Is this how time normally passes? Really slowly, in the right order?

Thursday, March 21

Geek

Daily News Stuff 21 March 2024

All Roads Lead To RAM Edition

Top Story

Tech News

  • Dungeons and Dragons is dying of acute woke poisoning but I still kind of want this D&D Lego set.  (The Verge)

    It comes with a dragon, a beholder, a displacer beast, a gelatinous cube, an owlbear, and a mimic, as well as a team of adventurers for them to menace.


  • MacOS 14.4 may have another trick up its sleeve: Deleting your files.  (MacRumors)

    If you're using iCloud for storage because you bought a 256GB MacBook Air and it filled up instantly and you can't upgrade the storage, well, if you delete the local copy of a file you have on iCloud it might just delete all the backups on iCloud as well.

    This is not good.


  • The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED has received a little upgrade this year.

    While it still has a Ryzen 7730U CPU and comes with 16GB of RAM upgradable to 40GB (8GB soldered and one SO-DIMM slot), the screen has improved from a 1920x1080 60Hz panel to 2880x1620 120Hz.

    So 50% better in X and Y and 100% better in T.

    It costs A$1200 vs. A$2200 for the Zenbook 15 OLED I mentioned recently (about $800 vs. $1450).

    The differences are:

    * It has a Ryzen 7730U vs. the 7735U in the more expensive model 
    * It's half a pound heavier
    * Despite that, it actually has a smaller battery

    So obviously the Zenbook is built and priced as a premium model, but the screen in the cheaper Vivobook is identical (and excellent), the CPU performance is identical, and it's 40% cheaper.

    I looked at getting the previous model Vivobook a couple of years ago but passed it up.  With the updated screen I think I'll get one, and swap in 32GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD from my old HP laptop which has developed a couple of minor issues...  Like just switching itself off whenever it feels like it.

    My preferred online store says they'll have it in stock on Monday.


  • And that should solve my Minecraft modpack woes.


Disclaimer: Monday too far away.

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Wednesday, March 20

Geek

Daily News Stuff 20 March 2024

But Can It Run Minecraft Edition

Top Story

  • Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI hallucination problems are solvable and AGI is five years away.  (Tech Crunch)

    To the first point: Current AI models - that is, LLMs - are specifically designed and trained to generate bullshit.  "Hallucinations" are simply the times when the bullshit is not even surface-level plausible.  You can't prevent this without discarding the entire model.

    LLMs work the way your brain does when you're not paying attention, like when someone wishes you a happy birthday and you respond "Thanks, you too." before your conscious mind catches up and you die a little inside.

    To the second point: AGI is artificial general intelligence, which is to say, human-level intelligence.  Current commercial research is not even on a path towards that, and what Huang is talking about is defining a set of tasks and then giving the AI an open-book exam.

    Which is not AGI in any meaningful sense, but might make AI useful, if you're using an open-source model that doesn't come pre-lobotomised by the left-wing parasites currently infesting Big Tech.


Tech News

  • At the other end of the scale, here's an 8080 emulator.  (Nanochess)

    #include <stdio.h>
               #define n(o,p,e)=y=(z=a(e)%16 p x%16 p o,a(e)p x p o),h(
                                    #define s 6[o]
                 #define p z=l[d(9)]|l[d(9)+1]<<8,1<(9[o]+=2)||++8[o]
                                    #define Q a(7)
               #define w 254>(9[o]-=2)||--8[o],l[d(9)]=z,l[1+d(9)]=z>>8
                                   #define O )):((
                      #define b (y&1?~s:s)>>"\6\0\2\7"[y/2]&1?0:(
                                   #define S )?(z-=
                        #define a(f)*((7&f)-6?&o[f&7]:&l[d(5)])
                                   #define C S 5 S 3
                           #define D(E)x/8!=16+E&198+E*8!=x?
                                 #define B(C)fclose((C))
                           #define q (c+=2,0[c-2]|1[c-2]<<8)
                              #define m x=64&x?*c++:a(x),
                             #define A(F)=fopen((F),"rb+")
                        unsigned char o[10],l[78114],*c=l,*k=l
                              #define d(e)o[e]+256*o[e-1]
    #define h(l)s=l>>8&1|128&y|!(y&255)*64|16&z|2,y^=y>>4,y^=y<<2,y^=~y>>1,s|=y&4
    +64506; FILE *u, *v, *e, *V; int x,y,z,Z; main(r,U)char**U;{
    
         { { { } } }       { { { } } }       { { { } } }       { { { } } }
        { { {   } } }     { { {   } } }     { { {   } } }     { { {   } } }
       { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }
       { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }
       { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }
        { { {   } } }    { { {     } } }    { { {   } } }    { { {     } } }
          { { ; } }      { { {     } } }      { { ; } }      { { {     } } }
        { { {   } } }    { { {     } } }    { { {   } } }    { { {     } } }
       { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }
       { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }
       { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }   { { {     } } }
        { { {   } } }     { { {   } } }     { { {   } } }     { { {   } } }
         { { { } } }       { { { } } }       { { { } } }       { { { } } }
    
