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Show HN: Semlib – Semantic Data Processing

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11–16 of 16 posts

Re: Show HN: Semlib – Semantic Data Processing

#11
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As you compose fuzzy operations your errors multiply! Nobody is asking for perfection, but this tool seems to me a straightforward way to launder bad data. If you want to do a quick check of an idea then it's probably great, but if you're going to be rigorous and use hard data and reproducible, understandable methods then I don't think it offers anything. The plea for citations at the end of the readme also rubs me t…

I think semantic data processing in this style has a nonempty set of use cases (e.g., I find the fuzzy sorting of arXiv papers to be useful, I find the examples in the docs representative of some real-world tasks where this style of data processing makes sense, and I find many of the motivating examples and use cases in the academic work compelling). At the same time, I think there are many tasks for which this appro…

Thank you for engaging with me so politely and constructively. I care probably more than I should about good science and honesty in academia, and so I feel compelled to push back in cases where I see things like: blatant overstating of capabilities, artificially farming citations.

This case seems to have been a false positive. Surely people will misuse your tool,but that's not your responsibility, as long as you haven't mislead them to begin with. Good luck with the project, I hope to someday need to cite the software myself.

Re: Show HN: Semlib – Semantic Data Processing

#13
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As you compose fuzzy operations your errors multiply! Nobody is asking for perfection, but this tool seems to me a straightforward way to launder bad data. If you want to do a quick check of an idea then it's probably great, but if you're going to be rigorous and use hard data and reproducible, understandable methods then I don't think it offers anything. The plea for citations at the end of the readme also rubs me t…

I think semantic data processing in this style has a nonempty set of use cases (e.g., I find the fuzzy sorting of arXiv papers to be useful, I find the examples in the docs representative of some real-world tasks where this style of data processing makes sense, and I find many of the motivating examples and use cases in the academic work compelling). At the same time, I think there are many tasks for which this appro…

FWIW it doesn't serve as a great example because the ordering is not obvious. I think that is what GP was reacting to. When I say "sort a list of presidents by how right-leaning they are" in any other context people would probably assume the MOST right-leaning president to be listed first. It took me a moment to remember that Pythons 'sort' would be in ascending order by default.

Re: Show HN: Semlib – Semantic Data Processing

#15
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think semantic data processing in this style has a nonempty set of use cases (e.g., I find the fuzzy sorting of arXiv papers to be useful, I find the examples in the docs representative of some real-world tasks where this style of data processing makes sense, and I find many of the motivating examples and use cases in the academic work compelling). At the same time, I think there are many tasks for which this appro…

Thank you for engaging with me so politely and constructively. I care probably more than I should about good science and honesty in academia, and so I feel compelled to push back in cases where I see things like: blatant overstating of capabilities, artificially farming citations. This case seems to have been a false positive. Surely people will misuse your tool,but that's not your responsibility, as long as you have…

For sure! I share your feelings about good science and honesty in academia :)

Re: Show HN: Semlib – Semantic Data Processing

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think semantic data processing in this style has a nonempty set of use cases (e.g., I find the fuzzy sorting of arXiv papers to be useful, I find the examples in the docs representative of some real-world tasks where this style of data processing makes sense, and I find many of the motivating examples and use cases in the academic work compelling). At the same time, I think there are many tasks for which this appro…

FWIW it doesn't serve as a great example because the ordering is not obvious. I think that is what GP was reacting to. When I say "sort a list of presidents by how right-leaning they are" in any other context people would probably assume the MOST right-leaning president to be listed first. It took me a moment to remember that Pythons 'sort' would be in ascending order by default.

Good point, I see how the example can be confusing. Updated the example to have `reverse=True` and a comment, hopefully that clarifies things.
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