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What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

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Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#381

Post by throwawaymaths »

frickinLasers wrote: post #323
throwawaymaths wrote: post #66

just two days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42910829 the problems that led to these frauds are structural --no amount of patching the system will fix this. maybe we should consider the possibility that we are due for a refactor, which is often painful, but especially painful for people (or code) with an entrenched incentive to continue existing. i dont mean to defend what the administration is doing but I…

> ironically, the very people most likely to move abroad (in it for the career, not for the principle) are biased to be the types bringing down our system of science. What the hell are you talking about? I chose to get into science for the benefit of the masses, rather than, for instance, helping some corporation abuse human psychology to sell more ads. If there is no money to do the science, I have no choice but to…

> I chose to get into science for the benefit of the masses

why do you suppose most science benefits the masses?

a stunning amount of science is negative. homme hellinga cheating and claiming a triosephosphate isomerase, for example. stripey nanoparticles, as another. Thousands of western blots that were cleverly edited by unscrupulous postdocs. everything by diderik stapel. anil potti.

those are the ones that got caught. so many more got away with it.

and yes, if you can't tell, i know what the fuck I'm talking about.

> And to give you an example

why dont i give you an example. NIH is responsible for 80% of the budget of an NGO that collaborated with WIV and advocated for GOF research. on the grounds of likely being responsible in part for the deaths of millions worldwide maybe we should suspend funding to the NIH until all of its policies can be reviewed

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#382

Post by hall0ween »

stainablesteel wrote: post #225
cbare wrote: post #133

The US has the strongest university and research system in the world. Wrecking that will be one of the worst acts of self-harm ever.

It's also highly discriminatory and ideological. Decades of discrimination will lead people to want to come back and tear it down, you reap what you sow.

Could you explain more about the "highly discriminatory and ideological" behavior you've seen? Is it across the board, in the sciences? For example, is a neurosurgery lab at UC Davis working on glioma research either discriminatory and ideologically driven?

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#383

Post by dionian »

nyc_data_geek1 wrote: post #90
thinkingtoilet wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These "regular people" that you seem to condescendingly speak about absolutely notice it at the pump and at the grocery store. They aren't mindless robots.

If your engagement with politics, civics and public policy begins and ends with how much groceries and gas cost, then you are the perfect consumer, and something less than a thinking, rational human with agency and awareness. What is a human without curiosity or critical thinking, but a biological consuming robot? Which incidentally is what the new department of education will try to create a population of, by destro…

Don't states have their own DOE?

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#384

Post by stingrae »

khazhoux wrote: post #367
yibg wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Roughly half the voting population wants a king. It's not just rolling over, this is welcomed with open arms. I try to understand how the "other side" is thinking about this. Disagreements on policy aside, why would "freedom loving Americans" want a king that can rule unilaterally? Not trying to start a flame war or pose a gotcha question, I'm genuinely curious. What am I missing?

I think you're misrepresenting. His side won, and now they get to do what they want. It's always that way, no? Like, isn't that the point of an election?

They get to do what they want within the rules established by the courts and constitution.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#385

Post by Spivak »

77pt77 wrote: post #351
Karrot_Kream wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of other benefits to the USA attracting high skill talent than just salary: * English language school system so your kids (if you have them) will speak a world language. * Racially and culturally diverse cultures, cuisines, and communities. * Exposure to goods from most of the world, even if marked up. * Availability of international franchises headquartered in other countries in major metros. * A stron…

[flagged]

I don't know what to tell you, if you think the cuisine available in the US isn't great it's because you aren't looking. The "tossed salad" nature of the country comes out in full force to create a food scene that holds its own against anywhere in the world. Even if you restrict yourself to classic American cuisine the food is still world class.

One of my absolute favorite things to do any time a friend from overseas who only knows American food from our media portrayal comes to visit is to take them out to eat and watch their eyes light up. The best reaction I got was from a UK friend I met on WoW— "good lord I see why you're all so fat" said through a mouthful of cheeseburger. If there's one thing America can do it's cook.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#386

Post by sangnoir »

bilbo0s wrote: post #205
willvarfar wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China, for example, could set up a very European-style English-speaking institute in Hong Kong or Macau with high salaries to attract scientists. Singapore and South Korea too. One day Americans might well follow the money and the research freedom?

China's drowning in their own PhD's. The competition is fierce, and the pressure is enormous. The best and brightest over there are insanely capable men and women. In all honesty, it's hard to see China wanting many of the PhD's that would be available from the US in a worst case scenario NSF/NIH funding collapse. There may be a place for the top 0.1%? But for 99.9% of PhD's, there are Chinese replacements that are,…

I see Chinese nationals in US labs thinking a return to China is a more attractive now than it was a few weeks ago. Chinese institutions should absolutely capitalize on this.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#387

Post by throwawaymaths »

vharuck wrote: post #319
anonylizard wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government is exactly a codebase. Government bureaucracies is essentially constricting human judgement to more robotic code-like behavior, that's the only way to build large systems. You say government is not like code, then what exactly is it? Can you describe it in an effective way? Or are you just going to raise your hand up and say there's nothing we can do about it, nothing we can do about the $2 trillion/year t…

>You say government is not like code, then what exactly is it? Government is mostly individuals deciding goals and attempting to convince others. Then rules are added to prevent harm to others or using corrupt methods of convincing. That "code" part is more like a moderated forum: necessary for the huge task, but it's just the framework for the actual content. >Historical governments often needed little beyond an arm…

i hate to break it to you but it's literally called "the federal code".

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#388

Post by lern_too_spel »

mjfl wrote: post #172
freshpots wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Barring all of the hyperbole of your comment, I find it astounding how you're unaware of this with such a "thumb on the pulse" of world news: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/04/benjamin-... Trump said Palestinians have “no alternative” but to “permanently” leave Gaza due to the devastation left by Israel’s war on Hamas. He described Gaza as a “pure demolition site” and claimed Palestinians would “love…

The consensus ruling of the International Court of Justice is not hyperbole, it's a fact. Are you going to call the UN antisemitic like Benjamin Netanyahu did? And actually, you in fact can argue that Trump has been better on the issue than Biden. Multiple news outlets have reported that it was Trump that forced the ceasefire: - https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-forced-netanyahu-to-make-a... - https://www.information…

The US was telling Israel to hold back and trying to get aid into Gaza. That's not happening anymore. https://abcnews.go.com/International/shutting-usaid-major-im...

The US was in favor of a two state solution. The US is now saying that half of one state, by population, is no longer available. It's clear to anyone with two neurons to rub together that the other half is gone within the next four years.

Re: What's happening inside the NIH and NSF

#390

Post by 77pt77 »

hinkley wrote: post #214
caycep wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the irony of Andreesen now being one of those now gloating over its destruction

Is he really? Where? I'm no Eric Bina but I ate from the same table and would be happy to remind him of the petulant brat reputation he left behind in the halls of NCSA.

I've heard several interviews about the decisions he made at that time and came from a neutral opinion to hating his guts.

It's like he was surrounded by knowledgeable people and decided to make wrong decision upon wrong decision just to spite them because he resented them being better than him.

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