Are Final Clubs Too Exclusive for Harvard?

My first introduction to “final clubs” was in The Social Network; however, Sarah Maslin Nir has a great article in The New York Times about their place at Harvard in 2016:

Today, that description is perpetuated by unwritten codes on who may pass through their doors and who may join. The elaborate courtship of the desirable can begin with an engraved invitation slipped under a dorm room door to “punch” — a selection process that continues with a series of outings and culminates in a black-tie dinner feting the few who make it through.

To many students, the clubs remain potent symbols of privilege, anachronistic and out of place on an increasingly diverse campus.

Facebook Changing Algorithm to Punish Clickbait

Facebook

Facebook will be tweaking its news algorithm to start ranking stories that are seen as “clickbait” much lower than others. From Facebook’s blog, announcing this change:

We are focusing more effort on this, and are updating News Feed by using a system that identifies phrases that are commonly used in clickbait headlines. First, we categorized tens of thousands of headlines as clickbait by considering two key points: (1) if the headline withholds information required to understand what the content of the article is; and (2) if the headline exaggerates the article to create misleading expectations for the reader. For example, the headline “You’ll Never Believe Who Tripped and Fell on the Red Carpet…” withholds information required to understand the article (What happened? Who Tripped?) The headline “Apples Are Actually Bad For You?!” misleads the reader (apples are only bad for you if you eat too many every day). A team at Facebook reviewed thousands of headlines using these criteria, validating each other’s work to identify a large set of clickbait headlines.

Good.

Modest Mouse’s Issac Brock in Accident

Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse’s Issac Brock was in an accident in Portland, OR, yesterday. He apparently fell asleep at the wheel. He is ok. From Oregonlive:

Brock told police that he had fallen asleep at the wheel. He was evaluated for signs of intoxication, but there were no signs of him being otherwise impaired so police cited him for careless driving. Simpson reported that the investigation is closed and that there weren’t any serious injuries.

Review: Emarosa – 131

Emarosa - 131

“Nothing ever happens until it happens to you” bellows Bradley Walden on “Miracle,” the second single off 131, the newest release from his band Emarosa. It’s an exhilarating moment on one of the album’s most electrifying tracks. It can also be interpreted as the main thesis behind 131 – professionally (Emarosa) and personally (Walden). 131 is the second album to feature Walden as the band’s lead vocalist after original vocalist Jonny Craig was kicked out for a myriad of reasons. It was a fight or flight moment for the band and they struck gold when they tapped Walden to handle vocal duties, and the band’s third LP, Versus, followed soon after. That record was a very respectable release but you can hear that both the band and Walden were still in that adjustment period stage and trying to feel each other out. Versus was the beginning of the band’s shift away from post-hardcore into more of a fluid pop-influence, but without losing any of their aggressiveness. And 131 is the fully realized version of that sound — Walden and company have grown together to create one of the most powerful and honest albums of year.

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