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HerbManic

792 karma · joined February 23, 2026

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HerbManic··on The end of my AArch64 desktop experiment
I'm not surprised at the outcome. These Ampere system single core/thread performance is pretty low and that is where you feel it. The OS/software simply cannot allocate the threads across enough cores effectively to make up for this difference.

This is why things like the Apple M Series feels so fast, because while they don't win the multi core performance especially when going up against a 80 core beast like this, they have single thread performance exactly were it is needed.

Maybe we will need 80 cores in future, that is cool but for daily home use it is still just way too much for what we need.

HerbManic··on Old Computer Challenge
That sounds like it should be good for many years to come. Maybe if there is an uptake in AV2 once that is out then issues will come up. I'm not a shill but the one thing Intel have done well with their ARC cards is the media decoder. If their GPU space doesn't work out at least they have that and that could be a decent upgrade path in future.
HerbManic··on Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
Very cool to see, so pointless it just had to be done.

I was wondering how it was squeezed into 64KB of RAM but it uses the 4MB on the Everdrive cart. With that it makes sense, considering Linux can run on an N64 with 4MB of RAM.

HerbManic··on Old Computer Challenge
Pretty much. Don't take it all too seriously.
HerbManic··on Old Computer Challenge
I ended up getting a second hand Optiplex Micro for this. Tiny unit, low power usable, never even heard the fan switch on. Even with the slow frequency (2ghz) the Intel media decoders are brilliant at handling this stuff.
HerbManic··on Old Computer Challenge
I mean, I guess I daily run an old computer. Lenovo T400 from 2009, 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo with 4GB of RAM. So far I haven't really had any issues. That said today I picked up a Carbon X1 4th gen for $100, that might be become my new Old computer. Also in the process of refurbishing an IBM Aptiva from 1996. Pentium 166Mhz with 64MB RAM, that one is a little beauty.

I do like this years challenge, 'hand-make something' as that is always a good thing to do.

HerbManic··on I built a free I Ching oracle web app
A counter point is that if you are stuck in a 50/50 position, out sourcing the decision to some random other thing can break the dead lock. Like flipping to a random page on a book and going with the first word you see that is positive or negative (Bibliomancy).

The occult language can make it sound mysterious but it can also sometimes just be a cover for a delegation of decisions.

HerbManic··on South Korea to spend $1T on more memory chip production and humanoid robots
This is the path that Japan tried to go down and it hasn't worked out yet, but we have also solved a lot more of the technical issues since they began. going to be interesting to see if we pull it off this time.
HerbManic··on .self: A new top-level domain designed to support self-hosting
Dreamweaver was cool as a beginner because it took a lot of the troublesome parts out of the equation. But it did end up being more of a hindrance than a benefit the further you went in.
HerbManic··on Age verification is just a precursor to automated attribution of speech
I have wondered that. I have this one and a very VERY bland Facebook that I post something stupid on every 12 months or so. So in a strange way I have accidentally shielded myself.
HerbManic··on Age verification is just a precursor to automated attribution of speech
The argument usually is that it is a slippery slope. Something that is introduced in the name of virtue ends up being co-opted into a system of control as those in power and peoples attitudes change with subsequent layers of normalization.
HerbManic··on Age verification is just a precursor to automated attribution of speech
Same. In my mid 40's and probably in the top 20% of my age group.

Absolutely hate running!

HerbManic··on Age verification is just a precursor to automated attribution of speech
And those that are keen to make some noise about it are labelled as being conspiracy minded or against the safety of children.

It causes a situation where because of the potential backlash, even if they are right, few people will come to the defense for fear of being ostracized as well.

HerbManic··on Librepods: AirPods liberated
This is my big conundrum with Apple. Their hardware is absolutely brilliant, but their combative nature against the users freedom on their hardware means I will never use it.

Even if you can hack around it, it is the culture that treats the users as someone to be controlled and coddled that bothers me.

