Get the Interview

Sitting on the other side of the table in the office can be difficult to grasp sometimes.

Many people are not comfortable interviewing other people. As a journalist, you cannot fear interviewing people or introducing yourself to perfect strangers.

Being personable is simply part of a journalist's job. It is an absolutely necessity to have.

This last week, for many students in class, was the first time interviewing someone for a story.

I found some helpful tips for those of you who may have struggled or just want to improve.

Ten Tips for a Better Interview can be helpful for knowing the basic guidelines.

Tip 1: Be prepared and don't ever think you'll be fine if you slack a bit.

Tip 2: Make sure the person you're interviewing knows exactly what you are wanting to write about.

Tip 3: Be punctual. Do not be late as it gives a horrible first impression, and many people that are interviewed have busy schedules.

Tip 4: Be observant during the interview to sort of gain a better understanding of the person being interviewed.

Tip 5: Be polite. Manners are a must when interviewing people. After all, they do not have to let you interview them.

Tip 6: Listen intently but if you don't understand something, speak up. Most people being interviewed are happy to explain things further.

Tip 7: Remain silent sometimes. If the person being interviewed doesn't like a question you might have asked they may become silent. Do not break the silence, usually the other person will get too uncomfortable and break the silence with the answer.

Tip 8: Make eye contact. The interview should flow sort of like a conversation, which makes your interview more personable and go better as a general rule.

Tip 9: Before leaving ask the person if there was anything you missed, and thank them for their time.

Tip 10: Review the notes you take after the interview and don't wait until the day your story is due.

Bonus tip: Take some kind of a voice recorder. For more information on that, check out Top Tool for a Journalist.

With those tips taken into consideration, you will become a pro-interviewer soon enough.

Microsoft Falsely Uses "Angry Birds" Image

Through one way or another, everyone seems to have heard of Angry Birds- an addicting app for the iPhone, as well as numerous other phones, that has sold over 6.5 million copies, making it the prime example of an app success story.

Angry Birds gained further attention when recent promotional images for the Windows Phone 7 showed an icon of the game, leading viewers to believe Microsoft's smart phones would now have the app.

In a Twitter post, however, Angry Birds developer Rovio Mobile denied the claim.

"We have NOT committed to doing a Windows Phone 7 version. Microsoft put the Angry Birds icon on their site without our permission," the company said.

Microsoft later admitted that it had made a mistake, saying that the Angry Birds application was accidentally included on the website.

This is an obvious case of Microsoft jumping the gun with a promotional add. Microsoft may have been making arrangements with Rovio for the use of its app, but I think that it's safe to say that any agreement is now off.

Rovio is- to say the least- angry. And, it should be. The image of Angry Birds belongs to Rovio, and the fact that Microsoft used it without Rovio's permission is wrong.

Yet Microsoft fans shouldn't give up hope just yet. Rovio said in later tweets that "

We could do a WP7 version of Angry Birds, not the issue. We have not agreed to do that (yet). Will support all relevant platforms.”

I think that if Rovio is smart, it will work with Microsoft. The company will make big bucks if it expands its market to Microsoft users.

Furthermore, Microsoft should play a little nicer with Rovio and other developers if it want Angry Birds and other must-have apps that smart phone users now crave.

Google Cars: Cool and Intriguing

Google announced its enrollment in what could be a benchmark in technology this past week.

Being more specific, according to the New York Times, Google has been working on self-driven vehicles controlled by artificial-intelligence software that allows for a human-like driving experience.

These robot-cars equipped with a GPS receiver, motion sensors, and videocameras, are capable of replicating human decisions based on the proximity of objects around the car.

These modified cars have been set and tested on San Francisco's streets without any human intervention except for a person behind the wheel and a technician to monitor the navigation system in case anything goes wrong. Fortunately, all tests have been successful.

As stated in the official Google Blog, Google's goal in the development of this technology is "to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use."

Google's initiative to increase public safety and develop once-dreamed robotics is amazing, unfortunately this technology is far from reaching consumers and it makes me wonder: would this become something like the iPad?

Sure the iPad is revolutionary and allows people to multitask, but not everyone can afford one and some even think it's a waste of money.

If self-driven cars were to become only appealing and affordable to a few people, then Google's new technology wouldn't be as beneficial for society as they wish.

I believe this technology would just be useful to mark another crucial moment in U.S. history concerning technological research and development, thus, I doubt this technology could be profitable and reach a large amount of consumers.

What's your opinion on Google's innovative technology?

Note: Pictures and video of the modified cars can be found in the original NY Times report.