As a kid, I loved the kaleidoscope toy - the one that came with a "single binocular tube" (for want of a better description!) and different discs that you could insert at the front, each of which gave a different set of pictures to view or filters through which to see the world!
I also like the word 'kaleidoscope' a lot because it immediately brings to mind a bunch of different memories and observations. So I am starting a new keyword series on my blog and whenever I want to write briefly about a few different unrelated things, I am going to use the keyword 'Kaleidoscope' in the title! These will be a combination of mini-posts that I just decide to write about together for no real reason.
These could be my observations on life, movies or TV shows that I watch, books I've read, music I've listened to, people I've met, experiences I've had, fictional or real-life stories, anecdotes, comedy or satire, food or drink - just about anything under the sun!
Today is the first such kaleidoscopic post!
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Busting the myth of personality tests
Have you ever wondered how personality tests sometimes feel so accurate? Whether it's the supposedly science-backed ones like the MBTI test or the Big-5 personality test or even the seemingly bogus Buzzfeed-type tests (which, by the way, anyone can make an upload for fun!) that tell you which Disney princess you are most like, or what kind of a person you are based on the type of Subway sandwich you make for yourself or what your personality says about your food choices - most of the time, they somehow seem relatable!
I genuinely believed I was The Mastermind - INTJ in the MBTI test. Until I was recently told that the test is not actually accurate. That the OCEAN model or the Big 5 personality traits model is more accurate. Didn't matter since they both gave me results I could relate to! Much as the below tests did!
Which food combination best matches your personality? (Mine's Apple pie and vanilla ice cream...yumm!)
Everyone has a smell that matches their personality. Here's yours! (Mine's rain!)
Here's how I think these tests are made (or should be made, if they aren't) -
Step 1 - collect a pool of volunteers, say about 500.
Step 2 - Give them a questionnaire asking them about themselves. Or if you don't trust them to answer honestly, give them situations where their behaviour is observed (like a group discussion or maze!).
Step 3 - Based on this, bucket them into pre-identified personality traits
Step 4 - Give them the actual personality questionnaire
Step 5 - Map their responses to their personality bucket
Step 6 - Prepare a sketch for each combination of responses based on Step 5
Not sure if such a process is followed though!
These tests are supposed to help with diagnosing mental health issues or recruitment decisions but how accurate they are depend so heavily on how honestly they are answered! Even if the Big-5 personality test tried to overcome the drawbacks of the MBTI (and we are not even talking about other random internet quizzes), the question remains whether these tests tell respondents something new about themselves or merely validate what they already know because of their dependency on the responses. Plus, personalities are so diverse that no two people are alike. Yet, such tests seek to classify people into a handful of groups. At least the Big-5 model doesn't do this - It simply tells you where you fall on a spectrum of the characteristic which makes it easier for comparability but hardly tells newyou anything about yourself.
At best, these tests are about as questionable or reliable as astrology (and don't get me wrong, I love reading what Linda Goodman has to say about my personality based on my zodiac - which also, incidentally, I find very accurate!) At worst, they are still entertaining! So why not indulge the wacky part of your mind occasionally and let a dessert decide which season matches your personality (turns out I'm summer.....that can't be right! Have you read my Winter memories post yet?).
--------------------
Weirdos on the road
Ever since I started driving, I've encountered a bunch of fellow drivers and pedestrians who have either cracked me up or got me fuming! Here are some instances -
- The family of 7 that will hold hands and cross the road - and be all chatty while they're at it!
- The biker who will zoom past even when his signal is red because waise bhi koi nahi hai, nikal leta hoon - and create unnecessary confusion at the junction
- The rickshaw-wallah who will start inching forward when the timer on the signal is still 15 seconds away, especially when he's blocking the way of those whose signal is actually green
- The BEST bus driver who will drive so claustrophobically close to my car that I have to hurriedly close my side-view mirrors in panic
- Those people who think it's cool to zoom ahead even after the signal has turned red because ek gaadi ke nikalne se kya farak padta hai? And then he/she'll go and block the junction for vehicles coming in from the right or left!
- That Scorpio in which possibly 50 people are squeezed in - at least this doesn't affect other vehicles on the road
- People who create an additional lane in one direction so that in an already tight 4-lane street, the oncoming vehicles take up 3 lanes
- Vehicles that drift on the road because their drivers are too busy speaking or responding to a text on the mobile phone (can't believe they play with their lives like that!)
- And this is by far my biggest peeve - People who'll follow an ambulance because a path just got created
Have you seen any such or similar weirdos on the road? Do share your stories!
--------------------
Cooking fever
Have you tried this mobile game? It's one of those addictive role-play app-based games where you get to run different restaurants. I was hooked to it for the longest time. I owned a fast-food joint, a bakery, an Indian diner, a seafood bistro, a Chinese restaurant, an ice-cream truck and even a breakfast cafe!
I am not very big on mobile gaming but this game caught my fancy because of the awesome animations and the awesome looking food! Now this might be entirely my imagination but I also genuinely feel that it improved my hand-eye coordination and ability to focus.
Unfortunately, after a point, you need to spend actual money to buy game gems that help you upgrade your appliances or your food quality which enables you to increase the food prices and earn more coins and gems. Another reason I stopped playing this was because it drained too much battery.
But if you are fan of role-play games like Gardenscapes or Cityville, you'll like this because it's much simpler and lots of fun!! It's got a 4.4/5 rating on Google Play and 4.5 on Apple...as good or better than most other popular games like Gardenscapes, Temple run, PubG or Pokemon Go - just saying.
