domingo, 25 de enero de 2009

In Ten Years

Before I describe what I want to be in ten years, let me follow you through how I plan to get there. I am currently (frantically) searching for a full-time job to start when I graduate in May. I'm looking for jobs at architecture firms primarily in big cities; Philadelphia (my home city), New York, Boston, Chicago. I'm also applying to a few firms in SC because that's where most of my networking is. Wherever I end up, I plan on working as an intern architect for a few years, as little as 2 and as many as 5, building up IDP units for architect licensure, before going to graduate school. I want to go to a good grad school program located in a big historic city; maybe UIC in Chicago, or UC-Berkeley near San Francisco, etc.

In case you can't tell by now, I really want the city to be a part of my life. I can't stand the dull isolation of the country or the suburbs, and I always prefer walking over driving. In ten years, I hope to be living in a major city, working for an architecture firm. I hope to be a licensed architect by then, working on urban design projects; transportation, public space, planning, commercial and corporate buildings, historic preservation and renovation. If I start a family I hope that I wouldn't have to give up the city aspect of my life; it would depend on whether the place I live would be a suitable environment for children.

That's the goal I have in mind as I look for my first real job today. I'm frustrated with the economy and the unfortunate timing of the recession (for me and others graduating), but when I feel doubtful I think of that perfect picture of where I will be in the future.

domingo, 18 de enero de 2009

Web 2.0

The Web 2.0 refers to the new trends in the internet and what it has become as a result of us. With the rise of blogs, youtube, twitter, myspace, facebook, wikipedia, etc, average people now have a greater potential to leave a mark on the internet and connect to each other. The internet began as something made by the professionals at yahoo, google, and the other .com's. Now, it is becomimg a reflection of what all of us collectively want it to be. This is what I think the video means by "The Machine is Us)".

As far as "The Machine is Using Us", I think it is refering to the old roadblocks that exist in the internet that are keeping us from making the internet what we want it to be. This includes copyrights, privacy and interface design. The video said the internet is no longer just linking information, but people and their ideas. The internet is shifting from being a creature of the companies and their shareholders to being a creature of the people as a collective. The remnants from the old internet of the 90's are still "using us" to some degree, and that is why we need to "rethink everything."

I would advise people going into the workfore and people already in the workforce to keep this and mind and understand that the future of the internet, and by extention us, lies in greater freedom of communication and interactivity. The trend in many industries, following the trend in the internet, is towards greater transparency and interactivity with average people. We now see news organizations reading viewers' emails on air and product designers getting more direct feedback from their consumers. The the collective knowlege of people is a powerful tool, it can and should be harnessed many companies. The rise of Web 2.0 should not be viewed as an unfortunate loss for private investors, but as the beginning of a new and better chapter in the internet and the power of technology.

viernes, 9 de enero de 2009

Introduction


My name is Tyler Cooney. I am from Philadelphia, PA and I am an architecture major. I decided to come to Clemson because I wanted to travel and live in different locations...not just the experience of living in SC but the experience of the semester I spent in Spain, which is a feature of the Architecture program at Clemson. Other than traveling I enjoy drawing and music...I just bought a new guitar for Christmas and hope to get really good at it in the next year or two.




This is me in Florence, Italy.