The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition • Hacker News Board

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#91

Post by red75prime » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 6:41 PM UTC

GaggiX wrote: post #13

decimalenough wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems to do an OK job: https://g.co/gemini/share/e173d18d1d80 This is a random image from Twitter with no transcript or English translation provided, so it's not going to be in the training data.

That's Gemini 2.5 Flash btw The result from Gemini 3 Pro using the default media resolution (the medium one): "(Заголовок / Header): Арсеньев (Фамилия / Surname - likely "Arsenyev") Состояние удовл- t N, кожные покровы чистые, [л/у не увел.] В зеве умерен. [умеренная] гипер. [гиперемия] В легких дыха- ние жесткое, хрипов нет. Тоны серд- [ца] [ритм]ичные. Живот мяг- кий, б/б [безболезненный]. мочеисп. [мочеиспускание]…

My first language is Russian. I can't fully understand this dreaded "doctor's cursive", but I can see that some parts of Gemini's text is probably wrong.

It's most likely "но кашель сохр-ся лающий" ("but barking cough is still present"), not "кожные покровы чистые" ("the skin is clean"). Diagnose is probably wrong too. Judging by symptoms it should be "ОРЗ", but I have no idea what's actually written there.

Still, it's very, very impressive.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#92

Post by hiAndrewQuinn » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 6:50 PM UTC

seethishat wrote: post #43

notimetorelax wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel that we’re reaching a limit to our context switching. Any further process improvements or optimizations will be bottlenecked on humans. And I don’t think AI will help here as jobs will account for that and we’ll have to do context switching on even broader and more complex scopes.

I think the limit has been exceeded. That's the primary reason everything sort of sucks now. There is no time to slow down and do things right (or better). IMO, cyber security, for example, will have to become a government mandate with real penalties for non-compliance (like seat belts in cars were mandated) in order to force organizations to slow down, and make sure systems are built carefully and as correctly as po…

Here in the EU cybersecurity is actually being regulated, with heavy fines to come (15 million euros or 2.5% of global turnover!), if it wasn't already. Look up the CRA and the NIS2.

Things may well reach a point elsewhere in the world finding out that some software is for sale in the European Union is itself a marker of quality, and therefore justifies some premium.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#93

Post by canopi » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 6:51 PM UTC

If that's not a proof of the 10/90 rule in machine learning. The last 10% of accuracy are harder than the first 90 (and that goes recursively).

We almost solved OCR 20 years ago. Then we spent 20 years on the last percentage. We see the same in self-driving cars.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#94

Post by BJones12 » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 6:52 PM UTC

benterix wrote: post #28

> If AI can diminish some of the monotony of research, perhaps we can spend more time thinking, writing, playing piano, and taking walks — with other people. Whenever any progress is made, this is the logical conclusion. And yet, those who decide about how your time is being used, have an opposing view.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#95

Post by financetechbro » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 6:57 PM UTC

BJones12 wrote: post #94

benterix wrote: post #28

> If AI can diminish some of the monotony of research, perhaps we can spend more time thinking, writing, playing piano, and taking walks — with other people. Whenever any progress is made, this is the logical conclusion. And yet, those who decide about how your time is being used, have an opposing view.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

What’s the problem with that? People are free to use their leisure time how they see fit.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#96

Post by robocat » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 6:59 PM UTC

BJones12 wrote: post #94

benterix wrote: post #28

> If AI can diminish some of the monotony of research, perhaps we can spend more time thinking, writing, playing piano, and taking walks — with other people. Whenever any progress is made, this is the logical conclusion. And yet, those who decide about how your time is being used, have an opposing view.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

Source? Surely depends on the population chosen e.g. does average American include retirees?

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#97

Post by onetokeoverthe » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 7:01 PM UTC

BJones12 wrote: post #94

benterix wrote: post #28

> If AI can diminish some of the monotony of research, perhaps we can spend more time thinking, writing, playing piano, and taking walks — with other people. Whenever any progress is made, this is the logical conclusion. And yet, those who decide about how your time is being used, have an opposing view.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

[dead]

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#98

Post by jgeada » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 8:13 PM UTC

BJones12 wrote: post #94

benterix wrote: post #28

> If AI can diminish some of the monotony of research, perhaps we can spend more time thinking, writing, playing piano, and taking walks — with other people. Whenever any progress is made, this is the logical conclusion. And yet, those who decide about how your time is being used, have an opposing view.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

And what's happened since 1995 (30 years ago!) ?

Because all the trends seem to indicate that to make a living people are working longer hours, holding multiple concurrent jobs (eg https://gameofjobs.org/are-americans-now-more-likely-than-ev...), and holding off retirement.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#99

Post by dugidugout » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 8:23 PM UTC

financetechbro wrote: post #95

BJones12 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

What’s the problem with that? People are free to use their leisure time how they see fit.

They were likely pushing back on the original comment, such that it isn't solely:

> ...those who decide about how your time is being used...

which stops individuals from:

> [spending] more time thinking, writing, playing piano, and taking walks — with other people.

Which it seems you would agree with. I don't see where they asserted whether this was a problem to address.

Re: The writing is on the wall for handwriting recognition

#100

Post by missedthecue » Wed, Dec 03, 2025, 8:32 PM UTC

robocat wrote: post #96

BJones12 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Between 1965 and 1995 the average American gained about 6 hours per week of leisure time. They then used most of the additional free time to watch TV.

Source? Surely depends on the population chosen e.g. does average American include retirees?

Pretty sure the figure he's quoting is average hours working. bls.gov tracks this.

So no, no retirees or students or unemployed or disabled in that figure.