#computer storage components

[ms-demeanor]

I would like to address something that has come up several times since I relaunched my computer recommendation blog two weeks ago. Part of the reason that I started @okay-computer and that I continue to host my computer-buying-guide is that it is part of my job to buy computers every day.

I am extremely conversant with pricing trends and specification norms for computers, because literally I quoted seven different laptops with different specs at different price-points *today* and I will do more of the same on Monday.

Now, I am holding your face in my hands. I am breathing in sync with you. We are communicating. We are on the same page. Listen.

Computer manufacturers don't expect users to store things locally so it is no longer standard to get a terabyte of storage in a regular desktop or laptop. You're lucky if you can find one with a 512gb ssd that doesn't have an obnoxious markup because of it.

If you think that the norm is for computers to come with 1tb of storage as a matter of course, you are seeing things from a narrow perspective that is out of step with most of the hardware out there.

I went from a standard expectation of a 1tb hdd five years ago to expecting to get a computer with a 1tb hdd that we would pull and replace with a 1tb ssd to expecting to get a computer that came with a 256gb ssd that we would pull and replace with a 1tb ssd, to just having the 256gb ssd come standard and and only seeking out more storage if the customer specifically requested it because otherwise they don't want to pay for more storage.

Computer manufacturers consider any storage above 256gb to be a premium feature these days.

Look, here's a search for Lenovo Laptops with 16GB RAM (what I would consider the minimum in today's market) and a Win11 home license (not because I prefer that, but to exclude chromebooks and business machines). Here are the storage options that come up for those specs:

You will see that the majority of the options come with less than a terabyte of storage. You CAN get plenty of options with 1tb, but the point of Okay-Computer is to get computers with reasonable specs in an affordable price range. These days, that mostly means half a terabyte of storage (because I can't bring myself to *recommend* less than that but since most people carry stuff in their personal cloud these days, it's overkill for a lot of people)

All things being equal, 500gb more increases the price of this laptop by $150:

It brings this one up by $130:

This one costs $80 more to go from 256 to 512 and there isn't an option for 1TB.

For the last three decades storage has been getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper, to the point that storage was basically a negligible cost when HDDs were still the standard. With the change to SSDs that cost increased significantly and, while it has come down, we have not reached the cheap, large storage as-a-standard on laptops stage; this is partially because storage is now SO cheap that people want to entice you into paying a few dollars a month to use huge amounts of THEIR storage instead of carrying everything you own in your laptop.

You will note that 1tb ssds cost you a lot less than the markup to pay for a 1tb ssd instead of a 500gb ssd

In fact it can be LESS EXPENSIVE to get a 1tb ssd than a 500gb ssd.

This is because computer manufacturers are, generally speaking, kind of shitty and do not care about you.

I stridently recommend getting as much storage as you can on your computer. If you can't get the storage you want up front, I recommend upgrading your storage.

But also: in the current market (December 2024), you should not expect to find desktops or laptops in the low-mid range pricing tier with more than 512gb of storage. Sometimes you'll get lucky, but you shouldn't be expecting it - if you need more storage and you need an inexpensive computer, you need to expect to upgrade that component yourself.

So, if you're looking at a computer I linked and saying "32GB of RAM and an i7 processor but only 500GB of storage? What kind of nonsense is that?" Then I would like to present you with one of the computers I had to quote today:

A three thousand dollar macbook with the most recent apple silicon (the m4 released like three weeks ago) and 48 FUCKING GIGABYTES OF RAM with a 512gb ssd.

You can't even upgrade that SSD! That's an apple that drive isn't going fucking anywhere! (don't buy apple, apple is shit)

The norms have shifted! It sucks, but you have to be aware of these kinds of things if you want to pay a decent price for a computer and know what you're getting into.

[techdriveplay]

Navigating the World of High-Performance Computer

In an era dominated by technology, building a high-performance computer is not just a necessity for many but a passion. Whether it’s for gaming, professional workloads, or creative pursuits, understanding the world of high-performance computer parts is crucial. This guide navigates through the essential components and considerations for assembling a dream machine that meets both your needs and…

[heron-knight]

long-distance mech pilots don’t need to worry quite so much about traveling light. when you’re walking around in several tons of metal, especially one built to wander, you aren’t quite to the point of needing to choose which of two keepsakes you have room in your bag for— there’s plenty of space for both.

Things are different for interstellar knights.

You see, whether wandering alone or setting off on some quest for their lord, a knight’s only home is their armor. Anything they bring with them, they must carry within that armor, even through battles— and as such, every gram and every cubic centimeter can make the difference between life and death, and every calorie chosen to replace a keepsake can make the difference between survival and starvation. As such, a knight’s inventory is heavily optimized— and so is their armor itself. What matters more, the heating system or the EVA boosters? The extra fuel storage or the emergency release mechanisms? Pick one, and you’ll have no room for the other unless you can cut corners somewhere else. Every single element of a knight’s armor is there because they made the conscious decision to put it there. Every weapon they’ve attached to their shell had to replace some traditional aspect of a life support system. Every inch of their shells are packed full of every system that can fit until it’s tight against the pilot’s skin to leave them bruised whenever they exit their shell.

it doesn’t take long for them to realize which superfluous components are the weakest link.

They start small, at first— often as simple as a haircut to help a tighter helmet fit better. Some try to lose weight, but quickly regret it when they find themselves near starvation on some distant moon. The ones that survive past their first year are the ones that are willing to take things a bit further— the toes on both feet, to make room for a slight jump booster. One of their ribs, perhaps— replaced with a battery that connects to the armor through a cable that winds around bones and muscles. It’s only a matter of time before they do something about those bones and muscles too.

those who have only heard the stories will say that a knight’s armor is their home. Those who have met one, seen them exit their armor and seen just how little is left of the body inside— they will say that a knight’s armor is a part of their body. Integrated into them until they cannot survive without it. Both are wrong. Even some knights cannot pin down the true answer— what they really feel as they connect their armor to the components of it that they have placed inside of them. The best ones do, though. They know it well.

A knight’s armor is not a part of their body. Their body is a part of their armor— their home, to be renovated and optimized as they see fit. To be replaced, improved, amputated and eviscerated so that it can be remade into the glorious works of art that the heroes of the galaxy become as they charge into battle and become a story worth remembering.

As the armor learns to reach into your veins, pulling oxygen from the carbon dioxide you exhale and weaving it back into your blood, the space once taken up by inefficient organic lungs becomes the home of the heating system, warming you from within no matter what part of the void between stars you find yourself in. As it recycles amino acids into proteins again and infuses them back into what tissues remain, you’re free to remove your old digestive organs and find a home for your armor’s main computer, kept safe at the center of your shell. Many knights choose to put their own organic brain down there next to it, incidentally making room for more optical systems in their skulls.

