HTML Code "the old fashioned way"

When I first started experimenting in class with HTML code, I was blown away by how intricate and detailed it was.  I remember thinking "wow, you would really have to love this to type out code all day long".  Of course I later learned about Expression Web and other programs that make website creation much easier and more fun.  

Because of my individual interests and personality, I see using Expression Web as a far more efficient and enjoyable method; however, there are several advantages to knowing the ins and outs of HTML code.  Just as a pilot must know how to manually operate a plane, a programmer should be versed in code.  Even though present day pilots do a lot of switch-flipping because planes are programmed to function automatically, they must know how to fly "the old fashioned way" in case something should malfunction.  Also, I think that a programmer has to work within certain limitations or boundaries when using a formatted software; this could limit his or her creativity and eliminate the need to "think outside the box" when designing.  

What? I can only choose two?

I thoroughly enjoyed the PowerPoint presentations this past week and its hard for me to pick out two favorites to blog about! It was great to learn more about my classmates, seeing as how they're usually hidden behind their computer screens from where I sit. Also, as an undeclared first-year, it was encouraging to see students who have selected a major and really made it their own.
The first presentation that really caught my attention was over the origin of paper money. It was clear that Rachel carefully selected her graphics; on one slide she had a faded image of an old cash register, and on another she had a string of dollar bills bordering the bottom of the page. Her slide organization had a logical flow, starting at paper money's Chinese origin and progressing to money circulation in the U.S. I also really liked that she included facts about money's design, sighting 1929 as the year in which faces were put on U.S. dollars.
A second presentation that I enjoyed was over Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Aside from creating a well produced presentation, I think Marlies introduced an entirely new concept and device that few in the class knew about. She did a great job of illustrating the use of NMRs by using the common painkiller Ibuprofen as an example. Apparently, NMRs test the content of elements and compounds on a molecular level for safety and research purposes. Her slides had great graphics like the Ibuprofen bottle and the photo of the giant NMR machine, and her over all explanation of the scientific concepts was concise.
This was really a fun project, and I hope that we get to view each other's work again with the upcoming postcard assignment!

Searching the Web

Chris Nolan's lecture on effective web researching was particularly helpful to me. I came to realize several faults in my own researching habits and found out new ways to make searching the web more efficient.
Mr. Nolan explained that the popular search engine Google reaps all of its profit from selling advertising space. Because of this, Google orders its search results according to how popular certain sights are or how much money the sites pay for advertising. Accordingly, the first few search results can be very poorly accredited resources that simply pay more for advertising.
Mr. Nolan touched on the topic of government-sponsored websites as well. It stands to reason that certain topics on government websites can be tailored or tainted to promote the platforms of current political leaders. Similarly, one must take into account that websites produced by organizations are intended to be rhetorically convincing for their cause. Both .govs and .orgs must be approached with caution because they will undoubtedly contain biased content, which can be beneficial or detrimental to research.