Monday, January 26, 2009

My dogs are probably better than yours



The above images clearly show that my dogs are better than yours. If they got in a fight with your dog, then they would probably win. No joke.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Future Reflections

I don't have a lot of specific ideas about what I want to do as far as my profession goes yet. With a degree in Graphic Communications, a person can end up doing a lot of different things. Management, design, sales, technical work, marketing, and advertising are only a few of the areas where Graphic Communications has a big role.

Mostly I want to do something I enjoy. I know this sounds fairly obvious, but I mean this in spite of money or status or whatever else might drive a person. Most of my goals have a lot more to do with lifestyle and family than a more conventional definition of success. I know that I want to live in a city with character. I lived in Nashville for the first 18 years of my life and loved it, so I'm sure that has something to do with this desire. I want a family and to be able to support them. I also wish to continue to pursue literature and music as my primary hobbies. I see myself living a fairly relaxed and relatively simple life in the future. I am sure that the specifics of what and where will work themselves out sooner than I may think.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Web 2.0 Video Response

The title of this video is meant to convey the primary difference between what we have known in the past to be the internet and what the internet is becoming. In the past, web developers created strictly defined interfaces that did not readily and automatically respond to users. The new Web 2.0 is designed to respond to the actions of its users in order to adapt to internet consumers' needs. The internet is us, in a sense, in that the content and infrastructure is more fluid and relates more to any specific user. The internet in turn uses is in order to become better adapted to users.

The continuing development of the flexible Web 2.0 will pose problems as far as copyright, ethics, networking, and all of the other potential changes that were listed in the video as future considerations of Web 2.0 users. The greater degree of freedom in which content is defined in the new Web 2.0 structure makes it easier for users to access information. However, this freedom could also potentially pose a problem to users when definite and reputable information is required for a business, scholarly pursuit, or any number of other such activities. I think Wikipedia.org is a good example of this, and the video's creator was wise to include it as a backdrop. Overall, the web might be somewhat more convenient and flexible for users, but at what cost to accuracy and definition?

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Introduction

My name is Brent Berkompas, and I am a Graphic Communications major from Nashville, TN. I am a junior, but this is only my second year in Graphic Communications as I was in engineering for my first year for some reason. 

Outside of class I have several hobbies. These include running, cycling, and frisbee as far as athletic activities go. My two favorite things in the world, though, are books and music. I read a lot outside of class and enjoy a variety of literature and philosophy. I nurture a basically unhealthy love of music, especially rock, folk, (authentic) country, blues, or any combination of these genres. I collect and constantly play vinyl records on my turntable. It is a rare day indeed when I am not found for at least a couple of hours listening to music and reading in my apartment. I get out some too, I promise, but I love me some books and music.

I am still not certain what I want to end up doing once I graduate. Graphic Communications offers a wide variety of potential career paths. I have faith that this will become clearer to me in the coming semester.