Ace of Spades HQ

« Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (4/20/21) Who Knows If This Will Work Edition | Main | The Morning Report - 4/21/21 [J.J. Sefton] »

April 21, 2021

Daily Tech News 21 April 2021

Top Story

Nothing is currently on fire, off-site backups are complete and up to date, main server is back in production, and we have a powerful new server to take over if anything goes wrong anywhere.

So I'm probably going to get hit by a meteorite.

Just in passing, my three largest servers are named Akane, Akai, and Akko. This wasn't planned, it just happened.

Not an anime music video in the usual sense - this is a clip straight from the movie, Project Eden.

Tech News

Cerebras unveiled its new AI processor: 850,000 cores in 2.6 trillion transistors on a 46,225mm2 die using TSMC's 7nm process. (AnandTech)

These are by far the largest and most powerful chips ever produced by anyone, and as you might imagine, they are rather on the expensive side. The previous model - not quite half as fast - sold for around $2 million. Yes, each.
USB 4 is on its way. (Tom's Hardware)

Wait, isn't it already here? No, that's Thunderbolt 4? Okay.

USB 4 is a faster version of USB 3.2 gen 2x2 that can transfer up to 40Gbps bidirectionally or 80Gbps in one direction - i.e. for video output. It is also optionally compatible with Thunderbolt 3 - not 4 - and it's only optional because the USB Type C connector didn't have enough signal variants already.

One standard plug for all purposes, but you have no idea what it can actually do. Could be anything from 480Mbps to 40Gbps. But at least it doesn't have 540-degree rotational symmetry like USB Type A.
Apple's new Magic Mouse may arrive in different shades of gray. (WCCFTech)

Charging port is still on the bottom, because fuck you, that's why.
Details of Intel's Alder Lake-S Xeon W-1400 series have leaked. (WCCCFTech)

This is two generations beyond the server that I just set up this morning. However, the first of those two generations is already out and it is - to quote reviewers - "shit" and "a waste of sand" so the next generation has its work cut out.

The W-1400 range will have up to 16 cores - the W-1290P I just got has ten - but only eight of those cores are any good. The other eight are low-power cores for light laptop use, and are basically worthless on a server. In particularly, spreading load across all cores would give horribly inconsistent application performance, and a task stuck on a slow core could block one on a fast core.

I'm sure kernel developers are working hard to mitigate that nonsense - Apple already ships this kind of architecture in their M1 MacBook and Mac Mini - but far better to just not put it in servers in the first place.
Mongita is to MongoDB as Mongita is to MongoDB. (GitHub)

The project uses the example of SQLite and MySQL but that's not really accurate. SQLite is a robust library that is used everywhere. You probably have a hundred copies of it already; I think their latest stats were that there were about a trillion SQLite databases in existence.

Mongita is MongoDB compatible but designed for development and testing - you can code against MongoDB without having to set up a server.

And remember, MongoDB is web scale.
The M1 iMac is here, apparently. (Six Colors)

I totally missed this because I totally don't give a shit. It has an eight core CPU - actually four fast cores and four slow cores, as I mentioned above, a 24" 4.5K screen, okay, comes in seven colours, and has eight fucking gigs of fucking RAM.

My 2015 iMac has 32GB and can be upgraded to 64GB. Every standard PC sold today can be upgraded to 128GB, if it either has four memory slots or enough headroom for taller, double capacity modules. 8GB is for mid-range phones, not desktop computers.
The new iPad Pro has the same CPU as the new iMac and up to 16GB of RAM. (The Verge)

The iMac is probably available in a 16GB model too, but (a) it should start there and (b) nothing I could see on Apple's store indicated that such was the case.

Yeah, it does come in a 16GB model. (Mr Macintosh)

The 2019 27" iMac is user-upgradeable to 128GB. The new iMac is not.
Discord says no, launches IPO. (Thurrott.com)

Microsoft reportedly offered them $12 billion, but in a market where a shuttered New York deli can be valued at $100 million, Discord thought they could probably get more.
Hackers are exploiting a Pulse Secure 0-day to breach orgs around the world. (Ars Technica)

Who is doing what? Oh, Pulse Secure is a VPN service, apparently one in trouble right now because there are a dozen different families of malware exploiting it.

I wonder if that is in any way connected with the bizarre wave of malformed HTTP requests that bombarded this site last night. The notable factor was that similar requests were coming from datacenters all over the world, with no obvious common factor. The hidden common factor could be an insecure VPN.
Geico sprung a leak. (Tech Crunch)

Their web site was coughing up other customers' license numbers from January 21 through to March 1.

Essential Minecraft Mods Video of the Day

Kiara Reacts to Haachama Cooking Video of the Day

Our new server in Dallas is named Akai after crazy Aussie sheila Akai Haato, also known as Haachama. Late last year she left Australia and returned to Japan, but on her very next video stream she cooked and ate... Well, for the gentle of stomach I'm presenting it one step removed.

