jvbrewer:

President Obama watches Joey Hudy demonstrate his “Extreme Marshmallow Cannon” during the White House Science Fair.

(.gif animation created using photos by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

You’ve gotta give NYSL (NYLS?) and its former dean some credit - their building is gorgeous. Students may not have jobs, but they get to eat lunch outside in the shadow of the Empire State Building. Hypocrisy with a view.

jvbrewer:

For years, it made economic sense for smart, ambitious 22-year-olds to pay the escalating price for a legal diploma. Law schools have had a monopolist’s hold on the keys to corporate lawyerdom, which pays graduates six-figure salaries.

But borrowing $150,000 or more is now a vastly riskier proposition given the scarcity of Big Law jobs. Of course, that scarcity hasn’t been priced into the cost of law school. How come? In part, it’s because schools have managed to convey the impression that those jobs aren’t very scarce.

Yet another sunshiny and uplifting account of my future career prospects, courtesy of The New York Times.

Smorgasburg food market in Brooklyn: What a delightful borough!

In addition to my buying habits, haikus, propensity towards pop-culture Tweeting, love of restaurant criticism and Westlaw research, now the government knows that I re-post articles about the (recently deceased) Fourth Amendment. Judge Kozinski elaborates:

With so little left private, the Fourth Amendment is all but obsolete. Where police officers once needed a warrant to search your bookshelf for “Atlas Shrugged,” they can now simply ask Amazon.com if you bought it. Where police needed probable cause before seizing your day planner, they can now piece together your whereabouts from your purchases, cellphone data and car’s GPS. Someday soon we’ll realize that we’ve lost everything we once cherished as private. And as we grieve the loss of the Fourth Amendment, we’ll be forced to look deep in our hearts—and at the little pieces of plastic dangling from our keychains — and ask ourselves if it was all worth it. R.I.P.

Post-1L summer:

does it exist? I don’t know.

I’m still writing briefs.

Given that most of my free time is now spent in silence, bent over some treatise or another, I thought that I’d spend a few minutes rating the various locales for such riveting activity. And where better to begin than where I am sitting at this very moment - 60 Centre Street! Libraries and study spots will be ranked on a scale of 1 (just stay home) - 5 (worth bailing on your friends, yet again) in several categories: location, ambiance, noise level, and nearby distractions. There will be very few 5s. So, here goes.

Location/Accessibility: 4

Ambiance: 3

Noise Level: 3

Nearby Distractions: 2

Overall Impressions: 60 Centre Street is an mposing looking building, and its old-school, charming library does not disappoint. If you can get in (you need a pass) and find it (the entrance to the library is nowhere near the sign that says “Library”) it’s worth checking out. You can eat, talk quietly, and admire the top of strange-looking statues as you peruse strange-sounding statutes. Big windows offer lots of natural light, so you don’t feel like you’re missing out on everything, only the fun things. I like to work in the upstairs nooks, surrounded by several printings of Williston on Contracts. You can get coffee nearby, and local outdoor seating is lovely, but I’d imagine much less pleasant in the winter or the rain. Free wi-fi. Final Score: 12/20.

The New York Times recently reported that students continue to do poorly on standardized tests, particularly in history. As I have already maxed out on NY Times articles for the month (damn you, subscription policy!) I can’t tell you much more than that. However, you can test yourself on the NAEP website (http://nationsreportcard.gov/testyourself.asp) and see if the problem is just kids today and their darned nintendos, internets and textimajiggers.