The Four-Star Rating System
Drop the decimals, ditch the half-stars, and take a stance.
There are a handful of ways people rate things and almost all of them are terrible. Crowd-sourced reviews are sourced from a crowd of people I do not know and therefore do not trust. Reviews with decimal points imply any one person’s sensitivity is fine-tuned enough to determine a 7.6 from a 7.7 (it is not). Half-star increments out of five disregard the fact that most people consider 0 stars to be as bad as a 0.5, which is as bad as 1, which is as bad as 1.5, and is maybe even as bad as 2.
The whole thing is a mess. So much so that The Infatuation scrapped their review system entirely, citing a lack of understanding by the readers, stating, “All rating systems require people to understand the language, and that can be a challenge.” The Infatuation has found a working alternative to ratings in their guides (e.g. The Best New Pizza In NYC), where they can make a recommendation, without getting lost in slapping an arbitrary score on the place.
Wirecutter follows a similar methodology, testing and recommending products like the best chef’s knife. Their goal is to “save you time and eliminate the stress,” which is mostly what we’re looking for in ratings after all. These places, however, are sources of recommendations, and not necessarily the opposite.
What's the first thing people ask you? Should I see this movie? They don't want a speech on the director's career. Thumbs up--yes. Thumbs down--no.
—Gene Siskel, legendary movie critic
My suggestion is in-line with Gene’s: no more decimals, no more half-stars. Rate things 1 through 4. Decisions are binary—I will either eat at this restaurant or I will not. The four-star system allows for binary recommendations (do recommend / do not recommend) with the right amount of nuance.
1 = Very Bad
2 = Bad
3 = Good
4 = Very Good
The world does not need more people rating and ranking things. That is not at all what I’m vouching for. What we do need is clear communication. And unity. And you know what? World peace. Now, I’m not saying the four-star system is going to bring us all that, I’m just saying I haven’t heard anyone suggest it yet.
(My official review of the four-star system as a means to achieve world peace: 2 out of 4. Bad.)
Under The Volcano
Of all the arts, I find the creation of music to be the most confounding. I have no difficulty wrapping my head around how an idea manifests itself in a painting or a piece of writing. But the making of music always feels ephemeral, like a song is snatched out of thin air. That is why I am always a sucker for a rock doc, especially one that melds romanticized tales of artists behaving badly with the process of making what would become timeless music. The trailer for this documentary about the producer George Martin, sometimes referred to as the “Fifth Beatle” for his work with the Fab Four, and his studio in the Caribbean island of Montserrat seems to fit the bill, with antics and iconic songs aplenty.
—Justin
A Skateboarder’s Secret Grind
When big media outlets cover sports like skateboarding and surfing, there is always the potential for heavy cringe. But this New York Times profile of Nyjah Huston by John Branch is excellent. It dives deep into Nyjah’s complicated family history and avoids the clichés that often plague serious journalism about skating. Even though I’ve never been a Nyjah fan per se (I’d be hard-pressed to ride a Nyjah deck or wear his Nike SB shoe), I’ve always had a profound respect for his skating. And that respect grew even more after reading this piece.
—Justin
Summer Came My Way – Luxxury Club Mix
Spotify, its algorithms, and the proliferation of playlists have drastically changed what “discovery” of “new” music means. I just discovered this song from 2015 and have listened to all 9 minutes and 17 seconds several times per day since. There are no obvious “this is 2015” references in this song, like an allusion to black and blue dress (Yes, that was 6 years ago. Yes, it is black and blue.), so for me, this is the song of Summer 2021.
—Andrew