                                       for(v A((u A((e A((r-2?0:(V A(1)),"C")
    ),system("stty raw -echo min 0"),fread(l,78114,1,e),B(e),"B")),"A")); 118-(x
    =*c++); (y=x/8%8,z=(x&199)-4 S 1 S 1 S 186 S 2 S 2 S 3 S 0,r=(y>5)*2+y,z=(x&
    207)-1 S 2 S 6 S 2 S 182 S 4)?D(0)D(1)D(2)D(3)D(4)D(5)D(6)D(7)(z=x-2 C C C C
    C C C C+129 S 6 S 4 S 6 S 8 S 8 S 6 S 2 S 2 S 12)?x/64-1?((0 O a(y)=a(x) O 9
    [o]=a(5),8[o]=a(4) O 237==*c++?((int (*)())(2-*c++?fwrite:fread))(l+*k+1[k]*
    256,128,1,(fseek(e=5[k]-1?u:v,((3[k]|4[k]<<8)<<7|2[k])<<7,Q=0),e)):0 O y=a(5
    ),z=a(4),a(5)=a(3),a(4)=a(2),a(3)=y,a(2)=z O c=l+d(5) O y=l[x=d(9)],z=l[++x]
    ,x[l]=a(4),l[--x]=a(5),a(5)=y,a(4)=z O 2-*c?Z||read(0,&Z,1),1&*c++?Q=Z,Z=0:(
    Q=!!Z):(c++,Q=r=V?fgetc(V):-1,s=s&~1|r<0) O++c,write(1,&7[o],1) O z=c+2-l,w,
    c=l+q O p,c=l+z O c=l+q O s^=1 O Q=q[l] O s|=1 O q[l]=Q O Q=~Q O a(5)=l[x=q]
    ,a(4)=l[++x] O s|=s&16|9<Q%16?Q+=6,16:0,z=s|=1&s|Q>159?Q+=96,1:0,y=Q,h(s<<8)
    O l[x=q]=a(5),l[++x]=a(4) O x=Q%2,Q=Q/2+s%2*128,s=s&~1|x O Q=l[d(3)]O x=Q  /
    128,Q=Q*2+s%2,s=s&~1|x O l[d(3)]=Q O s=s&~1|1&Q,Q=Q/2|Q<<7 O Q=l[d(1)]O s=~1
    &s|Q>>7,Q=Q*2|Q>>7 O l[d(1)]=Q O m y n(0,-,7)y) O m z=0,y=Q|=x,h(y) O m z=0,
    y=Q^=x,h(y) O m z=Q*2|2*x,y=Q&=x,h(y) O m Q n(s%2,-,7)y) O m Q n(0,-,7)y)  O
    m Q n(s%2,+,7)y) O m Q n(0,+,7)y) O z=r-8?d(r+1):s|Q<<8,w O p,r-8?o[r+1]=z,r
    [o]=z>>8:(s=~40&z|2,Q=z>>8) O r[o]--||--o[r-1]O a(5)=z=a(5)+r[o],a(4)=z=a(4)
    +o[r-1]+z/256,s=~1&s|z>>8 O ++o[r+1]||r[o]++O o[r+1]=*c++,r[o]=*c++O z=c-l,w
    ,c=y*8+l O x=q,b z=c-l,w,c=l+x) O x=q,b c=l+x) O b p,c=l+z) O a(y)=*c++O r=y
    ,x=0,a(r)n(1,-,y)s<<8) O r=y,x=0,a(r)n(1,+,y)s<<8))));
    system("stty cooked echo"); B((B((V?B(V):0,u)),v)); }

    How the heck does that work?

    I have no idea.  But it can run CP/M.


  • Misconfigured Firebases instances have been found leaking usernames and passwords to the internet.  (Bleeping Computer)

    And 98% of the 20 million passwords found so far were in plain text, which, uh, no.  Just no.


  • Microsoft Office 2024 is here, and you can buy it.  (The Register)

    As in, not a subscription.  Pay once and use it forever.

    Microsoft has also promised that this is not the last one-time purchase version of Office.


Disclaimer: To be or not to be, there is no try.

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Tuesday, March 19

Geek

Daily News Stuff 19 March 2024

Good, Betteridge, Best Edition

Top Story

  • Ars Technica violated Betteridge's Law (any headline phrased as a question can be answered with no) and the First Rule of the Internet (never read the comments) with a single article: Is TikTok's parent company an agent of the Chinese state?  (Ars Technica)

    Yes, they say, but only because if Bytedance executives refuse to comply the communists will murder their families.

