#Computer Motherboard Market

[reasonsforhope]

"Scientists have developed a way to dramatically reduce the cost of recycling certain electronic waste by using whey protein.

Their method allows for the easy recovery of gold from circuit boards at a cost of energy and materials amounting to 50 times less than the price of the gold they recover—these are the numbers that big business likes to see.

Indeed, the potential for scalability depends on this sort of cost savings, something traditional e-waste recycling methods just can’t achieve.

Professor Raffaele Mezzenga from ETH Zurich has found that whey protein, a byproduct of dairy manufacturing, can be used to make sponges that attract trace amounts of ionized gold.

Electronic waste contains a variety of valuable metals, including copper, cobalt, and gold. Despite gold’s public persona as being either money or jewelry, thousands of ounces of gold are used in electronics every year for its exceptional conductive properties.

Mezzenga’s colleague Mohammad Peydayesh first “denatured whey proteins under acidic conditions and high temperatures, so that they aggregated into protein nanofibrils in a gel,” writes the ETH Zurich press. “The scientists then dried the gel, creating a sponge out of these protein fibrils.”

The next step was extracting the gold: done by tossing 20 salvaged motherboards into an acid bath until the metals had dissolved into ionized compounds that the sponge began attracting.

Removing the sponge, a heat treatment caused the gold ions to aggregate into 22-carat gold flakes which could be easily removed.

“The fact I love the most is that we’re using a food industry byproduct to obtain gold from electronic waste,” Mezzenga says. In a very real sense, he observes, the method transforms two waste products into gold. “You can’t get much more sustainable than that!” ...

However the real dollar value comes from the bottom line—which was 50 times more than the cost of energy and source materials. Because of this, the scientists have every intention of bringing the technology to the market as quickly as possible while also desiring to see if the protein fibril sponge can be made of other food waste byproducts.

E-waste is a quickly growing burden in global landfills, and recycling it requires extremely energy-intensive machinery that many recycling facilities do not possess.

The environmental value of the minerals contained within most e-waste comes not only from preventing the hundreds of years it takes for them to break down in the soil, but also from the reduction in demand from new mining operations which can, though not always, significantly degrade the environments they are located in.

[Note: Absolutely massive understatement, mining is incredibly destructive to ecosystems. Mining is also incredibly toxic to human health and a major cause of conflict, displacement, and slavery globally.]

Other countries are trying to incentivize the recycling of e-waste, and are using gold to do so. In 2022, GNN reported that the British Royal Mint launched an electronically traded fund (ETF) with each share representing the value of gold recovered from e-waste as a way for investors to diversify into gold in a way that doesn’t support environmentally damaging mining.

The breakthrough is reminiscent of that old fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin who can spin straw into gold. All that these modern-day, real-life alchemists are doing differently is using dairy and circuit boards rather than straw."

-via Good News Network, July 19, 2024

[watchmorecinema]

The story of Microsoft's meteoric rise and IBM's fall has been on my mind lately. Not really related to any film, but I do think we're overdue for an updated Pirates of Silicon Valley biopic. I really think that the 80's and 90's had some wild stories in computing.

If you ask the average person what operating system your computer could have they'd say that if it's a PC it has Windows, and if it's a Mac it has macOS. All home computers are Macs or PCs, but how did it get this way?

In the 70's everyone was making home computers. Tandy was a leather supply goods company established in 1919, but they made computers. Montgomery Ward was a retail chain that decided to make their own store brand computers. Commodore, Atari, NEC, Philips, Bally and a million other assorted companies were selling computers. They generally couldn't talk to each other (if you had software for your Tandy it wouldn't work on your Commodore) and there was no clear market winner. The big three though were Tandy (yeah the leather company made some great computers in 78), Commodore and Apple.

IBM was the biggest computer company of all, in fact just the biggest company period. In 1980 they had a market cap of 128 billion dollars (adjusted for inflation). None of these other companies came close, but IBM's success was built off of mainframes. 70% of all computers sold worldwide were IBM computers, but 0% of it was from the home market.

IBM wanted to get into this growing and lucrative business, and came up with a unique plan. A cheap computer made with commodity parts (i.e. not cutting edge) that had open architecture. The plan was that you could buy an IBM Personal Computer (TM) and then upgrade it as you please. They even published documentation to make it easy to build add ons.

The hope was that people would be attracted to the low prices, the options for upgrades would work for power users, and a secondary market of add ons would be created. If some 3rd party company creates the best graphics card of all time, well you'd still need to buy an IBM PC to install it on.

IBM was not in the home software business, so they went to Microsoft. Microsoft produced MS-DOS (based on 86-DOS, which they licensed) but did not enforce exclusivity. That meant that Microsoft could sell MS-DOS for any of their competitors too. This was fine because of how fractured the market was. Remember, there were a lot of competitors, no one system dominated and none of the competitors could share software. Porting MS-DOS to every computer would have taken years, and by that point it would be outdated anyways.

IBM saw two paths forward. If the IBM PC did well they would make a ton of money. Third party devs like Microsoft would also make a lot of money, but not as much as IBM. If it failed, well then no one was making money. Either way the balance of power wouldn't change. IBM would still be at the top.

IBM however did not enjoy massive profits. It turns out that having cheap components and an open architecture where you could replace anything would... let you replace anything. A company like Compaq could just buy their own RAM, motherboards, cases, hard drives, etc. and make their own knockoff. It was easy, it was popular, and it was completely legal! Some people could order parts and build their own computer from scratch. If you've ever wondered why you can build your own computer but not your own tv or toaster, this is why. IBM had accidentally created a de facto standard that they had no control over.

In 1981 IBM's PC was worth 2.5% of the marketshare. By 1995 IBM PC compatibles were 95% of the marketshare, selling over 45 million units and IBM had to share the profits with every competitor. Apple is the only survivor of this time because the Macintosh was such an incredible piece of technology, but that's a different story for a different time.

And Microsoft? Well building an OS is much harder than putting together a few hardware components, so everyone just bought MS-DOS. With no exclusivity agreement this was also legal. That huge marketshare was now the basis for Microsoft's dominance.

IBM created a computer standard and gave the blueprints to every competitor and created a monopoly for Microsoft to boot. And that's why every computer you buy either is made by Apple with Apple software, or made by anyone else with Microsoft software. IBM is back where they started, having left the home computer business in 2005.

It's easily the biggest blunder in computer history. Other blunders have killed companies but none were quite as impactful as this one.

This story, and many others I know of, I first read in "In Search of Stupidity", a book authored by a former programmer and product manager that was able to see a lot of this first hand. I make no money advertising this book, I just had a great time reading it.

[qingyingpocketlirary]

Into The Spider's Web; Part 2.

Early Saturday morning, the bell above Mrs. Fenshi’s door chimed to announce the arrival of a customer. “Morning Mrs. Fenshi.”

“Good morning Syntax, an all day ticket?” She asked with a smile, noticing his laptop bag seems fuller than usual. He was planning to spend the whole day working on something important, and judging by the slightly flushed expression, she knew he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

“And a pot of mild tea please,” he nodded.

“Go on in and get settled dear, I’ll have Lin bring you the tea.” The cat demoness smiled, waving him towards the closed room where the cats were.

“Thank you.” Syntax smiled and headed in.

A few minutes later, Lin entered with a tray, carrying the requested pot of tea and a plate of toasted sandwiches, shaped like cat faces, to find Princess, the tripod ginger cat sitting on Syntax’s table, enjoying head scratches as Syntax checked his emails.

“Mrs. Fenshi insisted you needed food as well as tea, and I’m not about to argue with her.” Lin said when Syntax blinked at the added food order.

“Thank her for me?” Syntax asked and offered her a small disk. “The upgrades and virus software you asked for.”

“Thank you. And if you have time tonight, we need to speak again.” She smiled and tucked the disk into her pocket for later.

“Not tonight.” Syntax said, shaking his head. “I’m visiting Nana, tomorrow is my free day.”

“Tomorrow then. Enjoy your day with the cats.” Lin smiled.

“I will,” Syntax nodded with a smile as the horn of the tuk-tuk sounded outside as MK drove by, due to it being market week, it was likely the boy had no deliveries for the day, as the streets would be blocked off for market stalls until the evening.

The morning went by slowly, spent designing a layout and working on a few smaller project designs for his personal use, all while taking breaks to pet and fuss over the cats and kittens that came over and demanded his attention, which he happily gave. By the afternoon, Lin had joined him with her own laptop and was busy working away while brother brothers spent their lunch break with the cats and kittens, enjoying the chance to cuddle and play with the cats before getting back to work.

