Brett Seybert

Throwback 💿: Rock and Roll Part Three by Ozma

New Study Shows That Students Are Helped by Making College Better, Not Cheaper

Helping students succeed also involves a different intuition, however, one that every student unable to take required courses because of waiting lists or limited sections understands: Finishing college is less likely if the school isn’t very good and can’t afford quality academic programs.

This is absolutely true, but it might be overlooking a much simpler problem: how do we define “success” for students? Should it simply be whether they pass courses or graduate, or should it factor in how much the student has actually learned and how prepared the student is for life after college? Grades are, ultimately, arbitrary. And when the institution has a vested interest in seeing students succeed (by the limited definition used in basically all education-focused legislation), the likelihood that a student who has not mastered the material will pass anyway—still succeeding by the State and institutional standards—drastically increases while the likelihood of succeeding in life after college undoubtedly decreases. This problem is exacerbated by the funding issues mentioned in the piece. If colleges had the money to invest on a per student basis, I have no doubt they would like to invest that money in driving actual success — making sure that students understood the material and that the degree they received was earned rather than purchased. This is likely one of the things the authors mean by “quality academic programs.” But, as things are, cash-strapped colleges are more likely to pad numbers or water down expectations. These are more affordable solutions to an expensive problem.

Now 🎧: “Tupelo” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

Now 🎧: “Tupelo” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

Now 📖: Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

Now 📖: Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

☺️

Aeon: The weird wonders of combining 3D printing with the maths of pinecones and sunflowers:

Using rotating, 3D-printed sculptures that he displays under a strobe light, the US designer John Edmark [. . .] creates dynamic 'blooms' that look like sophisticated computer-animation exercises come to life.

Amazing.

Now 🎧: Where There’s Smoke: “Go Let It Out (Expression)

Now 🎧: Where There’s Smoke: “Go Let It Out (Expression)

Vlad Savov at The Verge perfectly summed up something I’ve been feeling for a long time, but have struggled to put into words.

Whatever it is, I’ve been gripped by a fever of indecision caused by comparing Apples iPhone X and Google’s Pixel 2 XL side by side.

Yep.

Later, he gets into what I think is the real crux of the problem — that, aside from all the ecosystem arguments and camera comparisons, actually using the iPhone X, with its gesture-based interface is such a great experience.

There is pure kinetic joy in swiping up from the bottom of the phone to summon the home screen, or sideways to switch between apps. I marvel at the fluidity and beauty of this human-machine interface. It’s fast, unerringly smooth, and unfailingly satisfying to use.

His experiences are also similar to mine in the advantages of the Pixel: its battery life¹ and its camera.

. . . the iPhone doesn’t match the Pixel 2’s camera, and in my experience it’s not even close.

My experience has been the same. Chalk it up to personal preference — I’ve seen all the great comparisons people have posted online and the difference is much less clear in that context — but in my use, the Pixel 2 XL’s camera is head and shoulders above the iPhone X. For me, this is the single reason that it’s hard to switch. I have a 6-month old son, and the photos that I have routinely captured with the Pixel 2 XL are just so good. Far better than what I expect to capture with my smartphone. The iPhone X similarly does a great job, but the photos look like really good smartphone photos rather than really good photos. Aside from all the other conveniences of the iPhone — the ecosystem, third party apps, iMessage, AirPods, etc.—this is the one reason that I’m having a hard time really making the switch.

But, like Savov:

. . . as soon as I was back on the Pixel, tapping the multitasking button like some 20th century plebeian, looking at the less impressive display, listening to the less stellar speakers, swiping through the Twitter app with the buttons at the top instead of the bottom… I started feeling sad.

Finally, he sums it up perfectly with this line:

The iPhone (X) is every Android fan’s worst nightmare: the outsider that shows you how nice life could be.

1. Who knows how long this will actually last, but for now, while my Pixel is still relatively new, it’s great. ↩︎