h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ref. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio2/F2689161?thread=3584753&latest=1 for backstory. find it hard to believe that this word, which is fairly liberally dotted over h2g2 without sanction or block, is now "infra dig" WEhat's the policy and has it been altered recently? If in all previous versions of an entry this was a poerfectly acceptible word - or I would never have been allowed to post it - then what's altered recently? yours in bafflement AgProv

I just tried it myself. Didn't go through.

Though it is actually a proper English word describing someone born out of wedlock. How curious.

Frankly, AgProv, best of luck to you making any sense out of the 'profanity filter' that has been installed here.

I gave up ages ago...

az

bastard


az

Oh look! When I wrote it in the plural form it wouldn't go through, but it goes through as a single noun.

Weirder and weirder . . .

You can't have more than one bastard at a time?

az

Traveller in Time working aroud
"Welcome back . . . < F77636?thread=2636225 > 'Profanity filter goes live'

As you can find in the conversations regarding this announcement some previous edited entries will be difficult to update. Mainly as nobody has a clou what words are triggering the filther. "

Perhaps somebody wanted to ensure 'bastard sword' and 'bastard file' would be passed, but thought nobody could 'legitimately' want to use the plural form.

so anybody doing the guide entry on "British Prime Ministers - John Major (1990 - 97)" is going to be seriously discommoded to discover they can't quote the subject of the entry, concerning his definition of his Cabinet colleagues and rivals for the party leadership?

"B@stards!"

Hello all,

It's never been our intention to be heavy handed where this issue is concerned, or to censor unnecessarily.

When the profanity filter was introduced, we explained that it wouldn't be applied retrospectively, unless relevant posts or Entries were Yikesed - this would mean that they went through the moderation system again.

If we feel that swear words are justified in an Entry (such as in our Entry on the etymology of swear words) then we will try to accommodate them. We look at these matters on a case-by-case basis. It is not our intention to apply rules just for the sake of it. We'd just prefer it if you didn't swear.

Thanks,

h2g2 Editors

Yep, I would go along with that, there are places on the internet that are full of swear words and it is frankly boring after a while to see the F word in every sentence, often used as a weapon against someone.

Bastard is a swear word?

Again, it would help to have a list of words somewhere that made it clear to all h2g2 researchers about which words are no longer allowed.

It would also help a lot if the filter highlighted the 'offending word' when it blocks a posting.

No doubt you've heard all of this before. Yet nothing has changed.

az

Hello there,

If anyone would like to put us into a position where we are forced to be more strict in the application of this policy and strain our already limited resources further, then the best way is probably to keep pointing out what might seem to be inconsistencies in the workings of the filter.

h2g2 Editors

Gee, nice threat guys. Don't worry, Jimster. I'm pretty much gone from h2g2 anyhow.


az

What are you picking on me for?

Jeez, ego much?

Now, look folks, so long as there is only one bastard involved, we are fine. Twin births may cause a problem.

On balance, it might be best to refer to the type of lifeform which has the audacity to be born outside the framework of Holy Matrimoney (sic) as mongrels.

zdt

>>
If anyone would like to put us into a position where we are forced to be more strict in the application of this policy and strain our already limited resources further, then the best way is probably to keep pointing out what might seem to be inconsistencies in the workings of the filter.

h2g2 Editors
<<


In the interests of not increasinging your workload re the filter, can you clarify what you mean there? Do you mean threads like this one?

I am sure they do, my dear disguised kakapo type. So we should really just stop discussing this, hang our little heads in shame & go off & write a nice Guide Entry about it.

zdt*sorry; i am deviating from nice safe mode*

And i retract the remark about Guide Entries, since typing in the plural form of the "B" word results in rather a lot of Entries;no doubt this represents a hell of a lot of work tracking down the naughty bits.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/Search?searchstring=Bastard*&dosearch=Search&searchtype=goosearch

zdt

just add an "S" to the link, since it won't post otherwise, yet is a genuine link to a genuine search on h2g2, using the word.

Traveller in Time writing local filters
"Why not just type '' instead of using .

Not using the potential filtered word, but something suggestive as a smiley . "

Traveller in Time writing local filters
"Why not just instead of using "