Tech Tip: Reverse Image Search

A really cool feature of the internet, that I was totally unaware of until watching Catfish, is a reverse image search! Google has a pretty good one, but there's also Tineye;  I alternate between the two.  

My favorite feature of both of these searches is the fact that you can literally drag and drop an image from another window, directly into the search bar!  No need for the annoying uploading, searching through your downloads to find the picture, etc. etc.  Just drag and drop, you don't even have to click "Search"!! 

This is the image I reversed searched today:

Source

Here are screenshots of my results.

Google:

Screenshot of google results; Taken with gyazo app, courtesy of me. 

TinEye:

Screenshot of tineye results; Taken with gyazo app, courtesy of me

In this example, it is clear that google gives more results, more details about your image (it even told me the title!), and offers you the option of viewing distinct, but visually similar images.  All of these features could come in handy in different instances.  Using google, I also found the exact same image in a wide variety of sizes, from very small to very large, which I did not find on tineye.  

I recommend giving both a try depending on how rare your image is! I know I've found duplicates of an image on tineye that were not on google before, so I think the results can vary!

Week 8 Growth Mindset

Throughout the semester, I've been working on developing more of a growth mindset.  I think having a growth mindset would benefit my mental health, overall performance in school, and my stress levels.  I took a lot at the chart on the assignment page, and have been thinking about my strengths and weaknesses.

Finding Motivation Inside Yourself:
This is a big one for me - I sometimes find it hard to get motivation from within, and often turn to others to help get motivated.  I'm not sure why I do this, but I'd like to develop a healthier mindset when it comes to motivation.  I put off things I know I should be working on, and sometimes instead do things others either want me to do or things that I still need to complete myself, but that I've got to complete in order to work with someone or please someone.  My current mindset is not very healthy.
I looked up some articles about this, and found a few good suggestions on ZenHabits.net . I've found this website/blog very helpful in the past, and I need to make it a point to visit it when I'm feeling less than motivated.

Focusing on Learning:
Since discovering the growth mindset, I've been trying to focus more on learning rather than just solely on how to get an A in a class.  I've always wanted to do this, but it can be so hard when overwhelmed with classes, work, and other responsibilities.  I've been trying to study not only what I think will be on a test, but also things I've heard or read about from my classes that I find interesting. If I find the material interesting, I'm more likely to remember it, which will come in handy in the future.

Some things I've improved on this semester are choosing what's hard instead of focusing on only what I know already, being willing to try new things, and asking a lot of questions.  A lot of my improvement comes from recognizing where I may have been lacking, and keeping my goals for improvement in the back of my mind.  I'm very grateful for my research position, because I think it is helping me improve my growth mindset quite a bit.  It is forcing me to ask more questions, learn new things, and accept that I will make mistakes, but also realize that a mistake isn't the end of the world.  I also think this class has helped me as well.  It was very uncomfortable for me to have to pick my own project (portfolio vs storybook) and almost choose my own parameters.  I'm used to professors telling me what they expect, and then strictly following their guidelines.  This class has opened me up more to being flexible and more open to the options and choosing my own path!

You can do it too! Source

Week 8 Reflections

Reading:

One of the prompts given for this assignment is "Have you been making good choices with the reading?" which to me, begs the question, can you make a bad choice?  In my experience so far, every story read gives me something new to think about, and sometimes even gives me a new idea for a story, or even a new reflection about life.  I've enjoyed nearly all of the readings in this class; it's hard to imagine even picking a favorite.  I think each week brings me something new, and I look forward to that.  

It's hard to not be objective when you're always working with one of these. Heh. OpenClipArt

Writing:

I'm fairly happy with the stories I've written so far in this course.  As I look back on my stories, I notice that I'm not bad with describing details and adding more elements to the story, as well as focusing in on one aspect, but I'm not so great at coming up with original ideas derived from the stories.  When I'm reading the stories, I usually don't connect it to something else, or something completely different.  I'm a microbiology major, so I take a lot of science courses, which I believe has impacted the way I read and interpret information.  I've been trying to open up a creative door in my mind with this class, but it's hit or miss most of the time.  
As far as using my reading notes to create stories, I think I do an adequate job.  I usually try to focus in on what interested me the most about a story, and also write down any ideas I may have at the time.  I usually go back through my reading notes right before I begin to write.  

Connecting:

When I read other students' stories, I admire their creativity the most.  I'm always impressed by what they pulled out of their original source, how they made connections with either other stories or even things they've experienced in their own lives.  I try to give decent feedback, but I also try to keep in mind that someone else's creative process and vision is probably a lot different than my own, and that just because someone wrote a story differently than I would have, that doesn't mean it's not great!  I try to be careful not to be overly critical, but point out things I think could be improved as well.  I think I've got a pretty good system with giving constructive criticism, but I'm always looking at what others tell me in their feedback, and looking for techniques I can use there.  

Overall this class has been enjoyable so far.  It's fascinating getting to read and learn about stories from so many different time periods and cultures, especially those I would've never thought to have looked into myself.  I've also been enjoying my "daily" happiness challenge!  Sometimes it's really easy to come up with something that made me happy throughout a day, but sometimes I have really bad days, and it's harder to find joy in it.  I think trying to notice the small things that I enjoyed is helping me realize how great of a life I really do have.  I look forward to the second half of this course!