Episode 93: 93: A Magic Elf in My Computer

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin end the Hypercritical podcast with a discussion of the show itself, followed by a final Q&A where Dan asks the questions and John attempts to provide sensible answers. Many thanks to all the listeners and the folks in the 5by5 chat room. The journey was the reward. Links for this episode:"I modded my GameCube pad into a Wii Classic Controller", by gummowned - RedditAddress Resolution Protocol - WikipediaBasic guide to mod a GameCube controller with a Wii Classic Controller PCB - GummoHypercritcal (Song A Day #1450) - YouTubeJonathan MannSong a Day: The AlbumWii RetroPad Adapter 2 - Sparrow's Domain"If you liked our Bad At High School episode, …" - @theincomparableHypercritical - Ars TechnicaJerry Maguire - WikiquoteMore Hypercritical Length Analysis - Super Jeffective

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin follow up on iTunes 11 and Apple's continuing failure to grok online services, then discuss the Wii U, starting with the painful setup process and continuing on to New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, and, inevitably, the Wii U GamePad controller. Links for this episode:Order of authors on publications - Academia Stack ExchangeDoes your brain really have the power to see the world upside-down?Dropbox: The Linchpin - Daring FireballDropbox: The Linchpin - Michael TsaiHow Nintendo DRM trapped $400 of downloaded games on my failing Wii - Ars TechnicaThe long, frustrating road to recovering my Wii downloads - Ars TechnicaThe incredibly true story of how I bricked my Wii U - The PA ReportWii U GamePad battery compartment - iFixItNew Super Mario Bros. U - Amazon.comWii U - NintendoNintendo Land - Amazon.comSponsored by Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME12 for 30% off), and Sourcebits.

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin follow up on taping out silicon chips, Apple's seemingly bottomless silicon ambitions, and the pitfalls of labeling people, then discuss Twitterrific 5, the new Google maps app on iOS, iTunes 11, Tim Cook's national news tour, and Apple's upcoming "Made in the USA" Mac. Links for this episode:How to use rlwrap to get a command history in sql*plus - Lutz HartmannHow To Tell People They Sound Racist - YouTubeInnovation is a Fight - Rands In ReposeRands - WikipediaHow I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race - TEDxHampshireCollegeA comment on The new age of Capital Intensity - Asymco.comNBC's Rock Center interview with Tim Cook - Part 1NBC's Rock Center interview with Tim Cook - Part 2Google Maps for iPhone shows Apple how to do mapping right - Ars TechnicaiTunes 11 review: Simple is as simple does - Ars TechnicaiTunes through the ages - Ars TechnicaApple CEO Tim Cook to Brian Williams: “Don’t bet against us.” - Ars TechnicaTim Cook's Freshman Year: The Apple CEO Speaks - BusinessweekOpenStreetMapTwitterrific 5Jeff FosterKitsune: Efficient, General-purpose Dynamic Software Updating for C (PDF)Muir Island - WikipediaKremlinology - WikipediaHypercritical T-Shirt PollFor Apple, change could be a good sign - Jason SnellText of Steve Jobs' Stanford commencement address (2005)Apple CEO Steve Jobs at D8: The Full, Uncut Interview - AllThingsDApple's "Made in USA" computer likely to be Mac Pro - Philip Elmer-DeWittThe Pipeline #23: John SiracusaThe Setup / John Siracusa

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin follow up on silicon chip making and misogyny in geek culture, then dive into Hypercritical's first—and likely only—listener Q&A show. All questions entertained! Some questions answered! Links for this episode:No Movie for Old MenOn Dickwolves, Ethics, and Why I'm Not Attending PAX East - arthur-ignThe Pratfall of Penny Arcade - A TimelineFive Geek Social Fallacies - Michael Suileabhain-WilsonRaymond Chandler's Private Dick - The AtlanticInternational maritime signal flags - WikipediaBlue Peter Frequently Asked Questions - BBCJohn Scalzi - WikipediaThe Way Games Work - Wii U GamePad - YouTubeBare Bones Software: BBEdit 10.5BBEdit 10.5 Release NotesQuicken Mac 2007 - IntuitWho Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be - John ScalziThe AnandTech PodcastBono - WikipediaLarry Elmore: The Complete Elmore Artbook - KickstarterPerceptual adaptation - WikipediaLarry Elmore, Fantasy ArtistJonathan Coulton - WikipediaDan Moren's Boston Globe article (mostly behind a paywall, unfortunately)Macworld: The Best Mac EverThe Flop HouseRoderick on the LineFresh AirThis American LifeSponsored by Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME12 for 30% off), Squarespace (use code DANSENTME12 for 10% off), Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), and Prop 'n Go (use the code DANSENTME for 17% off).

