Well it’s past the middle of June, so it’s time for my May newsletter.
scheduling
I’ve come to realize that the more newsletters I write, the later they’re released. If you recall, this whole thing started with me saying “emails will be sent somewhere around the first Sunday of each month”. We are now well past the third Sunday of June.
What’s my point here?
I’m grateful I’m not accountable to anyone.
I’ve been playing too much Zelda.
I have other reasons for being late, which I’ll detail below
the LSAT
At some point in May, I decided I wanted to go to law school. The reasons behind this decision are varied and confusing (I’ll be writing about that later).
Anyways, to attend law school you need to take this standardized test called the LSAT.
I’ve spent the past month and a half studying for this test and I’ve been struck at how different it feels.
In my mind, most tests fall on a scale between entirely memorized and entirely critical thought. GPT calls this “Rote Recall” vs “Higher-Order Thinking”. A Spanish test, for example, relies mostly on memorization. Whereas a math test could rely mostly on critical thinking.
Clearly, we (as humans) draw immense value from both ends of this scale. Both skills are important.
Personally, I tend to be more interested in things that challenge me at the critical thought end. As it happens, the LSAT fits nicely on the right end of this scale. More so than any other test I’ve had to study for.
What kind of test falls at the very right end of the scale?
Taking this to the extreme, there is the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. This is a test that’s used by educators (and parents) to evaluate a child’s creative thinking skills. An example question might be:
Here are some squares with little figures drawn inside of them. When I say ‘start,’ take your pencil and try to make each little figure into something else.
This task requires almost no background knowledge, aside from an ability to understand the task. It’s completely geared towards the subject’s creative ability.
However, it’s difficult to grade this test objectively. Evaluating something as creative or not is wading into a mess of philosophical questions.
What’s interesting about the LSAT is that it fits on the right end of the scale and is graded entirely objectively; it’s all multiple choice. It is also an accurate test. Meaning if a subject were to take the test multiple times under similar conditions, their scores would be consistent.
Anyways, here’s a sample LSAT question (answer at the end):
Argument: Most apartments on the upper floors of The Visa Arms apartment building have scenic views. So there is in the building at least one studio apartment with scenic views.
The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which on of the following is assumed?
(A) All of the apartments on the lower floors of the building have scenic views.
(B) All of the apartments in the building have scenic views.
(C) Most of the apartments in the building are studio apartments.
(D) Most of the apartments with scenic views are on the upper floors of the building.
(E) Most of the apartments on the upper floors of the building are studio apartments.
a wedding
I was in Toronto again this month for a wedding. Here are some pictures:
This wedding was especially impactful for me, more so than previous ones. And I’ve been trying to reflect on why. Some reasons I’ve come up with:
It’s been a few years since I’ve been to an Indian wedding.
This wedding was especially large and expensive which contributed to my excitement.
I was complimented on my dancing ability at the reception and I’ll remember that forever.
Despite not having seen these people for years, they felt like my tribe. Standing in the middle of grey downtown Toronto and being a part of this colourful ritual felt great.
I think there’s something beautiful about a shared value that’s passed down across generations, and I appreciate that more now.
books
I finished two books this month: The Oppenheimer biography (inspiration for the upcoming movie) and Demon Copperhead. I especially enjoyed the latter. Opioids and their history have interested me for a while now and this was an enjoyable (fictional) dive into it.
links
If you read my chatGPT explainer, here’s a more detailed version of what I was saying.
An update to last month’s newsletter: The strike has ended!
This gear guide
This cool blog
This TikTok account
The correct answer to the LSAT question is E.