With his work done, Syntax set his laptop and tablet aside to instead focus on the cats, gently petting each one and playing with the toys with them while enjoying a few snacks and good tea for the rest of the day, though he did notice that while he seemed relaxed and calm, Lin had become tense and frustrated.

“Everything ok, Lin?” he asked.

“It will be, when I finally figure out how to find this damned part for a client.” Lin said, “Why are computer motherboard parts so hard to find?”

“Because they are all very different and never manufactured to spec unless you get them on commission.” Syntax said, “What are you after, I might be able to help?”

Lin pushed him a yellow post-it note with the information details and he looked at it for a moment. It was clear whoever this client was wanted the very best and long lasting system, but that meant that they’d need to buy parts from all across China for the best of the best equipment. “Hm, have you tried looking at the Northern Market?” 

“Does the north do shipments on fast track?” Lin asked and Syntax thought for a moment.

“Last order I put in took twenty nine days to deliver. Regular shipments can be anywhere from four to six months.” He said. “But that was on a computer harddrive, not motherboard parts.” He admitted.

“That fast?” Lin asked. “The fastest I find is forty days with Northern Parts and services and it costs a miniature fortune.”

“Never get anything through them, Lin. They’re a con wrapped up in a corporate packaging with pretty bows.” Syntax said as he rebooted his laptop and typed in a few things before showing her the site he used for his parts.

“Northern Tech, Systems and Parts?” Lin asked, looking at the site and reading their profile.

“Best place in all the North to buy anything related to computers, systems, technology and the like. All of my stuff has at least one replacement part from them.” Syntax nodded, “I think the only thing I have that doesn’t have their parts in it is my phone, because it’s the only thing not compatible with their tech.”

“Why can’t I find them when I search for them?” Lin asked.

“What browser are you using?” He questioned.

“Megacity Pro Search.” Lin answered. The same browser Syntax and most of the city used simply because it was world wide.

“Go into the settings and make sure the regional lock and switch the shopping regions to internasional.” Syntax said. “The whole browser got a system wide refresh last week, so some settings are back to default.”

Lin clicked a few things and retyped her search, then smiled. “Have I mentioned lately that you are one of my favourite people?”

“Only everytime your brothers break stuff.” Syntax chuckled. “Speaking of your brothers, are they allowed their stuff back?”

“If they say please.” Lin nodded.

“Got it.” He nodded and went back to playing with the cats, both of them unaware that their interaction had been witnessed by someone else, through the eyes of a small drone hidden away in the upper most corner of the ceiling.

“He doesn’t look like much.” Huntsman said, watching the live feed from the drone.

“Neither does the Monkie Boy at first glance.” Goliath remarked, “he looks small and easy to beat, yet he took down the Bull prince and Demon Bull King by himself.”

Huntsman gave a huff but said nothing more on the matter, instead focusing on what Lin was doing. Their Queen had searched the few precious scrolls and books they’d managed to salvage from the ruins of their home, and found the means to harvest the energy from other demons to infuse with their drones, making them bigger, stronger and able to carry her venom rather than Huntsman or Goliath’s.

It would take a lot of work, and a lot of careful study to manage what they needed, but if they could master that delicate balance of magic and technology, the Spider Clan could rise up and remind the world they were still a force to be reckoned with and finally make the demands to have their home’s ruination looked into properly.

But that would come later, right now they needed to make sure they had the means to take those steps and the best way to do that was to make sure that Lin was making good on her task. And if that meant keeping an eye on her through a spy drone, well, Lin could forgive them their caution. She’d done well so far, finding the very best parts and equipment for them and using Yin and Jin to run messages between herself at them throughout the night and most of the morning, but for the last six hours, she’d been stuck trying to find the motherboard parts. 

It seemed that this man was something of a techy himself, both from what they’d seen from the drone’s live feed and had given Lin a means to locate the parts she needed sooner. A point in his favour, along with the fact that the felines seemed to like him and had no issues climbing on and over the man as if he were just another part of the furniture.

“Syntax?”

“Yes Mrs. Fenshi?”

“I’m sorry to bother you dear, but one of the cat’s knocked it over.” 

They watched as the feline demoness brought over a card reader device from her countertop, it looked undamaged, but the screen was unfocused and warped. Syntax looked at it, hooking it up to his laptop with a spare cable and checking something for a few minutes.

“Well, good news is it’s fixable, bad news is, it’ll take about a half an hour to fix. Can you manage without it for about that long?” The man asked.

“I can, but are you sure you can fix it?” The demoness asked.

Syntax nodded. “It's the older model, so it’s an easy fix. I’ll just need an order of chunky wedges and a toasted kitty burger afterwards.” He said, “And if you can, try and keep anyone from bothering me for that time?”

“Of course dear. Just make sure you don’t overdo it.” the cat demoness pleaded.

“I won’t.” Syntax nodded. “Lin?”

“I’m busy working, I have no idea what you are doing.” Lin said. “We’ll talk about business when we talk tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Syntax bid and adjusted his laptop so it looked like he was working on it rather than the card reader, smiling as one of the cats jumped up and loafed on the edge of the table, blocking any view of his hands should anyone come inside.

The drone’s placement allowed them to see what was happening, and what they saw shocked them. 

The man pulled out two large power banks from his bag and set them in his lap, then, with a deep breath to focus himself, he put his hands over the device for a moment before a greenish seal formed under the device, casting a strange glow over his fingers as he set to work.

“Magic?” Goliath asked.

“Technological Magic.” Huntsman corrected, watching the human slowly pull the device apart and seamlessly set to work not using his hands and tools, but magic, a type that was very rare outside of the northern region, so rare in fact it was considered a specialty.

Slowly, using his fingers like tools, Syntax pushed and pulled the tiny device’s insides apart, gradually rebuilding it while carefully replacing the damaged parts with magic replacements, blending the elements to form the needed intricate parts and carefully weaving modern technology with ancient magic as if it were a natural mixture. It was a slow process, it had to be, if the man rushed this and made even the smallest mistake, it could backfire horribly, but it seemed that Syntax was well trained in his magic and well versed in this method of repairing things, slowly taking time to check and recheck his work until he was sure of its success before, after twenty seven minutes, he let the device weave itself back together and sagged a little in his seat.

The cat that was loafed beside him meowed and reached out with a paw, bapping his nose.

“I’m alright, I’m alright, you little fluff ball.” Syntax assured, reaching up to pet the cat.

“Need me to get that order for you?” Lin asked him.

“Nah, just… need a minute.” He assured her with a soft huff.

If this was the man Lin was planning to ask help on their behalf, not only would it be a huge help in their technological needs, but also mean that the need to order so many parts would be vastly reduced. They continued to watch the scene, watching as Mrs. Fenshi brought in the requested order, and how after eating Syntax seemed to be back to his ‘normal’ self from what they’d seen before of him playing with the cats and working on his own personal projects.

Until his watch gave a sharp ping sound and he packed up his laptop and tablet, fussed the cats one last time before leaving the Cat Cafe wave a wave to Mrs. Fenshi as he went.

“Should we follow him?” Goliath asked.

“No. Not until we know if he is the one Lin is planning to ask to help us. But we will be telling Our Queen about him regardless.” Huntsman assured. Someone with this kind of power would not only be a valuable friend, but also a powerful ally.

“You had an encounter with the Spider Queen?” Monkey King repeated as MK sat with his back against a rock, trying to stay calm as the little monkeys combed through his hair and picked at his clothes in an attempt to try and calm his still pounding heart.

“She snatched my Dad and Pa from the market pretending to be a vegetable vendor. I thought I could handle it but- I guess I still need to work on internalizing the panic and fear in the moment and having the breakdown later… I’m just not good with spiders.” MK admitted with a slight shudder.

“You’re an arachnophobe?” Monkey King questioned, sitting beside his young successor. “I would never have guessed.”

“It's a childhood trauma.” MK admitted, carefully steadying a smaller monkey in his lap. “It's also the biggest reason Dad and Pa had me homeschooled, and if not for all the therapy I had as a kid, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation right now. I’d be curled up in my bed still, trying not to have a mental breakdown.”

“What happened, if I may ask?” The Monkey King asked, offering the boy a slice of an apple.