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin reveal John's Wii U in transit, then talk more about Apple, Intel, ARM, and silicon chip fabrication, and finally, the Fake Geek Girl meme, misogyny, and problems with Geek Culture in general. Links for this episode:Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software, by Charles PetzoldFrom NAND to Tetris: The Elements of Computing Systems - nand2tetris.orgCabel's tweet about The Wii U GamePadIf Samsung doesn't supply Apple's processors, who will? - FortuneNative Client: Technical Overview - GoogleNative Client: A Sandbox for Portable, Untrusted x86 Native Code (PDF)Ring (computer security) - WikipediaBroadwell (microarchitecture) - WikipediaLand grid array - WikipediaIndium gallium zinc oxide - WikipediaBlue Peter - WikipediaMultiply–accumulate operation - WikipediaTransactional memory going mainstream with Intel Haswell - Ars TechnicaIntel's Haswell CPU Microarchitecture - RealWorldTechHaswell has on-die voltage regulator - fudzilla.comIdiot Nerd Girl - Know Your MemeFake Geek Girl Meme - The Mary SueThe Incomparable #28: Bad at High SchoolRBC: Intel in talks with Apple to build iPhone processors - FortuneHypercritical - Ars TechnicaWyld Stallyns #1 : Be Excellent To Each Other - YouTubeMoore's law - WikipediaOS X 10.8.3 beta supports Radeon HD 7900-series chipsets - MacNNWild Speculation: Why a $2B AMD purchase would be a puzzle piece fit for Apple - 9to5MacIntel kills off the desktop, PCs go with it - SemiAccurateNerds: Stop hating women, please - New StatesmanOn the “Fake” Geek Girl - The Mary SueDear Fake Geek Girls: Please Go Away - ForbesForget the Sixaxis - the Wii U’s GamePad has nine-axis control - VentureBeatApple may tap TSMC to move A-series mobile chips to 28nm process - Ars TechnicaWho Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be - John ScalziSponsored by Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME11 for 30% off), Koku, and Sourcebits.

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin discuss the upcoming end of this show, more on Intel vs. ARM, Apple's CPU/GPU needs, and the newly revealed internals of the Wii U console and GamePad. Links for this episode:Advanced Vector Extensions - Wikipedia5by5 Specials #10: State of the Union for 2012Intel to fab ARM chips for Apple? It’s possible… - Ars TechnicaIntel's Tick Tock strategy (image)Silicon - WikipediaSilicone - WikipediaIntel set to expand its Hillsboro research fab, D1X - OregonLive.comHaswell’s GPU prowess is due to Crystalwell - SemiAccurateCrystalwell is very wide memory for Haswell GT3 - SemiAccurateNintendo Wii U Teardown - iFixitRayman developer: Wii U GamePad latency is 1/60th of a second - Ars TechnicaHands-On with Wii U (GamePad lag video) - Digital FoundryIwata Asks : Wii U: The Console : Hardware as StagehandWii U GamePad battery compartment - iFixItSkylandersCrashPlan's Black Friday saleState of the Union Address for 2012 - 5by5 BlogSponsored by Mailgun (use code 5BY5 for 10% off), Shopify, Hover (use the code DANSENTME for 10% off), and Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME11 for 30% off).

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin revisit the topic of voting technology, then discuss the possibility of Apple using ARM processors instead of Intel processors in its Macs: RISC vs. CISC, process nodes, the x86 burden, and…sewing machines. Links for this episode:Apple Said to Be Exploring Switch From Intel for Mac - BusinessweekRISC vs. CISC: the Post-RISC Era (1999) - Ars TechnicaReduced instruction set computing - WikipediaComplex instruction set computing - WikipediaRISC vs. CISC in the mobile era (2008) - Ars Technicax86 instruction listings - WikipediaSecret Life of Machines The Sewing Machine Part 1 - YouTubeSecret Life of Machines The Sewing Machine Part 2 - YouTubeHow a Sewing Machine Works (animation) - swiss-miss.comMicro-operation - Wikipediax87 - WikipediaSSE (Streaming SIMD Extensions) - WikipediaSSE2 - WikipediaSSE3 - WikipediaSSE4 - Wikipediax86-64 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaLithography - Wikipedia22 nanometer - WikipediaIvy Bridge (microarchitecture) - WikipediaApple A6 - WikipediaUnderstanding Moore’s Law - Ars TechnicaIvy Bridge: 1.4B Transistors - AnandTechIntel 8086 - WikipediaHaswell (microarchitecture) - WikipediaTSMC - WikipediaPicking up the pieces: John Siracusa mourns the Power PC (2005) - Ars TechnicaIntel's Haswell CPU Microarchitecture - Real World TecheVoting after Nedap and Digital Pen (video) - events.ccc.deeVoting after Nedap and Digital Pen - events.ccc.deLuddite - WikipediaWhy You Can't Vote Online Yet - On The MediaSponsored by Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), Squarespace (use code DANSENTME11 for 10% off), Lynda, and Mutual Mobile