Your armor is no longer simply “a part of you” and you are no longer simply “a part of it.” It is you. You are it. Your bones, its power cells, your organs its systems. You are its brain and its CPU in equal measure and its beautiful exterior plates, painted with the symbols of the lord you serve or simply the cause you stand for, will inspire others to take up arms themselves and let themselves become part of it.

your body, your home, your masterpiece

[theinsideofablackhole]

(More) Rain World Pearl Writings

Now with some hit-or-miss doodles I made to visualize the pearls. They might be incredibly compressed idk...

Bicker

Interesting… It is a debate forum on the punitive ruling of a homicide. To thrust an enlightened individual across the cycle was considered abominable.

However, the presiding Just Order decided that the perpetrator embodied “The Remorsive Luminance Within”, and recommended her for temporary exile to a temple.

The discourse over the sentencing is… vulgar, to say the least. Many of my citizens did little else but talk, and thus the political landscape mutated into a frenzy of dozens of quarreling factions.

Most systems were commanded by the dynastic Concepts, so the remaining scraps of governance were subject to vicious competition by these factions. Power changed hands constantly.

The perpetrator was lucky. Had it been any other cycle, the ruling Order would throw her in a sensory deprivation tank or wipe her memory. Or perhaps she would be declared unsalvageable and turned into fodder for ritual combat.

It’s a bit baffling that they rarely just transcended their criminals in a Void Fluid bath instead. Probably because it would defeat the point of their bickering…

Mast

Oh? This contains a very old intellectual offering to the 52nd Great Mind, or the Aetherial Mast west of here. It consists of a very flattering, complex riddle.

Since you’ve been to Five Pebbles, I imagine that you’ve seen those grand towers piercing into the sky. They once formed a communication network between iterators, but a few of them - such as this particular one - are actually older than iterators like me.

After the Void Fluid Revolution, people quickly discovered that if any construct got complex enough, it would gain sapience.

So they threw as much computational power as they could into these towers, and waited. They expected the Aetherial Masts to quickly discover a method to implode the cosmos into the earth, achieving global transcension.

It inevitably failed. The 52nd Great Mind was later connected to a larger, more deliberate construct, and underwent apotheosis to become Looks to the Moon. Which is me!

The first of us iterators were reborn from these Great Minds. Afterward, most Masts were created with an iterator already in control.

Thank you, little creature, for this memento from my distant past.

Brain Tree

It's a treatise on memorykeeping. There’s a crypt nearby here, under Five Pebbles - piles and piles of cabinets, holding the legacies of my departed creators.

Through a complex bombardment procedure, the storage components of a person's mind would grow a twin lump, which contained cherished memories. The "memory fruit" was then removed and placed in a cabinet.

When the crypts began to acquire a hefty pile of cabinets, my creators discovered that all the fruits had united via a network of roots. The formation bulged outward endlessly, breaking into a factory far, far away. The cleanup effort was monumental.

Now, a microbe system continually expels the fruits' boundless energy, and kills them if the defenses fail to keep the fruits from getting too large.

Rare as they are, mass fractal neural emissions are a worrying phenomenon. Please keep your distance if you see a fruit that has grown into a tree.

Don't touch it - I don't know what might happen to you.

[synthetickitsune]

Erase Me ✧ c.hs

Pairing: android Hansol Vernon Chwe x human reader (gn) Genre: angst Summary: Time's running out. Refuse to make the newer android models compatible with the software of the older ones and boom, you can make way more money than you could ever need. Only you're not a company and you're not trying to make money. You're just trying to keep Vernon alive. Word count: 2.5k Warnings: slow deterioration, forced memory loss A/N: inspired by this post by @lumpywhump and also lowk inspired by my personal supplier of sad ai facts aka my dad and the shit he makes me cry about

The room would be silent if it wasn’t for the hum of the aircon and the whirring coming from Vernon’s open skull. The organized mess of wiring, components you don’t even know the names of, the small LED diodes blinking at you like stars in the night sky. It makes you feel like you’re looking at something humans weren’t supposed to see.

The days are getting longer and hotter. Stifling. You literally stand right where the air blows at you from the aircon and still you feel like you can’t breathe. There’s no escaping the heat and the vaguely dreamy, floaty feeling you get in the later hours of the day. The nights provide no relief either and you’re stuck with your thoughts because you can’t sleep. Even the android sleeps better than you lately.

“So, uh,” Vernon hesitates, which is unlike him. You feel like you’re going to be sick. “It’s between my oh moment and when we first held hands this time.”

You breathe in slowly, a deep breath that inflates your lungs until it hurts. In a way, you are lucky. The choices only started getting heartbreaking recently. You exhale slowly.

“I,” he sighs, “What do you think?”

“It’s your memories, love,” you shake your head and sit down behind him, wrapping your arms around his body. Warm. The way metal warms up on a hot day, not the comfort of organic bodies or warm water. His shoulder is hard under your chin. The newer models are softer. More human-like. Perhaps they could simulate the comforting feeling.

Not that that’s the selling point. They come with bigger memory storage. And, you suppose, better software as far as memory organization is concerned. Not this “pick between these two random options” Sophia’s choice torture of memory erasure that he has to go through on a separate, ancient computer that he has to plug into and that accepts his memory card. 

The mechanical parts inside of his skull buzz right next to your ear. It always gets a little louder when he’s thinking.

“We will hold hands again,” he says slowly, “But I can only fall in love with you for the first time once.”

“I mean it’d be the first time again if you deleted it,” you try to joke but it just sounds dry and forced. He doesn’t say it, and maybe it’s only because he doesn’t consider it an option, but there’s the chance he wouldn’t fall in love with you again. Maybe you’re just making this worse for yourself.

The whirring quietens. People used to say androids are hard to decipher. They must’ve never been close to one.

“It wouldn’t be the same,” he leans his head against yours cautiously, minding the sharp edges of the plates of his open skull, “And it’d be more noticeable.”

You try to swallow but your throat is too dry and too tight. It feels like there’s no oxygen in the room. Usually you’d blush and giggle at the insinuation that he thinks about the moment he fell in love with you often. Today you can’t. It doesn’t even register.

Anyway, he’s right. Holding hands isn’t that big of a deal. You have no idea why you’re both being so dramatic. Maybe it’s because this is the first time he’s forced to lose some memory of you. Before they could be saved in exchange for some of his random trivia knowledge. It’s barely there now and it’s heartbreaking.