“I’m not too sure on the whole details, but I remember one day in school I was grabbed from behind, tied up with webbing by one of the Silkworm kids and thrown into a closet-like space as an ‘offering’ to the Spider Ghost that haunted the School. It wasn’t real and I know that now, but when you’re five years old, and knew to the school, and how cruel kids can be you don’t think about that when you’re struggling to get out of webbing in a small space where there are lots of spiderwebs and little spiders.” MK explained, pausing his story to eat the apple slice he’d been offered. “What I didn’t know at the time and didn’t learn until a few years later was that it was all premeditated by a group of slightly older boys in the school who didn’t like me.”

“Why didn’t they like you?” Monkey King questioned, sharing the rest of the apple slices with the monkeys, youngest to eldest.

“I was friends with a lot of the girls in glass, mostly because I didn’t mind trading my cookie for a fruit snack or my juice carton for a milk one instead. And I also did really well in my classes, so they may have hated me for that.” He admitted, and smiled when the littlest monkey decided the best place to be at that very moment was sat up on his shoulder. “What I also didn’t know was that locking me in the closet wasn’t the only thing they had in mind for me.”

“I’m almost worried to ask. If you're still this worked up over the Spider Queen it must have been bad.” the Monkey King said, chuckling at the little monkey’s behaviour. It was good to see the children were learning to trust MK, and that the boy had no problem letting the children climb and ride around on his shoulders, as long as they didn’t fight with each other while on his shoulders or head.

“It doesn’t seem so bad now that I’m older, but being only five years old at the time and still kinda new to the whole social thing, I didn’t understand what was happening. While I was locked in that little space with no windows or any way out, tied up and unable to move, one of the boys used his magic, some kind of illusionary type from what my dad told me later, and made the image of a giant spider appear in the room, to further sell the idea I was gonna be eaten. I remember I screamed, but then I blacked out and when I woke up, I was in the hospital with Pa at my bedside and Dad talking to a lawyer.”

“Stars above and soil below, what did they do to you?” The Monkey King asked.

“I have no idea. I wasn’t hurt, just unconscious. According to Pa, the school cameras showed a really bright flash of light from down the hallway and then when everything came back into focus, all the boys were laying on the floor, screaming and frantically trying to get away from something the cameras couldn't see and then the teachers came and unlocked the closet to find me passed out and unresponsive so they called in the emergency services and it was a whole big investigation into the matter.” MK explained smiling when the mother of the littlest monkey came over and gently tugged her now sleepy cub from their chosen nest and set about grooming them. “They tried to talk my dad into letting me stay in school, even offered to let me go through their whole system for free, from current year to my end of education in their collage program, but dad and pa said no and since then I was homeschooled, the school had to pay for my enrollment in online classes and the boys who did it had to go to disciplinary schools while their parents paid out to cover my medical bills, and my therapy.” 

“Did it help?” Monkey King questioned.

“Kind of.” MK admitted, “I only really freak out when I see an actual spider now, rather then when I see webbing or hear someone mentioning spiders. But when I do see a spider I freeze up a little, and need to either get away from it, or usually my pa or dad catch it and take it outside.”

“Sorry to say bud, but that’s not gonna help in a fight against the Spider Queen and her Clanmates.” Monkey King said, “So, we’ll have to work on your response to seeing her again. But that can be a tomorrow thing.” He assured his successor with a smile. “For now, head home and make sure your pa and dad are ok, tomorrow, we’ll talk more about this and come up with some ways to help you face her, just in case she pops up again with Huntsman or Goliath.”

“Who?”

“Her clansmen. I’ll tell you about them tomorrow, for now, go home and get some rest.” Monkey King said again and gently ruffled the boy’s hair. “When you come back tomorrow, we’ll talk, train and then we’ll talk about the Spider Clan and their story.”

“Okay.” MK nodded, and after making sure none of the little monkey’s were clinging to him still, he shifted into his bird form, taking a moment to steady himself before taking off towards home.

By the evening, Lin had sent confirmations for all the parts she’d found, with only two of those items needing to be ordered through ‘special’ channels. And after a hot meal, Huntsman and Goliath informed the Queen of what they had seen through the eye of the drone that had followed Lin.

A human with such abilities was a blessing to any Clan, and the fact the Demon Bull Family hadn’t picked him up yet spoke of just how well this particular human had done to hide his abilities. And with good reason, such magic as his would not only cut costs down, but also greatly increase the life expectancy of any and all technological creations made by double or even triple the standard. The North had been the only safe place for them because it was a place of advanced technological progress, so to find out one such person lived in Megapolis and that Yin and Jin knew and kept their mouths shut about it was proof of a deeper understanding between them and him.

If this human could help them, the nagging worry about her mount mech’s age, the increasing chance of it failing as well as the technology they use now failing and falling apart would be all but remedies for the next few years. If this human helped them with their current project, it would allow the Queen and Huntsman to focus more of their own plans wholeheartedly.

But therein lay the catch to it all.

If.

It was clear that this human was aware of just how valuable his particular ability was, to the point he didn’t openly advertise it and those who did know also kept their mouths shut about it in respect to the man. Mrs. Fenshi had gone to the lengths of saying that the Cafe was being used for a very important conversation between Lin, the man and a third party to keep people out while the man was fixing her cardreader. Lin pretended not to know what the man was doing while she actively blocked any view of him from where she was sitting while the man made further efforts to hide what he was doing behind his laptop.

This man was aware of how sought out his skills were, and he either didn’t wish to be caught using them and drawing attention to himself or he had suffered already at the hands of someone’s cruelty and now protected himself by keeping his abilities to himself and a few trusted people. If the Queen was to earn his trust and aid to bring her and her clan into this man’s favour, their contact had to be handled with care, with delicacy and most importantly, with as much honesty as they could afford.

“Your orders, My Queen?” Huntsman asked as he and Goliath bowed before her.

“For now, I have none.” She admitted. “This man hides for a reason, I will not subject him to stalking as we were so long ago. No, this matter must be handled delicately. If Lin choses to introduce us, we shall speak to him more, if not, we shall seek a means to contact him ourselves.” She expressed and waved them both away.

“Yes My Queen.” They both responded before leaving her to think.

“A key?” Red Son repeated his mother’s statement.

“It seems this treasure your father found requires a specific key to unlock it. Our other methods have failed, and so we require a more modern approach.” His mother explained. “Can you do it?”

“I’d need to see the lock and do a few tests on it first, but yes, a Key should be relatively simple to make, assuming you don’t mind the expense of the metals needed to craft one?” he explained, already looking through his shelves and equipment to find the tools he’d need for the job.

“What would you need?” She questioned.

“Depends on the lock itself, if it’s as old as you say, then possibly something celestial or perhaps ancient demonic. I’d need to see the lock first to know that answer.” Red Son admitted and she waved him to follow her.

His Father was there already, and while clearly angered by the delay, said nothing as he set about inspecting the lock on the strange box he’d uncovered. A simple five point keyhole greeted him and after making a note of its size and measurements, he began using his tools to take measurements of the lock itself and the box itself, making notes as he worked until he went to insert what looked like a lockpick tool into the lock, to check the number of teeth the Key he’d be making needed-

And was suddenly flung backwards and ended up against the wall by the door. 

“Are you hurt?” His Mother asked.

“No.” He assured, dusting himself off and moved back to the box. “What was- wait…”

“What is it?” His Father questioned.

“The lock changed,” he said.

“What?” His Mother asked and moved to see what he was talking about.

“It was a five point keyhole before, now it's a trigram pattern,” Red Son said showing her the notes she’s watched him make not a few moments ago. “Is this some kind of puzzle lock?”

“It can’t be, puzzle locks have riddles to uncover the key on the box itself. This one had no such riddle of inscriptions.” his Mother said, looking at the box again.

“Hm. just a moment.” Red Son bid and after picking a different tool from his coat he steady himself and began to check the keyhole again, sure enough as he brought the tool to check the teeth inlays again, the lock tried to push him back and right before his and his mothers’ eyes the lock shifted and changed yet again, becoming an entirely new shape. “It's a skeleton lock.” 

“You’re sure?” His Mother asked.

“Yes, the measurements for the keyhole stay the same, but the shape and tooth patterns change every time something other than the correct key is brought close to the hole.” Red Son said. “Whatever is inside must be either very powerful or very rare.”

“Can you still craft a key?” His Father asked.

Red Son thought for a moment, “I could try crafting a skeleton key, but that would take more time than just a simple key.” He offered.

“How much longer?” His Father asked, his voice heavy with impatience and anger.

No point in lying and making him angrier. “Two weeks.”

