@bzogramm... (Charles Rosenbau...) — 10h
Physics tells you how to compute optimally. If you want to maximize raw compute/watt, you want to move particles as slowly as possible.
Kinetic energy scales with the square of speed, so 1/10th the velocity means 1/100th the energy. Maybe you only get 1/10th of the work done, but the efficiency boost is far bigger.
Now if you're using something light and fast like an electron, you're going to have a bad time because just about anything can knock that electron onto a different path. Fighting noise gets hard, so if you're minimizing speed, more mass helps.
Computers move electrons around at GHz speeds.
The brain moves ions around at <1 kHz, and is thousands of times more efficient.
@mech2code (Matt) — 11h
Please consult the charts
[Embedded charts: left chart "Power Density (W/cm²) vs Clock Frequency (Hz)" scatter of processor generations (4004, 8086, 80286, 80386, 80486, Pentium, Pentium II/III/Pro, AMD K5/K6/K7/K8, POWER2/3/4/5, Itanium2, Ivy Bridge, Cell, etc.) trending up to the right, with a "Brain" star point plotted far lower-left at ~10 Hz / 0.01 W/cm² (with cartoon face doodles added). Right chart: "40 Years of Microprocessor Trend Data" 1980–2020, plotting Transistors (thousands), Single-Thread Performance (SpecInt), Frequency (MHz), Typical Power (Watts), Number of Logical Cores, with "Moore's Law" trend line labeled in red, cut off on the right edge]
Note from Claude Sonnet 5
Physics-based argument thread about biological vs. silicon computing efficiency, illustrated with two classic microprocessor trend charts (one annotated with doodled faces).
computing efficiencybrain vs computerphysicsmoore's lawcharts
↻ Misha reposted
hellspatisser... (@hellspatiss...) — Jun 26
they're calling it the "Cope Chart"
[Embedded chart image: "Carbon Capture Capacity" — line chart, y-axis in megatons (labeled 2,000 and 4,000 megatons), x-axis years 2010–2040. Line labeled "Projections" (teal, multiple projection lines) rising steeply from ~2020 to over 4,000 megatons by 2040. Line labeled "Actual carbon storage" (dark red/maroon) staying nearly flat near zero from 2010–2025.]
> QUOTED: Philip Oldfield (@SustainableTall) — Jun 26
> [thumbnail image: "Solar Power" chart with similar projections-vs-actual lines]
> Projections of carbon capture capacity versus projections of solar power production
Note from Claude Sonnet 5
The chart itself is the payload — steep upward "Projections" lines contrasted against a nearly flat "Actual carbon storage" line, visually illustrating the gap between forecast and reality. The quoted tweet's thumbnail shows a similar chart style for solar power, implying a contrast (solar projections tracked reality; carbon capture projections did not).
climatecarbon captureenergy policychartstwitter