Check it out if you're interested!
I also like the word 'kaleidoscope' a lot because it immediately brings to mind a bunch of different memories and observations. So I am starting a new keyword series on my blog and whenever I want to write briefly about a few different unrelated things, I am going to use the keyword 'Kaleidoscope' in the title! These will be a combination of mini-posts that I just decide to write about together for no real reason.
These could be my observations on life, movies or TV shows that I watch, books I've read, music I've listened to, people I've met, experiences I've had, fictional or real-life stories, anecdotes, comedy or satire, food or drink - just about anything under the sun!
Today is the first such kaleidoscopic post!
--------------------
Busting the myth of personality tests
Have you ever wondered how personality tests sometimes feel so accurate? Whether it's the supposedly science-backed ones like the MBTI test or the Big-5 personality test or even the seemingly bogus Buzzfeed-type tests (which, by the way, anyone can make an upload for fun!) that tell you which Disney princess you are most like, or what kind of a person you are based on the type of Subway sandwich you make for yourself or what your personality says about your food choices - most of the time, they somehow seem relatable!
I genuinely believed I was The Mastermind - INTJ in the MBTI test. Until I was recently told that the test is not actually accurate. That the OCEAN model or the Big 5 personality traits model is more accurate. Didn't matter since they both gave me results I could relate to! Much as the below tests did!
Which food combination best matches your personality? (Mine's Apple pie and vanilla ice cream...yumm!)
Everyone has a smell that matches their personality. Here's yours! (Mine's rain!)
Here's how I think these tests are made (or should be made, if they aren't) -
Step 1 - collect a pool of volunteers, say about 500.
Step 2 - Give them a questionnaire asking them about themselves. Or if you don't trust them to answer honestly, give them situations where their behaviour is observed (like a group discussion or maze!).
Step 3 - Based on this, bucket them into pre-identified personality traits
Step 4 - Give them the actual personality questionnaire
Step 5 - Map their responses to their personality bucket
Step 6 - Prepare a sketch for each combination of responses based on Step 5
Not sure if such a process is followed though!
These tests are supposed to help with diagnosing mental health issues or recruitment decisions but how accurate they are depend so heavily on how honestly they are answered! Even if the Big-5 personality test tried to overcome the drawbacks of the MBTI (and we are not even talking about other random internet quizzes), the question remains whether these tests tell respondents something new about themselves or merely validate what they already know because of their dependency on the responses. Plus, personalities are so diverse that no two people are alike. Yet, such tests seek to classify people into a handful of groups. At least the Big-5 model doesn't do this - It simply tells you where you fall on a spectrum of the characteristic which makes it easier for comparability but hardly tells newyou anything about yourself.
At best, these tests are about as questionable or reliable as astrology (and don't get me wrong, I love reading what Linda Goodman has to say about my personality based on my zodiac - which also, incidentally, I find very accurate!) At worst, they are still entertaining! So why not indulge the wacky part of your mind occasionally and let a dessert decide which season matches your personality (turns out I'm summer.....that can't be right! Have you read my Winter memories post yet?).
--------------------
Weirdos on the road
Ever since I started driving, I've encountered a bunch of fellow drivers and pedestrians who have either cracked me up or got me fuming! Here are some instances -
- The family of 7 that will hold hands and cross the road - and be all chatty while they're at it!
- The biker who will zoom past even when his signal is red because waise bhi koi nahi hai, nikal leta hoon - and create unnecessary confusion at the junction
- The rickshaw-wallah who will start inching forward when the timer on the signal is still 15 seconds away, especially when he's blocking the way of those whose signal is actually green
- The BEST bus driver who will drive so claustrophobically close to my car that I have to hurriedly close my side-view mirrors in panic
- Those people who think it's cool to zoom ahead even after the signal has turned red because ek gaadi ke nikalne se kya farak padta hai? And then he/she'll go and block the junction for vehicles coming in from the right or left!
- That Scorpio in which possibly 50 people are squeezed in - at least this doesn't affect other vehicles on the road
- People who create an additional lane in one direction so that in an already tight 4-lane street, the oncoming vehicles take up 3 lanes
- Vehicles that drift on the road because their drivers are too busy speaking or responding to a text on the mobile phone (can't believe they play with their lives like that!)
- And this is by far my biggest peeve - People who'll follow an ambulance because a path just got created
Have you seen any such or similar weirdos on the road? Do share your stories!
--------------------
Cooking fever
Have you tried this mobile game? It's one of those addictive role-play app-based games where you get to run different restaurants. I was hooked to it for the longest time. I owned a fast-food joint, a bakery, an Indian diner, a seafood bistro, a Chinese restaurant, an ice-cream truck and even a breakfast cafe!
I am not very big on mobile gaming but this game caught my fancy because of the awesome animations and the awesome looking food! Now this might be entirely my imagination but I also genuinely feel that it improved my hand-eye coordination and ability to focus.
Unfortunately, after a point, you need to spend actual money to buy game gems that help you upgrade your appliances or your food quality which enables you to increase the food prices and earn more coins and gems. Another reason I stopped playing this was because it drained too much battery.
But if you are fan of role-play games like Gardenscapes or Cityville, you'll like this because it's much simpler and lots of fun!! It's got a 4.4/5 rating on Google Play and 4.5 on Apple...as good or better than most other popular games like Gardenscapes, Temple run, PubG or Pokemon Go - just saying.
Check it out if you're interested!
 |
| You can download it here |
Come back tomorrow for a new post!
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