Andy Hicks

Occasional thoughts on telco digital transformation, music, and other ridiculous things.

[Rob Lee @RALee85]

Some thoughts about the supplemental bill. This is good news, but it will primarily help Ukraine defend in 2024 and into 2025. Russia will still likely make further gains this year, and it doesn't fix all of Ukraine's issues. It should be seen as one part of a long-term strategy.

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

@girlsinrap , z zz zllllklk3lllll

[psychotronica @psychotronica_]

John Waters - Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous
1990 / Baltimore, MD
🦩sound on🦩

[𝕯𝖎𝖑𝖉𝖔 𝕭𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖘 @EmmaTolkin]

THIS IS UNFATHOMABLY SICK. Wait til Chao Tian comes in, it goes so hard. New favorite genre: Appalachinese!!! 🪕🇨🇳

[Nat Friedman @natfriedman]

Ten months ago, we launched the Vesuvius Challenge to solve the ancient problem of the Herculaneum Papyri, a library of scrolls that were flash-fried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Today we are overjoyed to announce that our crazy project has succeeded. After 2000 years, we can finally read the scrolls:
This image was produced by @Youssef_M_Nader, @LukeFarritor, and @JuliSchillij, who have now won the Vesuvius Challenge Grand Prize of $700,000. Congratulations!!

These fifteen columns come from the very end of the first scroll we have been able to read and contain new text from the ancient world that has never been seen before. The author – probably Epicurean philosopher Philodemus – writes here about music, food, and how to enjoy life's pleasures. In the closing section, he throws shade at unnamed ideological adversaries – perhaps the stoics? – who "have nothing to say about pleasure, either in general or in particular."

This year, the Vesuvius Challenge continues. The text that we revealed so far represents just 5% of one scroll.

In 2024, our goal is to from reading a few passages of text to entire scrolls, and we're announcing a new $100,000 grand prize for the first team that is able to read at least 90% of all four scrolls that we have scanned.

The scrolls stored in Naples that remain to be read represent more than 16 megabytes of ancient text. But the villa where the scrolls were found was only partially excavated, and scholars tell us that there may be thousands more scrolls underground. Our hope is that the success of the Vesuvius Challenge catalyzes the excavation of the villa, that the main library is discovered, and that whatever we find there rewrites history and inspires all of us.

It's been a great joy to work on this strange and amazing project. Thanks to Brent Seales for laying the foundation for this work over so many years, thanks to the friends and Twitter users whose donations powered our effort, and thanks to the many contestants whose contributions have made the Vesuvius Challenge successful!

Read more in our announcement: https://t.co/rUlrdGXBMs

[@emilymbender.bsky.social @emilymbender]

With the OpenAI clownshow, there's been renewed media attention on the xrisk/"AI safety" nonsense. Personally, I've had a fresh wave of reporters asking me naive questions (+ some contacts from old hands who know how to handle ultra-rich man-children with god complexes). 🧵1/

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

@Dchinni Thanks for beating KC!

[Petr Pavel @prezidentpavel]

Na Pražský hrad přicestoval muž, který svým odhodláním a statečností inspiruje celý svět. 500 dní prezident @ZelenskyyUa a ukrajinský lid odolávají ruské agresi. Za Českou republiku ho dnes mohu znovu osobně ujistit, že v boji za svobodu a suverenitu není sám a nikdy nebude.

[Maggie Johnson-Pint @maggiepint]

This is weird to say out loud, but I actually am kinda an expert in rate limiting, so I'm gonna explain some stuff.

About half of incidents in large-scale production systems involve having more requests than you can serve. There are two categories of this kind of incident:

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

Today: survey data on what enterprise customers want from their service providers, and where they should their invest next:

https://t.co/jyARI73ycO

[0xDesigner @0xDesigner]

Probably the best thing you'll see today.

In 2017, a group of developers hilariously competed for who could create worst volume control interface in the world.

The results 🧵

1/22

[Jakub Lucký @JakubLuckyCZ]

Finská premiérka Sanna Marinová uznala porážku ve volbách, její sociální demokrace skončila až třetí. Zde je pro vás všechno, co jste nejspíš nikdy nechtěli nebo nepotřebovali vědět o výsledku finských voleb: /1

[Evan Rail @evanrail]

The brewery in Pardubice closes this week, bringing an end to the 133-year-old Pardubický Porter. For @goodbeerhunting, @MicNovotny and I visited the brewery — and the tomb of its beloved brewmaster — one last time. With help from @FilipNerad.
https://t.co/6CiaRO4AJr

[Br𝕏d Skggs @brdskggs]

Trying to make my LinkedIn profile more interesting if a recruiter is using a large language model like GPT-4 to send me a message.

Looks like it works on the public version of my profile!

[edgarwright @edgarwright]

Here's the 1984 TV ad where Michelle Yeoh met Jackie Chan and a career in acting and action was born. https://t.co/wCv12wBdpT

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

And unlike my fourteen-year-old son, he understands how to save files in a directory structure. What he doesn't understand is why Microsoft keeps asking him if he wants to save in the cloud or locally. I don't understand that either!

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

Just spent some time doing tech support for my father in law. Usability for the elderly is getting worse and worse!

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

He is almost 90 and has all his marbles, but his hands shake, so he keeps misentering his account info so he gets locked out. Resetting his account presents the exact same difficulties that got him there in the first place.

[Andy Hicks @AndyHicks]

34.5% of enterprise communications services purchasers say their careers were harmed due to poor delivery by their CSPs. But despite that scary statistic, CSPs should see some sunshine in the enterprise market. Hear more next Tuesday at MWC:

https://t.co/sxnxxBAK5h

[ArtNouveauDeco @NouveauDeco]

An American electric bread toaster from 1929. The Universal E9410 or better known as the “Sweetheart” is the crème de la crème in the world of vintage toasters.