Disclaimer: You can take the sheila out of Australia, but you can't take Australia out of the sheila, particularly if she has Amazon Prime.

posted by Pixy Misa at 04:43 AM

| Access Comments


Advertise Here! Intermarkets' Privacy Policy Support Donate to Ace of Spades HQ! Contact Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com Recent Entries A bold educational change in New Zealand The Classical Saturday Coffee Break & Prayer Revival Daily Tech News 21 December 2024 Just The ONT, Ma'am Giant Animals Cafe Quick Hits Democrat Strategist Ruy Texiera: The Public Gave the Democrats a Clear Message About Their Rejection of Identity Marxism, But the Democrats Don't Want to Listen Kamala Harris To Be Offered $20 Million in a Media Payoff Disguised as an "Advance" on Book Royalties Plus: Media Makes Excuses for Covering Up Biden's Obvious Senility AGAIN: A Car Plows Through a German Christmas Market at a Very High Speed, Sending People Flying Like Bowling Pins, Killing an Unknown Number David Samuels: Barack Obama Created and Maintains an Echo Chamber Messaging System That Deranges and Perverts People's Thinking Every Day Absent Friends Bandersnatch 2024 GnuBreed 2024 Captain Hate 2023 moon_over_vermont 2023 westminsterdogshow 2023 Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022 Dave In Texas 2022 Jesse in D.C. 2022 OregonMuse 2022 redc1c4 2021 Tami 2021 Chavez the Hugo 2020 Ibguy 2020 Rickl 2019 Joffen 2014 AoSHQ Writers Group A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info: maildrop62 at proton dot me Cutting The Cord And Email Security Cutting The Cord [Joe Mannix (not a cop)] Cutting The Cord: It's Easier Than You Think [Blaster] Private Email and Secure Signatures [Hogmartin] Moron Meet-Ups	« Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (4/20/21) Who Knows If This Will Work Edition \| Main \| The Morning Report - 4/21/21 [J.J. Sefton] » April 21, 2021 Daily Tech News 21 April 2021 Top Story Nothing is currently on fire, off-site backups are complete and up to date, main server is back in production, and we have a powerful new server to take over if anything goes wrong anywhere. So I'm probably going to get hit by a meteorite. Just in passing, my three largest servers are named Akane, Akai, and Akko. This wasn't planned, it just happened. Not an anime music video in the usual sense - this is a clip straight from the movie, Project Eden. Tech News Cerebras unveiled its new AI processor: 850,000 cores in 2.6 trillion transistors on a 46,225mm2 die using TSMC's 7nm process. (AnandTech) These are by far the largest and most powerful chips ever produced by anyone, and as you might imagine, they are rather on the expensive side. The previous model - not quite half as fast - sold for around $2 million. Yes, each. USB 4 is on its way. (Tom's Hardware) Wait, isn't it already here? No, that's Thunderbolt 4? Okay. USB 4 is a faster version of USB 3.2 gen 2x2 that can transfer up to 40Gbps bidirectionally or 80Gbps in one direction - i.e. for video output. It is also optionally compatible with Thunderbolt 3 - not 4 - and it's only optional because the USB Type C connector didn't have enough signal variants already. One standard plug for all purposes, but you have no idea what it can actually do. Could be anything from 480Mbps to 40Gbps. But at least it doesn't have 540-degree rotational symmetry like USB Type A. Apple's new Magic Mouse may arrive in different shades of gray. (WCCFTech) Charging port is still on the bottom, because fuck you, that's why. Details of Intel's Alder Lake-S Xeon W-1400 series have leaked. (WCCCFTech) This is two generations beyond the server that I just set up this morning. However, the first of those two generations is already out and it is - to quote reviewers - "shit" and "a waste of sand" so the next generation has its work cut out. The W-1400 range will have up to 16 cores - the W-1290P I just got has ten - but only eight of those cores are any good. The other eight are low-power cores for light laptop use, and are basically worthless on a server. In particularly, spreading load across all cores would give horribly inconsistent application performance, and a task stuck on a slow core could block one on a fast core. I'm sure kernel developers are working hard to mitigate that nonsense - Apple already ships this kind of architecture in their M1 MacBook and Mac Mini - but far better to just not put it in servers in the first place. Mongita is to MongoDB as Mongita is to MongoDB. (GitHub) The project uses the example of SQLite and MySQL but that's not really accurate. SQLite is a robust library that is used everywhere. You probably have a hundred copies of it already; I think their latest stats were that there were about a trillion SQLite databases in existence. Mongita is MongoDB compatible but designed for development and testing - you can code against MongoDB without having to set up a server. And remember, MongoDB is web scale. The M1 iMac is here, apparently. (Six Colors) I totally missed this because I totally don't give a shit. It has an eight core CPU - actually four fast cores and four slow cores, as I mentioned above, a 24" 4.5K screen, okay, comes in seven colours, and has eight fucking gigs of fucking RAM. My 2015 iMac has 32GB and can be upgraded to 64GB. Every standard PC sold today can be upgraded to 128GB, if it either has four memory slots or enough headroom for taller, double capacity modules. 