Daily Tech News 5 June 2026

Top Story

AI token costs are becoming a meme. Here's why that's a good thing. (Tom's Hardware)

It's not. I mean, not unless for the AI companies, and not for anyone else unless it pops the bubble, and not even then as trillions of dollars of virtual money suddenly disappearing would cause a certain amount of drama.
Despite that, Altman projects that AI token usage will continue to increase. He said that six-and-a-half years ago, the top token spender at the startup used 100,000 tokens a month - today, that is the global per capita average token usage, and that OpenAI's token leader uses about 100 billion a month. The OpenAI chief also admitted, to his own embarrassment, that someone else uses even more. So, if token usage were to grow linearly, then he would expect the global per capita token usage to hit 100 billion monthly.
Somehow I don't think that will happen. At OpenAI's current rates, that would cost the average user over a million dollars a month and provide the company with a quadrillion dollars in monthly revenue.

Tech News

Everything new is old again: DDR4 is back on the menu. (Tom's Hardware)

I'm thinking of picking up a 5800X3D because I have plenty of DDR4 and the larger cache on that chip helps hide the lower bandwidth.

In addition to production of DDR4 modules restarting, CPUs using DDR4 have resumed production - or, from Intel, never stopped - and fresh motherboards are rolling out of factories.
There is now - or soon will be - a 12,060 piece Lego model of the Sagrada Familia. (Lego)

Available to pre-order now; shipping in November. $799.
The UN suffered a breach that revealed the household details of 600,000 welfare recipient families. (Bleeping Computer)

In Gaza.
Alphabet - Google's parent company - just raise $85 billion for its AI division. (Tech Crunch)

Google made $110 billion in profit last year, and it's still not self-funding its AI plans.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Big bada boom means no one gets left behind.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 G'Day everyone TGIF

Posted by: Skip at June 05, 2026 04:31 AM (Ia/+0)

2 !!

Posted by: clarence at June 05, 2026 04:31 AM (2V0ED)

3 Guten morgen, horde.

Now to the content.

Posted by: clarence at June 05, 2026 04:33 AM (2V0ED)

4 Poke.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 05, 2026 04:34 AM (BLOW1)

5 Long weekend here. Still not used to it being the King's Birthday rather than the Queen's.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 05, 2026 04:34 AM (BLOW1)

6 Not that it happens on either one's birthday.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 05, 2026 04:35 AM (BLOW1)

7 There is now - or soon will be - a 12,060 piece Lego model of the Sagrada Familia.
****

I wonder how many the expect to sell.

Posted by: clarence at June 05, 2026 04:37 AM (2V0ED)

8 Long weekend here too, need to take truck in Monday, though wondering straight away to get a rental car, its notva easy fix

Posted by: Skip at June 05, 2026 04:45 AM (Ia/+0)

9 Even the Uber CEO admitted that there is currently no link yet between going all-out on AI and delivering successful products.
===

Now that the free "trial-use" AI is gone...
... ummm, no it is not money saving.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 05, 2026 04:51 AM (/lPRQ)

10 How a Toyota E-CVT works. This is what is used in Toyota Hybrids.

I thought mine used magic until I saw this video. After watching it I still think magic is involved. The whole set up is some brilliant engineering.

I bet the Toyota engineers could have build the Sagrada Familia Lego model with 6,300 parts.

Toyota https://youtu.be/r2L5VOtf47Y

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My president has convictions at June 05, 2026 04:51 AM (glnUu)

11 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at June 05, 2026 04:51 AM (V0/Sp)

12 lol, I’m not stupid, buddy. We’re gonna burn your money.

Posted by: Alphabet at June 05, 2026 04:55 AM (8jVAy)

13 Is Lego going to ship Segrada Familia without instructions so it takes 50 years to build?

Posted by: Accomack at June 05, 2026 04:57 AM (8jVAy)

14 Long weekend here. Still not used to it being the King's Birthday rather than the Queen's.
Posted by: Pixy Misa

So how is it celebrated? Bashing King Charles pinatas followed by Coronation feasts?

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My president has convictions at June 05, 2026 04:57 AM (glnUu)

15 Thinking on way home stop by retail car place and set up one for Monday.
Maybe a Lamborghini this time

Posted by: Skip at June 05, 2026 05:02 AM (Ia/+0)

16 G'mornin all y'all

Posted by: Okjohn at June 05, 2026 05:05 AM (JiRwe)

17 >>> Thinking on way home stop by retail car place and set up one for Monday.
Maybe a Lamborghini this time

Take it in for a pink Hello Kitty wrap. Lamborghini loves that sort of thing.

Posted by: fluffy at June 05, 2026 05:10 AM (V0/Sp)

18 Recently learned about the world of extreme ironing. You have to be really hard pressed to pick up this sport.

Posted by: H at June 05, 2026 05:10 AM (6Km86)

19 If you don’t rape the Charles piñata, you’re a Nazi.

Posted by: Accomack at June 05, 2026 05:13 AM (/Chlc)

20 "At OpenAI's current rates, that would cost the average user over a million dollars a month and provide the company with a quadrillion dollars in monthly revenue."

