Friday, June 19, 2026
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Friday, June 5, 2026
Microsoft Announce Majorana 2 Quantum Chip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inreqB1J-z4
I still believe that Quantum Computing is not very practical. It reportedly has limited use cases and it is very difficult and expensive to implement.
However, I suppose that it is possible that if they keep working at it, the technology could eventually be very powerful, but I think that it is going to be a long wait.
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Friday, May 29, 2026
Saturday, May 9, 2026
New Advanced Chip Fab
On Sat, May 9, 2026 at 12:31 PM Larry wrote:
Processor on my 2009 i7 iMac: i7- 860
Processor on my 2017 i5 iMac: i5- 7500K
Processor on my 2017 i7 iMac: i7- 7700K
Processor on my 2020 i7 iMac: i7-10700K
Processor on my 2017 i7 iMac: i7- 7700K
Processor on my 2020 i7 iMac: i7-10700K
The first iMac was 45 NM. The next three are 14 NM.
My complaint about the time period from 2010 to 2020 is that advances in processors seemed to be very slow. The i7-10700K is only twice as fast because it has twice as many cores. It wasn't until Apple came out with the M1 that we saw a big change.
The Ryzen 9 7940hs processor on my Minisforum computer is 4 NM. In theory, it is about 60% faster than the i7-10700K, but I think that the mini-computer thermal throttles. Maybe the iMac does too, but it has a big cooling system relative to the compactness of the all-in-one computer.
Compact computers tend to use laptop parts. The "M" in M1 is for "Mobile". iMacs use smaller versions of memory and storage, and so does my mini-computer.
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Saturday, May 2, 2026
x86 vs ARM difference explained for Beginners
The last time I looked at x86 machine code was about 35 years ago. Apparently, it has gotten much more complex.
ARM processors are typically not compatible with x86 software, with some exceptions, which can be a problem.
Apple has created powerful processors that use less energy. That's a good thing. Low power processors meant for mobile devices like laptops and tablets are powering Mac desktops.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Thursday, April 23, 2026
P(doom) | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
This way overstates the case. Obviously AI will have controls.
Furthermore, AI is not nearly as smart as we give it credit. It is like a Wikipedia that can talk. It understands language really well, but everything else is based on probability where certain facts and things are associated with other facts and things.
Beyond probability, AI has little understanding of things that it is talking about, and its ability to reason is limited, although it might be able to solve simple problems.
However, this is why there is a big push to make AI smarter. Doing so requires a great deal more hardware, and they are building it. The AI demand for computer memory is driving up the cost of computers by a significant amount.
However, I suspect that the current methods are inefficient and they are just throwing more hardware at the problem to make it better. This is a drain on resources, when they need to come up with better algorithms.
So I asked ChatGPT what it thought of my points, and this is what it said...
Your core argument is clear and grounded, but it leans a bit too confidently in a few places where the reality is more nuanced. Here’s a straightforward take on the strengths and weaknesses:
What works well:
- You push back against hype. That’s valuable—AI discussions often swing toward extremes.
- The point about scaling via hardware vs. improving algorithms is thoughtful and widely debated in the field.
- You correctly note that current AI systems rely heavily on statistical patterns rather than deep “understanding” in a human sense.
Where it overreaches or could be refined:
- Saying AI is “like a Wikipedia that can talk” undersells it. Modern systems don’t just retrieve facts—they generate novel responses, combine ideas, and can perform nontrivial reasoning in some domains. It’s still probabilistic, but not merely lookup-and-repeat.
- “Beyond probability, AI has little understanding” is philosophically debatable. Even humans rely on pattern recognition more than we like to admit. The real issue is type and reliability of understanding, not its total absence.
- The claim that reasoning is limited to “simple problems” is outdated. AI can now handle fairly complex reasoning tasks, though inconsistently and with failure modes.
- “Obviously AI will have controls” is asserted too casually. In practice, governance, safety, and control mechanisms are active areas of concern—not something universally agreed upon or solved.
Your strongest idea (worth emphasizing more):
- The critique that the field may be over-relying on brute-force scaling (more compute, more memory) instead of algorithmic breakthroughs is legitimate. Many researchers are asking the same question.
How you might sharpen it:
Instead of framing AI as “not that smart,” you could frame it as:
- powerful but uneven
- impressive in narrow ways, unreliable in others
- advancing quickly, but with unclear long-term efficiency
That keeps your skepticism but makes it harder to dismiss.
