4 facts I learned while studying drones

1. The first known drone attack was on an Islamic State leader

   The attack occurs in November of 2001, right after 9/11 on Mohammed Atef, an ISIS terrorist in Afghanistan.  

2. Isreal is the world's largest builder of drones

The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries has sold drones and drone technology to more than two dozen countries around the world.

3. Police are starting to use drones to fight crime

  Europe is beginning to implement drones into police routes for amplified surveillance techniques. The FBI is beginning to follow suit. 

4. Drones are not just for killing. They can deliver steaming hot pizza right to your door step!

Domino's Pizza posted a video of a drone delivering a pizza to a house. Although this technique has not become mainstream, it sure got people excited about fewer wait times.

Vince Beiser

When Vince Beiser skyped into our class, I was not expecting him to talk about a very well-known prison in California, Pelican Bay. Pelican Bay is a maximum security prison that houses high-risk inmates across the state. I was even more interested to hear that he had gone into the prison and done a study on the infamous Security Housing Unit (SHU), which holds prisoners in their cells 23 hours a day. I have watched many documentaries on Pelican Bay, so I was very interested in what he had to say about it. 

I thought it was interesting how he thought he argued against the SHU. In many of the documentaries I have watched they described the SHU as a last resort for inmates who have misbehaved so much or commit a heinous crime like attempting to shank a prison guard. I’m not exactly sure where I stand with the SHU because locking anyone up for that long without human contact would make even the most sane person go crazy. I agree with a lot of what Beiser reported on but also think that it may be necessary as a temporary placement for certain inmates. 

Adam Wolffbrandt Skype Session

I felt that Adam had a lot of interesting and different experiences to share with our class. From watching his reel to seeing his different video topics it gave me valuable insight that I can apply to this class and in real life. As a print/online journalism major I do not wish to go into broadcast journalism, but in the modern age, it’s almost a requirement to have knowledge of video and editing skills. 

I liked that Adam showed us a variety of videos that demonstrated his talent and experience. By giving us a broad range of content (plus explaining each piece), it helped me see the depth of this experience and how he would present himself to an employer. My favorite video he did was about the people in San Francisco living on houseboats. A package that evokes emotion sticks in my brain long after it ends. I also admired how good the editing and camera work was because that is where I struggle the most. Overall, Adam's presentation was very informative and educational. I will take away some of the skills he uses (including using Reddit!) and apply them to my work.