Yesterday, I left my cell phone at home for the day, and was shattered. How would I make the evening's plans? Somehow, I soldiered on, and said plans were carried out unmolested. Similarly, the NYT reports in today's Metro section that law students, who now have the option of taking their bar exams via laptop, are completely intimidated by the writing-by-hand option: “Some people haven’t handwritten in three years.”

"At most law schools, course exams are routinely administered on laptops. Most students are familiar with exam software and accustomed to taking all their notes and outlining on laptops.

“I was kind of scared to do the handwriting,” said Katie Brandes, a recent graduate of Columbia Law School."

How have students, forced to hand-write these last couple hundred years, even survived, much less become lawyers?

Update from a lawyer:

"In 1975 I asked for special permission to type my bar exam, as it was simply not done. I wasn't handicapped, simply knew that I could type 5 times as fast as anyone could write, and if I wrote down everything I knew, enough of it would be right to permit me to pass! Did real well. However, we all were a little miffed by the guy with two and a half fingers who was allowed two extra hours on the exam to make up for his handicap. The real unfairness was my Smith Corona."

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