It also feels wrong. Like he’s losing himself to keep you. It makes you sick. He won’t listen, stubborn as he is. You do wonder, though, if the only reason he’s still by your side after so long is because he cut his world too narrowly around you.

“Yeah, go ahead,” you nod. And just like that, in a couple of seconds, it’s done. The world is still turning. The time doesn’t stop for even a second. You remember the shy, careful way his hand slipped into yours. Your fingers intertwined and you wondered about how cool his synthetic skin felt against yours. It was fall and the coolness was not very welcomed.  

You still remember - he doesn’t.

Does he still remember that he used to be against this? Despite it being completely natural. He used to say you deserved better. You keep telling him the same. 

He hands you the compartment he’s holding and you carefully slide it back into its place inside his metal cranium. The structure closes automatically and he looks human again. Almost. The whirring gets louder, quicker. You don’t have time to pay it much mind while you help Vernon get on the couch and lie down. 

The memory isn’t the only issue he’s dealing with recently. 

The thing about the older models is that there’s very little that can be done for them. Screw the system made to force people to upgrade, to keep buying. Refuse to make the older and newer models compatible in any way and boom, you can make way more money than you could ever need. 

There are rumors of people who could help your situation but honestly, who even can afford their services. No matter how much you’d be willing to sacrifice just to help your lover live. And to remember. It’s paralyzing to know that no matter what you do, it won’t even come close to being enough.

The list of the memories lost keeps growing. It’s gonna keep growing, inevitably. Most of them have been insignificant so far, fortunately. It’s not gonna be that way forever. Today was the wake up call.

With Vernon asleep, you can only blankly stare into space. There’s nothing you can do. Nothing to help him. Nothing at all to save him.

It feels selfish to worry about it, to cry about it, to despair about it. It’s not your mind to begin with. Sharing the burden doesn’t help. You know it’s slowly getting to Vernon too. You don’t need to literally hear his mind race to notice whenever he realizes there’s a blank space where something should be. 

It’s a cursed circle, forgetting, learning again, only to be forced to forget not long after. There’s no help. It’s hopeless. No matter where you search, who you ask. It’s always so far out of reach that you’re not sure whether it’s a good thing or not that at least there’s no hope.

And the issues keep stacking. Not only the memory. Not only the energy draining out of him faster. Vernon hides it from you, but you know. You notice. When you lie together, hold each other under the blanket he doesn’t need, he’ll admit he’s scared. He can feel himself fading away. He never goes into specifics, living with him as long as you do he doesn’t need to anyway. 

The light at the end of the tunnel, the light that’s supposed to be hope, feels more like a train speeding towards you. The clock is ticking and you feel it in your bones. Tick-tock. Your days are numbered. Time’s running out. No matter how much you dig your heels in, you’ll be dragged forward whether you want it or not.

It’s just one blow after another.

The notification of a software update that’s supposed to erase some of the issues with the functionality of androids of Vernon’s type.

You dread the size of it. 

It’s already noon and he’s still asleep. Yesterday he decided to sacrifice the couple months you spent at your first shared home in hopes it’d solve things for some time.

You wonder if that’s gonna be enough.

You wonder if one day it’ll be better if he forgets you completely.

Probably. But then again so much of your lives is intertwined that it might just cause more confusion and chaos. It’s not like you could abandon him, you’d still want to take care of him, protect him, make sure he can live as happily as possible for as long as his luck holds.

You brush away some of the synthetic hair from his face. It all takes so much from him. The demands are getting higher, his system and body can’t keep up. Every little change requires so much power to pull off. The software update will be the worst in a while, especially because of the deterioration. Vernon guesses it might take weeks for him to gain consciousness again. 

It’s just not fair that he looks so much like a human. You suppose the slow and inevitable decline towards death is human too, and just like for humans, it can’t be changed, it’s not always fair. You know. But it hurts.

You wipe away the tears that spilled thinking about the future that might not be as distant as you thought.

Vernon doesn’t know what to do. If it was up to him, he likely wouldn’t do anything. No erasing memories, no updates. He’d accept the hand he was dealt and focus on experiencing as much as the limit of his body would allow him. Eventually, something would happen and he’d either shut down or break beyond repair and - hopefully - conscience. 

It’s not really only up to him, though, and that’s the issue. He doesn’t doubt that you'd support his decision even if it meant less time left with him, but he doesn’t want to hurt you like that. Whatever happens, you’ll get left behind. So he wants to help you have less regrets. He can see you’re not ready to let go and maybe you never will be. It makes him grateful and sad at the same time.

The day of the update is getting closer. So he’s revisiting all his options again and getting too sentimental for his own good. He’s just tired of all this. Tired of forgetting. Tired of losing himself. That’s what it feels like he’s been doing all along - just chipping away at himself? And for what? Survival instinct that’s so laughably pointless for synthetic life?

Honestly, he doesn’t want to go through with it. There exists a point where self-preservation makes no sense and he’s just about reached it.

What’s it gonna fix anyway? His days are numbered. He knows. While the updates would improve his quality of life, it’d only be at the expense of things he values more. If it came sooner, he’d jump at the opportunity. Now it feels like slapping a duct tape on a totaled car.

“Let’s not do the update,” he finally says once you join him in the living room. The morning is still too fresh for this kind of talk but he’s never been the type to put things off. At least he thinks so. 

You stare at him for a few seconds and then nod, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You used to sleep much longer. Now it feels to him like you’re getting up at these ridiculous hours just to make sure he’s still there. Not so much physically but the point stands.

“Any particular reason?” There’s no accusation, no blame. This conversation could probably be avoided if he was more open about everything. He made his choices though. 

“It’s too late for it to be meaningful,” he hopes it says enough. 

You’ve always worried too much about him. And you know him too well. Deep down you must’ve noticed the things he doesn’t point out. His fine motor skills are getting worse. His “senses” aren’t as sharp either. His memories are losing quality. Replaying some of the older ones in the full quality they were recorded in would probably send him into a coma.

You don’t need to know all the details. You feel it. You know. And that’s all that matters.

At this point you’re just wiping away tears, not trying to wake up.

“It will be better,” he approaches it reasonably, “It wouldn’t change much. And your power bill is already high enough as it is.”

You don’t laugh at his joke but you nod.

“At least we should have more time,” he continues, “I don’t mind keeping up what we do now for you. Well, for me too. I really do love you. I don’t want to leave you.”

