I've wanted to buy a 32 GB DDR5 memory module since middle of last year, but I kept forgetting / putting it off.
Even in July, there were warnings of RAM shortages.
By the time I remembered — from another article reporting it in Nov — prices were already high.
I bit the bullet and ordered it for S$188 from Amazon. This was the cheapest I found. TaoBao sellers were asking around S$220.
Soon after I bought it, the seller raised his price to S$325. Maybe he priced it wrongly. Luckily he did not cancel the sale.
I just checked. The same RAM from the same seller. It is now S$519. (Maybe it is because Micron is ending Crucial line.)
Will high prices finally force software developers to focus on memory efficiency once more?
Unlikely, everyone is used to 'infinite' memory. Most programs are written with the assumption that the data can fit in memory. This is not wrong, it is just that it does not scale to enormous dataset.
In the past, if you want to deal with enormous data, you have to learn how to 'page' data through memory. It is a technique no one bothers with anymore.
A good example is a text editor in the 16-bit DOS days. If you use the near model, you can only load a ~50 kB text file, which is rather small. To support a big file, you need to use either 'compact' or large memory model. This brings the limit to ~580 kB. This is sufficient for most cases.
But to support really big files, you need a 'paging' technique that pages only part of the file into memory.
The problem is that you cannot scale your program from non-paging to paging trivally. The code is totally different.
I decided to buy the Sky Rover (天虎) Acuity 8x32 ED binoculars from its Blade (刀锋) series. I don't really need it. It is more of a "holy grail" — it is an entry-level 'high-end' bino. :lol:
It boasts some impressive specs:
I got it for its wide FoV and flat-field. I now feel flat-field is essential for wide FoV.
8.5° or so seems to be the 'limit' for 8x32 roof binos. Over that, the bino gets too big/costly and you might as well get a 8x42 — where the high-end is over 9°.
90% light transmission seems low, but I believe it is real, unlike lower-end binos' claim of 92+%. Let's see how it compares against the SV202, my brightest bino so far.
Now that I have four binos, I need to get rid of one:
Reasur Traveler 8x32 is a low-end bino I bought for casual use. It is surpisingly decent, despite having no phase coating nor dielectric mirror. I regret not getting the full-white model.
The Forester 8x32 is big and heavy and has nothing special going for it. When I got it, I thought 7.4° was big for 8x32! It turned out not to be the case. Its only saving grace is that it seems to have very honest specs.
The SV202 is supposed to punch above its weight. At first glance, it performs well optically. But more discerning observers have noticed distortion, blurry edges and CA (despite ED glass).
I will decide after comparing how these binos perform optically in terms of sharpness, field curvature (zone of sharpness), vignetting, flare, distortion, CA (Chromatic Abberation) and brightness.
| SR Acuity | Reasur | SV202 | Forester HD 2.0 | Leaysoo | Outland X | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 8x32 | 8x32 | 8x32 ED | 8x32 | 8x32 | 8x42 |
| Prism | BaK4 | BAK4 | BaK-4 | ? | BAK4 | BaK-4 |
| Prism coating | di-electric, phase correction | – | di-electric, phase correction | di-electric, phase correction | – | ? |
| Coating | FMC | FMC | SMC | FMC | FMC | MC |
| L FoV @ 1000 yards | 430 ft | 372 ft | 387 ft | 357 ft | ||
| Angular FoV | 8.2° | 7.08° | 7.37° | 6.8° | ||
| Min focus | 2 m | 2 m | 1.2 m | 4.0 m | ||
| Eye relief | 17 mm | 15.6 mm | 15.6 mm | 17 mm | 16.5 mm | 17.8 mm |
| Eyepiece lens | 23 mm | 18 mm | 21 mm | 21 mm | 19 mm | 21 mm |
| Weight | 495 g | 415 g | 477 g | 555 g | 470 g | 624 g |
| Weight (measured) | 500 g | 460 g | 510 g | 570 g | 410 g | 550 g |
| Size (L x W x H) | 125 x 122 x 41 mm | 125 x 110 x 51 mm | 123 x 115 x 42 mm | 138 x 123 x 48 mm | 135 x 118 x 46 mm | 146 x 126 x 53 mm |
Iran's 6/4 is here.
Who will prevail?
In any case, a regime that fires on its citizens has lost its mandate.
USA's lightning fast and smooth surgical special operation to capture Maduro alive on Jan 3rd has taken the world by storm.
Prior to this, every pro-China shiller loudly proclaimed USA would not dare to invade Venezuela for two reasons: its strong military defence from its state-of-the-art radar system and missiles, and China's unwavering support.
How did USA manage to execute such a smooth operation? Is it really so advanced technologically?
At that time, I already thought there was more than meets the eye. As days passed, it was revealed that USA had inside help: they had informants providing key intelligence.
But was it just that? The head was gone, but the entire Government appartus remained. They could continue his policies. But it was telling that the military remained silent and everyone was ready to move on.
This made me think USA had achieved a deal with key members of Maduro's Government. Everyone was sick and tired of living in poverty — Venezuela is a resource-rich country!
There was one obstacle: Maduro.
USA came with a deal: they take him, and they'll remove the sanctions on Venezuela. Of course there are other conditions as well (drugs and China), but if Venezuela can have a normal economy, why would it to resort to these?
As the week unfolded, this seems to be a likely theory.
The other theory that I came up with is more outlandish. Maduro allows himself to be captured in return for safe passage. There can be a few reasons why.
One, he is only a figurehead. He wants out, but the powers behind (drug lords?) will not let him go alive.
Two, he believes he is going to be assassinated or ousted. This is not surprising given his unpopularity.
Three, he is actually a 'hostage', a puppet controlled by foreign powers. His core bodyguards were all Cubians. It is said he does not believe in locals. What if they were actually keeping him under close watch?
Then it becomes unsurprising that the Cubian 'bodyguards' all had to die in this operation.
I find it strange that his wife was captured along with him. Normally you just want the man himself. But his wife too? It sounds more like a rescue than kidnapping.
The most obvious is rare earths. But when Arctic ocean thaws and the Northern Sea route opens up, Greenland becomes strategically important.
This is the most likely way for Straits of Malacca to lose its dominance. Many countries have been trying to bypass it for decades, but without success. The countries involved are too poor to afford the project. China can do it, but it faces ownership risk.
On the other hand, the NSR is a natural optimal path from China/Japan to Europe and USA — if not for the ice.
It won't happen soon, but it is hard to say in 20 years time. And once it happens, there is no turning back. Singapore will lose relevance as a port forever.
How serious is USA now? Not very, IMO. It is sounding out other countries and 'staking a claim' — in case other countries (*) are also interested in the future.
(*) Everyone know which country this is.
