Just to offer an alternate perspective.

While technically a PIC12 is a computer since it has I/O, tiny storage, a PC and an ALU - it’s hard to even think of it in the same category as what most think of as a computer. IMHO the takeaway is more what the bare minimum it takes to be a computer, which isn’t much. (In other terms, a PIC does not meet the DOOM threshold).

PICs are so old and rudimentary that they started out as peripheral controllers for “real” computers in the 70s. It turns out you can do some useful embedded stuff with a basic chip, but even the newest of these are on 30 year old semiconductor tech at this point.

That may sound jaded, on the other hand I do find mass production of modern level integration and speeds to still be marvelous.

And as an EE, the “white” LED in the candle is more interesting than the uC!

In strings of programmable LED lights every single LED is actually an LED combined with a computer. This allows the LEDs to be addressed individually without loads of wires.

Computer is overselling it a bit. It's a fixed logic latch+shifter. Basically each LED takes first few bytes for itself and shifts out the rest down the chain.

Still awesome this is small and cheap enough to put into individual lights of course.

single use vapes should be outlawed imho -- it's so wasteful to include both the cart and the "pen" (power delivery) in one package to be thrown away.