“Two-”

“My Love.” His Mother soothed with gentleness. “Trust our son to know better than to waste time with things needlessly. It was after all, his efforts and brilliance that freed you from beneath that mountain. Do you doubt his skills in crafting something as simple as a key to unlock any door?”

“No.” His Father huffed. “Forgive me, I- I am not in my calmest mind.”

“Go and rest, my love, you are still adjusting.” His Mother bid and his Father left the room, hsi heavy steps shaking the ground.

His Mother looked at him as he gathered his tools again. “You are sure only two weeks?”

“I am, Mother. I’ll have the Bull Clones bring my meals to me so that you and father can have meal time to yourselves.” He said and went back to his lab.

She didn’t stop him, nor argue. Partly because she knew it would not help, and also because she could not blame her son for this distance. He’d spent years of his life dedicated to freeing his father, and now he was free, there was a disconnect between them all, hurts, grief, pains and mourning the time they’d missed made bonding hard.

Red Son didn’t know his place anymore, now that his father was back, he wanted to give his parents the time to be together without him, but he was also suddenly very aware of how little his and his father could bond, as despite everything, the time spent apart had robbed them both of the closeness they once shared. He wasn’t a small child any more, and his father was still suffering bouts of pain from being trapped in a limbo between death and living under that mountain for so long.

It would take a long time for them to begin walking on the path to being close as they once were again, but they were trying, navigating the ruined steps of relearning each other slowly and carefully one say at a time. And thankfully, they had the luxury of longevity, allowing them to take as much time as they needed to rebuild and reforge their bonds as a family.

They would heal and eventually, the Demon Bull Family would be united again.

Syntax sighed as he adjusted his glasses, ready to go over the oversized stack of papermail he’d retrieved from his post box that morning, just in case somewhere amongst the junk mail and pamphlets was something interesting.

Junk mail went into the shredder, newsletters were read over then also shredded if they were not of interest, the ones that were would be neatly folded and placed aside to be properly read over later, any important paperwork was set on his keyboard to be read, organized and sorted away properly.

That was usually it, but it seemed this month, he’d somehow picked up a few extras. Handwritten letters, six of them closed in pastel pink envelopes and all with the same heavy perfume scent coming from them and all of which were quickly shredded and forgotten. The seventh letter may have been different, it was addressed to him and was in a simple white envelope, redirected from his Nana’s old apartment to him, but upon opening the letter, Syntax found that the words have been distorted and warped into an unreadable mess and thus, whatever had been written was unreadable and with no return address to write back to, it also went into the shredder.

If it had been truly important it would have come to him via an email or a phone call.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2 of Into the Spider Web.

Here we have a look at how the Spider Clan learnt about Syntax's magic, a glimpse at the Demon Bull Family and my own personal thoughts on why MK is afraid of spiders.

< Part 1 Part 3 >

[ntrlily]

is it possible for people to like, create old consoles/computers from scratch? like if they could replicate the physical hardware using new materials, and plant old software onto the new hardware to create like, a totally new, say, win98 pc? cause i browse online and see a lot of secondhand stuff, but the issue is always that machines break down over time due to physical wear on the hardware itself, so old pcs aren't going to last forever. it makes me wonder if at a certain point, old consoles and computers are just gonna degrade past usability, or if it's possible to build new pieces of retro hardware just as they would have been built 30 or 40 years ago

Can of worms! I am happy to open it though. For the moment I will ignore any rights issues for various reasons including "those eventually expire" and "patent law is the branch of IP law I know the least about"

Off the top of my head so long as you're only* talking computer/console hardware there aren't any particular parts that we've lost the capability to start manufacturing again, but there's more economical approaches to building neo-retro** hardware.

But before digging into that I would like to mention that anecdotally, a great many hardware failures I see on old computers are on parts that you can just remove and replace with something new. Hard drive failures, floppy disc drive failures, damaged capacitors, various issues with batteries/battery compartments, these are mostly fixable without resorting to scavenging genuine old parts. Hard drive and floppy drive failures may require finding something that you can actually plug into the device but this isn't strictly impossible.

Additionally, it's common among retro computing enthusiasts to replace some of these parts with fancier parts than were possible when those machines were new. The primary use cases for buying say, floppy-to-USB converters are keeping old industrial and aviation computers alive longer, but hobbyists do also buy these (I want to put one in my 9801 too but that's pricy so it's just on my wishlist for after I have finished school and settled down ;u;) Sticking SSDs in old computers is also not an uncommon mod.

So-- hold on let me grab my half-disassembled PC-9801 BX2 to help me explain

(Feat. the parts I pulled out of it in the second photo)

In that second photo we have some ram modules, a power supply, floppy drives, a hard drive, and floppy+hard drive cables. The fdd+hdd+cables are easily replaceable with new parts as mentioned, the power supply is a power supply, and the ram chips are... actually I don't know a lot about this one. I have enough old ram chips laying around that I haven't had to think hard about how to replace them.

Now in photo number 1 we have the motherboard and some expansion chips. The sound card is centered a bit here*** and underneath it is a video expansion card and underneath that interesting expansion card setup is the motherboard itself.

The big kickers for manufacturing new would be the CPU and the sound card-- you in theory could make those new but chip fabrication is only economical if it's done beyond a certain scale that's not quite realistic for a niche hobbyist market.

But what you could use instead of those is an FPGA, or Field Programmable Gate Array. These aren't within my field of expertise so to simplify a bit, these are integrated chips (like a CPU or a sound chip) but unlike those, they can be reprogrammed after manufacture, rather than having a set-in-stone layout. So you could program one to act as an old CPU, at a cost that is... more than that of getting a standard mass-manufactured CPU, and less than attempting small scale manufacture of a CPU.

So in theory you could plunk one of those down into a custom circuit board, use the closest approximate off the shelf parts, and make something that runs like a pc-98 (or commodore, or famicom, or saturn, or whatever.) In practice as far as I'm aware, users who want hardware like this use something like the MiSTer FPGA (Third party link but I think it's a pretty useful intro to the project)

And of course for many users, emulation will also do the trick.

*manufacturing cathode ray tube displays is out of the question

**idk if this is a term but I hope it is. If it's not, I'm coining it

***That's a 26k which isn't the best soundcard but it's super moe!!!!!!!!!!

[jenroses]

When i built my first PC, I'd done a few upgrades, but Youtube did not exist yet so there were not endless videos of "This is how you build a PC". It was fiddly and fussy and i barked my knuckles and I did something temporarily terrifying but it worked out okay and I built my PC. Then prices on bare bones dropped precipitously so for a while I was just buying barebones and upgrading them. It was cheaper that way.

Last year, a couple of games came out that I really wanted to play but my 8 year old laptop, which was making a yeomanlike effort with most games, was just flat out not in spec anymore. So I started to research. Looked at Linus Tech Tips, then JaysTwoCents, then Gamer's Nexus, Paul's hardware, Hardware unboxed... LTT had a great "this is how you do it and this is what each part is supposed to sound like going in, yes the crunching noise here is okay, no your board won't die if you get a little regular thermal paste on it, very reassuring. I watched a lot of build videos, and finally, after a couple of months, I ordered parts.

Infodump under the cut

Now, picking parts is COMPLEX and HARD and FINICKY and it changes all the time. You can be an expert builder, take a couple years off and ignore buiding for a while, and come back and like, all the parts are different! Which parts are good deals has changed! But the fundamentals haven't really changed all THAT much, even since my first build. It's still motherboard, processor, cooler, RAM, storage, power supply, internet device, basically... but gone are IDE and even SATA is now pretty archaic. In 2024, your RAM will look pretty similar but the hard drive is a dinosaur and your storage is now basically a high tech stick of gum. Prices are wild, too. You can build a passable computer which can play most games for about $600 with new parts, or you can spent $4000 to get get the absolute tippy toppy "best" parts, and the parts being actively used and recommend and sold right now cover about FOUR YEARS of product development. This is NUTS. Most of the systems I've built fall in the cheap-to-middling range.

They're all competent at most games, though my mother is annoyed that she's having trouble getting Civ2 up and running on Windows 11 in 2024. I do fine with Alpha Centuari from GOG, but no, that's not good enough. (I like Alpha Centauri about 1000% better than Civ2, but when you've got a game, you've got a game, I guess.)

So where to start?

Look at the Youtubes of the folks I mentioned up top, and look for their "Top X of ___" videos. Most of them will ALSO include still-on-the-market for previous year stuff! This is great!

