic in the form of a link which was connected to a sub-title in the body of the report. Like many of the other generation 4 reports, this one was short in content which made for quick explanations and numerous topics. Change is good in my opinion; dragging on with one topic too much causes the writer to lose my interest.
I was browsing through the generations index and wanted to find some shorter reports as well as some longer ones. Ms. Honeycutt's report was one of the first shorter reports I had viewed. I did more searching through the same generation as well as one's past however; I was exceptionally pleased with the background of Ms. Honeycutt's being that I usually don't like distorted back drops but, this one was a compliment more than it was burden to her work. I looked through 8 shorter reports and spent a good 45 minutes selecting the right one.
Ms. Honeycutt chose the topic of "FAQ's About Cyber Psychology" and explains Cyber Psychology as the study of people in Cyber Space(computer networks). There are a few sections labeled as questions for example, What is Cyber Psychology?, Who Would be Interested in Cyber Psychology?, What is Virtual Reality? and so on. In one section Ms. Honeycutt presents the question, What Are the Direction and Topics of Cyber Psychology? She goes on to state that "As we venture into a new age, where we raise a generation "on-line" it will become importaint to know what the effects are." It is thought provoking questions like these that make up the basis for Ms. Honeycutt's short but thorough explanation of an avenue of growing interest. I believe it will be of the utmost importance for us all to understand the nature and thoughts of those who will devote most of their time to Cyber Space...mainly our children.
Over all I was pleased with Ms.
Honeycutt's report, focused, mostly clear answers to short questions.
I feel I could have done something similar to Ms. Honeycutt's work.
Her report was a compilation of simple and short answers to questions.
I believe Ms. Honeycutt could have been a little more expressive(lengthier
responses) in terms of answering the questions. For the most part, I was
impressed with Ms. Honeycutt's ability to acknowledge her thoughts in as
short answers as she did; it would have taken myself probably double the
space to respond. As I read through her article I couldn't help but
notice the many spelling errors which also plagued her paper(not
to say that mine doesn't have any either). I feel someone would be
more attracted to a paper that was easier to read in terms of flowing sentences
and ideas. It seemed at times that Ms. Honeycutt was jumping form
topic to topic, sometimes typing answers for questions which should have
been used for previous questions and vise versa. The one way in which
I would advance this topic would be to expand on the comments in each section.
I believe Ms. Honeycutt could have only complimented her well written paper
by doing such. Also, if too much information was a problem she could
have also created some links to more in depth research done on this topic.
A Comparison to Other Reports
Like Shane
Cobb-Adams report, Ms. Honeycutt's evaluation of cyber psychology's
FAQ's could have consisted of a few more links to her resources.
This is a convenient way for Ms. Honeycutt to provide instant support to
her statements that may be questioned by the reader thus, the reader will
be attracted to the report more due to this favorable advantage.
Artemio Baxa's Report "Learning to Use WebSite Search Engines:Alta Vista"
Why I Chose This Report
I was immediatelyattracted to Mr. Baxa's inroductory paragraph which spoke of dating and how the internet engines might be a possible helping hand of sorts on the issue. His scenario of desiring a person but not having the courage to approach that person with those feelings is a situation most people have experienced before. Thus, by stating that the search engines could be a possible problem solver most single people want to read on to tap into the secrets.
Browsing through the generation index, I figured I would look for a report which was eye-catching, something that would keep the reader's attention without the use of flashy images. I saw one report that had too many images making the page look very buisy, I saw another which had no attractive introduction at all and hardly any information in explanation of it's topic. Fortunately though, I found Mr. Baxa's report within the first 5 tries. This was astonishing to me being that I had spent a lot more time looking for the other generational reports I have listed. The entire search process took me less than 20 minutes for I knew what I wanted and being that I had already found two other reports, I was feeling more relaxed and comfortable browsing through the past generations work. When I came across Mr. Baxa's report I knew I had found what I was looking for, catchy introduction, clean background for easy reading, and most importantly a topic I could relate to.
Mr. Baxa chose to tackle the relative topic across
mankind known as dating. He begins by presenting a catchy sentence
in his introductory paragraph, "Have you ever gone to the beach, a night
club, a gym, or a shopping mall, and saw the most gorgeously stunning woman
or buffed out hunk your eyes have ever had the privledge to grace upon?"
He goes on to offer a useful way in which one may solve the problems
of shyness and doubt...search engines. Mr. Baxa's explains in detail
the process he took to finding "dating tips" on the Alta Vista search engine.
His description consists of different options within the engine itself
like spellcheck, help(which has helpful hints like condensing the amount
of words in the topic you are looking for),steal it( an option that allows
one to copy the alta vist page and paste it on one's homepage), and many
other shortcuts to making your search experience a quick and nonstressful
event. At at the bottom of his report Mr. Baxa has a rating system which
evaluates things like stress level, ease using the search engine and confidence
level. This could be valuable to a reader who is thinking about using
search engines and is looking for helpful hints from an experienced web
browser.
My Reactions
I really enjoyed Mr.
Baxa's report on using the search engines to find dating tips.
I feel I could have done the same type of research as Mr. Baxa. Mr.
Baxa's introductory paragraph impressed me the most. His scenario
of " boy sees girl, boy never meets girl due to lack of confidence," is
a great way to catch the reader's attention. I think this aspect is especially
important being that many viewers of his work will be the average, single
college student. Another plus to Mr. Baxa's paper is ratings of his experience
at the end of his paper. This is a chance for the reader, who is
thinking about using the search engines, to really get a first-hand opinion
on the experience of searching for topics on the web. By this advice
one can choose different approaches to discovering different topics.