    Which is accurate but would read better if you elided the "but only".

    Oh, and the first comment simply reads, Yes.

    Now, whether the proposed legislation is a good idea is another thing entirely; the very worst legislation often comes with massive bipartisan support, because it benefits them, not you.

    But doing something about TikTok seems necessary.


Tech News

  • Here we go again - or not: The naturally occurring mineral miassite turns out to be a superconductor.  (Tom's Hardware)

    At liquid helium temperatures.  Most things are.


  • MacOS 14.4 breaks all the things.  (Ars Technica)

    When I was regularly using my Mac (I have a 2015 Retina iMac which probably still works) every time I updated the operating system the mouse acceleration utility I was using would break.  So I just stopped updating, because the default mouse support was unusable on a 27" screen.

    14.4 breaks USB, printing, Java, many command line functions, and license key managers - which would be a big deal for professional audio users except they're probably still clinging to 10.6.


  • In other news, Apple may be partnering with Google Gemini to provide AI functions.  (Ars Technica)

    Laughs in Microsoft.


  • Microsoft meanwhile is deprecating 1024-bit RSA keys.  (Bleeping Computer)

    Which...  Is actually sensible and necessary; 1024-bit keys have been deprecated in internet standards since 2013.


  • Stripe and Substack want all your financial history.  (Substack)

    Well, Stripe certainly does, and Substack doesn't seem to have clean hands here.

    Substack processes all payments via Stripe, and Stripe appears to be selectively enforcing new rules that require you to provide them with the full transaction history of your bank account.

    Robert Malone (author of the piece) got a lawyer instead.  Substack has so far refused to speak to him.


  • I bank with CBE.  (BBC)

    As you can see, my last transaction was yesterday, when I withdrew $40 million from the nearest ATM.


  • The TOXMAX rocket uses a molten, radioactive mix of lithium and cesium-137 as fuel, and a fluorine oxidiser.  (Twitter)

    It has a higher specific impulse than hydrogen/oxygen while keeping itself warm on cold winter nights.  Yes, it will kill you, and everyone else in the area, but who wants to live forever?


  • How to make your large Minecraft modpack run smoothly with 16GB of RAM.

    Step One: Upgrade to 32GB.

    I read r/feedthebeast (the modded Minecraft subreddit) to see if I was doing something wrong and nope, Minecraft uses ten times more RAM than disk space for mods.

    Just Java things, I guess.


Disclaimer: Get sniped, losers!

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Monday, March 18

Geek

Daily News Stuff 18 March 2024

Return Of The Bing Edition

Top Story

Tech News

  • I missed this one when it came out because it originally shipped with only 16GB of RAM: The Asus Zenbook OLED 15 2023 model.  (TechRadar)

    It has a 15.6" 2880x1620 120Hz OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 colour.  That's very similar to the display I'm using right now and it's very, very good.

    CPU is a previous-generation Ryzen 7735U - eight Zen 3 CPU cores and 12 RDNA2 graphics cores, so not quite the latest but very capable.  One USB 4 port, one USB 3 C port, one USB 3 A port, HDMI, and a headphone jack.  Not a huge wealth of ports but adequate.

    It has a numeric keypad but it's a compact three column layout so you can just leave NumLock off and use it as a cursor pad and the Four Essential Keys.  And reprogram the extra keys to your whim with PowerToys.

    And it's readily available with 32GB of RAM.


  • How the House quietly revived the TikTok ban before most of us noticed.  (The Verge)

    If "us" means tech journalists, you guys wouldn't notice a tapdancing elephant in the bathroom if it was inconvenient to the narrative.


  • You can download GPT-2 and run it in Excel.  (Spreadsheets Are All You Need)

    Seriously.

    It's the "small" version of GPT-2, which has 124 million parameters, so it's small enough that Excel doesn't explode.  (Unless you're running on a Mac in which case you might want a blast shield.)  But being able to poke at it as a spreadsheet can help demonstrate how it works.

    Modern small LLMs are typically 7 billion parameters, so Excel need not apply.


Disclaimer: Could try loading into PowerPoint though...

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Sunday, March 17

Geek

Daily News Stuff 17 March 2024

A Proxy By Any Other Name Edition

Top Story


Tech News

  • The Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold 16 2024 is actually good.  (The Verge)

    I don't know what the specs are because the review focuses almost entirely on the screen, but then the device is almost entirely screen, so that kind of makes sense.

    Folded up with the keyboard in place the screen is about 12" diagonally.  Unfolded it's a 16" 2560x2024 display, and great for artists since it's pen-enabled.

    Problem, as usual, is that it costs around $3000.


  • The LinkedIn app is adding games, because...  It just is.  (Tech Crunch)

    Okay, I guess.


