Flickr

George Eastman House - Out Front
Originally uploaded by Keith Watson aka Keith Watson

I've encounter flickr often on the internet, and followed specific links to it, but never taken the time to explore it. While its not entirely different than other photohosting sites I've been to and used in the past, it certainly offers a lot more, and also seems to take a bit more time to completely understand how to use. There's some amazing stuff on it though, and I can easily see myself both using it and spending hours looking through other people's photos. The mashup stuff was interesting to check out too. I spent ages looking through all the letters it could gave me, haha.




What I found most fascinating, while taking the "tour" the site offers, was what they call The Commons - images from many archives & collections. I spent a lot of time exploring this, as a lot of pictures I found by exploring different tags there is the kind stuff that I can spend hours looking at.

I even found my previous employer's, the George Eastman House, has an account, with over 900 photos from the collections. Every day at work, when I brought up the browser on the computers there, the home page was the main website, and I know I've seen the flickr logo on there before, but never bothered to click it.

This is actually fantastic that they've done that, because, although its obviously nothing like seeing a print in person, making even a small part of the Eastman House's massive collection available to view by anyone is a great thing. I know from experience, three summers of working at the admissions desk, that what so many people want is to be able to see stuff in the archives that there is never physical room for in the ever-changing exhibition galleries. I don't know if the museum's flickr was around the last time I worked the desk over a year ago, but if it was, I wish I had been made specifically aware. I could have had so many people walk away from my desk with even more satisfaction than their visit had already given them, instead of telling them that pictures in the archives were not accessible by the public.

Flickr obviously serves many purposes, and serves them well, but this was one aspect I was particularly fascinated by, and pleased by. I think this is an amazing way of collections & museums to share their treasures with the world, and another reason why the internet is actually such a great thing.


('Jumping; running straight high jump' by Edward Muybridge, from the collection of George Eastman House on Flickr)

7 1/2 Habits

Though its obvious we are constantly learning on a daily basis, its interesting to really think about the extent to which everyone is, in fact, a lifelong learner. Whether it be in school, on the job, or even watching a documentary on TV, I can't imagine a day doesn't go by that in this modern world, in which we are always interacting with others or receiving information through tv or computer, we learn something new.

Especially in a field where technology is constantly changing and expanding, being able to learn successfully is vital. While most of the "habits" were kind of common sense once you think about it, its helpful to see them laid out and gone over.

I think the easiest habit, one I do already, is the second, "accept responsibility for your own learning." I never would have made it through college with the grades I did if I didn't take responsibility for making sure I understood what was being taught, and what the assignments were, as well as for completing readings and assignments which further taught what the professor might not have expressly told us in a lecture. I do this every day at work as well, where I'm still in the training period, by making sure that if I have a question or am unsure of something, I ask immediately, and therefore take the responsibility of learning everything I can.

The hardest habit is probably the third, to see problems as challenges instead. While I certainly don't like to give up on things or quit when it gets tough, its hard for me to not get upset when a problem presents itself. In undergrad, though I would work hard to figure out the answer to the problem, I definitely stressed out a lot more than was probably helpful when I came up against a problem while working on a paper or assignment. I have a tendency to overreact when something goes wrong, but by trying harder to view a problem as a challenge to be solved, perhaps I can limit this, and thereby learn more effectively. As well as hopefully avoid taking a few years off my life from having nervous breakdowns.