Straight BS – New Takes from Blayne A. Stewart https://blayne.me/bs/ Latest content from Straight BS, written and produced by Blayne A. Stewart. en-us Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT Take 05: I'm Not an Expert in Anything https://blayne.me/bs/episode-05-im-not-an-expert-in-anything/ https://blayne.me/bs/episode-05-im-not-an-expert-in-anything/ Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT Blayne A. Stewart My thoughts on content creation, blocking myself because things aren't perfect, and kind of daring myself to post the results. I don't even know what I intended to record when I set this one up. This is what came out. My thoughts on content creation, blocking myself because things aren't perfect, and kind of daring myself to post the results. Enjoy...I guess.

]]> Inside UACCB: I'm the Guest This Time https://blayne.me/bs/inside-uaccb-guest-appearance/ https://blayne.me/bs/inside-uaccb-guest-appearance/ Mon, 24 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT Blayne A. Stewart In a fun role reversal, my colleague Stephanie Minor hosts the podcast I normally host so I can be the guest and talk about what I do at UACCB. I host a podcast at UACCB called "Inside UACCB" where I interview employees about what they do at the school. This time, my friend and colleague Stephanie Minor flipped the script and interviewed me. It was strange being on the other side of the mic, but it was a lot of fun to talk about my work and share a bit about what I do there.

]]> Take 04: I Don't Research Anymore https://blayne.me/bs/episode-04-i-dont-research-anymore/ https://blayne.me/bs/episode-04-i-dont-research-anymore/ Sun, 21 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT Blayne A. Stewart Why I stopped jumping into research first and started letting my half-baked ideas live a little. I wrote in my notebook "I don’t research anymore." And it’s kind of true. I used to dive straight into thirty articles and lose myself in the research, and by the end my idea was basically their idea. Now I let it sit for a while in my own weird little vacuum before I look anything up. Half-baked? Yeah. Sometimes dumb? Sure. But at least it is my idea, right?

]]> Take 03: Making Young Me Happy https://blayne.me/bs/episode-03-making-young-me-happy/ https://blayne.me/bs/episode-03-making-young-me-happy/ Sat, 20 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT Blayne A. Stewart Sometimes I do stuff that makes no sense just because younger me would’ve loved it. Sometimes I do stuff that makes no sense just because younger me would’ve loved it. Like the time I bought a truck I didn’t need...just because somebody once told me I’d never have one. Years later, I traded it for an electric car because it actually fit my life. Both decisions made me happy for totally different reasons, and that’s the point. Sometimes adult me just wants to give kid me a win.

]]> Take 02: Reinforcement Learning with Checklist Feedback https://blayne.me/bs/episode-02-reinforcement-learning-with-checklist-feedback/ https://blayne.me/bs/episode-02-reinforcement-learning-with-checklist-feedback/ Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT Blayne A. Stewart I read a paper on “checklist feedback” in AI and started wondering what it would look like in education. In this episode, I share some half-baked thoughts on atomic checklists, student-made assessments, and how simple yes/no steps might change the way students learn. I read a paper called Checklists Are Better Than Reward Models for Aligning Language Models. It got me thinking about ways to get students more involved in their own learning.

In this episode, I unpack the idea of “reinforcement learning with checklist feedback,” where AI builds an atomic yes/no checklist to complete a task, and wonder what it would look like if students did the same. Could making their own checklists for projects increase buy-in, help them actually understand the task, and cut down on busywork or cheating?

I don’t have it figured out - at all - but I share some half-baked thoughts about atomic checklists, student-generated assessments, faculty feedback, and the tradeoff between added work and added value.

Articles mentioned

]]> Take 01: Let's Get Started https://blayne.me/bs/episode-01-lets-get-started/ https://blayne.me/bs/episode-01-lets-get-started/ Sun, 31 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT Blayne A. Stewart What is Straight BS? It’s me being me. Rambling thoughts, half-formed ideas, personal projects, work stuff, random life things. Whatever ends up in my notebook and needs to spill out. It’s not polished, not “marketing,” and definitely not a suit-and-tie version of me. This is the real starting point for Straight BS. I tried recording this before and didn’t like it, so here’s the redo filmed straight out of a grocery store parking lot with a camera strapped to my steering wheel.

What is Straight BS? It’s me being me. Rambling thoughts, half-formed ideas, personal projects, work stuff, random life things. Whatever ends up in my notebook and needs to spill out. It’s not polished, not “marketing,” and definitely not a suit-and-tie version of me.

Expect car roofs, shiny foreheads, and distracted glances at passing drivers. But also some real talk about authenticity, creativity, and figuring things out as I go.

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