A weak “shut up” is all you can muster as you stumble forward and fall into his embrace. Your body shakes with sobs. Crying is another ability he’s given up. The fluid had no other function. The emotions can still be felt. Not making the system perform a purely performative task saves some energy and computing power. He rarely used it anyway. Even now, what would it change? You understand how he feels without the show of emotions.

He wraps an arm around your waist and pats your back with the other. His feelings wouldn’t get properly conveyed through tears even if he could cry. It’s too late for them, too. All that’s left is to make peace and live while he can, as much as his body and system allow him. For now he’ll hold you like this. His fingers fist in your shirt. That must be enough.

There’s nothing he can say to soothe you, so he doesn’t. He lets you cry it out. You’ll think clearer afterwards. You’ll see his point, eventually. Again, you know. You know it all, just as he does.

Just like him, you just need to come to terms with it. 

“I have some more memory left now,” he whispers into your hair, “Let’s take advantage of that. We’ll decide what to do next when we come to that bridge.”

For now, that’s all he can come up with.

He hopes that the time until that happens will be long enough for the world to end. So that nobody would get abandoned, nobody would have to mourn and learn to live again.

Perhaps things would be different if he wasn’t avoiding the necessary conversation like a coward. It’s madness to keep doing the same thing over and over again, it’s unsustainable. Things would just keep getting worse. He deserves more - you both do. Perhaps especially you. 

“You know what you want to do, right?” you ask with a shaky voice.

“It doesn’t feel right,” Vernon admits, “I knew you knew. Let’s not worry about it now.”

“You went along with my vision long enough,” you sigh, burying your face deeper into his chest, “Let’s do it your way now.”

He nods, knows you can feel it. His way, for now, is to hold you. It doesn’t solve anything. It hurts. He feels his brain whirring while he recollects all the times he’s held you like this. There’s nothing more he can commit to memory about how your body feels against his. That’s a relief.It doesn’t change anything, but if it doesn't make the problem worse, it feels like standing here and holding you until his body gives out isn’t the worst thing to do.

[eggs-attorney]

[<<< First]

Reiker: (Oh, right... Introductions. I was never good at those...)

Reiker: My name is Reiker Strait, and I'm going to be your defense attorney today.

???: O-oh, hello... Th-they told me you might not show up and I was waiting and I... I...

Reiker: Well, I showed up! Got here as soon as I could. Anything for someone in need, miss... Come to think of it, what is your name?

???: He... Didn't tell you my name...?

Reiker: I'm afraid not... I just got this assignment, and it was kind of rushed. Today's actually my first day as Sunnyside's public defender.

???: Oh, I see... My name is Yanshu - Yanshu Dryll - and I-

Yanshu: You only started today!?

Reiker: (Shoot, my badge!)

Reiker: Well, yeah, but don't say it like that! I'm qualified!

Reiker: [Sigh]... Listen, I'd like to help you with this case. I spent the past 8 years of my life working my tail off so I could get this job, and every lawyer has to have a first client, so... May I help you? For both our sakes?

Yanshu: I-I mean... It's not like I know what I'm doing, and the thought of going in there alone terrifies me, but... You didn't even know my name. Do you know anything about the case?

Reiker: Right… We should probably talk about what we're doing here.

Yanshu: W-well, I'm on trial for the, um… Dismantlement? Of my b-best friend.

Reiker: Wh… Do you mean dismemberment?

Yanshu: I… Yes. No? The terminology surrounding Robians is still pretty vague, despite everything.

Reiker: Alright, um… So your best friend is a robot?

Yanshu: Yes, his name is Flash, and he's very important to me. I'm worried sick… Whoever did this, they stole his parts. Took everything that made him him...

Reiker: So like… His face?

Yanshu: No, no… His personality, his memories, everything that makes him unique! ... Everything I can't replace...

Reiker: I… Didn't know that could be taken away.

Yanshu: Well... You've used a computer, haven't you?

Reiker: Of course.

Yanshu: So... When you're roboticized, you turn into a computer. Your body becomes the case, and your brain the technical components. Instead of storing data biologically through neuronal connections, information is written to several storage disks as raw code, and can be accessed at any time. Since it's a physical storage unit, these disks can be removed. This is usually only done during maintenance where units have to be repaired or replaced, in which case the data is backed up and transferred, but if someone has bad intentions, they can just... Take them. Doing that while the system is active can damage the hardware, or corrupt the data, or... I can't stand thinking about it.

Reiker: ... That's upsetting.

Yanshu: It really is, and if I'm found guilty, they… They'll probably roboticize me, too.

Reiker: What? You can't be serious!

Yanshu: I am, and if they don't figure out where those components went, they'll assume I destroyed them - that I truly killed him - and that's why I need your help finding them! I-if I can find them, I can fix him, and he can tell them what happened! That I didn't do it!

Reiker: I'm afraid that's going to be hard to do from a courtroom...

Yanshu: Please, Mr. Strait! He-… He's all I have…

Guard-Bot: CURRENT TIME: 0900 HOURS. ALL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS ARE TO RELOCATE TO THE COURTROOM EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

Yanshu: … I guess that's us, but… Before we go in, please, take this.

Friendship Photo has been added to the Court Record.

Reiker: Oh, is this your friend?

Yanshu: [Sniff] Y-yeah, it is. He knows I don't like being in photos, but he took and printed it before I could take my phone back. He kept asking me to keep it - to put it on my desk or something - but I didn't have a frame on hand, so...

Reiker: So… Why are you giving this to me?

Yanshu: I don't know, it just… Feels important. Maybe you could put it to good use? I don't think I'll be needing it if I'm... Y'know...

Reiker: Don't worry, Ms. Dryll, I won't let that happen. I promise.

Reiker: (Now here's hoping I can follow through…)

[Next >]

______________________________________________________________

We received a good number of replies this round! We don't have a Thought Pool Point for this post, but feel free to share your thoughts, and stay tuned for the start of the trial next week!

[bignaz8]

In 1956, IBM introduced a groundbreaking innovation: the 5MB hard drive. This was a revolutionary advancement in data storage, offering an unprecedented capacity for its time. Housed in a massive cabinet, the IBM 305 RAMAC hard drive weighed over a ton and was about the size of a refrigerator, yet it could hold the equivalent of 5 megabytes of data—an amount that seems minuscule by today's standards but was a monumental leap forward in computing.

The 5MB IBM hard drive was a key component of the IBM 305 RAMAC, one of the first computers to use a hard disk for data storage. Prior to this, data had to be stored on punched cards or magnetic tapes, which were much slower and less reliable. The hard drive allowed for quicker access to data, transforming how businesses could store and retrieve information, laying the foundation for the future of computing.

