WATCH OUT FOR RAM PRICES!

Scannerman said:

Oh, I got your drift alright, but the sky isn't falling just yet.

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Oh, I know that. But that is a worst case scenario that could happen and shouldn't be dismissed.

~

Do we control the machines? Or do they control us?

cheaterslick said:

Oh, I know that. But that is a worst case scenario that could happen and shouldn't be dismissed.

~

Do we control the machines? Or do they control us?

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Depends. If we let a machine control us then that's likely the deal we will get. Machines already control, regulate, govern (pick one) the monetary system and much of what happens online. We programmed machines to do this because in many cases it isn't even feasible for us to do those tasks ourselves day in and out. Oh, I'm sure there is someone at a "kill switch" and perhaps even a reset button somewhere in these scenarios. (Can you imagine the power?) No stock trader can compete with the machine when it comes to playing the market, for example. Who would want to kill that?

Machines keep factories operating smoothly. They keep our communication networks functional. Navigation and transportation are vast becoming the function of the machine as technology progresses. The machine will tell us where to go, what to do, and when to do it. Back in the day we had a name for this: we called it automation. Most man made systems today are automated to a large extent. Recent developments in AI have made it possible to automate education. Gen Z has already learned that the machine will do their homework for them as teachers likewise have learned that the machine will make all the corrections and grade all the work done. Why bother doing it manually when the machine can do it for you? At that point one wonders who is really running the machine; but hey, someone has a kill switch so not to worry. "We" are in control, right?

I live in a small town and when the internet goes down (for whatever reason) everything comes to a grinding halt. This happens with some frequency as we encounter occasional brown outs and other electrical issues. It doesn't take any stretch of imagination to visualize what could happen if all the mainframes crashed at once, but that would indeed be a "sky is falling" scenario and not likely to happen. Of course, if something catastrophic were to happen to our planet then all bets are off.

The world runs on a digital economy. Digits are the domain of the computer. The question then becomes "who calls the shots"? Clearly, a small group of elite individuals are in charge. Technocracy has vast become a reality. Who can deny it? There is nothing new about an elite group being in charge of governing the masses. What is new is when these individuals let the machine do it all for them. Methinks this is becoming a reality more than most of us would care to consider. There is also the military industrial complex to keep in mind. Robots are winning the war in the Ukraine. This isn't Hollywood. Nope. This is reality. To what extent then do we let the machines do our thinking (and execution) for us? In the face of all that is unfolding with technology and AI I would think this to be a rational and reasonable question. Meanwhile, we might even be so bold as to ask questions like "What if someone hits the kill switch and nothing happens?". Or, "What if someone hits the GREAT RESET button . . ." No doubt about it, power means to stay in power. We most certainly do live in interesting times.

Scannerman said:

Depends. If we let a machine control us then that's likely the deal we will get.

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The way I see it is if we're lazy enough to rely on that automated ass-wiper out there to do our toiletry needs for us, and then that automated ass-wiper turns on us in a different direction and controls the whole house (and throws sh*t everywhere), then what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?

mommy....mommy....im addicted to convenience, mommy...i dont know how to do it, mommy....help...help...whaaa.....

Yes, that's a crude analogy but I think you get my drift. I've seen people rely on their smartphones so much that when the smartphone breaks down, they suddenly become helpless and don't know what to do with themselves. They want that HAL9000 or Forbin's Colossus to come to the rescue and fix their lives and they're willing to give up 'everything' in order to get it.

cheaterslick said:

The way I see it is if we're lazy enough to rely on that automated ass-wiper out there to do our toiletry needs for us, and then that automated ass-wiper turns on us in a different direction and controls the whole house (and throws sh*t everywhere), then what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?

mommy....mommy....im addicted to convenience, mommy...i dont know how to do it, mommy....help...help...whaaa.....

Yes, that's a crude analogy but I think you get my drift. I've seen people rely on their smartphones so much that when the smartphone breaks down, they suddenly become helpless and don't know what to do with themselves. They want that HAL9000 or Forbin's Colossus to come to the rescue and fix their lives and they're willing to give up 'everything' in order to get it.

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Great post! Yes, I believe all this technology will begin to reach a plateau. I mean Microchips are reaching the physical size limits of atoms, also, AI and data centers require more electricity than grids can supply. By the way, earth minerals needed for hardware are non-renewable and finite, probably why Elon and NASA are trying to discover what’s on other planets, who knows. This may take many years, but unless we can discover or find other ways to go about finding the ways and the materials to keep going this direction, we’re going to run out of resources. Most normal everyday folks are not going to like all these data centers, and lets now forget, as we all know, the Government’s will step in at some point and start regulating, they will want their piece of the pie.

RD Mercer said:

By the way, earth minerals needed for hardware are non-renewable and finite, probably why Elon and NASA are trying to discover what’s on other planets, who knows. This may take many years, but unless we can discover or find other ways to go about finding the ways and the materials to keep going this direction, we’re going to run out of resources.