  • If you were watching the VMWare mess and feeling glad your company chose Citrix well there's bad news on the way for you as well.  (The Register)

    Now that the competition has destroyed itself, Citrix is doubling its pricing.


  • Get noted, commies.  (Newsweek)

    China posted to Twitter arguing against the proposed forced divestiture of TikTok.

    They got hit with a community note pointing out that TikTok is banned in China.

    And despite claims that TikTok is not controlled by the Chinese government as a spying operation, that same government says it would rather shut the whole thing down than permit it to be sold.


  • NASA's old supercomputers are causing mission delays.  (Tom's Hardware)

    What missions?


  • Twelve years later, the game Star Citizen is approaching 1.0.  (WCCFTech)

    The game was formerly infamous for raising half a billion dollars while still in beta, but it took about a decade to do that and Palworld just did the same thing in under two months.

    So...  New normal, I guess?


  • How many ways are there for 225 Minecraft mods to be mutually incompatible?

    Latest one I've tripped over is that adding compatibility between Aquamirae and Expanded Combat causes the game to crash.  I've got Forge and Fabric working together with no problems (I wanted Incendium and Nullscape together with BetterNether and BetterEnd), but when I add that tiny straw to all the other mods, it kills the game instantly.

  • A lot.  The answer is, a lot.


  • I'm building a modpack that's intended to look vanilla when you start out, but have a ton of content open up as you explore.

    Apart from drastically changed Nether and End dimensions, it adds the Aether, the Everbright and Everdawn, Twilight Forest, Midnight, and Undergarden dimensions, and several more that I'm still testing.  Plus lots of mobs, building materials, crafting options, and transport.

    It doesn't have Create because (a) that changes the goals of the game and (b) when I add that in with all the other mods my 16GB laptop thrashes endlessly.  To be fair with all the software I have installed 8GB is gone by the time Windows has booted.

    I'll be playing on a 64GB system but I want it to work with 16GB.

Disclaimer: New normal, same as the old normal...  But with an extra half a billion dollars.

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Saturday, March 16

Geek

Daily News Stuff 16 March 2024

Bean There Edition

Top Story


Tech News

  • Sony's PS5 Pro could be out in time for it to be not available for Christmas.  (The Verge)

    And also to have no games to play.

    It's not a huge upgrade - around 50% faster graphics, same CPU - but that should help with any games that are just not quite smooth enough.

    Not that there are any games.


  • Walmart is now selling the M1 MacBook Air for $699.  (Liliputing)

    Which would be a great price except that's the 8GB model and, of course, you can't upgrade it.


  • Someone out there is worth $70 billion, and nobody knows who it is  except that it's not Craig Wright.  (WCCFTech)

    Bitcoin was invented by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto.  Australian "computer scientist" Craig Write claimed to be the person behind the pseudonym, but just had his claims thrown out in court as being laughably without merit.

    Whoever it is owns over a million Bitcoin, worth around $70,000 each.


Disclaimer: Timing is everything.

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Friday, March 15

Geek

Daily News Stuff 15 March 2024

Mission Failed Successfully Edition

Top Story

  • Intel's 6.2GHz 24 core i9 14900KS is here.  (AnandTech)

    Priced at $689, it's a theoretical 150W part with a 253W maximum short-term power consumption that uses 375W here in the real world.

    PassMark doesn't have any scores up yet but I doubt it's worth the cost and heat for most users.  A 14700 will give you 75% of the performance at less than half the power consumption.


Tech News



Disclaimer: There is no fork.

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Thursday, March 14

Blog

Daily News Stuff 14 March 2024

What's This Edition

Top Story

  • Hello, what's this?  (Liliputing)

    2024 HP Pavilion Plus 14

    AMD CPU: Check, 8845HS (8 cores, 5.1GHz)
    High-resolution screen: Check, 2880x1800 120Hz OLED
    Upgradeable RAM: No
    At least 32GB then: Check
    USB-C: Check, two of
    USB-A: Check, two of
    HDMI: Check
    Headphone jack: Check
    Four essential keys: Check
    Micro-SD slot: No
    Actually available to buy: Yes, at least in the US

    It's not perfect, but close enough.

    Pricing starts at $850.  That's not particularly cheap, but it's $250 less than the new MacBook Air while providing twice the memory and storage.


Tech News



Disclaimer: Powered by Potato!

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Wednesday, March 13

Geek

Daily News Stuff 13 March 2024

Chapa Chapa Edition

Top Story


Tech News



Disclaimer: Chipi chipi chapa chapa dubi dubi daba daba mágico mi dubi dubi boom boom boom boom.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:55 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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Tuesday, March 12

Geek

Daily News Stuff 12 March 2024

Chipi Chipi Edition

Top Story

Tech News



Disclaimer: Place water into a Glowstone frame for a Hostile Paradise.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:48 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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