All posts tagged: cache

How to clear your MacBook cache (and why it’ll do wonders for performance)

How to clear your MacBook cache (and why it’ll do wonders for performance)

Published by skeptic

What is cache on my Mac? Cache is temporary data your Mac stores to speed up browsing and app performance. Safari might save images and scripts to speed page load times, while Chrome can keep cached copies of site assets, and your favorite apps store logs and workspace files.  Over time, cache data can become outdated or corrupted, slowing down your Mac. Clearing cache will remove these temporary files — not your bookmarks, messages, photos, documents, or passwords — and can give you a major performance boost. Is cache the same as cookies? No. They’re different. Also: How to set up and use passkeys across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac Cache data is locally saved files (images, scripts, and thumbnails) that help webpages and apps load faster, while cookies store small bits of personal data, like your preferences and shopping carts. Clearing cache removes temporary files stored on your Mac, but clearing cookies will log you out of sites, services, and apps. Your passwords and bookmarks will still be available to use. How often should I …

New KV cache compaction technique cuts LLM memory 50x without accuracy loss

New KV cache compaction technique cuts LLM memory 50x without accuracy loss

Published by skeptic

Enterprise AI applications that handle large documents or long-horizon tasks face a severe memory bottleneck. As the context grows longer, so does the KV cache, the area where the model’s working memory is stored. A new technique developed by researchers at MIT addresses this challenge with a fast compression method for the KV cache. The technique, called Attention Matching, manages to compact the context by up to 50x with very little loss in quality. While it is not the only memory compaction technique available, Attention Matching stands out for its execution speed and impressive information-preserving capabilities. The memory bottleneck of the KV cache Large language models generate their responses sequentially, one token at a time. To avoid recalculating the entire conversation history from scratch for every predicted word, the model stores a mathematical representation of every previous token it has processed, also known as the key and value pairs. This critical working memory is known as the KV cache. The KV cache scales with conversation length because the model is forced to retain these keys …

Christie’s Nabs 0 M. Newhouse Cache, Led by Pollock, Picasso, and Brancusi

Christie’s Nabs $450 M. Newhouse Cache, Led by Pollock, Picasso, and Brancusi

Published by José Betancourt

Treasures priced at $100 million by 20th-century masters Jackson Pollock and Constantin Brancusi will lead Christie’s New York’s marquee May art sales, coming from the collection of media magnate S. I. Newhouse, Artnet News has revealed. While Christie’s has yet to confirm Artnet’s report, those two estimates, if met, would far exceed those artists’ current auction highs. Numbering as many as 40 works, the collection encompasses examples by giants like Jasper Johns and Pablo Picasso, and is reportedly valued at $450 million.  Related Articles The late Newhouse and his wife Victoria appeared regularly on ARTnews Top 200 collector list, which notes that they are said to have spent as much as $700 million on their art holdings. When Newhouse died in 2017, his family entrusted his collection to the care of art advisor Tobias Meyer, previously principal auctioneer at Sotheby’s, reported the New York Times, adding that the collection included such works as Andy Warhol’s 1964 painting of Marilyn Monroe, Shot Orange Marilyn, and Lucian Freud’s 1993 self-portrait Painter Working, Reflection. Still ahead, noted the …

How to clear your Android phone cache – and why it makes a huge difference

How to clear your Android phone cache – and why it makes a huge difference

Published by skeptic

What is cache? Think of cache as temporary files, such as images, scripts, and other resources, that help apps and websites load faster. Clearing cache removes those temporary files from your device without affecting your personal app settings or login credentials. Also: Bad battery life on your Android phone? Changing these 12 settings will do you wonders For example, in the Facebook app, cached data may include saved profile pictures, photos, and videos. Clearing the app’s cache removes those temporary files from your device, but it does not log you out. Will clearing cache delete my app data? No. Clearing cache only removes temporary files. Your accounts, settings, and app data remain intact. Will clearing cache make my device faster? Yes. It frees up storage and removes potentially corrupted or outdated files, which can resolve slowdowns and glitches. How often should I clear cache? Whenever you notice your Android device acting sluggish. For most users, every few months is sufficient. Which apps have built-in clear cache options? Beyond Chrome, many apps let you clear cache within …

Spotify’s offline cache might be taking up more space than your music

Spotify’s offline cache might be taking up more space than your music

Published by skeptic

Streaming your music is great until you hit a patch with no connectivity or a long flight where you might need to download your music. Being able to download your music to your phone also sounds great, until you realize that Spotify’s online cache is eating up more storage than the music itself. Apart from adding features no one really asked for, Spotify can’t seem to figure out local storage. For anyone on a small SSD or a phone with limited storage, that means several gigabytes of space disappearing without a clear explanation from the app. Offline downloads and cache are not the same thing One is intentional. The other quietly hoards storage in the background. When you think about Spotify’s storage consumption, you’re dealing with two separate aspects: your offline downloads and the cache. Offline downloads are the obvious part. These are the albums, playlists, and podcasts you explicitly mark to be available when you’re not connected to the internet. They live in a dedicated storage location, and on many devices, you can even …