Though large and costly by today's standards, the 5MB IBM hard drive marked the beginning of the digital storage revolution. It demonstrated the potential for computer data storage and paved the way for the development of more compact and efficient storage devices, ultimately leading to the advanced technologies we rely on today.

[techav]

On Documenting History

I've mentioned a couple times before that the first computer I really got to use was the Sanyo MBC-1000, a Z80-based CP/M machine. In the greater picture it was a largely forgettable machine with little to differentiate it from its competitors. Which is pretty much what has happened. There are a few units sitting in museums and the odd Reddit post of someone acquiring one, but not much real information.

So last year I started taking a closer look at the machine I grew up with to try to learn what I could about how it works. And in the interest of preservation and education, I've pushed my notes to a GitHub repository.

There is much more work to be done, but so far I've made an entry-level attempt at reverse-engineering & annotating a disassembly of the boot ROM, documented all of the components on the main logic board, documented the expansion card specifications including modeling the slot and mounting brackets in freecad as well as the board outline in kicad. I've also made an effort to reverse engineer a schematic for the serial expansion card — which as far as I am currently aware is the only official expansion card that was ever produced.

I plan to continue adding notes to this repository as I learn more about this machine. It may not have made any significant historical impact, but it was a solid machine that was more than capable of doing some serious work. I believe it can still teach us something and deserves to be remembered.

I do have a secondary motive for taking such a detailed look at this machine though — at some point in the last 20 years we misplaced the box containing its boot disks and other software. I have found an old Teledisk image of an MBC-1000 boot disk which does appear to have all of the important CP/M components (like the disk format utility, sysgen, and assembler), but there is no guarantee it will work. Beyond that, its floppy drives were never terribly reliable and out-of-production magnetic media does not have much life left anyway. I want to come up with some way to attach a modern storage device to the machine to breathe new life into it (a Gotek would probably be easiest since it uses standard Shugart floppy drives, but I would love to come up with a way to give it an SD card interface or something like that). All this information will be useful for developing anything new for this machine.

[tigergirltail]

Tiger and Changeling - 2/3

PREV - NEXT

Part two of a standalone Tiger HRT story featuring @queenmelodis' character Kalla.

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PART TWO - ASSISTIVE DEVICES

This is going to be an interesting problem.

...No, I shouldn't think of it like that.  This isn't a fun puzzle or a fascinating thought experiment, this is a real person whose life might be at stake.

Kalla is a changeling.  Her body, her abilities, her instincts, they're all wired to deceive and manipulate, to cultivate love from an unsuspecting target and absorb it for sustenance, to drain emotional strength from those around her.  It makes me wonder where the innate connection lies, that binds her to her kintype.  She spent most of our encounter trying to force me to leave, even to the point of masquerading as an authority figure, and she almost looked disgusted with herself afterwards, even though I freely offered for her to drain me.

She physically needs love to sustain herself, but seems to hate the act of harvesting it.  She must have had a very complicated relationship with the concept of love when she was living as a human.

Meanwhile, here I am, follower of a goddess of love, trying my hardest to let every decision I make be influenced by it.  Either I'm the best person to work on this problem, or I'm the last person who should be anywhere near it.

…It doesn’t matter.  The fact is that I AM the one working on this problem, and I can’t go doubting myself now.

Okay.  Time to get to work.  I get out a notepad and set it on my computer desk.  First, I need to get some ideas down, no matter how stupid they may sound.

What is the nature of love?  How would I describe it?  Love is… comforting.  Radiant.  Contagious.  Renewable.  Regenerative.  Self-sustaining and self-replicating.  Little wonder it makes for good sustenance.

Love can be found nearly anywhere, if you know how to look.  ...Maybe that’s somewhere to start.  If Kalla could just absorb love from an environment, from a loving atmosphere, if she could passively collect it…

Not how that works, I remind myself.  Changelings absorb love from living beings, end of story.

…But what if she had something that could collect love FOR her?  Some sort of assistive device?  I work at a magi-tech lab on days when I’m not at THEMS, maybe I can make use of some of the tools and resources there.  Technological components for energy storage, magical components for ambient emotive absorption.  But first, I need a vessel, ideally something with a history, that’s been used to contain and represent love before.  That’ll make for a good starting point.

For now, I put my notes away, say goodnight to my partner, and tuck in for an early night.  I still haven’t fully recovered from Kalla draining me, poor girl must have been really hungry.

The next day, during a slow moment at work, I look up some local antique shops, and decide on one to visit on my way home.  I momentarily wonder if I’ll sound crazy asking for an item ‘with a story’, but then I remember this is Hyper City and magic is just sort of a fact of life here - the antique shops probably deal with actual enchanted objects all the time.  Honestly, an old love charm might be perfect, if I can find one that fits my purposes.

About half an hour after work, I’m standing outside a storefront bearing the name Forgotten Treasures: Antiques & Trinkets.  There’s a wide variety of knickknacks displayed in the window, everything from porcelain figurines to old pocket watches.  Walking inside the front door, I hear the jingling of a small bell, and then I hear it again when one of my ears brushes up against it.

There’s a portly old man with dark skin, rectangular glasses, and an Erian-worthy moustache sitting at the front desk, who looks up as I come in.  “Oh!  You’re a big one, aren’t you?  If you’re here looking for work, I’m afraid we already have a store cat!  She’s around here somewhere, she is…”

I can’t help smiling.  I’m usually not too happy with humans joking about my species, but that was actually pretty funny.  “Heh, no, I already have a job…  I’m looking for a gift, actually.  Something to hold a lot of love.”

“Something to hold love, eh?  Something for your special someone, is it?”  He gets up from his seat and starts looking through some jewellery kept in a display case.

“Not quite…  Just trying to get a friend out of a tough spot is all.”  I start peering down the aisles between densely packed shelves of seemingly random objects.  “I don’t suppose you have anything magical here.”

“Ahh, I get that a lot, but no dice I’m afraid.  Magical items are too tightly regulated, I only get disenchanted castoffs.”

I give a feline smile.  “Actually, that would be perfect.  Can I take a look?”

The shopkeeper gets out a key, then unlocks and opens a compartment below the display counter.  He takes out a modestly sized wooden chest, sets it on the counter, and opens it towards me.  “Every item you see here was at one point enchanted, to varying degrees.  The magic has faded, but the items are still receptive.”