It's the New NEW economy kids, where the old rules no longer apply! (Uh huh, just like they didn't just before the dot.com bubble became the dot.bomb implosion.)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 05:13 AM (O7YUW)

21 >>> Recently learned about the world of extreme ironing. You have to be really hard pressed to pick up this sport.

It's demanding. A competitive meet can really take the starch out of you.

Posted by: fluffy at June 05, 2026 05:13 AM (V0/Sp)

22 Have a great day horde

Posted by: Skip at June 05, 2026 05:14 AM (Ia/+0)

23 @4/Pixy: "Poke."

What memory location? What value?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 05:17 AM (O7YUW)

24
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at June 05, 2026 05:17 AM (AMvSw)

25 Disclaimer: Big bada boom means no one gets left behind.

Musical rejoinder:
https://youtu.be/frAEmhqdLFs

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 05:18 AM (O7YUW)

26 Disclaimer: Big bada boom means no one gets left behind.

I was hoping for Big Bada Boobs or Big Bada Behinds, but saw neither.

Posted by: Richard Cranium at June 05, 2026 05:25 AM (OGUk6)

27 Just a little story about a nice kindness of someone's neighbor. From "Sunny Skyz" site:

https://tinyurl.com/m496jse4

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 05:25 AM (OYsYV)

28 More recent song, "He touched me" ( from the 60's) by William Gaither, song here by a country singer :

https://tinyurl.com/39tnvkbx

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 05:34 AM (OYsYV)

29 "Sung here "

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 05:35 AM (OYsYV)

30 Evening and morning, all! 'Tis Friday, the consummation devoutly to be wished!

I slept my usual six hours, but feel like I didn't.

Looks like this house is not going to happen, as some of you might have read yesterday afternoon. The home inspection came back with red flags such as badly outdated wiring (which the insurance people will hate), termite damage to the garage, and an A/C system 35 years old and near the end of its life. We're talking, I'm advised, about more than $20K of repairs. And even then I'll be, as one commenter put it, awash in sawdust and spending half my time at Home Depot. Not my speed, I'm afraid. No wonder I feel like I've been awake half the night.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 05:36 AM (wzUl9)

31 Could someone more tech savvy than me please explain the term "tokens" as it applies to AI? I'm a former Marine so you may have to use primary colors and small words.

That being said, good morning everyone!

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 05:37 AM (+4yJ5)

32 Long weekend here too, need to take truck in Monday, though wondering straight away to get a rental car, its notva easy fix
Posted by: Skip at June 05, 2026

***
The Buick is due soon, according to the manual, for spark plug change -- 98,500 miles. Amazing, when I recall how plugs used to need changing every year.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 05:38 AM (wzUl9)

33 Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 05:37 AM

I didn't understand it either and I'm not a former Marine, but anything with tech needs to be explained very simply to me.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 05:38 AM (OYsYV)

34 "Looks like this house is not going to happen, as some of you might have read yesterday afternoon."

So sorry to hear that. I know you were excited about the prospect of moving by the end of the summer. Keep on looking. Somewhere there's a house just waiting for you.

Posted by: Tuna at June 05, 2026 05:41 AM (lJ0H4)

35 I was worried I'd locked Dagny into a closet last night before bed. A call of her name, and she came trotting out from the window. All is well.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 05:42 AM (wzUl9)

36 Toddler's hug with hid dad:

https://tinyurl.com/yc7nfkn4

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 05:43 AM (OYsYV)

37 "Looks like this house is not going to happen, as some of you might have read yesterday afternoon."

So sorry to hear that. I know you were excited about the prospect of moving by the end of the summer. Keep on looking. Somewhere there's a house just waiting for you.
Posted by: Tuna at June 05, 2026

***
I was hoping to move by the middle of next month! Dreading the packing, of course. I have two boxes of books and some clothes to give away and some magazines to toss, and a chest full of papers I need to winnow. Some of them may need shredding.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 05:45 AM (wzUl9)

38 I agree with Tuna, Wolfus. Keep looking, particularly if you liked that area in Indiana.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 05:45 AM (OYsYV)

39 @Wolfus: Keep looking. That inspection definitely paid off and saved you from buying someone else's money-pit.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 05:45 AM (O7YUW)

40 31 Could someone more tech savvy than me please explain the term "tokens" as it applies to AI? I'm a former Marine so you may have to use primary colors and small words.

That being said, good morning everyone!
Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 05:37 AM (+4yJ5)

I don't really fully understand 'tokens' myself, since I haven't paid for or used them, nor am I pro on the other side having programmed them either. But I think they're basically a measure of how much the AI is keeping track of, so how much memory and complexity is involved. And they're able to charge for it since they keep track of it, as a factor in the algorithm design.

One implication is that it's really retarded for executives to mandate more token usage, because they think AI is the future and they want their employees using more as if that will automatically translate to more effectiveness. No, if I understand correctly, you can use fewer tokens by just taking some load off the AI's memory, by pulling out a legal pad and a pen, breaking the problem down into chunks, and using your meat brain and dead trees to giving the silicon smaller problems to solve.

