• AMD announced their things.  (AnandTech)
  
  All the leaks were 100% accurate.  No sarcasm.
  
  First item to arrive in Q1 2022 is Milan-X, the new range of server CPUs with up to 768MB of cache.  (Which is a lot.)
  
  Microsoft published detailed benchmarks comparing Intel, Zen 2, Zen 3, and the new Milan-X servers.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Compared to Zen 3 the new chips are between 2% and 78% faster.
  
  The interesting thing is that - though they didn't announce it today - AMD are expected to release the same update for desktop CPUs.  It's the same core, just with lots more cache, so some applications will benefit a lot and others not at all, but it will at least provide an answer to Intel's Alder Lake until AMD can ship Zen 4 late next year.

• Speaking of Zen 4, AMD confirmed that it's on track for next year, and that yes, there are two versions.  (AnandTech)
  
  On servers the options will be Genoa, with up to 96 Zen 4 cores, and Bergamo with up to 128 Zen 4c cores, appearing a little later either at the end of next year or early 2023.  They'll use the same socket and both provide DDR5 and PCIe 5.
  
  Zen 4c is rumoured to be coming to the desktop in 2023 as well, as a low-power core to be paired with Zen 5.
  
  
  
• They also announced a 96TFLOP accelerator card.  (AnandTech)
  
  That's 96TFLOP double precision.
  
  On the other hand, it uses 560W, which makes the 12900K look like a 65C02.
  
  
  
• Robinhood was hit by a data breach exposing the details of 7 million customers.  (Bleeping Computer)
  
  Sigh.  I can't even get mad anymore.
  
  
  
• Visual Studio 2022 and .Net 6 are out now.  (Thurrott.com)
  
  Visual Studio 2022 "features AI-based IntelliCode improvements".
  
  Well, fuck.
  
  
  
• The NBN has started testing FttN upgrades.  (ZDNet)
  
  It took thirteen fucking years for the NBN to connect to my house, in a densely-populated Sydney suburb, so I'm not expecting to get this upgrade any time soon.
  
  
  
• You don't need Alder Lake for DRM to screw you over.  (TorrentFreak)
  
  Sometime all you need is for the DRM "provider" to forget to renew their domain name.
  
  
  

Cupertino Delenda Est Video of the Day

I was rather dismissive of Apple's latest dirty trick, disabling FaceID if you need a screen repair on the new model iPhone.  Louis Rossman in these two videos goes into the details of how this is just one part of a much larger scheme to grind customers into the dirt, and completely destroy independent repair shops.

If we're going to suffer through stagflation and double-digit interest rates again, might as well get totally blitzed and enjoy the ride.



Disclaimer: That is not 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000dEaD that can discover the matching private key.