There’s quite a variety in here.  A ceramic mug, a postcard, several dice, a few dolls and similar humanoid toys, and an abundance of jewelry and other wearable accessories.  My eyes fall on a silver locket, oval-shaped and about the right size to fit comfortably in my palm.  I gently lift it out of the box, resisting the feline urge to play with the chain.  “If none of these items are magical anymore, why keep them locked up?”

He gives a nostalgic smile towards the chest.  “Call it superstition if you like.  Even the leftovers of magic should go to someone who appreciates magic, eh?  Guessing you have an eye for it, else you wouldn’t’ve asked.”

I smile.  “I’ve certainly got an appreciation for the craft…”  Opening the locket, I peer inside.  Empty, with no notable interior features, but enough space for someone clever to fit some good tech.  Silver, spiritually associated with purity, and physically, an excellent conductor.  Plus, wearable around the neck is probably good for an equine shapeshifter.  This ought to do nicely.  “How much do you want for this one?”

I end up spending more than I was expecting to, but it’s well within my budget, and I doubt I was going to find a better vessel.  Over the next week, I spend some free time and some slow work hours on the design.  The centrepiece is a sigil of my own creation, inscribed onto a wafer of circuit board.  Courtesy of CAD software, precision machining tools, and a laser etching machine, I have the luxury of inscribing a mathematically perfect sigil onto a surface that fits precisely within the locket.

The sigil itself incorporates symbology related to both expressions of love and holding a charge.  A circle as a base shape, with a heart perfectly set within.  A vertical line bisecting the heart, interrupted halfway by a pair of horizontal lines representing an electrical capacitor.  Below, a bow and arrow, an invocation of Cupid, pointing directly towards the capacitor symbol.  Above, a depiction of a changeling’s eyes and fangs, set asymmetrically to one side and angled with the fangs towards the capacitor - a personal touch, to bind the sigil to Kalla.

From there, I start incorporating the necessary secondary components.  An ultradense crystalline lattice for magical energy storage - far and away the most expensive piece of the assembly, but also the most vital, so I’m not cheaping out on it.  A small display module to serve as an indicator for charge level compared to capacity.  There also needs to be a discharge mechanism, a switch or button to dump the contents in case they become tainted or otherwise unpalatable.  Love can be made to grow stale or even toxic, in the wrong circumstances.  A switch is harder to trigger accidentally, but a button is more accessible for hooves, so I install it as a button.

Test one - can the vessel receive and store love?  I confirm that it has a zero charge, then close the locket and hold it tight to my chest, summoning all the love I have in my heart.  The love for my family, my friends, and my community.  The love that guides me and drives me forward.  The sense of love that compels me to do whatever I can to help Kalla, even though we barely know each other.

After several minutes of focusing on feelings of love, I reopen the locket and check the display.  It’s not much, but it’s showing a charge.  Test successful.  I press the discharge button, and the display goes blank once again.  For a split second I swear I can feel the fleeting presence of the love that I just poured into the vessel.

Test two - can the vessel absorb love from an environment?  This one is a little more complicated.  I have to be fully hands-off, or my presence could affect the results of the test, so I’ll leave it somewhere for a short time and retrieve it later, but where?  Maybe one of the support meetings held at THEMS?  It’s an environment I have some control over and a safe place to leave something, and besides, I have a hard time imagining a more loving atmosphere.  I leave the locket concealed in a drawer before the meeting, go out for a nice dinner, and come back afterwards to retrieve it.

Before the support meeting, it was at a zero charge.  After, it’s two-thirds full.  Test overwhelmingly successful.

Test three - can Kalla absorb love from the vessel?  Obviously, for this one I need to find her again.

Just hold on a little longer, Kalla.  I’m on my way.

[blueikeproductions]

How a Transformer Transforms was never really nailed down before, but TFONE reintroduces a semi obscure concept in that Transformation is controlled by a Cog, and without it, one can’t Transform.

How a Transformer changes form in older material was never really clear, and frankly the cartoon writers didn’t particularly care. They’re space robots that turn into cars, animals and objects, how much more complicated can you make it?

Most instances regarding how a robot Transforms in the 80’s cartoon referred to loose ideas about special circuits, or quirky by products of Transformation such as “Dinosaur Transform Static” unique to dinosaur type Transformers, but otherwise nothing too specific. The cartoon would later on make a point that the Autobots’ ancestors invented Transforming as a stealth tactic during one of the various prehistoric wars prior to Megatron’s time, though there was no mention of specific inventions to do so.

Cogs were brought up as a plot device post movie, … but there was a catch. The original T-Cogs were limited to Metroplex and Trypticon, special gizmos that allowed THEM to Transform to Robot Mode, with a few episodes devoted to both factions stealing the other MetroTitan’s Cog to get a leg up in a fight. Unicron also required the Cog of one of the giants to facilitate his recreation, implying he too needed one to Transform. The cartoon seems to suggest the Cogs were unique to the giant Transformers, but that the Cogs weren’t entirely cross compatible, leaving Metroplex and Trypticon stuck in half way modes if they used each other’s.

Action Masters famously robbed Transformers of the ability to change, as the miracle fuel Nucleon changed their “Figure Alteration Systems” into “Energy Storage Reactors”. No mention of Cogs yet again, but retroactively it could mean a Cog is mutated by Nucleon into a tank to store Nucleon.

How Transforming was controlled was revisited in Beast Wars, where Maximals and Predacons used onboard computers to automate the process. Beast Machines would return to the idea of Transforming being a process that is learned, with the now Techno-Organic Maximals devoid of onboard computers needed to find a meditation still point to convert from Beast to Robot.

Presumably, thinking of it retroactively again, techno organic Maximals have no Cogs, while Vehicons likely still do. They’re shown to still have onboard computers anyway. Coincidentally, earlier Japanese media would also mirror Beast Machines, where young Transformers that migrated to Planet Master hadn’t learned to Transform yet, and through rigorous training and technological advancement, learned and evolved a new way to Transform in Headmaster technology to adapt to Master’s harsh terrain.

Indeed most media was content to ignore Cogs being a component, as the older stuff never really used it anyway on regular Transformers. James Roberts’ Proto-MTMTE fan fiction would introduce a separate concept called a “Morph Core”, a cluster of nerves connected to the brain module that controlled Transforming, and while the IDW comics would recycle the name, it still referred to the Cog in the end. It wasn’t until Aligned that concepts started getting streamlined, with the idea of a Cog controlling conversion being revisited there.