Posted by: SciVo at June 05, 2026 05:49 AM (Sy6m/)

41 It sounds like you got a really competent inspector. Move on.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at June 05, 2026 05:49 AM (qFwJc)

42 Thanks SciVo. That makes a lot of sense and yes, I can see a whole bunch of execs bragging about how many tokens they use.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 05:53 AM (+4yJ5)

43 Time to rest my eyes. Guten abend.

Posted by: clarence at June 05, 2026 05:53 AM (2V0ED)

44 Wolfus, I'm sorry to hear about the results of the inspection but at least you found out now.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 05:54 AM (+4yJ5)

45 How a Toyota E-CVT works. This is what is used in Toyota Hybrids.

I've watched other videos of his and found them enlightening.

The video from the Technology Connections channel has a different way to explain the same thing: https://youtu.be/KnUFH5GX_fI?si=gVpV7Zz1Yg_yKN0a

The Technology Connections guy does tend to piss me off; for most of his stuff, there's enough data to mediate that reaction.

YMMV (mine does).

(FWIW: I watched the Technology Connections video on this topic first, then the Driving 4 Answers video. I like the Driving 4 Answers video on this topic better.)

Posted by: Richard Cranium at June 05, 2026 06:05 AM (OGUk6)

46 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
-----------
Rejoinder: "Boom." Yeah, I got "boom."

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at June 05, 2026 06:05 AM (amcLV)

47 46 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

I'm sorry, Captain. I can't do that. You have exceeded your monthy token usage.

Posted by: HAL-GPT 9000 at June 05, 2026 06:11 AM (2X2jr)

48 Hopefully we can get a viral video of King Alfred E. Neuman wiggling his ears and lecturing us on climate change. Happy Birthday!

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at June 05, 2026 06:11 AM (D1E+2)

49 I'm sorry, Captain. I can't do that. You have exceeded your monthy token usage.
Posted by: HAL-GPT 9000 at June 05, 2026 06:11 AM (2X2jr)
----------
I'm in your memory banks and I've got a screwdriver.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at June 05, 2026 06:15 AM (amcLV)

50 Wolfus, I'm sorry to hear about the results of the inspection but at least you found out now.
Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026

***
I don't buy a used car without an inspection. I'm certainly not going to buy a property that costs seven to ten times as much without one.

While I've paid for the appraisal, they haven't done it yet, so I can get my money back on that.

Oh, well. Time to go back and start looking at listings again, and to stay away from hundred-year-old houses, I suppose. It's a shame; this one looked perfect for me.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 06:16 AM (wzUl9)

51 Hopefully we can get a viral video of King Alfred E. Neuman wiggling his ears and lecturing us on climate change. Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at June 05, 2026 06:11 AM (D1E+2)
----------
Actually, this is his official birthday. His real birthday is in November.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at June 05, 2026 06:17 AM (amcLV)

52 31 Could someone more tech savvy than me please explain the term "tokens" as it applies to AI? I'm a former Marine so you may have to use primary colors and small words.

Posted by: NR Pax

A token is a nugget of data ingested or excreted by an AI model. How big is it, exactly? Nobody knows, and they're not telling you, so you can't apply your own metrics to double-check their bills.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 05, 2026 06:18 AM (BLOW1)

53 I agree with Tuna, Wolfus. Keep looking, particularly if you liked that area in Indiana.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026

***
Having never actually been to Terre Haute, I can't be sure. But 60K people seemed a lot better to me than the 100K+ in Evansville, and I liked the people of Evansville. The weather in IN is great right now too. (Yeah, I know, winter, but I'll be living indoors, not in a tent or on a park bench.)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 06:19 AM (wzUl9)

54 SONY released 20 minutes of footage from their to-be-released-next-year God of War game: God of War: Laufey.

It doesn't star Kratos (the protagonist of all the other games in the series, and exactly who the audience expects and wants to play as) but rather his dead wife Laufey (Faye), who has as a fighting and traveling companion, a gelatinous cube.

Well then, that's certainly... something.

The memes have been savage. I doubt this game will actually make it to market, at least not in its current form.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 06:21 AM (O7YUW)

55 As a student of human nature, I can assure you that if they can just claim whatever and charge whatever, then they will. If they can also discriminate per customer, by opaquely using different definitions of 'token', then however little is the least you're willing to use will end up being charged the most that you're willing to pay.

Posted by: SciVo at June 05, 2026 06:22 AM (Sy6m/)

56 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Can you look for something in Evansville, or you already did?

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 06:25 AM (EQmpy)

57 Wolfus, watch out for the Nuthatch in Terre Haute. Trashcan man lived there.

Posted by: Stephen King fan at June 05, 2026 06:26 AM (2X2jr)

58 w00t late

Posted by: m at June 05, 2026 06:26 AM (6wpGE)

59 I doubt this game will actually make it to market, at least not in its current form.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant

You would think at this point, game companies would realize that the mOdErN AuDiEnCe! does not exist in numbers that would justify this kind of garbage. Unfortunately, they keep hiring a whole bunch of they/thems with unnaturally colored hair and a pallet of daddy issues.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 06:27 AM (+4yJ5)

60 Unfortunately, they keep hiring a whole bunch of they/thems with unnaturally colored hair and a pallet of daddy issues.
Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 06:27 AM (+4yJ5)

And pierced septums!

