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How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

lemire.me

71–80 of 202 posts

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#71

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I'd like to see some justification for considering science and space exploration as one and the same. It's hardly as if we've run out of things to learn from this planet, after all.

Personally I'd like to see some justification for discovering America, there was plenty to be learned in Spain and Portugal at the time.

Given how Europeans have behaved themselves on this continent, that really doesn't qualify as a meaningful counterargument. If anything, it's more to my point than yours.

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately this hasn’t resulted in people being more happy. It’s quite the paradox. What are we doing all this for? https://news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-n... I don’t post that to be negative, because I agree with what you are saying about a unique time to be alive and have done the same Atari to Xbox Series X glow-up and I marvel at the improvements there. But I do think happiness (and decrea…

The book Sapiens argues that tech has made us less happy ever since the invention of farming 10,000 years ago, the hunter gatherers were happier and healthier than the farm villagers. But since tech allows the population density to grow we get stuck in "the luxury trap", we can't go backwards or a bunch of people will die. And the unhappier larger village is more powerful than the hunter gatherers so they have an evo…

On the one hand, I love the idea of living a slower-paced, less competitive life. Most humans ending up crammed into urban rat-races is a horrible outcome. On the other hand, I like not dying in agony of easily treatable diseases. I like that the vast majority of people in developed countries have zero chance of dying of malnutrition.

Having to choose between one or the other would suck. I wonder if we can have both?

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At some level, I think this is orthogonal to technological progress. One possible way of getting at this is to ask if people were more ‘happy’ when there wasn’t this level of tech available - and I’m not sure the answer is yes - I mean, there’s the mythos of ‘a simple life’ and ‘noble savages’, but from what I’ve read of life even a 100 years back - I would surmise folks were as unhappy / miserable then too - but lik…

Maybe happy isn’t the right word, but I think it’s pretty clear people were more content and felt a sense of purpose. Social media has made things worse, but it’s really the loss of community and religion that has led to the crisis of loneliness and depression among todays people.

> I think it’s pretty clear people were more content and felt a sense of purpose

From what available data would you derive this and not immediately question selection bias?

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#74
post #18

I vaguely recall (many years ago) some GPU (a Matrox one iirc) coming out and it being a huge deal because of how many transistors it had. I think it may have been an amazing 100 million. Times have changed :D

Computers used to evolve much more quickly... Or at least the improvements made a much bigger difference

Moore is still alive. In 2030 we have an estimated one trillion transistors on a chip. We would need that for our ever increasing hunger for memory and processing power. 1TB model on your iphone 22 with 100 tokens per second.

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#75
post #53

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It largely has, yes. The fact that things aren't perfect isn't justification for condemnation of the entire process.

It's rare I find myself reaching for the adjective "Panglossian".

Sadly you aren't Dr Strange, able to see the results of every possible decision to get the best outcome. That would be cool.

But for now, we have to just observe how countries enact progress, and it does seem to be that the ones that delegate and diversify do the best at it.

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#76
post #3

I consider myself very lucky to be born in this age of civilization where technology increases at such incredible pace. Playing games on an atari in my childhood, then sega master system, nintendo, snes, pc games, the first 3d acceleration consumer cards, all the way to having a supercomputer in my pocket. What a time to be alive.

Unfortunately this hasn’t resulted in people being more happy. It’s quite the paradox. What are we doing all this for? https://news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-n... I don’t post that to be negative, because I agree with what you are saying about a unique time to be alive and have done the same Atari to Xbox Series X glow-up and I marvel at the improvements there. But I do think happiness (and decrea…

Happiness is relative. Paris Hilton might feel distraught if her credit card is declined, if that's the worst thing that's ever happened to her.

That's why it's important to understand context, both local and historical, to understand our place in the world and how we should feel about it.

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's rare I find myself reaching for the adjective "Panglossian".

Sadly you aren't Dr Strange, able to see the results of every possible decision to get the best outcome. That would be cool. But for now, we have to just observe how countries enact progress, and it does seem to be that the ones that delegate and diversify do the best at it.

It takes being a Marvel superhero to extrapolate from yesterday and today to tomorrow?

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#79
post #3

I consider myself very lucky to be born in this age of civilization where technology increases at such incredible pace. Playing games on an atari in my childhood, then sega master system, nintendo, snes, pc games, the first 3d acceleration consumer cards, all the way to having a supercomputer in my pocket. What a time to be alive.

change and power do not necessarily make one happy

Re: How many billions of transistors in an iPhone processor?

#80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine if all of the worlds armament budgets were instead rerouted to science and space travel...

And still mostly wasted. Look after the people on Earth first. Once we show we can accomplish that, then and only then do we begin to earn the stars.

We would be still in caves if everybody followed your logic.
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