Short rants.

[ScottieBaseball]

Because he is actually funny Scottie. Don't you know? We as the viewing public love smug, unfunny humor from Buck, McCarver and Caray.

BTW, how awesome would a Jon Miller/Bob Uecker team be? I would give up a kidney to listen to them call the Series.

Wow!!! Miller and Uecker would be worth watching no matter who was playing. A kidney?!?! Forget that!!! I'd give up a KID to see that.

[longflyball]

Am I the only one who finds Baltimore/DC area grocery stores severely lacking in quality? I recently moved to the Jessup/Columbia area and I went to the Safeway that my friends use. I was solicited on my way in and out by a guy wanting money for some youth program. I walked up to the Deli and there was no one behind the counter. I told a manager and he said the guy was probably on break. When the deli guy got back he was complaining to an off-the-clock co-worker about how he wasn't getting enough hours. Then I go to check out and have to wait, despite the store being almost completely empty.

These stores operate as if they have a monopoly.

[rolliefingers]

Rant update: Regrade request forms are really annoying.

New Rant: At Penn, Wharton kids think they are so superior to everyone because they are in Wharton. But apparently, most of them are idiots. My econ class is made up mostly of Wharton students (who are required to take it) and econ majors. The midterm, which was pretty darn easy, had a class average of 68/100. I somehow got 100/100, which means Wharton kids need to stop being so darn smug!

Watch out there, slugger, my dad was a Wharton man!

[rolliefingers]

I'd give up a KID to see that.

Yeah, you can probably spare one for the cause.

[RShack]

I'd give up a KID to see that.

Yeah, you can probably spare one for the cause.

Not a biggie... he can make another one who looks just like that one...
Um... no, wait...
On second thought, maybe that is a big deal!

[square634]

Watch out there, slugger, my dad was a Wharton man!

My mom also got an MBA at Wharton. She said she was shocked at how dumb most of the people were. But that was 30 years ago, you'd think things would have changed.

[blueberryale77]

My mom also got an MBA at Wharton. She said she was shocked at how dumb most of the people were. But that was 30 years ago, you'd think things would have changed.

Oh things have changed at America's universities in the last 30 years, but not for the better (or the smarter anyway).



And Bgfield... with the coffee... I know it's annoying to pay for coffee when there's free "coffee" at work, but get a $10 coffee maker at Target and make your own at home or stop and pick some up on the way to work. The quality of the coffee you drink can make a big difference in the quality of your day... and your work. Of course, if you could convince your boss of that, maybe he/she would shell out for decent coffee and fresh creamer.

[square634]

Oh things have changed at America's universities in the last 30 years, but not for the better (or the smarter anyway).

I would say things are much more competitive now, though. I mean, I wasn't alive back then, but it seems that statistically the caliber of students is increasing across the country.

[blueberryale77]

I would say things are much more competitive now, though. I mean, I wasn't alive back then, but it seems that statistically the caliber of students is increasing across the country.

Based on what? About a decade ago standardized test scores had slumped so much that they had to "re-center" the SAT to bring the average score back up to 1000. Part of that is just that a greater percentage of students are taking it now that some schools offer it for free and college is basically essential for obtaining a lot of jobs that never used to require a degree, but I think by and large the proliferation of new universities and increasing size of existing ones has led to a watering down of college in most places, even at elite universities. I've heard a lot of complaints about today's students (not just current ones, but ones from the past decade or so which includes me) from older professors, including some at Ivy League schools. The biggest one is that students can't write like they used to. I would tend to agree with that and blame it largely on decreased focus on grammar and composition at the elementary and secondary levels. It kind of parallels what has happened to baseball fundamentals in a way... we're no longer teaching kids to take the time to do "the little things" right.

[RShack]

I would say things are much more competitive now, though. I mean, I wasn't alive back then, but it seems that statistically the caliber of students is increasing across the country.

I wish you were right. Sadly, it's just the opposite. College is the new high school.