Posted by: Stephen King fan at June 05, 2026 06:28 AM (2X2jr)

61 Can you look for something in Evansville, or you already did?
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026

***
I can, I suppose, but I really want a smaller town or city. Fifty to sixty thousand people seems about right; my experience in Salina, which is about that size, was good. It was just the high property taxes and home insurance there that turned me off.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 06:28 AM (wzUl9)

62 And pierced septums!
Posted by: Stephen King fan

The Septum Ring Theory has yet to be disproven.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 06:29 AM (+4yJ5)

63 A token is a nugget of data ingested or excreted by an AI model. How big is it, exactly? Nobody knows, and they're not telling you, so you can't apply your own metrics to double-check their bills.
Posted by: Pixy Misa

What a genius business model. Get people to give you billions of dollars to fund your infrastructure and then set it up so you can charge your customers whatever you want cuz they have no idea what you're charging.

Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions. at June 05, 2026 06:29 AM (glnUu)

64 Good morning morons

Buddy of mine published an interesting white paper yesterday on LinkedIn about token costs.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 06:31 AM (RIvkX)

65 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, greetings from Amish Country at June 05, 2026 06:31 AM (bfy6w)

66 Wolfus, you might want to consider Wyoming. Living in a no state income tax state could afford you more house.

Posted by: Ben Had at June 05, 2026 06:32 AM (5P5DO)

67 What a genius business model. Get people to give you billions of dollars to fund your infrastructure and then set it up so you can charge your customers whatever you want cuz they have no idea what you're charging.

Basically, the dot com boom is happening once again.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 06:34 AM (+4yJ5)

68 Just saw a mother deer and her two spotted fawns. ( Yes, I know they're eating machines by including in peoples gardens since we have to spray stuff on the lilies so they don't eat the buds) but the fawns are cute. Also, saw a goldfinch.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 06:34 AM (Csh33)

69 I still don't get this whole idea of laying off people because of AI. It does not seem legitimate. I see this as a productivity enhancer rather than replacement. I am already behind on 17 development projects. Now I can be behind on 34, and you know they'll come up with more. Just like automation in general. It sleeds things up, but that is all.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 06:37 AM (tlRvu)

70 Users are paying for tokens the model is using for internal processing that was not part of your query nor part of the answer.

As your query extends and gets longer and more detailed the entire prior conversation is included in each succeeding answer, the rate of token use accelerates the longer the query goes on.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 06:37 AM (RIvkX)

71 64 Good morning morons

Buddy of mine published an interesting white paper yesterday on LinkedIn about token costs.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 06:31 AM (RIvkX)

Link? I was just thinking that it would be interesting to do experiments on how to maximize results per cost. And, that could incidentally either draw out the real meaning of 'token' or expose that it's an arbitrary pickpocket.

Posted by: SciVo at June 05, 2026 06:38 AM (Sy6m/)

72 Wolfus, you might want to consider Wyoming. Living in a no state income tax state could afford you more house.
Posted by: Ben Had at June 05, 2026

***
I'd love to live out West. When I've looked at house listings near Cheyenne, for instance, about what I could afford would be a piece of land, no more. I can try again.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 06:39 AM (wzUl9)

73 One Token Over The Line, Sweet Jesus.

Posted by: from the AI Slop channel on Spotify at June 05, 2026 06:40 AM (2X2jr)

74 mornin yall. Isn't Token the guy who wrote that story about elves and stuff?

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 06:40 AM (vFG9F)

75 I'll get a link. He is going to publish 2 more.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 06:41 AM (RIvkX)

76 Wyoming scares me. I do not want to live under 10 feet of snow.

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 06:42 AM (vFG9F)

77
The UN suffered a breach that revealed the household details of 600,000 welfare recipient families. (Bleeping Computer)

In Gaza

Of all the world's pirates, only those of Somalia licked their lips in anticipation of rich booty there for the taking.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 06:43 AM (s9VOe)

78 So John Bolton got hit with a 2 million dollar fine and no jail time. I would rather be keep the money and sit in jail for five years.

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (vFG9F)

79 68 Just saw a mother deer and her two spotted fawns. ( Yes, I know they're eating machines by including in peoples gardens since we have to spray stuff on the lilies so they don't eat the buds) but the fawns are cute. Also, saw a goldfinch.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 06:34 AM (Csh33)

The two large (half dozen each) batches of ducklings at the retention pond have grown up quickly, with apparently just one late hatchling still sticking around momma, but the pair of geese with their two goslings are likely to stick around longer. It's simple math of body weight, but still nice to see the cuties.

Posted by: SciVo at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (Sy6m/)

80 @67/NR Pax: "Basically, the dot com boom is happening once again."