HerbManic··on Apple raises prices of MacBooks, iPads
On one of my machines I run Trisquel Linux (one of the FSF approved distros). In part is because in order to running fully FSF approved hardware, a Lenovo T400 is the top end. It is a Core 2 Duo with 4GB of RAM. With that, it is still a very functional unit as a lot of the bloat hasn't crept in outside of the browser.
HerbManic··on Apple raises prices of MacBooks, iPads
I think it was Jeff Geerling who brought back an Apple G5 server, very cool. But someone pointed out you could twice the performance out of a Raspberry Pi 5 and only use 5 watts doing it.

Even with these prices, we are still getting a lot of bang for our buck.

HerbManic··on IBM debuts sub-1 nanometer chip technology
And some of those i and z systems have some obscene engineering in them. I cannot find it now but i remember seeing a cross section of their 40 layer PCB simply so they could get more memory/IO performance to the CPU. POWER may have dropped out of the consumer space but it still has a vital place in servers.
HerbManic··on IBM debuts sub-1 nanometer chip technology
This is why I suspect we will be neat the upper limits of this around the late 2030's. We are just running too close to the fundamental limits. And so far there isn't anything really radical even on the horizon as a solution for this.
HerbManic··on The 'papers, please' era of the internet will decimate your privacy
Never underestimate the resolve of a teenager who is being kept from something they want. And once they solve it, they will spread the word for clout.
HerbManic··on The 'papers, please' era of the internet will decimate your privacy
Here in Australia we already have the first part of 1 then most of 3,4,5. We are almost there. And you thought our wildlife was the torment nexus.
HerbManic··on The 'papers, please' era of the internet will decimate your privacy
Unfortunately, they are looking to expand the eCommmisioners powers to try and close that door a bit tighter now.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-25/australia-will-streng...

HerbManic··on The 'papers, please' era of the internet will decimate your privacy
I have been slowly moving towards that for a decade or two now. I still do some internet stuff (mostly here) but it is greatly diminished. The rest is just at work.
HerbManic··on OpenAI leans toward waiting until next year for IPO
Launched in the same way they launch Starship, full of ambition, promising a bit too much, but might explode at any moment. Either way it will be a spectacular show regardless of what happen.
HerbManic··on Advanced Nintendo Entertainment System (ANES) – NES Modded to Use 2 PPUs
It was always fun seeing the weird things that would happen with over clocked consoles from the 80's and 90's.

The most notable one I have seen was the performance change on Road Rash on the Genesis/Mega Drive. RR1 & 2 it just speed up the whole game. RR3, it just increased the frame rate and made it a much more enjoyable experience.

HerbManic··on GTA 6 Physical Copies Won't Include a Disc, Will Just Be a Code in a Box
I thought as much but wasn't 100% certain.
HerbManic··on GTA 6 Physical Copies Won't Include a Disc, Will Just Be a Code in a Box
While this is true, it is a sign of the customer losing control over their purchases. When the servers go dark, the game does too.

Yes there are some practicality issues with physical media but they are kind of trivial to the costs of just handing over all control to the publishers.

HerbManic··on GTA 6 Physical Copies Won't Include a Disc, Will Just Be a Code in a Box
Yeah it was the Ps4/Xbox 1 generation where it became mandatory. That said some games would allow you to boot the game half way through the install and use both the HDD data and Blu Ray data at the same time, this was generally pretty slow as it was still trying to install at the same time.

That is if there isn't a patch, otherwise it will just download most of it again like you said.

HerbManic··on The worthlessness of Vitamin D is mildly exaggerated
Yeah, you do need daily protein but for most people nowhere near as much as they are taking in.

You see these protein bars and some of them basically have a full days worth of the stuff and that is before your other meals come in.

There is the YouTube channel 'Subway takes' where people have about a minute to argue a point of view, usually very funny takes as well. There was one that was 'The Protein fad is basically an eating disorder for men', they aren't far off the mark with that.

HerbManic··on Five monitors on a Commodore 128 [video]
Would be the kind of product you see demoed on The Computer chronicles from Eagle New Global Tech corporation, you gander at it thinking "Wow, one day I will get that" and then you never hear from the company again as they only sold 4,000 units.

So like most of the gadgets from the 90s.

HerbManic··on Canada plans 'nuclear renaissance' with up to 10 reactors built by 2040
Well there goes that theory.
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