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I suspect before we run out of non-renewable resources that we'll do ourselves in via another creative way!

cheaterslick said:

The way I see it is if we're lazy enough to rely on that automated ass-wiper out there to do our toiletry needs for us, and then that automated ass-wiper turns on us in a different direction and controls the whole house (and throws sh*t everywhere), then what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?

mommy....mommy....im addicted to convenience, mommy...i dont know how to do it, mommy....help...help...whaaa.....

Yes, that's a crude analogy but I think you get my drift. I've seen people rely on their smartphones so much that when the smartphone breaks down, they suddenly become helpless and don't know what to do with themselves. They want that HAL9000 or Forbin's Colossus to come to the rescue and fix their lives and they're willing to give up 'everything' in order to get it.

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I'm a Joneser. (A special sub-category of the Boomer generation.) The internet could crash and burn and I still wouldn't be lost. I can find my way home without a GPS. Recently, when my phone no longer worked for two weeks because I switched providers, I actually enjoyed the peace of mind. My Gen X missus did not share in the bliss. Admittedly, I'm going to miss my old copper wire land line but it can't be helped. I really wanted fibre to my door so I made the sacrifice. I recently had to cancel my auto payments with one of my creditors because their portal simply would not work. It felt good to make payments at my bank in person, at a teller, with a real person, who gave me a physical receipt of payment instead. Bypassing this inconvenience of so-called convenience reminded me once again that newer isn't necessarily better.

I like these guys and the content is relative:

Scannerman said:

I'm a Joneser. (A special sub-category of the Boomer generation.) The internet could crash and burn and I still wouldn't be lost. I can find my way home without a GPS.

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Yeah, if it's a drive you do all the time when it's embedded in your memory.

I remember buying those real estate maps where you looked the street up in the index and it would give you a page number and a grid number to go to to find it. Then I had to make a mental note as to what route to take to get there.

Nowadays I do have GPS but it's built into my car and I rarely use it. But I do appreciate it when I do have to use it. I do not want to go back to the good 'ol days of using real estate maps.

Scannerman said:

Recently, when my phone no longer worked for two weeks because I switched providers, I actually enjoyed the peace of mind. My Gen X missus did not share in the bliss. Admittedly, I'm going to miss my old copper wire land line but it can't be helped. I really wanted fibre to my door so I made the sacrifice.

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I still use a flip phone. It blows the kids away when they see me using it. They have no concept of it, whatsoever. -lol

Sometimes things can get too convenient. That's when I was mocking the no backup plan when the you-know-what hits the fan, eariler.

And some things I just learn to do without... It can be done if it has to be done.

Scannerman said:

I recently had to cancel my auto payments with one of my creditors because their portal simply would not work. It felt good to make payments at my bank in person, at a teller, with a real person, who gave me a physical receipt of payment instead. Bypassing this inconvenience of so-called convenience reminded me once again that newer isn't necessarily better.

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I remember the days of writing and mailing in 10-12 checks a month for various payments and do not want to return to it. What a hassle.

I had autopay offered to me to set up in the mid-90s, even before I had the internet, and gladly signed up for it. I just had to make sure I had enough money in the bank to cover it after paychecks were directly deposited into it.

Some tech advances, I'm glad of, no question about it. Others are questionable and they've been becoming more & more questionable as time goes on go on. Like what we've been talking about before.

cheaterslick said:

Yeah, if it's a drive you do all the time when it's embedded in your memory.

I remember buying those real estate maps where you looked the street up in the index and it would give you a page number and a grid number to go to to find it. Then I had to make a mental note as to what route to take to get there.

Nowadays I do have GPS but it's built into my car and I rarely use it. But I do appreciate it when I do have to use it. I do not want to go back to the good 'ol days of using real estate maps.



I still use a flip phone. It blows the kids away when they see me using it. They have no concept of it, whatsoever. -lol

Sometimes things can get too convenient. That's when I was mocking the no backup plan when the you-know-what hits the fan, eariler.

And some things I just learn to do without... It can be done if it has to be done.



I remember the days of writing and mailing in 10-12 checks a month for various payments and do not want to return to it. What a hassle.

I had autopay offered to me to set up in the mid-90s, even before I had the internet, and gladly signed up for it. I just had to make sure I had enough money in the bank to cover it after paychecks were directly deposited into it.

Some tech advances, I'm glad of, no question about it. Others are questionable and they've been becoming more & more questionable as time goes on go on. Like what we've been talking about before.

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When I need to go to some new place in the city the Gen X missus will print out a map for me. I rarely use it because I generally know how to get around without one. What I need is a complete address. The SUV had GPS but it was *cough* removed. I'm a big Edward Snowden fan. My van was manufactured in the last year they were made without GPS tracking. I realize I'm not 'fool proof'. Often some passenger in my vehicle will be carrying a cell phone. I'm not so naive as to think that if certain powers that should-not-be want to find me they won't be able to. I just don't like living with anyone breathing down my neck. I emphatically disagree with the fascist concept of "nothing to fear - nothing to hide" anecdote. The whole point of having passwords is privacy. In an open and free society privacy, ironically, is essential. The alternative is unthinkable. What good is freedom if all it amounts to is slavery?