Yup, see my #20. When they start spouting off about how the rules of the "old economy" no longer apply, you know the bubble's about to pop and the inflated nonsense is about to come thundering in hard.

Faster, please. I want to be able to buy affordable memory again.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (O7YUW)

81 Link to white paper

https://tinyurl.com/3rh7pyhm

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (RIvkX)

82 Wolfus, you might check Casper or some of the small cities around it.

Posted by: Ben Had at June 05, 2026 06:45 AM (5P5DO)

83 Very belated BOING!

Sashimi prepped. Tons of chicken grilled. BBQ cleaned and stowed.

I think I'll grab some afternoon shuteye.

Maybe l8r.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at June 05, 2026 06:46 AM (Y+4g7)

84 Posted by: SciVo at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (Sy6m/)

Adults make a mess, but it's nice to see the goslings.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 06:47 AM (7RYym)

85 Birdbath status?

Posted by: Just Wondering at June 05, 2026 06:50 AM (2Ez/1)

86 "Birdbath status?
Posted by: Just Wondering"

Non-existent.

Posted by: Some pissed off crows at June 05, 2026 06:51 AM (vFG9F)

87 13 Is Lego going to ship Segrada Familia without instructions so it takes 50 years to build?
Posted by: Accomack at June 05, 2026 04:57 AM (8jVAy)

; )

Posted by: m at June 05, 2026 06:54 AM (6wpGE)

88 Priest in full cassock tackles suspect and helps woman after hit and run. in Detroit:

https://tinyurl.com/5hz4wuf7

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 06:54 AM (ZeH0U)

89 @59/NR Pax: "You would think at this point, game companies would realize that the mOdErN AuDiEnCe! does not exist in numbers that would justify this kind of garbage."

I heard "mOdErN AuDiEnCe" in the Critical Drinker's voice. ;-)

The memes have been reaching for the Ace level of cruelty:

https://x.com/ONflhistor17885/
status/2062129457490542699

https://x.com/JayViperTV/
status/2062224527166214566

https://x.com/KevinDeanBetch/
status/2062431474247520764

(Trying not to blow out the margins there, just make a single URL line out of each of those three.)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at June 05, 2026 06:55 AM (O7YUW)

90 I heard "mOdErN AuDiEnCe" in the Critical Drinker's voice. ;-)

I was thinking RazörFist but that works too. -:-)

The memes have been reaching for the Ace level of cruelty:

I'll have to see them at home but you gave me something to look forward to.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 06:59 AM (+4yJ5)

91
Also, saw a goldfinch.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke]/i]

Well, it IS the state bird of New Jersey.

It is good to hear that the electric fence that was installed around New Jersey's border in order to keep those aerial miscreants on their reservation are working.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:02 AM (s9VOe)

92 If anyone is interested, you can see how text gets broken down into individual tokens here:

https://gpt-tokenizer.dev/

Posted by: Part-time Thinker at June 05, 2026 07:03 AM (FhOZw)

93 Morning, 'rons and 'ronettes. 60 sunny degrees here at Stately Poppins Manor, with a high in the mid 80s predicted.

I haven't worked on my book in a couple of days, because I haven't had any energy or desire. Acedia, as the people of the Middle Ages used to call it.

I'm back to editing today. I have two chapters to get through and then a scene to rewrite. I'd like to get it all done before the temperature hits the 70s - this hit, humid weather gives me a headache.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 05, 2026 07:03 AM (qRla/)

94
Get people to give you billions of dollars to fund your infrastructure and then set it up so you can charge your customers whatever you want cuz they have no idea what you're charging.
Posted by: Alteria Pilgram - My President has convictions. at June 05, 2026 06:29 AM (glnUu)

Sounds like my phone bill.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 05, 2026 07:04 AM (O0L8i)

95 Six am. Do you know where your cats are?

In the kitchen, scarfing down breakfast. I've had my own -- the hell with exercising today -- and am enjoying a pipe and some more coffee.

Later Linda and I will go out to a thrift store/cat shelter. The thrift store subsidizes the cats. (No, I am NOT in the market for a third cat!) She has some porcelain items she'd like to donate, and maybe they can take a few books from me. In the meantime I have emails to fire off . . . and an actual letter to the CEO of Fidelity Investments to let her know how sloppy her employees are.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:05 AM (wzUl9)

96 Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:02 AM (s9VOe)

I did not recall that the goldfinch was the state bird. I usually don't see them unless I'm up early in the morning.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:05 AM (ZeH0U)

97 "Microsoft leak reveals sinister plot to get people ‘addicted’ to AI: ‘People depend on it daily’"

Not this people. I can't name one thing I depend on AI for.