How to clear your Roku TV cache (and put an end to slow performance)

How to clear your Roku TV cache (and put an end to slow performance)

Published by skeptic

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Can you believe that the first Roku device launched 17 years ago? It was initially developed in partnership with Netflix to stream its “Watch Instantly” service. Since then, the company has released numerous generations of streaming players and its very own Roku TVs — which means you might own one of these older devices. What is a cache? Just like your computer or smartphone, your Roku TV also stores temporary data (the cache) to help apps load faster. It’s like a digital shortcut; when you open an app, instead of redownloading everything from scratch, your Roku remembers certain elements, like images or login information. Over time, this cache can become cluttered, corrupted, or just plain too full. When that happens, it can lead to sluggish performance, apps freezing, audio-video sync issues, or even those dreaded error messages that pop up right when the show you’re watching is getting good. Also: Every Roku user should know these 20+ hidden menus and shortcuts for the best experience While …

How to clear your Google Search cache on Android (and why it’s a must for me)

How to clear your Google Search cache on Android (and why it’s a must for me)

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Your Android device retains your Google searches, enabling various sites and services to use that data to personalize ads and other types of recommendations.  For some of us, that level of personalization makes using the platform easier. However, in this modern era, with companies leveraging such information to create a highly personalized picture of you and your web usage, one could consider this practice an invasion of privacy. This can be especially problematic if you accidentally search for the wrong thing, only to be inundated with ads that fall under the category of, “Why am I seeing this?“ Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and say goodbye to slow performance) I’ve witnessed people’s eyes go wide when an ad pops up on their phones that they either shouldn’t see — or didn’t want to see.  For those who value privacy, it is possible to reclaim control over how much of a browser’s search history is saved and when it’s deleted.  I’m going to …

My Windows desktop kept flickering until I cleared this cache

My Windows desktop kept flickering until I cleared this cache

Published by skeptic

My computer developed a flickering problem that started subtly. For a split second, it goes black, the icons redraw, and the taskbar disappears briefly. This behavior wasn’t constant, and I couldn’t always predict when it would happen. Sometimes it happens if I open a folder, other times it starts when I switch windows. In fact, it may also occur when the computer is idle. I thought it was a graphical issue, but checking the display cables and reinstalling or updating the GPU drivers did not help, and there was no problem with my graphics card either. The real issue turned out to be corruption in File Explorer’s thumbnail cache, and the symptom vanished as soon as I cleared the cache. What the Explorer thumbnail cache actually does A speed optimization that quietly runs your entire desktop Afam Onyimadu / MUO Windows generates thumbnail previews (small preview images) whenever you open folders with certain file types, especially images, videos, PDFs, and shortcuts. This is an important process that guarantees File Explorer doesn’t have to reprocess those …

How to clear the cache on your TV (and why it makes such a big difference)

How to clear the cache on your TV (and why it makes such a big difference)

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. In the era of smart TVs, convenience rules. With just a few clicks, we can access endless entertainment — but that convenience comes with a catch: cache buildup. Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why you should do it ASAP) Much like on your phone or computer, a cluttered TV cache can cause sluggish performance, app crashes, and loading issues. Clearing it out can make your TV run like new again. However, before we proceed with the steps, let’s address the primary question first. What is a cache? A cache is a temporary storage area where data is kept for quick access. On your smart TV, the cache stores information from apps, websites, and system processes to help them load faster every time you turn it on. Think of it as a bunch of temporary files intended to speed up loading times for frequently accessed information. Also: The best TVs of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed For instance, when you open a streaming …

How to clear your iPhone cache (and wipe out lag for good)

How to clear your iPhone cache (and wipe out lag for good)

Published by skeptic

What is cache on my iPhone? Cache is a collection of temporary files that apps and websites store locally on your device to speed up loading, browsing, and your overall session. For example, Safari saves images or scripts from sites so they don’t have to download again. It’s helpful, but too much cache can slow your iPhone down, so clearing it regularly keeps performance smooth. Also: Cookie pop-ups don’t have to be a fact of life online – how I block them and why Clearing cache only removes temporary data, not your bookmarks, messages, photos, or passwords. Offloading an app also preserves your data and settings if you want to reinstall it later, but deleting an app wipes everything for a full reset. Is cache the same as cookies? Cache and cookies aren’t the same. Cache stores copies of images, scripts, and other elements so websites load faster next time. Cookies, on the other hand, save personal data like logins, preferences, and shopping cart items. While clearing cache removes saved page files, deleting cookies erases …