arch_mage's recent activity
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Comment on Consumer Electronics Show 2026 in ~tech
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Comment on Consumer Electronics Show 2026 in ~tech
arch_mage LinkThis year had me rolling my eyes a the huge amount of AI but I figured I should gather my thoughts to kick the thread off. Highlights: Intel honestly surprised me with PatherLake (Core Ultra...This year had me rolling my eyes a the huge amount of AI but I figured I should gather my thoughts to kick the thread off.
Highlights:
Intel honestly surprised me with PatherLake (Core Ultra Series 3). Despite Intel's track record of shooting themselves in the foot, I'm glad that they are making a starting the return of comeback. Competition is needed in the space otherwise they'll just sit on their laurels and not innovate. This is their first chips on their 18A process which has been many years in the making. I would have liked for Pat Gelsinger (who was unfairly fired at the end of 2024 IMO) to see the fruits of his effort but alas.
In last years CES 2025 topic I said that I like Dell's laptop rebrand and (rightly) got some flac for it. It seems like consumers agreed with y'all and Dell brought back the XPS line
New monitors and TVs
- Micro RGB TVs are hitting shelfs this year, cool tech. I'll wait for reviews to come and hold my judgement for now.
- Dell's 52inch 6k Ultrawide turned alot heads (including mine!) until I saw the price!
Lowlights
AMD mostly disappointed me this year as most of their announcements were mostly rebrands of last year's chips
- 9850x3D is just a binned 9800x3D with a small frequency bump.
- AI 400 series are mostly rebrands of last years AI 300 chips with small frequency bump and faster memory.
- which is almost unlikely to be noticed due to mobile CPUs limited cooling and power delivery
- Lots of AI talk
The most interesting thing AMD announced was some Strix Halo SOCs with lower CPU core counts but kept the same GPU. This was to lower the cost of Strix Halo gaming focused devices which didn't need a 16 core CPU. While this is good news, and will lead to more Strix Halo devices + laptops (there were some on the show floor), it doesn't change that Strix Halo still costs premium.
Nvidia gave us no new GPUs for mere mortals (AI go brrr)
instead they gave us- updates DLSS and Frame-Gen (more AI)
- new LCD monitors with new backlight strobing tech. (not a FPS gamer so I don't care about 1k HZ displays)
- Robots and more AI announcements
Plus there was not confirmation from AMD or Nvidia about rumored GPU price hikes due to tariffs.
Overall a fairly mid year IMO but interested in hearing what y'all think!
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Consumer Electronics Show 2026
With CES 2026 coming to a close, I figured that like last year, I should make a thread to see what people are excited (or not excited) for. I honestly wasn't that excited (see recent state of US...
With CES 2026 coming to a close, I figured that like last year, I should make a thread to see what people are excited (or not excited) for.
I honestly wasn't that excited (see recent state of US economy) but I want to your thoughts!
Previous Topics:
Dell's CES 2026 chat was the most pleasingly un-AI briefing I've had in maybe five years
I didn't post in the thread as I didn't have much to add, the top post by @Oxalis basically sums up my thoughtsNice to see them be honest about how this isn't really panning out. Everyone wants AI except the consumer.
Clicks Communicator: the ultimate communication companion
Again didn't post in here but I'm glad there is a still a market for niche phone.29 votes -
Comment on Mac advice for a long time Windows user in ~tech
arch_mage Link Parentwindows mac Ctrl+RightArrow Alt+RightArrow Ctrl+LeftArrow Alt+LeftArrow Home Cmd+RightArrow End Cmd+LeftArrow Ctrl+Home Home Ctrl+End End adding shift works with all of themwindows mac Ctrl+RightArrow Alt+RightArrow Ctrl+LeftArrow Alt+LeftArrow Home Cmd+RightArrow End Cmd+LeftArrow Ctrl+Home Home Ctrl+End End adding
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of December 15 in ~society
arch_mage Link ParentUpdate: AP News: 4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidiesUpdate:
AP News: 4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidiesRepublican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, all from Pennsylvania, and Mike Lawler of New York signed on Wednesday morning, pushing it to the magic number of 218. A vote on the subsidy bill could come as soon as January under House rules.
