Words flagged in search of current NSF awards • Hacker News Board

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#11

Post by bhouston » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:43 PM UTC

I am so disheartened by the term "free speech" in political usage because it does seem to me mostly a rallying call to actually ban speech that the user of the term dislikes. I look to how "cisgender" is treated on X worse that most actual ethnic slurs: https://www.fastcompany.com/91126082/elon-musk-x-cisgender-c...

Very few actually want to apply it equally to both their side and the opposing side.

I did notice this one group called FIRE that actually does a pretty decent job of applying free speech rights relatively equally, I think we should support it more:

https://www.thefire.org

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#12

Post by 9283409232 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:43 PM UTC

glitchc wrote: post #3

drawkward wrote: post #2

thus begins the end of pax americana; you can't have a space-age economy if you don't have science.

[flagged]

You think only social sciences use the words "bias" and "gender?"

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#13

Post by SV_BubbleTime » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:44 PM UTC

Can I see a source for “forbidden” or “banned”? I see the author claiming these words get “flagged”, but also no source other than his post.

Surely HN users wouldn’t be so quick to just believe a random mastadon post because it aligns with their own , right?

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#14

Post by elashri » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:45 PM UTC

In particle physics we usually use these terms which will be at any proposal. This is an interesting textbook definition of false positives when you have list that is using too common words.

- Minimum "Biased" data

- "Discrimination" or "Discriminatory" variables

- Phase space "excluded"

- "Inclusion" of data/variable/anything

- "inequality" -> wow bell's inequality and all this theory work about inequalities will be triggered

These are just example that came into my mind from quick thought and skimming. I'm pretty sure that this will have much worst false positive rate. I would really be surprised if the vast majority if not all of projects get flagged. I'm also sure that 100% of statistics work or project heavily reliant on statistics (probably everything else too) will be flagged.

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#15

Post by jimmar » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:46 PM UTC

Anybody have the actual source of the list? It purports to be from a program officer, but how do we know?

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#16

Post by aeve890 » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:46 PM UTC

elashri wrote: post #14

In particle physics we usually use these terms which will be at any proposal. This is an interesting textbook definition of false positives when you have list that is using too common words. - Minimum "Biased" data - "Discrimination" or "Discriminatory" variables - Phase space "excluded" - "Inclusion" of data/variable/anything - "inequality" -> wow bell's inequality and all this theory work about inequalities will be…

Also "polarization".

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#17

Post by barbazoo » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:46 PM UTC

[flagged]

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#18

Post by bhouston » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:46 PM UTC

footy wrote: post #6

"historically" is on this list

I think that relates to talking about history in a way that may make white people feel bad about it: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/florida-sb-148-racis...

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#19

Post by whatshisface » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:47 PM UTC

j7ake wrote: post #5

RIP statisticians and Ml researchers who use the word “bias” in their work.

In 2055, anti-wokeists will have banned "bias," and wokeists will have banned "weight." Following defeat in the pan-Eastern bent ground war, hawks will ban "loss." They will be renamed plusses, and double plusses, and ungood.

Re: Words flagged in search of current NSF awards

#20

Post by theossuary » Tue, Feb 04, 2025, 2:47 PM UTC

slackfan wrote: post #9

Freedom of speech does not imply freedom of funding.

> Freedom of speech does not imply freedom of funding.

The first amendment is specifically about preventing government reprisals for speech. If I would have won a federal grant, but was denied it because I said "trans rights," that's the definition of a first amendment violation.