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin talk more about Forstall's departure from Apple, Surface storage, and Fusion Drive, then discuss US voting technology, Google voice search, and how Apple's design problems are more than skin deep. Links for this episode:Why Executives Are Never Fired - Michael CamilleriGardening leave - WikipediaAvailable disk space on Microsoft Surface - Microsoft.comSDXC - WikipediaApple fusion drive on late 2010 MacBook Pro - Tomasz KorwelFusion drive on a pre-10.8.2 version of OS X - Alexandre TorresAchieving fusion—with a service training doc, Ars tears open Apple’s Fusion Drive - Ars TechnicaEnd-to-end auditable voting systems - WikipediaDavid Bismark: E-voting without fraud - TED.comGoogle Voice Search vs. Siri - Daring FireballGoogle Voice Search vs. Siri: Who’s the Best... - Gizmodo.comApple’s design problems aren’t skeuomorphic - counternotionsFrogger! The Frogger Musical - Paul and StormKonami Code - WikipediaBYOD FusionDo It Yourself Apple Fusion Drive on Your Mac - YouTubeAppleCD Audio PlayerSponsored by Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), Squarespace (use code DANSENTME11 for 10% off), MailChimp, and Symbolicons (use code DANLOVESICONS for 15% off).

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin discuss the latest information about Apple's Fusion Drive and the first big executive reshuffling at Apple in the post-Steve Jobs era: Forstall and Browett are out; Ive, Cue, Federighi, and Mansfield are in. Links for this episode:AnandTech - The Windows RT ReviewTweet from Tanner Silva about the cost of a Retina MacBook Pro screen replacementTweet from Stephen Hackett about glass-covered MacBook Pro screensTweet from Thomas Brand about screens glued to laptop lidsTweet from jackslash about the Apple logo on the front of the iMacMac notebooks: About the "Ignoring accidental trackpad input" option - Apple.comFusion drive on older Macs? YES! - Patrick SteinMore on BYO Fusion drive - Patrick SteinFusion Drive - loose ends - Patrick SteinCore Storage in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review - Ars TechnicaApple Announces Changes to Increase Collaboration Across Hardware, Software & Services - Apple.comApple CEO Tim Cook: Steve “taught me that the joy is in the journey” - Ars TechnicaOp-ed: Apple Store may be shifting from customer experience to profit machine | Ars TechnicaBehind Silicon Valley's Un-Retirement of Apple's Bob Mansfield - AllThingsDSkeuomorphism in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review - Ars TechnicaSkeuomorphic applications in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: the Ars Technica review - Ars TechnicaJonathan Ive interview: simplicity isn't simple - TelegraphFile system API unification in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Ars TechnicaDaring Fireball: Forstall Out; Ive UpNeven Mrgan's post on App.net about Jony Ive's carBertrand Serlet to Leave Apple - Apple.comAvadis Tevanian - WikipediaCraig Federighi - WikipediaBertrand Serlet - WikipediaDaring Fireball: The Good, the Bad, and the AvieApple Technical Note 2034 (PDF)The Incomparable #114: When You Wish Upon a "Star Wars"From inside Apple, the Scott Forstall fallout - Om MalikHypercritical #45: Star Wars is Not a Blog PostFusion Drive quick look: Our predictions confirmed! - Ars TechnicaBrowett seen as bad for Apple thanks to Dixons’ poor reputation - Ars TechnicaSponsored by Lynda, Shutterstock (use code "dansentme10" for 30% off), and Shopify (use code "5by5" and get 3 months free).

John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin discuss the new hardware announced at the October 23rd Apple event: the latest Retina MacBook Pro, whether the new iMac is too skinny or too fat, the little information we currently know about Fusion Drive, and, of course, the new iPads, both mini and Retina. Links for this episode:Intel Z68 Chipset & Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching) Review - AnandTechHypercritical #17: Intruding GooseneckAnandTech - Seagate's Momentus XT Reviewed, Finally a Good Hybrid HDDMacminicolo Blog (Impressions of the 2012 Mac mini (updated))Does this aluminum back make me look fat? Hands-on with the thumb-able iPad mini and the ultrathin iMac - Ars TechnicaApple Fusion Drive—wait, what? How does this work? - Ars TechnicaA short history of btrfs - LWN.netHypercritical #57: Computational SkeuomorphismB-Trees, Shadowing, and Clones (PDF) - Ohad RodehMac mini (Late 2012) and iMac (Late 2012): About Fusion Drive - Apple.comApple's white iPad mini sells out in 20 minutes - Apple 2.0 - Fortune TechStrange Game - The MagazineAnandTech - Understanding Apple's Fusion DriveApple Special Event October 2012Sponsored by Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME10 for 30% off), MailChimp, Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), and CacheFly