Today, via Aligned, all Transformers require Cogs to change form. As part of an initiative to make Transformers into more obvious living organism like us, rather than just space robots, the Cog is … somewhat confusingly referred to as a biological organ rather than a piece of machinery. How that differs from other body parts that are implied to be mechanical in nature anyway I have no idea, but the point is the Cogs are treated as special, they control Transformation and the ability to Scan new Vehicle or Beast Modes, and can’t simply be rebuilt from scratch if lost or damaged. If a Transformer looses one, another Transformer has to donate theirs like a human would donate a kidney to another. TFP would famously depict this where Bumblebee and Starscream would loose their Cogs as part of a scheme by the human terrorist organization MECH, who required a Cog to build their own Transformer. T-Cogs, as a biological component, mean that all Transformers’ genetic code constrains the schematics for a T-Cog, as Starscream would learn when his Clones all could still Transform when he couldn’t. Starscream would later harvest a Cog from a dead Clone to replace his own, though with how often Megatron bragged about Decepticon science, I imagine they had the power to build a functional Cog from scratch anyway.

MTMTE era IDW would have their own spin on the matter, where Cogs had a religious and political bent, being connected to religious figures in Amalgamous Prime and Adaptus, but also many Action Master type TFs, now “Monoformers” would reject their Cogs for political reasons due to Functionism. A one off Decepticon was so repulsed by Transforming, he was whittled down into a base form lacking kibble, and made other Transformers wear mode locks so they wouldn’t compulsively Transform in front of him.

As an aside, there’s moments like this that makes me wonder if Roberts genuinely hated Transforming. So much lore centered around how intrinsic Transforming is to Cybertron culturally, and yet hardly anyone Transformed on his stories that it was routinely used as a running gag… You can’t tell me that’s not a little unusual for a Transformer fan.

RBA would also introduce an off shoot of the Cog, a Mul-T-Cog that allows the wearer to assume three Vehicle Modes, but not all at once, as the user needed to make a wise choice on which form to use on a mission. Japanese media also has the “Super Transform Cog”, but as of writing, we don’t know exactly what that is.

TFONE would mostly go back to the mechanical nature of the Cogs, no real mention of biology, but retain that all Transformers have them upon activation. The Miner class had theirs removed before becoming online, creating a simple to understand Cogless vs Cog social structure where those who can’t Transform not having many rights or job opportunities under Sentinel, mirroring IDW and obscure Aligned concepts.

Also kind of ironically mirroring IDW, Sentinel, despite The Fallen’s Cog, never actually Transforms into Vehicle Mode, going back to that clunky idea of Transforming being intrinsic but having some who don’t even try.

Orion, Elita, D-16, and B-127 all got Cogs of Primes, donated by Alpha Trion from Prima, Alchemist, Onyx and Micronus, and later on Megatronus, with Cogs being restored to the Miners by Optimus. Where these Cogs come from isn’t clear, though my assumption is Sentinel kept the Cogs of the Miners in storage for some reason, and they came out of storage to their rightful owners once the Matrix was restored. There’s a popular theory the four having ancient Prime Cogs might give them special powers, though nothing has been officially stated. It’s said in TFONE in particular that the Cogs unlock the built in potential of a Transformer, which we see with how Optimus and Megatron evolve as they gained their Vehicle Modes, though at the same time, upon getting Megatronus’ Cog, Megatron does appear to evolve further, so it’s a bit unclear if this is his genetic potential or if Megatronus Prime’s influence took over. Optimus similarly only displays certain attributes like his Axe when he gets Zeta’s Matrix, so we’ll have to wait and see if this gets played up at all in story or in toy form. I still say a better Mini-Con like version of the Prime Master gimmick would be cool for a further TFONE toy line. Like an Onyx Prime Cog that unlocks a Dragon Cannon on Megatron’s arm for example or Optimus sprouting Prima’s sword when Prima Prime’s Cog is plugged in. Admittedly I’m kinda surprised Action Masters haven’t been revived through the Cogless in toys, like having a drill accessory that becomes a dinosaur buddy for Orion or a jet pack that becomes Laserbeak for D-16. Hint, hint, Hasbro.

There are complaints off and on how relying on a single Cog for Transforming is limiting and kinda stupid, but Transformers is inherently nothing but dumb fun so it still kinda works! They’re still robots at the end of the day so having a gizmo that directly controls it makes sense. It’s just funny to me that it took largely until recently to come up with that based on an obscure plot device from the cartoon for Metroplex.

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplay Ramblings: Spell Storage part 4

(art by Gulril on DeviantArt)

Technology

Moving on from the quasi-medieval past to the far future, let’s take a moment to talk about how spells are stored in the far future.

It’s worth noting that every spellcasting class in Starfinder is a spontaneous caster, but many still carry the aesthetics of being prepared casters, reflecting how priorities have changed and whatnot. This is also reflected in the fact that all spellcasting in the system is at what would be considered the mid-range from a Pathfinder perspective. Ostensibly this is because they find it more practical to learn other skills and applications to their magic beyond spells, but the Doylist explanation is that they were trying out standardized spellcasting levels.

Of course, with all these classes being spontaneous, some of them would naturally follow the same sort of general themes as the spontaneous casters of the past. Witchwarpers might be inborn and reflexive like a sorcerer, with the added flavor of them perhaps reaching out with their imagination to find the appropriate alternate reality they wish to draw upon. Meanwhile, mystics resemble all manner of classes, and might visualize and produce their spells the way the psychics of yore did, or invoke them from divine sources or from the connections they delve into.

Of course, Starfinder lets things be pretty fluid with class abilities, so supplemental devices for memorizing and visualizing spells are also possibilities. Precogs with a more traditional prognostication bent might use fortune telling aids like cards and the like as focuses for their magic. Meanwhile, the classic example is the technomancer and their spell cache, which is one part digital spellbook and another part magical capacitor for storing a spell and it’s effects.

Indeed, such devices no doubt show how magic has evolved alongside technology. Can any computer function as a spell cache, or are hybrid tech additions required, like computer chips laced with arcane sigils or magically-reactive component?

Also, remember that the magical traditions of the past still do exist in the far future (thanks to the rules for converting old classes to Starfinder), so it only makes sense that such magics would get a far-future facelift. Wizards might have spell caches of their own that are more akin to tablets or e-readers, while sorcerers might accept implants meant to help them channel the power of their blood, to say nothing of the availability of information on learning spells thanks to the existence of infospheres and internets.

And with that, I think I’ve got all I wanted to say out of my system. Tomorrow we’ll summarize and conclude, but for now, I’ve hope you’ve been enjoying this.

[bortalis]

“The Ocean Marcher”

A concept for a mobile iterator and their placing within the world.