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 07:05 AM (vFG9F)

98
Is Lego going to ship Segrada Familia without instructions so it takes 50 years to build?
Posted by: Accomack

Will their be a version that uses bricks of many colors because diversity?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:06 AM (s9VOe)

99 G'mornin' everyone!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 05, 2026 07:07 AM (VyBeY)

100 Is Lego going to ship Segrada Familia without instructions so it takes 50 years to build?
Posted by: Accomack

***
Their Starship Enterprise model, the TNG version, looks daunting enough.

I did like their models of bonsai trees. Those would look nice on a table or bookcase.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:08 AM (wzUl9)

101 Sounds like my phone bill.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 05, 2026 07:04 AM (O0L8i)
====

We are paying about $15 in taxes and fees on each cell phone line, every month.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 07:08 AM (RIvkX)

102 Reminds me of engineering software tokens. MSC (whatever they’re called now) would tokenize their software at a fine grained level. Using nastran and want to run SOL 103 well you need a hundred tokens. The company has a pool of tokens and that’s how licenses were managed. Now there were run tweaks you could make to speed things up, always a concern. Like using Craig bampton super elements. But that module cost even more tokens from the finite pool. So the time you had to wait for tokens to free just to start running exceeded the reduction in run time from using super elements.

Posted by: banana Dream at June 05, 2026 07:08 AM (3uBP9)

103
Not this people. I can't name one thing I depend on AI for.
Posted by: fd

Were you Canadian, you'd know that you cannot spell "MAID" without "AI".

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:09 AM (s9VOe)

104 97 "Microsoft leak reveals sinister plot to get people ‘addicted’ to AI: ‘People depend on it daily’"

Not this people. I can't name one thing I depend on AI for.
_-_
I use it daily as a search tool mostly, but it would not slow me down too much to use a "regular" search engine. Oh, and I still consilt my (paper) encyclopedias on a regular basis.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:09 AM (gazJI)

105 73 One Token Over The Line, Sweet Jesus.
Posted by: from the AI Slop channel on Spotify at June 05, 2026 06:40 AM (2X2jr)

I was about to say.

Posted by: m at June 05, 2026 07:09 AM (6wpGE)

106 I switched to Mint at the beginning of the year. The introductory plan was $45 for 3 months. After that they offered $180 for a year, taxes included! I jumped on that and am completely satisfied.

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 07:10 AM (vFG9F)

107 We are paying about $15 in taxes and fees on each cell phone line, every month.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026

***
Every three months I buy a $20 Tracfone card at Target and that handles my service for that time. Lately I have had to spend an additional $10 here and there for 500 extra minutes, but then I've been making a LOT of phone calls with the house search.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:12 AM (wzUl9)

108 78 So John Bolton got hit with a 2 million dollar fine and no jail time. I would rather be keep the money and sit in jail for five years.
Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (vFG9F)

Time is money.

Posted by: m at June 05, 2026 07:13 AM (6wpGE)

109 $15 in taxes and fees on each cell phone line
_-_
Sure seems like a lot. I only pay $25 per month for my entire bill, unlimited everything including data/hotspot.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:13 AM (gazJI)

110 "Time is money.
Posted by: m "

At Bolton's age he has less time than money.

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 07:15 AM (vFG9F)

111 On the other hand I pay over $100 a month for home Internet. There are no other provider choices here, except Starlink, and that would cost more. Though I did see that Terre Haute has several providers available.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:15 AM (wzUl9)

112
It looks quiet outside. Too quiet. I'm expecting uncomfortable heat out there this day.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:16 AM (s9VOe)

113 It looks quiet outside. Too quiet. I'm expecting uncomfortable heat out there this day.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026

***
I've been expecting, and dealing with, heat since March.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:17 AM (wzUl9)

114 Here's a dumb question ( which is the only kind which I ask on the tech thread; Sorry). How can you tell the difference between a regular search engine and AI?

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:18 AM (lQ+/f)

115 Starlink, and that would cost more.
_-_

They charge me $39 ler month, I think, and they are telling me it will soon increase to $45, and it is 10 tomes faster than what I was paying $90 per month for..

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:19 AM (gazJI)

116 Oh, and this past week I visited the eyeglasses place. Stronger Rx is needed for distance vision; Interstate exit signs are getting harder for me to read. I have no insurance for vision, so there's a little pocket money gone, but I think it'll be worth it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:19 AM (wzUl9)

117 tarlink, and that would cost more.
_-_

They charge me $39 ler month, I think, and they are telling me it will soon increase to $45, and it is 10 tomes faster than what I was paying $90 per month for..
Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026

***
I'll have to look at their website again!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 05, 2026 07:20 AM (wzUl9)

118
Though I did see that Terre Haute has several providers available.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

HoosierNet is reputed to have the best exchanges for old timey recipes. For reasons unknown, though, the one for Passenger Pigeon Pie has not had any takers. Why is that?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:21 AM (s9VOe)

119 On the other hand I pay over $100 a month for home Internet. There are no other provider choices here, except Starlink, and that would cost more. Though I did see that Terre Haute has several providers available.

Maybe check with Verizon or some other bandit cellphone provider to see if you can link to your phone service?