[square634]

Based on what? About a decade ago standardized test scores had slumped so much that they had to "re-center" the SAT to bring the average score back up to 1000. Part of that is just that a greater percentage of students are taking it now that some schools offer it for free and college is basically essential for obtaining a lot of jobs that never used to require a degree, but I think by and large the proliferation of new universities and increasing size of existing ones has led to a watering down of college in most places, even at elite universities. I've heard a lot of complaints about today's students (not just current ones, but ones from the past decade or so which includes me) from older professors, including some at Ivy League schools. The biggest one is that students can't write like they used to. I would tend to agree with that and blame it largely on decreased focus on grammar and composition at the elementary and secondary levels. It kind of parallels what has happened to baseball fundamentals in a way... we're no longer teaching kids to take the time to do "the little things" right.

I'm not trying to say that college is harder than it used to be, just that the caliber of student entering college now is higher than it was when my parents went to college; my parents are pretty sure they would have never gotten into the schools they did if they were applying today. You may be correct that writing has been deemphasized in some circles (I don't think so at my high school, but I would tend to agree that most people in college don't seem to have learned how to write), but I think curricula at the middle and high school levels are overall more rigorous than ever.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was taught that IQ scores across the country have been increasing over time so that the test has to be renormalized. A figure I saw in psychology class was something to the effect of a 100 IQ (average) today would have been between one and two standard deviations above the mean in 1970. Obviously, an IQ test doesn't necessarily equate to intelligence, but it is better than SAT scores, which, as you note, or pretty worthless as a standard considering the difference in the number of people who take them.

Mostly what I base my opinion on is talking to my parents about what they did in high school and college. They said my curriculum was much more rigorous through high school than theirs were, especially in science and math. In those days, they said most kids had not taken calculus when they reached college. In contrast, I and a few other people in my year took calculus starting in sophomore year. About 85-90% of my school overall had at least one year of calculus by the end of senior year. Also based on what I have heard, competition to get into the top schools is much more cutthroat now than it used to be, which I think causes a lot more focus on high achievement in high school.

[longflyball]

Also based on what I have heard, competition to get into the top schools is much more cutthroat now than it used to be, which I think causes a lot more focus on high achievement in high school.

Ironically, the reason schools are now more selective on a percentage basis is because they receive many more applications than they used to. Because each school is more selective, each student applies to more schools, increasing the number of applications each school receives, which forces each school to be more selective, and so on.

[RShack]

Mostly what I base my opinion on is talking to my parents about what they did in high school and college. They said my curriculum was much more rigorous through high school than theirs were, especially in science and math. In those days, they said most kids had not taken calculus when they reached college. In contrast, I and a few other people my year took calculus starting in sophomore year. About 85-90% of my school overall had at least one year of calculus by senior year. Also based on what I have heard, competition to get into the top schools is much more cutthroat now than it used to be, which I think causes a lot more focus on high achievement in high school.

Your experience is very atypical. As a general theme, students show up ill-prepared in math, and unmotivated to purse the disciplines that require the greatest discipline. For example, we're just not producing nearly enough engineers and computer science people. A high percentage of students choose disciplines based on where they think the best trade-off is between career-$ and least-study. Often, it's not "How much can I learn in 4 years?" but instead is, "How can I get out of here with a degree via minimum work and hassle?"

I agree that things are more cut-throat re: getting in to top schools. However, this does not mean that students are either better-prepared or more dedicated to a field, it means that students have become more adept at reading the system and doing what the system requires. You could call this hard work and you could call it better gaming the system. Increased concern for the prestige of the school one is going to reflects an increased emphasis on prestige... but is that good or bad?

I don't blame students for this. I think it's how they're raised. But maybe that's just me. Regardless, there are always many good students. My concern is the more typical student.

[cindyluvsbrady]

Am I the only one who finds Baltimore/DC area grocery stores severely lacking in quality? I recently moved to the Jessup/Columbia area and I went to the Safeway that my friends use. I was solicited on my way in and out by a guy wanting money for some youth program. I walked up to the Deli and there was no one behind the counter. I told a manager and he said the guy was probably on break. When the deli guy got back he was complaining to an off-the-clock co-worker about how he wasn't getting enough hours. Then I go to check out and have to wait, despite the store being almost completely empty.

These stores operate as if they have a monopoly.

Shop at Giant

[cindyluvsbrady]

Wow!!! Miller and Uecker would be worth watching no matter who was playing. A kidney?!?! Forget that!!! I'd give up a KID to see that.

Can I have the angel? Im surrounded by boys!