3 computing events

[Toby Thain]

On 2018-01-27 8:16 PM, Murray McCullough via cctalk wrote:
> Three ‘computing’ events are happening:
> 
> 
> 
> 1)      The i-Pad ...
> 
> 
> 
> 2)      Bitcoin mining – The energy usage is extreme because of GPUs. Was
> 16-bit computer era, employing the 80287, such an energy hog?

It's extreme because proof-of-work is required, and so the more machines
you have doing the work (= the more energy expended), the quicker you
can mint fantasy money. (Using GPUs actually does much _more_ work per
Watt than other means, so they can't be blamed for this waste.)

We usually try to _minimise_ the work in everything else we do with
computers... and designs requiring proof-of-work don't seem sustainable.

> 
> 
> 
> 3)      INTEL doesn’t seem to have been hurt by Meltdown & Specture
> financially- speaking. 

Its CEO sure wasn't, personally.

--Toby



> Had excellent earnings and profits for the last
> quarter but ‘may’ change this quarter. However, INTEL marches on going from
> 4004 to 7980XE. AMD was/in the picture but financially-wise…
> 
> 
> 
> Happy computing all!
> 
> 
> 
> Murray  J
>