Think about what you need and what you're doing on your system. Unless you are doing competitive gaming and are made of money, you do not need the top of the line anything. It's not necessary and most people can't make use of it unless they're doing high powered stuff for money. In which case you probably know what you need already. Most people will be fine gaming at 1440p (2k monitor) or 1080p. Unless you have a giant fancy monitor already, the pricing sweet spot is probably expecting to spend about $140-150 for a 2k, 27 inch monitor. If your monitor is at normal monitor distance from your face, larger than that is not going to be easy to adapt to. You can get 1080p monitors for cheaper, but any larger than 24-27 inches, 1080p starts to look weird, so really 1440 is kind of ideal for the kind of computer you plan on using for the next 5-10 years. I don't go for refresh rates lower than 120hz at this point, but higher than 180 is not going to be noticeable for MOST people. The monitor i recently bought for $140-ish was a 180hz refresh rate 2k curved monitor (1440p.)

Once you know what kind of monitor you're aiming for, you can get a sense from those review videos of which cards will get you to the frame rate you want. Look for the games you want to play, and people comparing them at high/ultra settings, and look at the FPS that various cards offer. Keep in mind that there's a huge amount of technology aimed at boosting fps, and the upsampling is pretty good now. Nvidea cards are stupid expensive and have the majority of market share. I don't bother with them. The cards I've bought in the past 2 years include (all AMD): (Upgrading a very old system, AMD RX 6400, 4gb graphics card.) AMD RX 6650XT for two people on very tight budgets. AMD RX 6750XT for a mid-range system. RX6800 for two pretty good systems last year. RX7600XT for a casual gamer on a newer system. RX 7800XT for the fanciest system for the most avid gamer in the family. In 2024, I strongly advise going for a card which is at least 12 gb but preferably 16gb of VRAM. More than that is not yet really necessary for most systems at 1440p. The video card is the single most expensive component in most systems. I tend to build to the graphics card, but it is reasonable to set a budget, get the most reasonable parts you can afford for the rest of the computer and spend as much as you have left on the video card. 8gb cards are not likely to give optimal results long term, and since I build computers for people who hate changing computers, the only reason I would go with a smaller-than 12gb card is for someone who just doesn't game much and is unlikely to start playing the kinds of games that need it.

Then there's the processor side of things. Until Intel screwed the pooch this year, most of what we were putting together, parts-list-wise in my family were systems which had intel processors and AMD graphics cards, because that was the sweet spot for us price-to-performance wise. But if you have an Intel 13th or 14th gen processor, you need to update your bios, and we're still not 100% confident in them, as a community. There were a LOT of bad processors the past two years. Also, AMD came out with a bunch of reasonably priced kickass gaming processors, and those will be best for people whose primary purpose is gaming. The processors we've leaned on the most heavily include: Intel 12400 and 12600 processors and Intel 13600 processors. But recently, knowing I was about to build a FAST gaming PC, I knew I needed to get an AMD X3d processor, and my purchasing timing happened to correlate with the 9800X3d dropping, and I managed to order one... but the ship date was in JANUARY. And it's a Christmas present. And Trump is talking about tariffs, which WILL send prices through the roof. So I decided to build another computer, and ordered parts for it. So in order to get onto the platform that 9800x3d processor will need, I picked another processor which uses the same motherboard and got that, too. And then ordered inexpensive versions of that motherboard and other parts, and whatdyaknow, I'm building two computers. But the principal is pretty sound: If you need to build cost effectively, get a lower end processor for the motherboard of the processor you ultimately want, and upgrade later when prices drop. So all those Intel 12600 systems could, later, upgrade to a 14900k and get a huge performance boost if needed. On AMD, they tend to stick with a given motherboard ecosystem for a VERY long time, so people who bought AMD years ago can now upgrade to a perfectly capable 5800x3d and be fine, but AMD is now in the 9000s, and getting a 7000 series processor is on the same board as a 9000 series, so most of the time that's the best deal, EXCEPT for a 7800x3d which is almost as expensive as the 9800x3d for reasons.

Other parts are simpler. RAM: 32 gb is the sweet spot, DDR5 prices have come down okay. Most games can't and won't use more than 20 or so gb, but many will use over the 16gb that used to be the standard rec. You can, however, get 16gb and upgrade RAM in a few years.

Storage: Optimum for gaming is probably your operating system on a 500 gb C drive ssd, your games on a 1, 2 or 4 terabyte SSD. New builds will use a M.2 2280 ssd, and they fluctuate somewhat in price, but the performance boost of ANY NVME drive is going to be worth it over SATA or a hard disk. If you are just wanting to upgrade, upgrading to a SSD and increasing your ram will give a new lease on life to old computers and make them feel a whole lot more functional. If you have an open PCIE slot, you can get an adaptor board to allow you to install an M.2 drive even on an older system.

pcpartpicker.com will let you make build lists and tell you if there are incompatibilities but it isn't perfect at sourcing RAM for the correct processor family. It will also help you find best current pricing, but isn't always accurate.

newegg has a pc builder function which is helpful but only if you buy all your stuff there. If you live close to a microcenter, you'll want to go there and shop their combo deals.

All the builder tools will give you a rough estimate of how much power you'll need. I go a bit over, but unless you're doing a stupid expensive build, you will be unlikely to need more than 850w for a gaming system and 600w for a "regular" system for someone who doesn't do much gaming. That allows a fair amount of headroom for upgrades, since power supplies often last the longest.

Cases are very subjective, but I've done a lot of building in Fractal G Focus cases, which are cheap, big enough for most parts and not the most convenient to build in. I dearly love the Lian Li Lancool 216 which I just built in for the first time, but it's big. REALLY nice cable routing though. Worth it just for the complete lack of barked knuckles, and the fact that you don't need to install like any extra fans beyond whatever your cooling solution is, and it's under $100. Which case you get might depend a lot on aesthetics or space considerations. Like, I paid extra NOT to have a glass side because I don't want extra lights around me, at all. My kid's has a lot of rainbow RBG. Hubby's has a glass side but minimal to no lighting.

Cooling solutions... for any higher end systems for heavy duty users (i.e. gaming a LOT with newer games, doing a lot of computationally heavy 3d modeling or whatever) I like using an aio watercooler. These can be easier to install even than air coolers now, as long as you do a little homework, and the ones I've bought were all under $100. Most users will do fine air cooling, and Gamer's Nexus has some dandy charts on gamersnexus.net that will help you figure out which coolers to use. (Hint, most of them are pretty good!) And for case fans, if you need extra, Arctic has 3-5 packs for super cheap.

But ultimately, if your computer is functioning okay for you, or just needs some upgrades and maintenance, you probably don't need to upgrade. Laptops are a whole 'nother ballgame completely. And you know how I built this system to play a couple of new games?

I ended up mostly playing my old favorites with better graphic settings. LOL.

No regrets, the system is SUPER functional and will last me years and if anything breaks I can fix it. And since then, I've helped two people buy parts, upgraded two computers and built systems for four other people and helped others put together parts list or figure out which laptop would be right for them. And the old computers? Are not ewaste yet, because the build process will allow a lot of moving around of parts to improve the old systems which can then be handed down to other family members. Even my old laptop went on to find use with another family member.

[appleceoleadershipstyles]

[Apple,Inc.] Leadership Styles

[Juaneishia]

What makes a leader strategic and innovative? There are components that allow a leader to take over the skills of being strategic and innovative. To have the inclination for long-term success, competitive advantage, problem-solving mindset, adaptability to change, and passion for impact, personal growth, etc. What makes a leader possess dysfunctional behavior? The ingredients are insecurity, ego, greed, inability to delegate, the list is endless but not satisfactory for the company or the employees. As we dive into the different leadership traits of the CEOs of Apple, we will learn the dos and don’ts of being a leader. You will be able to identify what type of leader you want to be for your business or personal growth based on the styles that were depicted by each CEO. Using strategies and innovation will cause challenges to arise; this is normal. “Strategic thinkers question the status quo. They challenge their own and others’ assumptions and encourage divergent points of view. Only after careful reflection and examination of a problem through many lenses do they take decisive action. This requires patience, courage, and an open mind. (Schoemaker, Krupp, Howland, 2013). Dysfunctional leadership is very unprofessional. “Unprofessional behavior can cause discomfort among team members, and it can undermine the leader’s credibility and authority.” (Blog).

Apple, Inc.

Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne as a partnership, Apple started in the garage of the Jobs family home. Apple would move over the next half century to become one of the largest and most successful tech companies in the world. The first product developed by Jobs and Wozniak was the Apple I computer and according to Wikipedia (2020) was “sold as a motherboard with CPU, RAM, and basic textual-video chips—a base kit concept which was not yet marketed as a complete personal computer.” In 1977, after creating the Apple I computer, Apple became an incorporated company in Cupertino, California. By the time apple had become an incorporation, Wayne had sold his shares back to Jobs and Wozniak. (Richardson, 2023).

After several product successes in 1977, including Apple II and MacIntosh computers, Apple faced trouble in the market. Wintel offered lower-priced PC clones that were operated on Intel software systems. Through this trouble, Apple was faced with bankruptcy. During the challenge of facing bankruptcy, Jobs repaired the failed operating system’s issues and developed new products including iPod, iMac, iPhone, and iPad allowing the company to perform a complete 360 by 1978. (2020).

Apple, after its start, went through a few short-term CEO’s. While the more prominent leaders remain to be Jobs, Wozniak, and Tim Cook, a collaborative modern-aged leader, it is important to acknowledge the role that others had played and how it affected the company and its vision. (2023).

Today, Apple has evolved to offer full-service technology in many varieties. Apple technology now includes headwear, watches, Augmented Reality (AR), streaming and subscription services, music, and more (2025). Apple has effectively adapted to the demand of the consumer through a technological revolution.

References

Schoemaker, P J. H. Krupp, S. Howland, S. (2013, January -February) Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-esssential-skills

Blog. The Top 5 Dysfunctional Behaviors That Leaders Should Avoid. Lolly Daskal. https://www.lollydaskal.com/leadership/the-top-5-dysfunctional-behaviors-that-leaders-should-avoid/

Wikipedia. (2024). Apple Inc. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

‌ Richardson, A. (2023). The founding of Apple Computer, Inc. Library of Congress. https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/april/apple-computer-founded

Muse, T. (2023, November 27). Apple’s CEO History. Www.historyoasis.com. https://www.historyoasis.com/post/apple-ceo-history

Apple. (2025). Apple. https://www.apple.com/

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/23/2024

listen i got my last job through one of youse on here so weirder things have happened: i got fired bc the nonprofit wasn’t doing so hot. let me know if you have a weird data/database or market/tech research job. i promise my worksona is so so so nice and pleasant to work with. remote only, looking more in the $75k range but can be a bit flexible if it’s a cool enough job, i am in the central time zone of the USA and will not need sponsorship anywhere but DO need the cadillac of healthcare and dental plans. portfolio, publication list, and linkedin with my government name available on request!

listening

both of these are from my sister! this is another FULL ALBUM rec (good lord). The Offline’s album La couleur de la mer is a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist, inspired by his long walks in the fog on the French Atlantic coast. a little spacey, a little soul, very sixties/seventies neonoir. i am quite fond of the very first track, Thème de la couleur de la mer.

she’s also sent me a bunch of tiktoks with Perfect (Exceeder) by Mason and Princess Superstar. hell of a goddamn music video for this thing. mid-aughts clubbing music at its finest. stopped me from dissolving into a puddle of emotions on the way to and from the vet today bc it’s too goddamn bouncy to be sad around

reading

im reading a trilogy i want to discuss as a whole whenever the third one comes through as a library hold, and a book by a friend. i do not typically talk about books or fics by friends here bc none of them have ever asked for critique, and i dont want to play favorites or inadvertently miss someone’s work. so here’s a story about porn on Wikimedia, which is the kind of database drama and technical arguments that fascinate me.

given the number of articles from 404 Media i shout about here and elsewhere i really should sign up for their $5/mo subscription tier when i have a steady income again

watching

somehow missed Star Wars Visions 2, their second anthology of weird little shorts. i was not super impressed by the overall storytelling this time around, but it was fun to see them reach out to more global studios and see a wider range of styles. there’s some goddamn incredible stop motion in here.

i particularly enjoyed Journey to the Dark Head, which not only has some interesting fringe Force believers and beliefs but has one of the sickest anime bullshit lightsaber fights in this season. this one is by Studio Mir, most known for the Legend of Korra.

also really liked The Spy Dancer by Studio La Cachette, partly bc it’s incredibly beautiful and i like when Star Wars leans into art nouveau, and partly bc it felt the most like a complete short story. emotional arc and everything! strong beginning middle and end! this IS a really low bar, but a lot of the shorts this season did not have a coherent little story to tell or a strong emotional arc, or fumbled their arc partway through, and were just kind of vibes and animation showcases? nothing necessarily wrong with that, also how i felt about most of the last collection. my expectations are underground for any Star Wars media.

playing

as is tradition i dithered about this section the most. this is more of a What’s Next? planning ramble.

the laptop gets shipped back to my old job today so i will no longer have a working modern computer. i have to dig the switch out and see what’s up. maybe start a whole new run in breath of the wild or whatever the last pokemon game was. i think i also have the sword boyfriend game everyone was up in arms about two years ago? and i think i am somehow part of a switch family plan that lets me have some older games?

this section may look very different in the next ??? amount of time until i get a company laptop again. or finally replace the motherboard on my personal desktop but that sat in my car for several weeks during the heat wave this summer while i did not have an apartment and i am really REALLY afraid to open that box.

oh the free epic game this week is a platformer, a genre i have historically not cared about. godspeed to those of you who do

making

soup bc aldi had alphabet pasta and that jolted me out of myself for long enough i was briefly convinced making alphabet pasta soup would fix me. so i found this recipe while in aldi. despite this not being a very good soup or a very good recipe, i feel a little triumphant bc i now know enough to brown the tomato paste before putting it in the soup. unfortunately i overcooked the pasta. there’s kind of a lot of texture happening here, and i wish i had chopped things finer, but i will probably steal my best friend’s blender tomorrow and blitz some of it down.

it’s edible. im going to eat it all. it will not be going in the rotation

[jerkfacepink]

Your story is awesome! Photoshop 4.0 was what I started on too.

I know it's 25+ years ago, but do you recall which capture card you used? My guesses are a Snappy or maybe an iomega buz.

Thank you! It’s hard to even realize how far software (and everything) has come since then.

Ahaha, my boyfriend and I were broke high school kids back then and didn’t have the cash for one of these! Part of the reason why it was so physically hard to get that card into my motherboard, and because it didn’t work perfectly was because this was some cobbled together thing from someone who owned a soldering iron and sold this thing from the bottom of a crate of misc. hardware at a computer show. I don’t know where someone would find something like that anymore in this day and age, maybe Etsy? A flea market?

[buysellram]

KIOXIA Unveils 122.88TB LC9 Series NVMe SSD to Power Next-Gen AI Workloads

KIOXIA America, Inc. has announced the upcoming debut of its LC9 Series SSD, a new high-capacity enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) with 122.88 terabytes (TB) of storage, purpose-built for advanced AI applications. Featuring the company’s latest BiCS FLASH™ generation 8 3D QLC (quad-level cell) memory and a fast PCIe® 5.0 interface, this cutting-edge drive is designed to meet the exploding data demands of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems.

As enterprises scale up AI workloads—including training large language models (LLMs), handling massive datasets, and supporting vector database queries—the need for efficient, high-density storage becomes paramount. The LC9 SSD addresses these needs with a compact 2.5-inch form factor and dual-port capability, providing both high capacity and fault tolerance in mission-critical environments.

Form factor refers to the physical size and shape of the drive—in this case, 2.5 inches, which is standard for enterprise server deployments. PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is the fast data connection standard used to link components to a system’s motherboard. NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is the protocol used by modern SSDs to communicate quickly and efficiently over PCIe interfaces.

Accelerating AI with Storage Innovation

The LC9 Series SSD is designed with AI-specific use cases in mind—particularly generative AI, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), and vector database applications. Its high capacity enables data-intensive training and inference processes to operate without the bottlenecks of traditional storage.

It also complements KIOXIA’s AiSAQ™ technology, which improves RAG performance by storing vector elements on SSDs instead of relying solely on costly and limited DRAM. This shift enables greater scalability and lowers power consumption per TB at both the system and rack levels.

“AI workloads are pushing the boundaries of data storage,” said Neville Ichhaporia, Senior Vice President at KIOXIA America. “The new LC9 NVMe SSD can accelerate model training, inference, and RAG at scale.”

Industry Insight and Lifecycle Considerations

Gregory Wong, principal analyst at Forward Insights, commented:

“Advanced storage solutions such as KIOXIA’s LC9 Series SSD will be critical in supporting the growing computational needs of AI models, enabling greater efficiency and innovation.”