(ideas below)

-Purpose

Once it was determined that the first generation of Iterators were unlikely to come upon the solution to the great problem solely on their own, the second Iterator generation was announced. These plans not only consisted of improvements and optimizations of the previous generation, but goals to construct Iterators around their world on a large scale .

Iterator construction is no small feat. With the projects being on mountainous scales, the current logistical systems were stressed and overworked. With the goal of widespread placement of Iterators, accomplishing this without system upgrades would be nigh impossible. Creating a rail system to span the vast oceans was not feasible, nor did the current shipping logistics have the capacity nor specialization necessary for the planned constructions.

This Ship is to take the role of a mass cargo vessel. To construct an iterator requires complex components, and being biomechanical in nature means any transport requires external support for the microorganisms to not die off in masses. Considering the remote placement of future Iterators means the creation of these components cannot be done on site. These ships will not only transport but maintain Iterator parts to keep them in pristine condition for installation.

-Operation

Integrated within the upper decks of the vessel, lies the local Iterator. Unlike others, this model is specialized solely for operation of the ship. Having the Iterator at the top of the vessel reduces its exposure to the elements without reducing carrying capacity.  Much of the bulk of a typical Iterator model has been cut down to make more for cargo and storage. Any cargo is sealed away from the environment and weathering within the hull. Since these vessels have not been tasked with the great problem, there is no need for the extensive processing and computing power to run innumerable simulations. The puppet chamber and minimal peripherals have been kept to maintain course and cargo on the voyage. 

Over the journey the interior is kept at a much lower temperature than other iterators. This is to assist keeping cargo “fresh” and well. Biomachinery’s functions slow down when cooled, reducing the energy and maintenance required for long trips. Keeping the vessel at an optimal temperature is done through extensive heat pumps and exchangers. The ocean provides a near limitless coolant pool, and the Iterator onboard generates far less heat (due to doing less computational operations), making cooling a much simpler task here than on a traditional Iterator.

The majority of loading and unloading is done through either the Bow doors, or the Upper deck’s lifting crane. The Bow doors generally require pre-built infrastructure to fully utilize, but allow for the quickest and most open access to the storage levels. Manufacturing facilities normally have well developed dock access for this purpose, to decrease the loading time for the components. At less developed docks the ship relies on the crane and other peripheral doors/bays to unload.

-Movement

A Mobile iterator would be nigh impossible in any other environment. The only factor that allows for such a construction is the buoyancy taking weight of the can. The large economy of scale result in a surprising amount of efficiency for moving such a large structure

Prominently shown on the side are the main source of propulsion for the vessel. Two on each side, these four limbs hold the important task of getting this monolith of a ship moving and to keep it moving. They have two modes of function, maneuvering and cruise.

When within shallower waters or near destinations, maneuvering procedures are used. The limbs extend to the ocean floor to act as legs. This anchors the vessel and provides a higher degree of control than the water base methods of movement. With a solid connection to the rock below the vessel can avoid hazards and precisely line up for unloading despite the unyielding inertial of the ship. To a limited degree the legs can even lift up the Iterator from the water line to gain closer access to the shore, however it is advised to use this function fugally as it stresses the structure, reactor, and computing to perform such an movement. Subsequent immediate maintenance and inspection is required to keep safety standards.

In the deeper seas using the limbs to via contact is less efficient, leverage is reduced and in some cases the legs will not be able to reach the floor at all. Here the ship switches to cruising procedures. The legs are lifted, without the support from the limbs the water line of the ship raises. Water based manuving sections now submerged will be used as the main propulsion. These sections help reduce the drag the bulk of the hull creates during transit.

The mass and inertia of the vessel act as the primary stability method. It takes much more to shift the mountain of the ship than any other craft. However, as more iterators have been introducing heat and energy into the environment, these high level storms and dangerous ocean conditions have only increased in frequency and volatility. If needed during extremely violent ocean conditions, the limbs can extend as stabilizers to keep the ship level. This was a later addition to the ship’s procedures.

[bumblebeerror]

Listen I know none of you follow me for my computer repair learning journey but I need to SCREAM

I have a Lenovo yoga 2 from like 2015. It still works, not well but all I use it for now is drawing so all it needs to run is firealpaca and discord for file transfer. It doesn’t do this well so I’ve been trying to repair it

Problem is that this computer was seemingly built by satan himself to be as hard as possible to repair

First off the hard drive is a SSD with a grand total of 128gb on it. It has 4 gb of RAM and that ram is SOLDERED TO THE MOTHERBOARD. Because fuck you I guess. No extra RAM for you. In fact, every component that isn’t the fan, the SSD, the keyboard, or the battery? Yea that’s soldered directly to the motherboard. Including all the ports.

That’s not even mentioning that the ssd? It’s just over here in the corner, just hanging out in this massive empty space:

That’s where a hard drive would go. IF I HAD ONE (the ssd functions as a hard drive. This works fine normally unless you need storage.)

Anyways I say this because I wanted to replace the thermal paste on the heatsink since it hadn’t been done since I got it.

I had to Google where the heatsink was. First off, it’s just THIS tiny thing:

Second off, I had to remove, oh, just about this many screws to get to it:

It’s okay if you don’t want to count them, I did: 32. THIRTY TWO GODDAMN SCREWS TO GET TO THE HEATSINK. 28 of them are just to make the heatsink accessible to remove and reapply the paste. I had to unscrew the battery, because that holds down the motherboard. I had to unscrew BOTH fans, which are nowhere near the heatsink, because they also hold down the motherboard. I had to unscrew the entire motherboard so that I could flip it over, and I had to carefully remove 4 different wires from their ports.

TO CHANGE THE THERMAL PASTE.

I just wanna talk to whoever put this thing together.

[okay-computer]

Hey, I'm kind of a noob to computer shopping, what should I look for when comparing specs to price? and what does each spec mean? thanks!!

Comparing specs to price is always going to be really specific to the specs and the price that you're looking for; generally speaking you want to get the newest and most powerful processor that you can afford, a minimum of 16GB RAM (more if you can swing it), and at least a 500GB SSD. Anything that has a newish, mid-to-high-end processor and those other specs is going to be decent, so if you can find something with those specs in your price range it's probably going to be worth your money but that's also going to depend on what your budget is. If your budget is $2k, those specs are WAY too low to pay that much for, but if your budget is from $500-$1000 that would be a fairly decent buy (I'd expect larger storage, more RAM, or a better processor or perhaps all 3 at the higher end of that range).

Here's a post from my website about what to look for when buying a computer, and here's a post from my website that explains what the various components are and roughly what they mean.