Although, Mr. Baxa's
report was very detailed in the use of search engines, I feel he
could have expanded his table of contents by listing sub-titles under the
main points which would organize his thoughts more. For example,
under the topic "A Peak into Alta Vista," Mr. Baxa could have listed links
to seperate topics like "options", or "history," which would have made
it easier for the reader to locate certain aspects of the paper which that
person found most interesting. Mr. Baxa's paper was a great source of information
(in terms of hints, options and experience) for those who have not
yet used the web search engines.
A Comparison to Other Reports
I appreciated Mr.
Baxa's tan colored background for it made the font easier
to see. Unlike Rhanele
Ring's report which has a broken pattern background that makes
my eyes sore from constantly trying to focus. Most of the reports dealing
with the same topics as Mr. Baxa were similar in structure. Thus,
I found it difficult to compare reports whether I chose Mr. Baxa's
report or another in the same generation..
Rudy Dolfo's Report on "Portrayal's of Driver's Behaving Badly"
Why I Chose This Report
The First thing that attracted me to Mr.
Dolfo's report was the title. I wanted to see what his examples
of driver's behaving badly were. What captured my attention next was his
rating system which I found was unique to his paper. This was an
innovative way of displaying personal opinion on different shows. I was
also impressed with Mr. Dolfo's organization in his report, a very full
documentation of his topic from a personal assumption, to past generation
examples and down to his personal reactions to doing this report.
What Led Me to This Report
I knew, more or less, what I was looking for by
now and I wanted to use one of the Traffic Psychology Reports out of the
All Awards index.
As I was browsing through this section I noticed there were a limited number
of reports on "Portrayal's of Driver's Behaving Badly," So I narrowed my
choice's down to organization(how well the paper was constructed from table
of contents to navigation table) and also movie, cartoon, and commercial
selection. Mr. Dolfo had chosen many movies, cartoons and commercial
I had previously seen thus, making it easier for me to relate to his explanations
and reactions. This whole process of selection took me no longer
than 30 minutes; unlike my first selection that took me over an hour to
choose.
The Topic of This Report
As already mentioned Mr. Dolfo's report focused
on "Portrayal's of Driver's Behaving Badly." His report consisted
of first, an Assumption which explains his reasons for picking this topic.
He infers that he is a concerned parent who would like bad driving behaviors
portrayed by the media to be more closely monitored. Mr. Dolfo
then goes onto his critiques of various movies(Father's Day, Fried Green
Tomatoes), Commercials(Ford Mustang, Nissan), and Cartoons(Road Runner,
The Simpsons).Mr. Dolfo's rating system focuses on three aspects( Prominence,
Realisitc nature and Neglegence for Safety); each section is given a numbered
rating 1-10 with 10 being the worst. Mr. Dolfo also gives a comprehensive
report on the effects of doing this paper and how they changed his driving
habits. Mr. Dolfo states,"My driving has only improved because of it. After
watching for road rage on movies, TV programs, cartoons and commercials,
I've become aware of the things not to do while driving. The main thing
here is the safety for others and yourself included." A very detailed and
organized report which is sure to catch the attention of anyone wishing
to explore the realm of driver's behaving badly."
My Reactions
Mr. Dolfo's report, is to say the least,
a hard act to follow. I would like to believe that I may be able
to create such a well written report as his. I commend him for defining
his work with the thought of his children as his main focus and how they
would be affected by viewing such shows. I especially liked his rating
system which I thought gave the reader a sense of personal attachment with
the author. Not only did Mr. Dolfo write out his reactions but he
aslo gave a critique in terms of scores which is only a compliment to his
ability to convey his personal views. It helped his report by critiquing
3 seperate types of shows(e.g. movies, commercials, cartoons) thus,
his ability to touch individuals in all areas of entertainment viewing.
I really could not find any faults in Mr. Dolfo's report. It was
a well written, well organized, innovative analysis of his topic.
A Comparison to Other Reports
Mr. Dolfo's report is similar to the rest of the
reports in his generation in terms of a rating system, different
shows viewed(movies, commercials, cartoons) and report structure.
However, I did notice that Mr. Dolfo's report had the summary, the
crititque, and the rating system under each observed show in it's
specific section of the report. Unlike the report by Dan
Hamamoto which had only the summary and then links to the critique,
and ratings of each observed show; I felt this was too time consuming compared
to simply scrolling down the page and finding the results in the same section.
How My Report Compares
Being that this was my first report ever,
I feel it is a pretty good job after all. All of our reports are similar
in that we covered the same topic(searching through and reacting to previous
generation's work) so there weren't too many differences. Although,
I did see that some reports were placed on darker backgrounds as opposed
to mine. Also, some students had images on their reports, I don't know
how they had the time to be decorating their reports, I guess it helps
not to be computer illiterate like myself. I spent over 10 hours
on this report alone.
Suggestions For Future Generations
I know it's too late but, if you are reading this and
have computing background in like ICS 100 or something you should find
this course relatively easy. However; if you're like me.....GOOD
LUCK. Nah, just playing. Seriously though, if you can find someone
who knows about constructing web pages...make him/her your friend for life.
And it helps to ask people in your class who seem to know what they're
doing(at least more than you do). I owe a lot to Robert
"Webster" Nakagawa for helping me set up my page(from table of contents
to links to color backgrounds). Check
out his reports, I think you'll find something that can help you create
your own projects. When choosing reports to use in your project; try to
create a mixed bag of short and long reports, different fonts and backgrounds
and, different approaches in creating reports. This will help to
break the monotany of reading the same report over and over again.
If you're like me, you get bored looking at and reading the same or similar
reports too many times. Other than that, stick with it, there is a light
at the end of the tunnel :).