Basically, the current US social compact on serious mental illness is this: we leave the seriously mentally ill to catch as catch can on the streets — until they get in trouble, at which point we put them in prison, often in solitary confinement.

It is monstrous. https://t.co/O6Y9TudxRG

— Nils Gilman (@nils_gilman) January 29, 2020

There are numerous vagrants who roam around near my office. About 90% of them appear to be mentally ill. This is not good for them and not good for society. We are monstrously and unnecessarily cruel in so many areas — and the really astounding part is that it doesn’t even save any money, which was and is the stated goal.

Someone should study how I take tests. I can often pass or nearly pass tests on topics that I know little to nothing about by understanding how tests are made and using clues in the tests to pass them — particularly if I can go back and review anything*. The thing is, I am not sure that it’s a skill that can be taught, even if it’s a skill one can possess.

It’s harder to do this on tests that aren’t multiple choice — but not impossible. The strategy just changes a bit. Test-taking like I do it is probably not something anyone can learn because it depends on having a huge base of already-extant knowledge, a good understanding of what kinds of questions get asked on exams and why they are asked, and having a large working memory that is able to quickly assimilate and associate facts and information one has just learned moments before.

So…good luck teaching that.

*Some certification exams, like the CISSP, do not allow returning to questions for just this reason.

Some students are quiet not because they’re unengaged or unprepared but because they value the discussion so much that they’re willing to contribute only their most urgent and fully thought-out ideas.

It’s taken me, a talkative person, a long time to realize that.

— Jason Pearl (@jasoninmia) January 28, 2020

In person, except with my very closest friends, I generally don’t say anything unless these two conditions are met:

1) I am 99% sure what I am saying is correct.

2) I can back up my argument with facts and citations.

Otherwise, why bother making mouth noises when you don’t know something? It just wastes everyone’s time and harms the more gullible.