Making the connections
Recently I started playing one of the NYTimes free games, called Connections. The goal is to separate a field of 16 words into four categories. In other words, the player must make the connection between these seemingly disparate words, and oftentimes, other possible connections can obscure the one true connection designed into the game. What a feeling of satisfaction when those four blocks bounce and are drawn together in a line of color announcing the category I've just completed. I admit I have a hard time with this game, which I find more challenging than the Mini Crossword or Wordle. I think this is because making connections is really unique to each person, so trying to see someone else's connection between words, which themselves are symbols for ideas that may not be internalized the same for every person, can be challenging. Not to mention the fact that words can have different meanings and even different parts of speech! (Side note: I harbor a deep suspicion that AI is...