Items I happen to view each day. Science, Technology, Management, Culture, and Writing

    This is my day book for this week. It is a log of things I see on the Internet.

This week: 16–22 November, 2020

Summary of this week:

• SpaceX sends four more persons to the space station
• Nvidia shows new supercomputer GPU and system
• New versions of Firefox and Chrome are here
• Microsoft has a new security chip called Pluton
• FAA says the Boeing 737 Max is safe to fly

Monday 16 November 2020

Some independent test of Apple's new M1 processor appear. The processor, when emulating an Intel processor, runs faster than past Apple-Intel machines. It is to be expected that this year's computer outperform last year's computer, but this is impressive.

This test shows that the M1-based Macs are faster than the Intel Macs. I have yet to see Macs compared to Wintel machines.

The German government makes a video encouraging staying at home this winter. The comedy hits the message perfectly in all sorts of twisted ways.

The need for an open-source FORTRAN compiler for the new Apple Silicon.

Online test proctors: I've used these on some certification tests. Some of us point our eyes up to think...no longer as that means you are reading test answers from the ceiling.

Tuesday 17 November 2020

Zoom adds a feature to help prevent "zoom bombing" or jumping into a meeting as an uninvited guest.

Former two-term President Obama sorrows for a world without him in the White House.

The year of the virus has been good to China's chip makers as the Chinese governors pour billion$$$ into them. Lest we forget, this whole pandemic started in China and spread worldwide due to travel of Chinese business persons.

Moderna claims its virus vaccine works over 90% of the time AND it can be stored in a basic kitchen refrigerator. We shall see.

The CEOs of Twitter and Facebook will make yet another of what are becoming monthly appearances before Congress. This is a form of "it is a crime to be rich" as you don't just appear before Congress. These appearances costs millions$$$ as you bring a team of lawyers with you.

We have a few more independent tests of the Apple Silicon. This one shows graphics performance, which appears to be pretty good.

Wednesday 18 November 2020

The year of the virus has been good for Walmart and its online sales...up %79.

Firefox 83 is now available.

A new version of the Chrome browser is here.

We are now finding independent tests of the new Apple Silicon.

This is a short review of the MacBook Air with M1 processor. It is fast and, with no fan, quiet.

This is a longer review of the Mac Mini. Again, it is fast and is a good box for experiments.

This is a long review of the MacBook Pro with the M1. This writer is impressed with the gain in battery life.

As usual, AnandTech has the most depth in their test of the Mac Mini.

Here is a summary of several reviews.

Microsoft has a new security chip called Pluton that will replace existing Trusted Platform Modules.

Amazon  moves into the marketplace of selling prescription drugs online.

Thursday 19 November 2020

Today is my birthday.

The year of the virus has been very good to Nvidia with sales up 57%.

Our President issues guideline to Federal agencies on how to regulate artificial intelligence in the US.

This is news (rare event): our Senators unanimously pass a bill requiring better cyber security on devices connected to the Internet.

Not sure if this is news, but it must be important as it is all over the Internet: "Wonder Woman 1984" will be on HBO the same day it is released in movie theaters, that is if there are any movie theaters still open on Christmas day 2020.

Some deeper thoughts on Apple Silicon: it is unusual (hence, it is news) that people are excited about a computer that has the same keyboard and screen as the last computer with its only difference being what is hidden inside. Per Apple Silicon, the last time the computing community was this excited was Intel's move from 80286 to 80386 and the flat memory model.

Our FAA declares that the Boeing 737 Max can fly again.

It appears that 1% of the world's population accounts for 50% of the world's airline miles. This 1% spread this year's virus.

The annual report on our passwords shows that we still think "12345" is a good password.

Google releases a version of the Chrome browser that is compiled for the new Apple Silicon.

The year of the virus has helped fuel censorship in the world's democracies where some semblance of freedom of speech is supposed to exist.

Once again we have a hack attacking companies around the world. Once again, this effort comes from the governors of China.

Friday 20 November 2020

More reports of bias in machine learning systems. The machine "learns" the training data it is presented. We are back to Garbage In-Garbage Out. Some things never change.

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is falling apart. It will soon close after 57 years of operation.

The year of the virus emboldens government agencies to cancel religious holidays. Oh well. Can't waste a good crisis or something.

"Big Tech" is saving us from "vaccine misinformation."

End-to-end encryption for text messages arrives from Google.

Intel offers a NUC (Next Unit of Computing) laptop to companies, not individuals. Companies will then extend the machines and sell them under their own brand.

Saturday 21 November 2020

No Internet viewing today.

Sunday 22 November 2020

"The Central Intelligence Agency has awarded its long-awaited Commercial Cloud Enterprise, or C2E, contract to five companies—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, Oracle and IBM."

An in-depth look at this year's Dell XPS 13 2-in-1.

The year of the virus has been good for Zillow.

"Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on COVID-19" This is a quote from Business Insider. Dr. Fauci is a government administrator. He is not a virus expert let along "the nation's leading expert." He continues to receive a paycheck every two weeks while his advice has led 10s of millions into unemployment.

Big American tech companies threaten to leave Pakistan over censorship practices. Funny, these same companies don't threaten to leave China over the same as, well, they make a lot more money in China.

A simple cure for wrist pain from typing all day: Do a little weight lifting to become stronger. The pain subsides.

Fake news and writing. I suppose some persons need to be taught about these things.

The good and not so good of tracking your writing. What did you write today? This month? This year? This lifetime?

The use of big words and smaller words.

One writer offers a couple dozen tips to improve your writing. I find some good, and outright disagree with others.

"Wrote a chapter but you dislike it? Rewrite it again from memory. That way you’re only remembering the main parts and can fill in extra details. My teacher who was a playwright literally writes every single script twice because of this."

Some advice on finding people who pay more for writing.

Omit needless words (Strunk and White). Here are a few words that can almost always be omitted.

The never-ending search for a publisher even after you have published.