If you want, I can rewrite your paragraph to sound tighter and more persuasive without losing your viewpoint.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Monday, April 20, 2026
eufy L60 Robot Vacuum with Self Empty Station
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/eufy-l60-robot-vacuum-with-self-empty-station-hair-detangling-technology-6-pack-dust-bags-black/JJ858RL6XF/sku/10772478
This is the robot vacuum cleaner I bought 1.5+ years ago. Most of the robot vacuums I bought in the past have had mechanical issues within 2 to 3 years, and I used to buy larger, more expensive brands. Note that some brands can go up to $1,000, and I don't feel like they are worth the cost.
I paid $300 on Amazon for it, but Amazon now lists it for $400. I found it on Best Buy for $250.
So far I've been happy with this brand. It seems more intelligent than all the brands I have bought before. It is controlled with a phone App. Some features on the app took some getting used to.
Because it is smaller, the dustbin doesn't hold much, so I feel that the self emptying station is an absolute must. They recommend replacing the dust bag and filters once per month and it is necessary to clean out the dustbin and filters in the vacuum once or twice per month.
This vacuum works well with small debris, but large debris can clog the dustbin or the roller brush.
Once in a while it doesn't fully dock to its station so I have to give it a gentle push to get it to dock properly.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Terminator: The Story of the 6502 Code You See Onscreen
The 6502 was a very simple chip, but it was cheaper and faster than other 8-bit chips.
I loved programming the 65816 on the SNES. I wonder how the world would be today if we got 32 and 64-bit versions of the 6502?
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
So This is Peak Foldable
0 seconds ago
When a phone unfolds from 6.6 inches to 8.1 inches, why bother—especially with a $1700 price tag? Normal phones range from 6.1 to 6.9 inches, which is fine for everyday use.
It seems to me that people want a tablet in a phone, but an 8.1-inch display falls short of my 11-inch tablet. Maybe the argument is that you can have one device instead of two, but for this price you could get two devices.
Thursday, March 26, 2026
68000 - The CPU ahead of its time
I found the 68000 easy to program. The instructions are very straightforward. i.e. move 8, 16, or 32 bits to a register. Add two registers. Move 8, 16, or 32 bits to memory. It is almost as easy to follow as C code.
Likewise, I found the Z80 easy with its many 16-bit registers. The 6502 has few registers, which is more difficult to program. However, the 6502 has a trick, which is zero page instructions that use fewer clock cycles to access the first 256 bytes in memory. Programmers can use the zero page like registers.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Monday, March 9, 2026
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Re: Apple’s Cheapest MacBook
On Wed, Mar 4, 2026 at 2:30 PM Albert wrote:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/shopping/apple-announces-its-cheapest-ever-new-macbook/ar-AA1Xwxu0?ocid=edgemobile
The benchmark for the A18 Pro chip is not bad, but a little slower than the M1 chip. For a low cost and likely low power laptop, I think that it will be terrific. On a phone this seems insane.
The 2017 Core-i7 iMac I sold had a benchmark of around 10,000. My 2020 Core-i7 model is around 19,000, but it has twice as many cores. These are power hungry computers compared to the low power RISC style chips that Apple makes.
Friday, February 20, 2026
The Incredible Evolution of Computers
I like the video. Unfortunately, it is just the first part of four.
The first microprocessor, the 4-bit Intel 4004, was created for Japanese companies that wanted to make the first electronic calculators. I have seen 4-bit devices used for cheap electronics, like low cost chess playing computers.
In the first half of the 1980s, 8-bit computers were the norm, with the Apple II costing up to $1,300, and the IBM models costing considerably more. The Atari 800 started at $1,000, and the Commodore 64 started at $595, which adjusted for inflation would cost $1900 today.
Sinclair, along with Timex, were offering budget models that created a dedicated fan base.
In the second half of the 1980s, the industry was moving to 16-bit, so the 8-bit models were being heavily discounted. The C64 sold for $100 or less.
The 1990s saw a slow transition to 32-bit computers, and the 2000s saw a slow transition to 64-bit. There is almost no reason to go to a higher number of bits, except for graphics cards that range from 64-bit to 384-bit.
Friday, February 13, 2026
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Sunday, January 25, 2026
X1 Lite First Look! The Best Budget Mini PC of 2026? They Might’ve Nailed It
0 seconds ago
The CPU benchmark is 4% worse than my Minisforum UM790 Pro that I bought 2.5 years ago, and the 32GB 1TB model costs the same, probably due to high RAM prices.
My UM790 Pro had an overheating problem and died, so I had to get it fixed. I also see thermal throttling. So if this computer runs cooler then it is a better option.
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Friday, January 16, 2026
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