Technology

This is a bit further than sane. I think you've got the idea from Russian marauders stealing washing machines. They were just marauders.

No -- two different washing machine incidents.

There were some documented incidents of Russian soldiers in Ukraine looting washing machines, which was highlighted by the press.

There's a second issue that Russia was using secondhand chips:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-military-equipment-computer-chips-refrigerators/

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a pair of congressional hearings this week told lawmakers that Russia has been using semiconductors from dishwashers and refrigerators for its military equipment. 

"Our approach was to deny Russia technology, technology that would cripple their ability to continue a military operation. And that is exactly what we are doing," Raimondi said on Wednesday. 

She said she has heard anecdotes from the Ukrainian prime minister that some of the Russian equipment left behind contains semiconductors from kitchen appliances because the defense industrial base is having a hard time producing more chips on its own and is facing export controls that limit its ability to import the technology from other countries. 

It's also apparently not just Russia that was doing this during the COVID-19 chip shortages:

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/washing-machines-raied-to-obtain-semiconductors

However, ASML CEO Peter Wennink described on an earning's call how some companies take desperate measures to get their hands on highly sought-after and mature microprocessors.

According to Wennink, several large industrial companies have resorted to ripping chips out of consumer washing machines for industrial use. Typical household washing machines can range from $400 to thousands of dollars each, so that is a relatively expensive way to obtain chips manufactured on a mature process node. However, it's more likely that these companies are buying used machines or devices earmarked to head to a recycling center. Companies could get the washing machines at a significant discount and still grab the chips in this scenario. 

"Technology-wise, market-wise, geography-wise, it's so widespread that we have significantly underestimated, let's say, the width of the demand," said Wennink yesterday during ASML's Q1 2022 earnings call. "And [I don't] think it is going to go away." 

Wennink referenced a "very large industrial company, [conglomerate]" when talking about washing machine chip raiding. "Now, you could say, that's an anecdote. But, to be honest, it happens everywhere," Wennink continued. "It is — like I said, it is 15, 20, 25-year old semiconductor technology that is now being used everywhere. It's got — it's all driven by IoT type applications."

My guess is that this probably isn't a case where companies are producing high-volume things. They're making some very expensive, low-volume things, and they're bottlenecked by one part that they can't get.

That kinda sounds like animal abuse.

Not literally a tamagachi, but if you want to go down the super niche rabbit hole that'll include interfacing a TV and keyboard to a 6502 processor, there's a guy named Ben Eater who does a great job covering that stuff. eater.net or search his name on YouTube.

No. The 6502 itself is probably the simplest CPU to be used at scale in home computers: it has only 3 registers, a handful of instructions (you don’t even get multiplication) and is made of around 3,500 transistors (less than half the number in the Z80). All the things that gave the C64, Apple II, BBC Micro, NES and such their recognisable qualities were provided by support chips used alongside the 6502.

6502s were used in a lot of simple electronics after general-purpose computing moved on. They used them in battery-powered pocket chess computers in the late 80s, for example, and I wouldn’t be surprised if cycle computers or microwave ovens contained them as well.

Like is it capable of that sure, could you actually do that with a modern tamagotchi, probably not.

you'd have to graft on a lot of IO that doesn't exist but probably. good project to show off on hackaday.

That is some Matrix s..t right there

Nope, just the pulse. It's unfortunate but true. Be a bigger person and stand up for better options.