statistics
NAME: Ed Knittel
LOCATION: Chicago, Il USA
AGE: 31
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5'9"/135 lbs.
DEGREE: BFA in Communication Design from Carnegie Mellon University
LOCATION: Chicago, Il USA
AGE: 31
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5'9"/135 lbs.
DEGREE: BFA in Communication Design from Carnegie Mellon University
everything you ever wanted to know
tastypopsicle.com is just a personal web site. Nothing more, nothing less. Actually, it is a bit more than that. You see, most bloggers use some pre-made templates and services provided by the likes of Blogger on the basic side and Moveable Type on the more advanced side. But what's more advanced than Moveable Type? Building your own Content Management System - like I did. I made a blogging system complete with comments, a message board, and the ability to Rate Stuff. I accept and encourage joining tastypopsicle.com to get even more access to things. Totally pwnd- totally.
As for me, who I am and what do I do, I'm a 31 year old alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University class of 1999. I hold a BFA in Communication Design and I have pushed myself (however painful it can be at times) to learn web development skills. It all started in 1995, my freshman year of college, when I would skip-out of my figure drawing class that we had every Friday to go back to my dorm room and learn HTML. I started making web sites instead of sketching naked fat people. (Side note, there is nothing wrong with naked people or even those who are obese I guess you could say. In fact, they are best type of people to sketch because they have lots of curves and folds which allows the artist to move freely when drawing with charcoal on newsprint paper) And even though it didn't make my professors pleased that I was doing this I threw caution to the wind and forged my own destiny. In fact, I still recall one professor saying to me that if I would just spend the time that I put into web development into figure drawing and the rest of my design work I might actually become a good designer. Needless to say at the end of my freshman year I was asked if I really wanted to be there. They questioned my focus and my desire to be a designer. Bah... of course I wanted to be a designer - but design wasn't just print vs. 3D design as we were being taught. No longer were your only options to work as a "graphic designer" or an "industrial designer." The new medium of digital design was maturing and I wanted to be a part of THAT.
So I'll cut to the chase - by senior year I was working at a start-up firm in Pittsburgh as a web developer/designer and I was teaching two HTML classes a week to the students of the design department so they could put their portfolios online. Remember, this was back in 1999 when the internet boom was at its peak. Students were saying that they needed to put on their resumes that they had "HTML experience" - it's what everyone was looking for. Hmmmm... looks like I knew something, right? When it was all said and done I believe I got the recognition I was looking for through those 4 years.
So after graduation I moved to Chicago where I still currently live. Unfortunately, I've learned that nothing lasts forever and so in the nearly 9 years that I have been here I have found myself laid off 3 times and I have worked at 7 different companies. Yea, that's what I call "funny math." Like Moderne Math, it doesn't make much sense. I still do web development and I've actually switched gears a little bit and I'm working as an Application Service Provider - developing online applications for small businesses. Hopefully some of these ideas will allow me to live comfortably and raise a family with my wife, Amy. That's all I'm looking for - know what I mean?
Additionally, I am a partner in two businesses, e-Squared Consulting and KennelSource. Presently I'm working as the User Interface Manager for an online brokerage, OptionsHouse.
eNjoy!
ed and tastypopsicle.com
As for me, who I am and what do I do, I'm a 31 year old alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University class of 1999. I hold a BFA in Communication Design and I have pushed myself (however painful it can be at times) to learn web development skills. It all started in 1995, my freshman year of college, when I would skip-out of my figure drawing class that we had every Friday to go back to my dorm room and learn HTML. I started making web sites instead of sketching naked fat people. (Side note, there is nothing wrong with naked people or even those who are obese I guess you could say. In fact, they are best type of people to sketch because they have lots of curves and folds which allows the artist to move freely when drawing with charcoal on newsprint paper) And even though it didn't make my professors pleased that I was doing this I threw caution to the wind and forged my own destiny. In fact, I still recall one professor saying to me that if I would just spend the time that I put into web development into figure drawing and the rest of my design work I might actually become a good designer. Needless to say at the end of my freshman year I was asked if I really wanted to be there. They questioned my focus and my desire to be a designer. Bah... of course I wanted to be a designer - but design wasn't just print vs. 3D design as we were being taught. No longer were your only options to work as a "graphic designer" or an "industrial designer." The new medium of digital design was maturing and I wanted to be a part of THAT.
So I'll cut to the chase - by senior year I was working at a start-up firm in Pittsburgh as a web developer/designer and I was teaching two HTML classes a week to the students of the design department so they could put their portfolios online. Remember, this was back in 1999 when the internet boom was at its peak. Students were saying that they needed to put on their resumes that they had "HTML experience" - it's what everyone was looking for. Hmmmm... looks like I knew something, right? When it was all said and done I believe I got the recognition I was looking for through those 4 years.
So after graduation I moved to Chicago where I still currently live. Unfortunately, I've learned that nothing lasts forever and so in the nearly 9 years that I have been here I have found myself laid off 3 times and I have worked at 7 different companies. Yea, that's what I call "funny math." Like Moderne Math, it doesn't make much sense. I still do web development and I've actually switched gears a little bit and I'm working as an Application Service Provider - developing online applications for small businesses. Hopefully some of these ideas will allow me to live comfortably and raise a family with my wife, Amy. That's all I'm looking for - know what I mean?
Additionally, I am a partner in two businesses, e-Squared Consulting and KennelSource. Presently I'm working as the User Interface Manager for an online brokerage, OptionsHouse.
eNjoy!
ed and tastypopsicle.com
welcome.to.chicago :: 7 aug 2008 @ 6.23pm CT