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Comment on Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion in ~movies
arch_mage LinkMaybe in a year, we'll seen a merge of Netflix and HBO Max? Not sure whether ~news or ~movies is the best place for this -
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
arch_mage LinkBBC: 'Bogus' snail farms set up to avoid business rates I first saw this on the BBC but I did some more research because I was intrigued, and the man running this scheme is a lot more interesting...BBC: 'Bogus' snail farms set up to avoid business rates
Under UK tax law, agricultural buildings and fish farms are exempt from paying business rates if they are viable commercial businesses. ...
To date, the council says it has lost about £370,000 due to this avoidance scheme, which it says building landlords are also "complicit" in.I first saw this on the BBC but I did some more research because I was intrigued, and the man running this scheme is a lot more interesting than I initially thought.
I really recommend this article (especially the diagram on how the scheme works). From what I could tell they did the initial reporting.
I also love that Terry is running this scheme for love of the game, not to make a bunch of money
Over the ensuing hours, Ball makes confession after confession about his attempts to outwit the taxman with increasingly elaborate plans, his decades-long links to the Naples underworld, and how at this very moment there are buildings across London where he is deploying his unique snail-breeding method in a bid to cheat exasperated local councils out of millions of pounds.
“I’m turning 80 next month and I haven’t got jack shit in my name. What are they going to do?” Ball tells me with a chuckle, when asked if he’s worried about prosecution. “You can’t take nothing off nothing. They’ve stopped torturing people.”
The old man is proudly committed to spending his remaining years on this earth finding innovative ways to get revenge on the “bastard” authorities who he feels screwed him over in the past: “I just do it for devilment. I do it just to get away with it.”
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
arch_mage LinkI meant to share this in last week's offbeat thread, but I got busy and forgot. Anyways, here is California engineer wins pumpkin contest with 2,346-pound gourdI meant to share this in last week's offbeat thread, but I got busy and forgot.
Anyways, here is California engineer wins pumpkin contest with 2,346-pound gourd -
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
arch_mage Link‘Very mean squirrel’ seeking food has sent at least 2 people to the ER in a California city This is why you don't feed wild animals‘Very mean squirrel’ seeking food has sent at least 2 people to the ER in a California city
This is why you don't feed wild animals
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
arch_mage LinkEV Driver Ticketed for "Loud Exhaust" Seems like the Police silently dropped the tickets after someone in the department realized how ridiculous they are.EV Driver Ticketed for "Loud Exhaust"
He told us that he was driving through Stillwater, a city that has a strict noise ordinance, with a group of car enthusiasts. He stopped at an intersection, “about eight cars deep,” and when the light turned green, he said the lead car “peeled away loud as hell.”
“I was left at the stoplight with a red light,” Mike told The Drive. “I looked to my left, and there was a state trooper across the street from me. He passed me and whipped a U-turn. Came up behind me as the light turned green and followed me into a gas station and lit me up. Initiated a traffic stop.”
“The trooper stepped up and immediately told me my car’s exhaust was way too loud and was disturbing the peace,” Mike continued. “I tried telling him it’s an EV and doesn’t have an exhaust or an engine, and he stated he’s not gonna argue with me.”
Seems like the Police silently dropped the tickets after someone in the department realized how ridiculous they are.
Almost three months since the stop, Mike told us that he hasn’t yet paid the fine nor fought it because “the case number is not in [the court’s] system,” even though the citation itself requires a court appearance. “I have called the courthouse every week for the last 10 weeks trying to schedule the court date/appearance, and still nothing,” Mike said.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 22 in ~society
arch_mage LinkIn another case of the most corrupt Administration in US History, Trump's "Border Czar" Tom Homan accepted $50,000 in bribery sting operation according to sources. Source:...In another case of the most corrupt Administration in US History, Trump's "Border Czar" Tom Homan accepted $50,000 in bribery sting operation according to sources.
President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan accepted a $50,000 bag of cash from an undercover FBI agent last year in a since-closed U.S. Justice Department bribery investigation, two sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
In the alleged scheme, Homan promised immigration-related government contracts when he joined the Trump administration in exchange for the money, the sources said, speaking anonymously to discuss nonpublic investigations.
FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the investigation closed over the summer, one of the sources said.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of September 15 in ~society
arch_mage Link ParentAssociative Press is also reporting on people being targeted for speaking against Kirk. The Administration is also engaging in the activity.Associative Press is also reporting on people being targeted for speaking against Kirk. The Administration is also engaging in the activity.
For his part, Trump on Sunday suggested he was already using the government to look into his political adversaries when asked if he would investigate them after Kirk’s death.
“They’re already under major investigation, a lot of the people that you would traditionally say are on the left,” Trump told reporters.
Goldstein noted that Trump’s State Department in the minutes after Kirk’s death warned it would revoke the visas of any foreigners who celebrated Kirk’s assassination. “I can’t think of another moment where the United States has come out to warn people of their impending cancellation,” Goldstein said.
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Comment on Microsoft testing new AI features in Windows 11 File Explorer in ~tech
arch_mage LinkI've started using FilePilot because the Microsoft File Explorer is getting more and more unusable by the day. Its made by a Single Dev and has a free beta currently. Having a file search that...I've started using FilePilot because the Microsoft File Explorer is getting more and more unusable by the day. Its made by a Single Dev and has a free beta currently. Having a file search that actually works has been a huge productivity boost
Its amazing that this program is less than 2MB. It really shows how bloated modern software is and what people can do when they care about performance.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
arch_mage LinkSo I just watched 2001: Space Odyssey for the first time and I have some thoughts. literally just finished I went straight from the tv to the compute to type this. Many thoughts actually. While I...So I just watched 2001: Space Odyssey for the first time and I have some thoughts.
literally just finished I went straight from the tv to the compute to type this.
Many thoughts actually.While I understand that this film is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made1, I don't think the movie is without flaws. The following is my opinion as a non-film critic.
Positives:
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The visuals and VFX are stunning. (I was watching the 4k UHD DVD so that probably helps) Especially the scenes of the space ships (both inside and out). Hard to believe that everything was done in 1968 (before my parents where born!).
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There were also lots of little details I noticed what made the world feel more cohesive. I could tell the director but a lot of thought into it. some bits in no particular order:
- Pam-Am branding in the spacecrafts!
- Gripshoes for the flight attendants
- in general the way everyone moved around in the spacecrafts felt real
- delay in transmissions between spacecraft and earth
- others I can't remember right now
side tangent: the props, sets, environments, etc felt more real/weighty to me to me than many other movies that were made recently. I can't tell if its lighting, staging, direction, vibe, or a subconscious trick because I already knew the movie didn't have CG in it. While watching there were times I was amazed that what I was seeing was practical effects and tried to think of how it was done.
Negatives
- Of the 139 minute runtime I felt like 20-40 minutes could be cut without much impact. Especially at the beginning and end (more details in the spoiler section)
The first 3-4 minutes of the runtime was just black screen with some music. (I thought my DVD was broken for a bit)
Spoilers
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I don't get the monkey bit at the start. Before coming into the movie I knew (from cultural osmosis) there was a scene with monkeys at the beginning and that it was controversial. I didn't think the scenes itself were bad but I was expecting a scene later to reference it or that us back to the apes with some new grand reveal. From what I can tell without googling the meaning behind the scene, I think its purely symbolic but whatever symbols it was trying to show were lost on me.
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the entire sequence in the Jupiter exploration craft up until they arrive at Jupiter was a masterpiece. HAL 9000 was great. nothing felt contrived or forced.
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The scenes with all the flashing lights where Dave sees the black monolith floating around Jupiter is way too long. I was temped to fast forward but I stuck it out. I didn't time it but doesn't need to be several minutes long.
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The ending went over my head for the most part. Like I could tell it was trying to say something about time/ human lifespan but couldn't connect the dots. This biggest issue I had was the there wasn't a conclusion to the Jupiter exploration mission. Like I am fairly sure the room Dave's its isn't actually real. Its in his head or symbolic of something that I don't understand.
Did Dave make it back to earth? did they ever find out what the black monoliths are? The ending felt unsatisfying because its just ends and the main mystery wasn't revealed (or maybe it was through symbolism and I just missed it). I was also expecting a reference to the monkeys from the beginning to tie stuff together but nothing there as well.