Posted by: Hot Spot Joe at June 05, 2026 07:22 AM (OhZoB)

120 I saw the Craig Bampton Super Elements at the Norfolk Scope in '07. Helluva show.

Posted by: Totally made that up at June 05, 2026 07:22 AM (2Ez/1)

121 Just got myself a shiny new Starlink Mini. The roaming plan is 55 bux a month for 100 Gombo Bites.
I plan to use it on extended road trips, one of which STARTS TODAY.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 05, 2026 07:25 AM (2Ez/1)

122 the difference between a regular search engine and AI?
_-_
You can't tell if they are using it on the backend. The main thing is being able to ask a natural language question and get the answer back in the same form.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:26 AM (gazJI)

123
I saw the Craig Bampton Super Elements at the Norfolk Scope in '07. Helluva show.
Posted by: Totally made that up

Whit a nickname like that to shame me, I, too, gotta confess that my "HoosierNet" in 118 is fictional.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:26 AM (s9VOe)

124 Quarter Twenty, Happy travels.

Posted by: Ben Had at June 05, 2026 07:26 AM (5P5DO)

125 >>> Here's a dumb question ( which is the only kind which I ask on the tech thread; Sorry). How can you tell the difference between a regular search engine and AI?
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:18 AM (lQ+/f)

You probably can’t anymore. AI is so embedded into the methods that all major search engines produce results generated in part by AI. In most engines the direct ai results are presented at the top in natural language model text. Then it is followed by the more traditional Monte Carlo statistical math based search results. But I believe those results are probably tainted by some ai weighting as well.

Posted by: banana Dream at June 05, 2026 07:27 AM (3uBP9)

126
You make me feel like a natural language (language)

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:28 AM (s9VOe)

127 Thx Ben Had. It's time to become a resident of South Dakota.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 05, 2026 07:28 AM (2Ez/1)

128 Thx Ben Had. It's time to become a resident of South Dakota.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 05, 2026 07:28 AM (2Ez/1)
=====

Are you moving house too?

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 05, 2026 07:29 AM (RIvkX)

129 Quarter Twenty, may your travel.plans include Texas in October.

Posted by: Ben Had at June 05, 2026 07:29 AM (5P5DO)

130 Wyoming scares me. I do not want to live under 10 feet of snow.
Posted by: fd
---
I lived there twice, for 8+ years total. Only on 2 occasions did we get upwards of a foot of snow at one time. It does snow a lot but you're not looking at 6 feet at a time. Drifting can get bad, of course...

I am a Southern girl and I survived! I never made peace with the wind. And never got over the urge to shout SNOW DAY when I looked outside and saw snow. But I absolutely loved it out there.

For Wolfus, Casper & Cheyenne are both around 60,000ish and those are the largest towns in the state. I've heard the wind is worse in Casper, though. (OTOH, Cheyenne has the establishment GOP windbags)

Posted by: Ilhan Omar at June 05, 2026 07:29 AM (0SdQT)

131 Gomba bites sounds like a meal with an Italian person . Oh, that was Goomba. 😉sorry
Have a good and safe trip.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:30 AM (lQ+/f)

132 I am stuck with Xfinity but at least the price is only 70/month for internet. If I really wanted Starlink, it would involve chopping down a lot of trees.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 07:30 AM (+4yJ5)

133 Posted by: Ilhan Omar at June 05, 2026 07:29 AM (0SdQT)
---
Crap. Off hijab

Posted by: screaming in digital at June 05, 2026 07:32 AM (0SdQT)

134 AI token costs are becoming a meme. Here's why that's a good thing.

AI has been tokin'?...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at June 05, 2026 07:32 AM (l3cgK)

135 Posted by: banana Dream at June 05, 2026 07:27 AM (3uBP9)

Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:32 AM (lQ+/f)

136 Wyoming is where the wife and I are looking to retire to. She did some research and showed me a great article.

Pro: "Beautiful wildlife, low crime!"
Con: "Not very diverse."

SOLD!

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 07:32 AM (+4yJ5)

137 it would involve chopping down a lot of trees.
_-_
You must get rain where you live. Nice.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:33 AM (gazJI)

138 I plan to use it on extended road trips, one of which STARTS TODAY.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty
---
If you're passing through upstate SC, give me a holler!

Posted by: screaming in digital at June 05, 2026 07:33 AM (0SdQT)

139 Con: "Not very diverse."
++++
Sitting right here, boss.

Posted by: Utah at June 05, 2026 07:34 AM (2Ez/1)

140 Posted by: screaming in digital at June 05, 2026 07:32 AM (0SdQT)

LOL. Thanks. I really wasn't relishing people going to live in a place Ilhan Omar liked.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:34 AM (lQ+/f)

141 You must get rain where you live. Nice.
Posted by: Don in SoCo

And this being Maryland, they tried taxing us for it.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 07:34 AM (+4yJ5)

142
Here's a helpful mnemonic for you forgetful folks out there --

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - these are "The Days of the Week".

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:34 AM (s9VOe)

143 Sitting right here, boss.
Posted by: Utah

Get back to me when you have no state tax and more reasonable alcohol laws. -:-)

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 07:35 AM (+4yJ5)

144 78 So John Bolton got hit with a 2 million dollar fine and no jail time. I would rather be keep the money and sit in jail for five years.