As organizations look to adopt next-generation SSDs like the LC9, many are also taking steps to responsibly manage legacy infrastructure. This includes efforts to sell SSD units from previous deployments—a common practice in enterprise IT to recover value, reduce e-waste, and meet sustainability goals. Secondary markets for enterprise SSDs remain active, especially with the ongoing demand for storage in distributed and hybrid cloud systems.

LC9 Series Key Features

122.88 TB capacity in a compact 2.5-inch form factor

PCIe 5.0 and NVMe 2.0 support for high-speed data access

Dual-port support for redundancy and multi-host connectivity

Built with 2 Tb QLC BiCS FLASH™ memory and CBA (CMOS Bonded to Array) technology

Endurance rating of 0.3 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) for enterprise workloads

The KIOXIA LC9 Series SSD will be showcased at an upcoming technology conference, where the company is expected to demonstrate its potential role in powering the next generation of AI-driven innovation.

[netripper]

Hello! I love your photoshoots very much. I am wondering what are your PC specs? I would like to mod C2077 at some point in the future, and would love to achieve results like yours. Thank you in advance (^^)d

aw this is really sweet!! hell ya i'll tell u my specs top to bottom lemme bring em up

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 Eight-Core Processor GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 RAM: 32 GBs (two 16 GB sticks) motherboard: TUF B450-PLUS GAMING, ver. Rev X.0x, by ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.

honestly i'm at the point where i do really need to update my machine (and have been angsting about it for a hot minute) so it's great that my vp still holds up considering cyberpunk's specs! be warned, i've had all of this stuff since 2019, so it may just be struggling due to age -- but i do recommend looking for something a little more recent if ur in the market for PC parts. i have to play the actual game on low settings ESPECIALLY when driving, and i get a lot of stuttering nowadays.

anyway as for additional programs, i've finally capitulated to using ReShade, CyberLit, and OtisTools again; the vanilla photomode actually captures really well now, i think they might've done something to crank it up when you capture via spacebar, but if ur not worried about losing out on less chunky-looking modded hair (or if u can run the game super high to begin with) then i'd say yeah, reshade's pretty important. at least to me! i just can't with the vanilla DOF man it sucks so bad

idk what else to say so ya, i hope i could help!! def do ur research when shopping for new PC parts; i recommend GamersNexus because they've demonstrated integrity and reliability in their handling of the LTT debaucle, and they go pretty in-depth on all the things they review.

thanks for the ask!!

[graysquirrel7]

For real though... People are looking for "will this work for [thing they want to do]" or "will this resolve this issue I'm having" answers.

Some marketing label attached to a number that contains form factor and generation information does not actually answer either of those questions.

If all you have is the frustratingly opaque branded labels of various CPUs, GPUs, memory, motherboards, towers, drives and other components when you're building a machine yourself or trying to order a custom-built one (for yourself or as a gift), you have to:

spend literally hours per component digging through consumer resources looking for something that's not directly sponsored by a manufacturer to learn what the actual capabilities of those components are. Then,

compare the capabilities of those components against the benchmarks of whatever you're trying to do.

Repeat until you find something within your budget that meets your requirements.

This is a terrible customer experience. Especially when the majority of the consumer base only care if it will work. When I was doing Markov model research, I cared about having a machine that could support multiple VMs and do heavy vector mathematics without killing itself. The same kind of requirements that underlies gaming rig specs.

The difference is, when I was doing that research, I could expense things. I was being paid to figure out what I would need. So, yeah, spending several days looking up hardware capabilities and comparisons was acceptable. It was part of the job. In fact, I even included the hardware I was using for my models in the write up.

When it comes to leisure time, hobbies, and gaming? If I have to treat it like a part time job, it's not happening. I'm computer savvy and even I only care about whether or not what I'm looking at quickly and correctly answers the question:

Will this work?

why is shopping for computer shit so difficult like what the hell is 40 cunt thread chip 3000 processor with 32 florps of borps and a z12 yummy biscuits graphics drive 400102XXDRZ like ok um will it run my programmes

[techpulsecanada]

AMD has successfully shifted the data center market dynamics in its favor, with server CPU market share now close to Intel’s by 2026. In less than a decade, AMD’s EPYC processors have expanded their presence, reaching a 39.4% share in Q1 2025, up by 6.5% QoQ. This growth is driven by AMD’s competitive EPYCラインup, challenging Intel’s long-standing dominance amid declining competition. Team Red’s strategic focus on high-performance servers is paying off, with a goal to reach 50% market share soon. In contrast, Intel faces sluggish performance due to leadership changes and unmet expectations, especially in the Xeon platform. This shift not only benefits AMD but also offers businesses more options for AI and data center needs. Looking for a powerful local build for your business? Explore GroovyComputers.ca for custom, high-performance computers tailored to your needs. Are you ready for the next era of data center innovation? Leave your thoughts below! #DataCenter #ServerCPUs #AMD #Intel #EPYC #TechInnovation #FutureOfIT #BusinessTech #HighPerformanceComputing #CustomBuilds Keywords: data center, server CPUs, AMD, Intel, EPYC, tech growth, AI, motherboard, custom computer store, GroovyComputers.ca

[simrankaur01]

Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler – Ultimate Cooling Power for Intel & AMD | Buy Online at Phantoms Tech

When it comes to high-performance computing, one factor that can never be overlooked is cooling. Whether you're a hardcore gamer, a creative professional, or a PC enthusiast, overheating can be the silent killer of your productivity and system performance. Enter the Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler – a powerful, stylish, and efficient 360mm AIO liquid cooling solution designed for Intel and AMD processors alike. And guess what? You can get it right now at unbeatable pricing only on Phantoms Tech!

🔍 Overview: What is the Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB?

The Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360L Core ARGB is the next-gen upgrade to one of the most reliable all-in-one (AIO) CPU liquid coolers on the market. Equipped with a 360mm radiator, dual-chamber pump, ARGB lighting, and pressure-optimized fans, this cooler is built to maintain peak performance while looking absolutely stunning inside your rig.

From silent operation to superior thermal performance, this cooler checks all the boxes for gamers, overclockers, and system builders alike.

🧊 Key Features of Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB

✅ 1. 360mm Radiator – Bigger Means Better

A larger surface area equals more effective heat dissipation. The ML360L comes with a 360mm radiator, ideal for high-performance CPUs and overclocked systems. Whether you're pushing a Ryzen 9 or Intel i9 to the limits, this cooler has your back.

✅ 2. Gen S Dual Chamber Pump

At the heart of this beast is Cooler Master's upgraded Gen S Dual Chamber Pump, designed for improved flow rate, pressure, and durability. By separating the hot and cold liquid pathways, it optimizes heat transfer and ensures long-term reliability.

✅ 3. New Pressure-Optimised ARGB Fans

The three 120mm fans feature specially designed blades for maximum air pressure with minimal noise. They spin at high speeds to push out hot air effectively while keeping the decibel levels down.

✅ 4. Dazzling ARGB Lighting

Fully customizable addressable RGB lighting across the pump and fans lets you sync with motherboard software like ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light, and Gigabyte RGB Fusion. Show off your setup in vibrant color with effortless control.

✅ 5. Wide Compatibility with Intel & AMD Sockets

Supports all major platforms:

Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1156

AMD: AM5, AM4

This makes it a perfect cooling solution for nearly every modern desktop CPU on the market.

📦 Specifications at a Glance

Feature

Specification

Pump Design

Gen S Dual Chamber

Radiator Size

394 x 119 x 27 mm

Fan Size

3x 120mm ARGB

Fan Speed

650-1800 RPM ±10%

Airflow

Up to 62 CFM

Noise Level

6 – 27 dBA

Socket Compatibility

Intel LGA1700/1200/1151/1150/1156, AMD AM5/AM4

Lighting

Addressable RGB (3-pin)

Warranty

2 Years

🚀 Performance Review: Real-World Thermal Excellence

In real-world use, the ML360L Core ARGB stands out for its efficient heat dissipation and low-noise operation. Benchmarks show idle temperatures sitting comfortably between 28–32°C on high-end CPUs and load temps maxing around 65–70°C even under sustained workloads.

Whether you're running Cinebench, playing AAA titles, or rendering 4K video, the cooler keeps temperatures in check without compromising on acoustics or aesthetics.

🎮 Why Gamers & PC Builders Love It

🎯 1. Overclocking Confidence

Push your CPU to its limits. With high thermal headroom and dynamic cooling control, the ML360L lets gamers overclock without fear of thermal throttling.