Well I'm going to sleep on it and maybe somethings will click into place for me.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
arch_mage LinkWalmart recalls 850,000 water bottles after two consumers suffer vision loss from ejecting capsWalmart recalls 850,000 water bottles after two consumers suffer vision loss from ejecting caps
Walmart is recalling about 850,000 stainless steel water bottles because the lid can “forcefully eject” and unexpectedly strike consumers — resulting in permanent vision loss for two people to date.
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Comment on Announcing Supporters of Chromium-based browsers in ~tech
arch_mage Link ParentI agree. I see this as a similar move to when the Oracle changed the license for the JDK and created the OpenJDK foundation to manage it. About 80% of commits to OpenJDK still come from Oracle...I agree. I see this as a similar move to when the Oracle changed the license for the JDK and created the OpenJDK foundation to manage it. About 80% of commits to OpenJDK still come from Oracle despite the opening of its source code, I expect a similar number of commits Google makes to Chromium after this.
I wouldn't be surprised it if we start to see different "flavors" of Chromium popup similar to how we have different JDK vendors.
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Comment on Consumer Electronics Show 2025 in ~tech
arch_mage LinkI'll start: I actually like Dell's laptop rebrand as it simplifies the lineup in a easily understood way. I spent several years working for a university IT department where all of our machines...I'll start: I actually like Dell's laptop rebrand as it simplifies the lineup in a easily understood way. I spent several years working for a university IT department where all of our machines were Dell but I couldn't tell you the different between the Inspiron, Latitude and Precision lines without looking it up. I like how someone in the tech space is trying to make their product lines easier to understand/intuit (looking and Intel's recent CPU rebrand and AMD's mobile naming scheme). I just didn't except it to be Dell of all people
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Consumer Electronics Show 2025
CES 2025 kicked off with some big hardware announcements. AMD CPUS for desktop, mobile, and handhelds Nvidia 5000 GPUs (see separate discussion here) But what else are people excited (or not...
CES 2025 kicked off with some big hardware announcements.
- AMD CPUS for desktop, mobile, and handhelds
- Nvidia 5000 GPUs (see separate discussion here)
But what else are people excited (or not excited) for that doesn't necessarily deserve its own thread?
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Comment on Jeju Air flight 2216 crashed during landing. 179 of 181 onboard killed. in ~transport
arch_mage (edited )LinkVideo link of the crash* I had a hard time finding reporting from major (American) news outlets in reporting more than just the basic facts. The Wikipedia entry for this is actually really...I had a hard time finding reporting from major (American) news outlets in reporting more than just the basic facts. The Wikipedia entry for this is actually really detailed.
The facts we know:
- The control tower warned Flight 2216 of a bird strike just before landing.
- About one minute after the bird strike warning, the pilot issued a 'Mayday'.
- Landing was attempted
- Landing gear failed to deploy or was not deployed (intentionally or not)
- Plane overshoots runway, hitting a concrete structure holding the ILS (Instrument Landing System) antennas
- Plane explodes killing 179 of 181 onboard.
The most in depth reporting I saw was this video from a former 737-800 pilot (the same plane type that crashed). One of most important things I took from this was that if the concrete structure holding the ILS antennas wasn't there and a more typical design was used, then the plane likely wouldn't have exploded, resulting in all the deaths. Heart wrenching to know that a similar design change could have potentially saved those people
*Content Warning. There isn't any blood shown but the explosion killed almost everyone onboard
Edit: Here is another video going over with some new data and angles camera angles.
I should have elaborated a bit more on my Nvidia bullet points. I know that we weren't expecting new consumer GPUs, but I wasn't expecting Jenson to spend most of his 90 minutes talking about Rubin, their new datacenter platform at the CONSUMER electronics show.
Also should have broken DLSS and Frame-Gen into separate bullet points. I agree the DLSS updates look nice, the "more AI" comment was directed at Frame-Gen. I am of the the opinion that game devs should spend the time to optimize their games to actually run on current hardware instead of relying on generating "fake" frames. Not to mention the increased latency only makes Frame-Gen tech "worth it" when the game is running at a decent frame rate already, which doesn't help people with lower end or older cards.