If there was ever a cell phone that tempted me to consider getting one it was the flip phone. I especially liked the Star Trek "communicator" design. Instead, I learned to do without. No regrets. My land line is enough. When I want to escape to the woods with my fly rod I actually ESCAPE. If I get eaten by a bear so be it. I have lived a full life.

Writing cheques was a grind. I rejoiced when telephone banking became a thing. The encryption is good and it's harder to hack than online banking. I also have the added privilege of scooting off to my local bank which is only 5 minutes away and rarely ever is there a line up at the till. The ladies there like me and it's nice to interact with real people face-to-face now and then. They all know me by name at the bank. One almost feels like a celebrity at times. Living in a small town does have its advantages. As I have stated numerous times there is no one size fits all. I realize flexibility is important. What I find annoying is when big tech expects me to be flexible without setting the example. The old 'rules for thee but not for me' comes to mind. These technocracies are already trying to phase out voice mail and telephone banking. They don't care about people like me. From a security stand point options are important. They know that but they keep on pushing for monopolies. I marvel at how inconvenient so many of these so-called conveniences are becoming.

Hope springs eternal.

Scannerman said:

Hope springs eternal.

Laser-driven spintronic memory device switches 1,000 times faster than DRAM —non-volatile device switches in 40 picoseconds while generating almost no heat

Device achieves picosecond-scale speeds without heat.

www.tomshardware.com

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Very interesting, I hope that this works. This should make everyone happy.

Josey Wales said:

Very interesting, I hope that this works. This should make everyone happy.

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Well the current system isn't working. Having entire cities or regions give up their electricity in order for one of these massive server farms to run.

It ain't gonna happen, politically or socially or 'you fill in the blank'

cheaterslick said:

Well the current system isn't working. Having entire cities or regions give up their electricity in order for one of these massive server farms to run.

It ain't gonna happen, politically or socially or 'you fill in the blank'

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So many Negative Vibes.

PCUser said:

Are the prices of RAM affecting how you shop or upgrade your PCs?

If so, how?

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This is the 32GB RAM I purchased back in late October, 2025:




The same RAM sticks now from the same store:

Josey Wales said:

So many Negative Vibes.

View attachment 172653

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There's not a lot to be hopeful about concerning all this.

cheaterslick said:

There's not a lot to be hopeful for concerning all this.

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Yes there is if one just uses common sense. If what The Japanese found can be used by all of the Data Centers instead of regular ram, The Price of Ram would therefore comedown in price.

Josey Wales said:

Yes there is if one just uses common sense. If what The Japanese found can be used by all of the Data Centers instead of regular ram, The Price of Ram would therefore comedown in price.

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Doing things in a lab is one thing, making it come to practical use is another. You're talking years, maybe even decades before that will happen. IF it even does happen.

PCUser said:

Are the prices of RAM affecting how you shop or upgrade your PCs?

If so, how?

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I was planning to build a new computer as mine is 10 years old. Was expecting to spent around US$ 200 for 32G DDR5 6000 memory.
Will hold my plan till prices drops back to something reasonable.

Just three weeks ago I purchased my System One listed in My Computers below. I ordered it with 64GB RAM.

In the short time since I purchased it the price of my configuration has gone up $1,200!

Josey Wales said:

Yes there is if one just uses common sense. If what The Japanese found can be used by all of the Data Centers instead of regular ram, The Price of Ram would therefore comedown in price.

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Agreed. However the process would still be slow if this approach is found to bear fruit. Data Centers won't exactly be switching over to the new tech right away but would gradually introduce it incrementally much the same way as they did with SSDs. The price of RAM isn't likely to come down any time soon and when it does it won't be nearly what it used to be in the spring of 2025. Those days are gone. Even so, what I posted does provide us with a glimmer of hope on the horizon. One can always hope.

Megahertz said:

I was planning to build a new computer as mine is 10 years old. Was expecting to spent around US$ 200 for 32G DDR5 6000 memory.
Will hold my plan till prices drops back to something reasonable.

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You will be waiting a while. For me, I had basically two options: Either be prepared for shelling out ridiculous amounts of money for the privilege of catering to the AI industry or, be content with using older, "outdated" hardware that still suits my purposes. Fortunately for me, I do not need the attributes of AI as much as others do. I am content with my obsolete hardware. When I need something newer I will buy used or refurbished and warranties for this are just as good or even better. Because of so-called "new" advances in technology bleeding edge architecture no longer suits my needs. As far as I am concerned AI can choke on itself and die. For those who simply must have the latest and greatest they will be expected to pay 4X what it is worth or even more. I trust that they will have money to burn. Technocracy is NOT reasonable.

Yep, I’m content with my old ASRock Z97 board with a 4790k and 32 gig ddr3 ram, and 1 gigabyte speed Internet, as just a web surfer, I’m actually overkill.