While preparing to submit my dissertation for committee review (and eventual defense), out comes some news and analysis that paints a sobering picture for anyone interested in a life of academe.
A new book indicts the system of higher education in the United States for failing to prepare many students for the rigors of modern adult life. Grade inflation is up, undergraduate studying is down – to an average of 12-14 hours a week.
Specifically called out as a pressing dilemma is an apparent systemic failure to impart critical thinking skills to college students. Associated commentary from the Chronicle of Higher Education puts a finer point on that: Continue reading “College: Too Easy?”
Month: January 2011
Drowned City: Looks Compelling
The trailer is definitely a teaser as far as this documentary on the London pirate radio scene is concerned. A feature-length film, Drowned City explores the “pirate radio culture” of London, including the perspectives of broadcasters and those whose job it is to try and silence them. Continue reading “Drowned City: Looks Compelling”
Net Neutrality's Nebulous Future
Just before the end of the year, the Federal Communications Commission made a second try at preserving principles of openness on the Internet – often clumsily called “net neutrality,” but better contextualized as an effort to prevent data discrimination.
There’s been loads of coverage of the decision and predictions of its ultimate success as a regulatory tool. Advocates and critics alike are correct when they say that the issue is more than just one thing – it’s multiple attributes of Internet freedom that are on the line here. Continue reading “Net Neutrality's Nebulous Future”
AM-to-FM Simulcasters Top 400
From the didn’t-have-time-to-mention-last-year department: Radio World reports that more than 400 FM translator stations are now on the air simulcasting AM radio programming.
This is the result of a 2009 FCC decision allowing AM stations to apply for FM repeaters in a quest to find “relief” from the increasing noise floor on the AM dial. Spectrally, it’s a duplicative waste. Continue reading “AM-to-FM Simulcasters Top 400”