hello world!

i started this blog in hopes that i would write more, after being inspired by a lecture i sat in during my time in UCSC.

the lecture was by a guest lecturer specialising in linguistics, discussing whether the act of learning happens when people write things down. the conversation began when talking about this age where educational institutes were being tested by the widespread use of LLMs

the discussion ended in the lecturer presenting some ongoing research with results pointing towards “idea synthesis” that drives learning. that is, writing in the form of blindly copying your lecture verbatim does not do the job. it is the act of rewriting the concepts in your own words, and explaining it in your own way that really get you to learn. this works for speaking as well, as long as the words are your own.

this sentiment is also echoed in an interview with Leslie Lamport by Ryan Peterman.

so we arrive here, a place for me to solidify my learnings, and learn to synthesize my ideas as well.