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Comment Re:Once again (Score 1) 11

Apple had a culture of authenticity. Culture dies pretty hard in most cases. I think we will see the last of that culture dissipate, as it eroded so greatly under Cook and Ive. Then the extractive, enshittifying corruption will spread from Apple, too.

There really was something, that began with Jobs and Woz. It wasn't perfect, and Jobs had a way of twisting ethical stances in ends-justifying-means sophistry. But Steve Jobs would never have prostrated before Trump, proffering a solid gold token.

Comment Re:why not use some of the waste heat? (Score 1) 75

The heat pump's working fluid doesn't have to be water, it'd be whatever fluid can phase change at a "convenient pressure". The released heat on the high pressure side would be used to boil water into steam, which could then be moved to a turbine to generate power.

That "working fluid" woud be what is circulating on the low pressure side, through the cooling blocks.

Submission + - Am I The Last Surviving 3-Digit User ID on Slashdot? 3

Jeremiah Cornelius writes: Some distinctions mean very little to anyone other than the singular individual holding them. Are there others remaining? Does Rob Malda ever bother checking in here? Who remembers the promising ascent and rapid zenith of VA Linux Systems? How about the decade-old sighting of the Slashdot PT Cruiser?

If you're out there we want to hear from you. Or just tell us why we don't.

Comment Re:Once again (Score 2) 11

Oh, you want profit? This is a surveillance spyware wrapper around the entire MacOS user experience - so if you thought Microsoft's Copilot Recall was invasive monitoring, you haven't seen anything yet.

If Apple won't monetize a user panopticon and partner with governments to do it, OpenAI will be right there, to take the cash.

Comment Re:I use Win11 (Score 1) 24

...the desktop apps are better than just about anything you will find on Linux or the BSDs.

I will argue against strict adherence to this statement. Gnome applications written to the project guidelines have become very fine, since the introduction of GTK-4 and libadwaita. I prefer many of these to their equivalents on MacOS.

It's true that most of these fall into a general category of "utilities", and that Windows enjoys a broader ecosystem driven by commercial incentive. But Windows programs are hardly "better' for this, and the widely varied usability is generally sub-par compared to level that's become norm for Gnome/Adwaita software.

Comment why not use some of the waste heat? (Score 2) 75

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone trying to use the waste heat that all this computer power is generating? I realize that would impact cooling a little, but surely SOME of this can be recovered efficiently? Steam turbines are the usual way to turn heat into electrical power. Is there no way to do it for data centers?

For example, use a heat pump to concentrate the heat to above boiling temperature then use that to boil water to run a steam turbine. The heat pump would require some power to run, but I think you could run that at a net-positive for power?

Comment Re: Good in theory (Score 1) 68

I actually bought it quite recently, so I could take three bricks out of my laptop bag and replace them with just the one. Less space, less weight, and I love that built-in display. (it won't charge my watch unfortunately)

I've got a few spare older bricks from previous laptop purchases, so I can't say I'd need to buy a brick if my next laptop didn't come with one, but that shows my experience that bricks usually outlive their product. I also believe that most people have started accumulating unused bricks. (maybe it'll slightly lower the price of the next laptop I buy?)

Comment Re: Good in theory (Score 5, Informative) 68

USB-C negotiates voltage and current, and current (and thus watts) are supplied on demand. So an oversize charger will always work fine on an undersize accessory. (there's NO risk of "blowing it up" if you try to charge a 60w macbook with a 140w charger)

There are also cases where a larger charger works better. We have some high end windows laptops here running CAD and they are entirely capable of DRAINING the battery WHILE PLUGGED IN because they shipped with lightweight chargers that supply fewer watts than the laptop can use when run hard. We ordered in some larger chargers (and yes, they're beastly bricks) that can keep up with and even charge the battery while CAD is running hard. So, bigger IS better.

I picked up a 140w Anker awhile ago, it's got three USB-C ports with quickcharge, and two USB-3 fast charge ports, with a nice built-in display. (it even came with a 140w USB-C cord) That's all I need to take with me, no matter which accessories I pack. It's so much better than ANY of the generic USB-C bricks they're including with laptops nowadays. I honestly don't WANT to pay more for an additional bundled brick I'm not going to take out of the box.

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