8GB is for mid-range phones, not desktop computers. The new iPad Pro has the same CPU as the new iMac and up to 16GB of RAM. (The Verge) The iMac is probably available in a 16GB model too, but (a) it should start there and (b) nothing I could see on Apple's store indicated that such was the case. Yeah, it does come in a 16GB model. (Mr Macintosh) The 2019 27" iMac is user-upgradeable to 128GB. The new iMac is not. Discord says no, launches IPO. (Thurrott.com) Microsoft reportedly offered them $12 billion, but in a market where a shuttered New York deli can be valued at $100 million, Discord thought they could probably get more. Hackers are exploiting a Pulse Secure 0-day to breach orgs around the world. (Ars Technica) Who is doing what? Oh, Pulse Secure is a VPN service, apparently one in trouble right now because there are a dozen different families of malware exploiting it. I wonder if that is in any way connected with the bizarre wave of malformed HTTP requests that bombarded this site last night. The notable factor was that similar requests were coming from datacenters all over the world, with no obvious common factor. The hidden common factor could be an insecure VPN. Geico sprung a leak. (Tech Crunch) Their web site was coughing up other customers' license numbers from January 21 through to March 1. Essential Minecraft Mods Video of the Day Kiara Reacts to Haachama Cooking Video of the Day Our new server in Dallas is named Akai after crazy Aussie sheila Akai Haato, also known as Haachama. Late last year she left Australia and returned to Japan, but on her very next video stream she cooked and ate... Well, for the gentle of stomach I'm presenting it one step removed. Disclaimer: You can take the sheila out of Australia, but you can't take Australia out of the sheila, particularly if she has Amazon Prime. posted by Pixy Misa at 04:43 AM \| Access Comments <script language="javascript" src="http://adserver.adtechus.com/addyn/3.0/5235/1131537/0/170/ADTECH;loc=700;cookie=info;target=_blank;key=key1+key2+key3+key4;grp=[group]"></script><noscript><a href="http://adserver.adtechus.com/adlink/3.0/5235/1131537/0/170/ADTECH;loc=300;key=key1+key2+key3+key4;grp=[group]" target="_blank"><img src="http://adserver.adtechus.com/adserv/3.0/5235/1131537/0/170/ADTECH;loc=300;key=key1+key2+key3+key4;grp=[group]" border="0" width="300" height="250"></a></noscript>	Recent Comments [/i][/b]andycanuck (hovnC)[/s][/u]: "Maral Salmassi @MaralSalmassi Despite claims made ..." jimmymcnulty: "Are Australian pizzas served upside down. Asking ..." Viggo Tarasov: "Hey, that tweezer thing can really pluck someone u ..." Eromero: "322 German police valiantly confiscating a Swiss A ..." Anna Puma: "BOLO Rowdy the kangaroo has jumped his fence an ..." fd: "You can't leave Islam. They won't let you. ..." [/b][/s][/u][/i]muldoon, astronomically challenged: "German police valiantly confiscating a Swiss Army ..." Cicero (@cicero43): "Hamas clearly recognises that when the cultural es ..." Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd: "The only way you can defend this position is to ei ..." Ciampino - See you don't solve it by banning guns: "303 BMW pretty low to ground ... at least it wasn ..." NaCly Dog: "I had a UPS package assigned to a woman in another ..." Dr. Not The 9 0'Clock News: "One high school history teacher I remember well, a ..." Recent Entries A bold educational change in New Zealand The Classical Saturday Coffee Break & Prayer Revival Daily Tech News 21 December 2024 Just The ONT, Ma'am Giant Animals Cafe Quick Hits Democrat Strategist Ruy Texiera: The Public Gave the Democrats a Clear Message About Their Rejection of Identity Marxism, But the Democrats Don't Want to Listen Kamala Harris To Be Offered $20 Million in a Media Payoff Disguised as an "Advance" on Book Royalties Plus: Media Makes Excuses for Covering Up Biden's Obvious Senility AGAIN: A Car Plows Through a German Christmas Market at a Very High Speed, Sending People Flying Like Bowling Pins, Killing an Unknown Number David Samuels: Barack Obama Created and Maintains an Echo Chamber Messaging System That Deranges and Perverts People's Thinking Every Day Search Search this site: Polls! Polls! Polls! Frequently Asked Questions What is the Deal with the Cowbell? Why is the Ace of Spades called "the Death Card"? The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick Primary Document: The Audio Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings) George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an Fckin' Hammer Top Top Tens Democratic Forays into Erotica New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really* Hate Potatoes Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party" Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?" Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance Collective Names for Groups of People John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive" Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments John Edwards Campaign Excuses John Kerry Pick-Up Lines Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney Torments in Dog-Hell Greatest Hitjobs The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny More Margaret Cho Abuse Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed" Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means Wonkette's Stand-Up Act Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report! Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet The House of Love: Paul Krugman A Michael Moore Mystery (TM) The Dowd-O-Matic! Liberal Consistency and Other Myths Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate "Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long) The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) Syndicate this site (XML) Powered by Movable Type 2.64