HBO streaming has gone through a series of name changes. A remnant of that same confused thinking can be seen in HBO Max having “Categories” in addition to “Channels.” I can’t figure out the distinction, especially because the Channels are also found under Categories.
To further add to the confusion, TCM is a “Brand Spotlight” within the Categories. Clearly, somebody isn’t thinking very clearly at HBO. What they’re doing right is including some TCM introductions for their movies. Most notably, Eddie Muller’s Noir Alley.
Here is one of my favorite things to do on this site. A reconstruction of a Noir Alley presentation. This one is Flaxy Martin, a by-the-numbers late 40’s picture. Take it away, Eddie!
Long ago, working with minicomputer makers DEC and DG, I was very involved with the specifications and preparations for computer rooms. Today’s massive data centers are no different in one significant regard — they need electricity to power the equipment, and they need cooling for the heat the electricity generates in the equipment.
I recently mentioned the Colorado River’s drop in water level that, if it continues, will result in the Hoover Dam being unable to generate hydroelectric power. Which leads me to wonder why greater Phoenix is such a popular location for both data centers and chip fabrication facilities.
Other regions of the country are trying to promote themselves as good spots for data centers. At the same time that protests against them are becoming louder and more forceful.
Crypto was the big data center thing before AI, and NVIDIA is riding the peaks of both waves. AMD is in the troughs, trying hard to catch up. The data center featured in this report is outside of Austin, Texas.
With AI now cranking out a lot of the code that used to be written by hand, seeing IT infrastructure as a specialty taking the lead in tech hiring is no surprise to me. If I were to rejoin the workforce, I would definitely look for a data center job. It’s always been my thing, installing, configuring, optimizing, and troubleshooting systems.
These new data centers are being built with borrowed money by competing AI software companies. Will they pay off, or will some of them be abandoned before they’re even brought online?
After much speculation for a long time, a deluxe reissue of the Beatles album Rubber Soul is on the way. It must be noted that Capitol’s US version of the album, that was not approved by the Beatles, had far greater influence than Parlophone’s UK version.
That gap in the plaster looks very suspicious. I’m not feeling inspired to become a dark knight detective. Rather, after a fairly lengthy search, starting with the town animal control officer, I have found a service that’s willing to do a capture.
Update: I am once again batless, thanks to this outfit:
I recommend following the links in this NYTimes story for more information, both legal and technical.
Federal prosecutors in Atlanta are bringing an obstruction charge against a U.S. citizen who gave customs officers what is known as a duress passcode, which activated software that erased the contents of his phone.
My first purchase of a Criterion Collection release was their CAV LaserDisc of King Kong. That was forty years ago, in 1986, when Kong was just over fifty years old.
For the past seven of those forty years, I’ve subscribed to the Criterion Channel.
Criterion continues to promote physical media, and it’s doing that in a fun way with its closet videos. Notable personalities are invited to select up to ten movies and explain their picks.
