Nobody Cares: Technology-only Edition

[bubblesort]

I found this while lurking on a forum that's frequented by ad ops types. You know, the kind of people who make a living buying and selling internet ads. This is the kind of joke they like. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, LOL

 

[bubblesort]

Aren't technically "flawless" artistic efforts often described as soulless?

This is where that robot ends up in 2077, after Boston Dynamics lays them off and they fall on hard times, taking any job they can to get by...

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

I found this while lurking on a forum that's frequented by ad ops types. You know, the kind of people who make a living buying and selling internet ads. This is the kind of joke they like. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, LOL

And of course, this is a real demoreel for a real company:

 

[Free]

I found this while lurking on a forum that's frequented by ad ops types. You know, the kind of people who make a living buying and selling internet ads. This is the kind of joke they like. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, LOL

 

[Govi]

Aren't technically "flawless" artistic efforts often described as soulless?

Who's their choreographer?

 

[Clara D.]

Who's their choreographer?

Skynet.

 

[Clara D.]

A public service to anyone looking to buy a prefab computer. They apparently are *all* full of suck and fail. And "invisible" monthly warranty charges (Okay, so mostly Dell on that last one). As well as shitacular customer service when it arrives not-as-ordered, half-ass-put-together, and/or damaged in transit.

An example:



I'm not currently in the market -- just thinking for when W11 tries to turn my beloved T420 into e-waste. I've been window shopping refurbs (I'm picky, the only refurb I'll get is a Lenovo *workstation*). But, since I would be adding memory, drives and a real cpu cooler anyways it would actually be cheaper to just build one -- I'm not going for ultimate bleeding-edge 1337 gamzor stuff, just a middling Ryzen 5 2xxxx/3xxxx or i5-8xxx/9xxxx.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

I haven't been super impressed by Lenovo workstations.

HP on the other hand, I woudln't kick my HP z820 out of bed.

 

[Clara D.]

I haven't been super impressed by Lenovo workstations.

HP on the other hand, I woudln't kick my HP z820 out of bed.

I had a gig "refurbishing" (blow dust out, install linux, ship) -- the ThinkStations had decently made mobo's and lots of room (for a better cooler and more fans).

It was all donated office crap, so didn't see many HP desktops.

I specify workstation because I think their "Legion" gaming line is as flawed as all other prebuilts.

- - - - - - -

Putting together a "dream PC" is fun. I'm being old and cranky and avoiding RGB entirely.

I'm at least okay with "everything will be black" which is an improvement over nicotine beige of days of yore.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Yeh, Apple-][ color.

Apple put out a line of black Apple-][s for resale by Bell and Howell, they looked badass (well, badass for 1980).

Radio Shack's super-fake-looking silver that immediately started collecting scratches was actually worse.

 

[Clara D.]

Yeh, Apple-][ color.

Apple put out a line of black Apple-][s for resale by Bell and Howell, they looked badass (well, badass for 1980).

Radio Shack's super-fake-looking silver that immediately started collecting scratches was actually worse.

But faux chrome made the TRS-80 so FutureRetro . . . or something.

Worst part of the beige -- the metal stayed the same color while the plastic front turned yellow as the flame retardant leached out of it . XD

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Or, since it was 1976, your cigarette smoke leeched into it.

 

[danielravennest]

A public service to anyone looking to buy a prefab computer. They apparently are *all* full of suck and fail. And "invisible" monthly warranty charges (Okay, so mostly Dell on that last one). As well as shitacular customer service when it arrives not-as-ordered, half-ass-put-together, and/or damaged in transit.

My last three computers have been "build to order", where I give them a list of parts I want, and they put them together for me. Been happy with the results. I always overspec the power supply (800W on this machine), so that doesn't get stressed. Cheap power supplies are a common way for PCs to fail.

 

[Clara D.]

My last three computers have been "build to order", where I give them a list of parts I want, and they put them together for me. Been happy with the results. I always overspec the power supply (800W on this machine), so that doesn't get stressed. Cheap power supplies are a common way for PCs to fail.

I also overspec because I don't want to buy a new one if I get all wild and crazy and decide to get a new graphics card -- I use one of the online PSU calculators and put in what I will eventually want, not what the current build is. And sometimes faster memory than what I need in expectation of better CPU's.

Typically my initial build is a budget compromise and gets updated later, with the replaced parts being sent off to eBay.

Probably why it's a waste of time for me to look at refurbs when I'll just want the case, motherboard, and cpu. Which I can do for < $400, as amusing as it would be to make an OEM into something it wasn't.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Aren't technically "flawless" artistic efforts often described as soulless?

You're not wrong, and I've always kind of disliked that aspect of performance criticism.

Like, you start to learn how to dance, or play an instrument, and you practice endlessly for hours to get better at the particular thing you're doing. Always striving to be better.

And it's like that for a while. And eventually, people start to say "hey, so-and-so is kind of good". And then you practice a lot more, and suddenly "so-and-so is REALLY good". But there comes a point when you just have to stop practicing to be better, because it seems that if your technical skill improves past that point, then your performance starts to become "missing something" or "soulless" or "lacking passion". And it gets worse the more proficient you get. Like some kind of bizarre inverse of the uncanny valley.

 

[Essence Lumin]

You're not wrong, and I've always kind of disliked that aspect of performance criticism.

Like, you start to learn how to dance, or play an instrument, and you practice endlessly for hours to get better at the particular thing you're doing. Always striving to be better.

And it's like that for a while. And eventually, people start to say "hey, so-and-so is kind of good". And then you practice a lot more, and suddenly "so-and-so is REALLY good". But there comes a point when you just have to stop practicing to be better, because it seems that if your technical skill improves past that point, then your performance starts to become "missing something" or "soulless" or "lacking passion". And it gets worse the more proficient you get. Like some kind of bizarre inverse of the uncanny valley.

This review from long ago put it pretty well regarding the Eric Clapton album he was reviewing.

His guitar playing is typically eloquent, as he shifts from electric guitar to acoustic and National Steel, and there are bursts of blues-dipped intensity on "One Chance" and "She's Gone." But his backing musicians (mostly seasoned session pros such as Steve Gadd, Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes) play with such manicured precision that it's a wonder Clapton was able to stay awake during the sessions; nobody is pressing him to the next plateau as once did Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream or Duane Allman in Derek and the Dominos.

WASTES OF TALENT

Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen are the most celebrated guitarists of their eras, extraordinarily gifted musicians whose work defined the 1960s and ’70s, respectively. And they remain formidable technicians and congenial celebrities…

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[Clara D.]

Putting together a "dream PC" is fun. I'm being old and cranky and avoiding RGB entirely.

So just decided to rethink my stance on RGB.

After waffling about cases, I decided on one that calls for Nuka Cola stickers, which would go nice with a orange vaccuum-tube-like glow (or maybe Quantum blue).

Extra rivets and some faux rust would make it awesome.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Aren't technically "flawless" artistic efforts often described as soulless?

Sorry, but that robo-dog and that (what the hell is it, a robo-ostrich?) look like things out of my childhood nightmares!

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Sorry, but that robo-dog and that (what the hell is it, a robo-ostrich?) look like things out of my childhood nightmares!

I think it's the end credits to Portal 3.

 

[Free]

An explosive spyware report shows limits of iOS, Android security

Amnesty International sheds alarming light on an NSO Group surveillance tool.

arstechnica.com