🎯 2. Silent Operation

Thanks to its advanced fan design and efficient pump, the cooler operates whisper-quiet even under heavy loads—perfect for streamers and content creators.

🎯 3. Next-Level Aesthetics

With full ARGB capabilities and a clean, modern look, this cooler is a visual centerpiece inside any gaming PC. The subtle black finish complements most builds and highlights RGB lighting even more.

🎯 4. Easy Installation

Cooler Master makes setup hassle-free. The included mounting hardware is clearly labeled and works with a wide variety of Intel and AMD CPUs. Pre-applied thermal paste and long tubes make the installation process user-friendly, even for beginners.

🛒 Why Buy from Phantoms Tech?

When you shop at Phantoms Tech, you're not just buying a product—you’re investing in quality service, authenticity, and expert support. Here's why Phantoms Tech is the best place to get your Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB:

✅ 100% Genuine Products

✅ Exclusive Discounts

✅ Fast & Reliable Shipping

✅ Cash on Delivery Options

✅ Expert Advice & Support

💰 Limited Time Offer!

Get the Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler – Black at the best online price only at Phantoms Tech. Stocks are limited, so don’t miss out!

👉 Buy Now: https://www.phantomstech.in

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Phantoms Tech Cooler Master Liquid Cooler

🛠 Ideal Use Cases

🖥️ Gamers

You need uninterrupted performance with thermal consistency. This AIO keeps your CPU cool even during 8-hour marathon gaming sessions.

🎥 Creators

Whether you edit 4K video or do heavy 3D rendering, thermal stability is essential. This cooler keeps your system running quietly and efficiently.

🧑‍💻 Professionals

From developers to engineers using simulation software, your workflows demand power and cooling balance. The ML360L Core ARGB delivers.

🧩 Compatible Motherboards & CPUs

🔹 Intel:

Core i9-14900K, i7-14700K, i5-14600K

Compatible with Z790, Z690, B760, H670, and more

🔹 AMD:

Ryzen 9 7950X, 7900X, 7800X3D

Compatible with X670, B650, and B550 motherboards

No matter your platform, the ML360L is a plug-and-play solution ready to integrate seamlessly into your system.

⚙️ Installation Tips for First-Time Users

📏 Measure your case before buying—ensure you have space for a 360mm radiator.

🧼 Clean the CPU surface with isopropyl alcohol before mounting.

⚡ Plug the ARGB cables into the correct header (3-pin, not 4-pin).

🔁 Run the pump header on “Full Speed” in BIOS for optimal performance.

🔚 Final Thoughts: Is the Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB Worth It?

Absolutely. If you're looking for a high-performance, aesthetically pleasing, and budget-conscious 360mm AIO, the Cooler Master ML360L Core ARGB is one of the best in the market. It brings a perfect blend of cooling efficiency, visual flair, and compatibility, making it ideal for gamers, content creators, and power users.

And with Phantoms Tech’s trusted service and competitive pricing, there’s no better place to buy.

🔗 Shop Now Before It Sells Out!

🔥 Give your system the cooling it deserves. 🛒 Click the link to order:https://www.phantomstech.in 🚚 Fast Delivery | 💯 Genuine Products | 🛡️ Safe Checkout

[the-city-in-mind]

Let’s not forget what several years worth of Pew Research studies taught us:

Computers (or smartphones) are no longer a hobby or luxury, but a virtual necessity to do everything in American society; apply for jobs, do jobs (if working from home), organize childcare, take classes, organize schoolwork, do research, manage banking and finances, send and receive money, sell things, manage medical appointments (often through apps) and prescriptions, on top of communication with your family, your child’s teachers, your caseworker, etc.

The phone company isn’t exactly running fiber internet to people in tents, are they?

In areas with poor broadband access, your phone is the internet for many people. This contributes to the “digital divide” and why, IMHO, the USPS should get into the broadband business and serve those underserved areas with subsidized connections.

I was shocked how cheap TVs had become. I got a 4K OLED for less than my old 1080p LCD cost. A basic 24” Insignia 720p TV can be had, as of September 2023, for $79.

What this illustrates is the difference between commodities and positional goods. As we saw during the pandemic, supply lines for manufactured items were constrained, causing prices to temporarily rise, but overall, the price of consumer electronics have fallen sharply year-over-year, or have gotten much more powerful for the same price. The internal design of many products has become simplified, with functions that used to require multiple discrete microprocessors now absorbed into so-called “systems on a chip” or SoCs.

Left: PlayStation 1 motherboard, 1994. Separate custom microprocessors are visible, including the CPU, GPU, audio processor, system memory and hardware interface chips.

Right: PlayStation 5 motherboard, 2020. The CPU and GPU are merged onto a single custom SoC made by AMD; the rest is just a couple of motherboard chips and a set of power transistors. Roughly, it’s 5,000 times more powerful than its ancestor.

If that were true for housing, we’d all be living in automated mansions that cost $100.

However, housing is a positional good.

While I occupy a house in a desirable, walkable neighborhood with access to transit, somebody else cannot. I have to vacate this unit for someone else to get it. People cannot just buy their way into this neighborhood if nobody’s selling.

Due to geography, zoning, infrastructure limits and other factors, the number of such desirable units is limited and thus they become more expensive to buy or rent.

Add all the other factors - Airbnbs, private equity, and flippers taking units off the market, nimby resistance to new denser housing, and disinvestment in public housing, and you have a perfect storm of unaffordability.

The only solution, really, is to institute strong market controls to end speculation, end institutional Airbnb hoarding, put in rent controls, and build way more public and cooperative housing that’s off the market.

[magnusinnovative]

Why Smartphone Chip-Level Repair Skills Are In-Demand in 2025

The Future Is Chip-Level: Why Mobile Repairing Skills Are Booming in 2025 In today's fast-paced digital world, smartphones and laptops are no longer luxury items—they're lifelines. With over 1.5 billion smartphones sold annually and increasing reliance on laptops for work, education, and entertainment, skilled mobile and laptop technicians are more in-demand than ever.

At Magnus Institute, Kerala’s leading mobile repairing training institute, we're seeing a surge in students enrolling in chip level mobile repairing courses. Let’s dive into why smartphone chip-level repair is one of the hottest career skills in 2025—and how you can take advantage of it.

What Is Chip-Level Mobile Repairing? Chip-level repair involves diagnosing and fixing problems on a mobile phone’s motherboard (PCB). Unlike basic component replacement, chip-level repair requires:

Soldering and desoldering

Use of microscopes and hot air guns

Knowledge of ICs, BGA chips, and circuit diagrams

This advanced skill is part of our mobile phone technician course and laptop repairing course, perfect for those aiming for deeper technical expertise.

Why Is This Skill in High Demand? Smartphones Are Getting More Complex

Devices now use multi-layer motherboards, micro BGA chips, and custom SoCs, requiring chip-level diagnostics and repair knowledge.

Repair, Don’t Replace Trend

Consumers and businesses prefer repairing expensive smartphones and laptops instead of replacing them, fueling demand for professionals trained in mobile chip level service.

Electronics Market Boom

With rising smartphone and laptop usage across India, the need for certified mobile and laptop repair technicians is growing.

Global Technician Shortage

Even abroad, companies are hiring professionals with a diploma in mobile repairing and mobile repair certificates from recognized institutions like Magnus.

Your Career Starts Here: Courses at Magnus Institute We offer top-rated, hands-on training in:

Mobile Repairing Course (Beginner to Advanced)

Mobile Phone Repair Training Institute Certificate

Chip Level Repairing Course for Mobile and Laptops

iPhone Repairing Course

Computer Chip Level Repairing Course

All courses are taught by certified experts with real-world experience, and include job placement assistance across Kerala and India.

Why Choose Magnus Institute? One of the top mobile technician courses in Kerala

Fully equipped labs for hands-on practice

Certified diploma programs

Modern tools for mobile/laptop chip-level servicing

100% job-focused training

Who Should Join? Students looking for a career in electronics and communication

Working professionals seeking upskilling

Entrepreneurs wanting to open a mobile repair coaching centre

Anyone interested in mobile mechanic courses or cell phone repairing courses

Get Certified. Get Hired. Start your journey today at Magnus Institute, a top-rated training institute for mobile and laptop repairing courses near you. Whether you're interested in mobile service courses, smartphone repairing courses, or computer laptop repair courses, we have a program designed for you.

📞 Call now or visit our website Magnus Institute, to enroll and take the first step toward a future-proof tech career.