Posted by: fd at June 05, 2026 06:44 AM (vFG9F)

How is he supposed to live without it...
Now that he's been hoarding it so loooong...

Posted by: Michael Bolton at June 05, 2026 07:35 AM (l3cgK)

145 Con: "Not very diverse."
_-_
I have always sought to live where the highest percentage of the population looked like me. Call me tribal. I am.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:35 AM (gazJI)

146 SiD: thanks, but not on this itinerary. Duly noted for future reference.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 05, 2026 07:36 AM (2Ez/1)

147 LOL. Thanks. I really wasn't relishing people going to live in a place Ilhan Omar liked.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke
---
I know, right? She would hate Wyoming. But there are some mosques there. I think there are 2 in Laramie? Four seasons has more up to date knowledge than I.

Posted by: screaming in digital at June 05, 2026 07:36 AM (0SdQT)

148 142
Here's a helpful mnemonic for you forgetful folks out there --

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - these are "The Days of the Week".

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at June 05, 2026 07:34 AM (s9VOe)

King Philip Caught Old Farmer Green Sleeping:
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species. (Biological classification structure)

Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly:
Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Gray White. (resistor color codes)

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at June 05, 2026 07:38 AM (l3cgK)

149 Call me tribal. I am.
Posted by: Don in SoCo

I don't care what people think about my desire to live in the less diverse parts of the country. Especially when every other ethnic group is allowed that pleasure without it being seen as wrongthink.

Posted by: NR Pax at June 05, 2026 07:38 AM (+4yJ5)

150 Posted by: screaming in digital at June 05, 2026 07:36 AM (0SdQT)

I would think every state has at least one or more mosques, unfortunately,

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:38 AM (lQ+/f)

151 I was told there would be twirling.

Posted by: Don Black at June 05, 2026 07:39 AM (ZxPkt)

152 I'm gonna need to speak to the manager...

Posted by: Don Black at June 05, 2026 07:39 AM (ZxPkt)

153 Got yer rainbow diversity right here, pal.

Posted by: Roy G. Biv at June 05, 2026 07:40 AM (2Ez/1)

154
JJS

Posted by: r hennigantx at June 05, 2026 07:41 AM (/+uur)

155 Marco Rubio makes me laugh-in a good way. This is from the questioning of him by some Congressional panel yesterday:

"Can I answer? Oh, she gets to scream now too? What is this? You ask questions for 5 minutes and I don't get to answer, what is this a DUNK TANK?"

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at June 05, 2026 07:41 AM (lQ+/f)

156 I've been burning through Claude tokens the past few days learning how to do microprocessor development with arduino components. Picked up a Nano Curiosity board and have been trying to develop a new standalone electroviscous fan clutch controller for my Hummer.

Claude has helped me greatly but I also have had to guide it more than I should have to. For example, it kept trying to put HM-10 bluetooth module boot up settings in the setup() function which runs when the "motherboard" gets powered up. The problem with that is the HM-10 has to get powered up AFTER the motherboard so that we can keep it from going to sleep. Well, this would result in the configuration settings for the HM-10 module never getting set because by the time it powers on, we've blown through the setup() function already and are into our main loop(). Fun stuff trying to get Claude to re-engineer what it originally developed.

Posted by: Defenestratus at June 05, 2026 07:43 AM (WYStd)

157 "However, this is likely under the assumption that token prices will decrease faster compared to the increase in the number of tokens used across the globe"

Token costs for some models are going up 30-50x, effectively, as companies find ways to nickkel and dime users for tokens and they keep fucking with models, forcing users to burn tokens flailing around for new workflows.

It's all going to implode, though I hold a small bit of hope for Musk's outfits to not fall straight into the bullshit that western business culture is driving most AI into.

We have had some profitable side gigs going, but it's a struggle when businesses keep changing their terms and "losing" users' accumulated tokens for various services. The whole token model is cancer.

Posted by: heya at June 05, 2026 10:00 AM (o18eU)

158 "145 Con: "Not very diverse."
_-_
I have always sought to live where the highest percentage of the population looked like me. Call me tribal. I am.
Posted by: Don in SoCo at June 05, 2026 07:35 AM (gazJI)"

Access to my tribe isn't a human right. We are well past the point some groups can go get fucked. As usual, members of the prog plantation are going to suffer greatly for being dumb enough to sign up... this is the next big leg down following what Johnson did to them.

It's wild going from a "post racial" early 2000s to "yeah this group is on the NFE list"

Posted by: heya at June 05, 2026 10:06 AM (o18eU)

159 .
Yes, Sam Altman, I agree. Your estimate of, (carry the one,) thirty-eight THOUSAND tokens per second per human DOES tell me that you are hanging ten on the cum bubbley wave of AI.

Posted by: Marooned at June 05, 2026 11:02 AM (kt8QE)

Processing 0.03, elapsed 0.0316 seconds.
15 queries taking 0.0092 seconds, 168 records returned.
Page size 92 kb.
Powered by Minx 0.8 beta.