Henrico County is a major hub for data centers in Virginia. Its officials said it expects a 25% rise in electricity costs next year, and advised workers to close the blinds and turn off their computers to make up for it.

    • NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca
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      4 hours ago

      Educating the kids would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. The only training they need is how to mow the grass around the data centres.

      • betanumerus@lemmy.ca
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        35 minutes ago

        I actually saw a robotic mower doing that job just a few months ago. I think it was around a school.

  • stermy4u@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    An interesting one there, how can schools consumption be compared to that of Data centers

    • x00z@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      Maybe they just want people to waste time pointing spiderman fingers at eachother for not turning off their computers.

    • MML@sh.itjust.works
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      5 hours ago

      If you Google the model number their AI will sometimes list the 20 tons of armor as an option like you could just order it that way.

  • pdxfed@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    California: 80% of water use is agricultural and industrial but who do they lean on in drought years? Jimmy fucking John and minute showers. Corporations will not budge without force so state goes after the soft target.

    Same play here.

    • jumjummy@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      California also has the stupidest water rights with “use it or lose” it clauses that counters any incentives to become more efficient. A couple families control a ridiculous amount of water rights.

      • Itizaj@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        The problem is that data centers don’t need water, they need cooling, and water is suitable for that because it’s the cheapest. They could do the cooling in many other ways, but it costs money

        • mig@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          The other ways cost money, make noise, and consume more power.

          • titanicx@lemmy.zip
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            5 hours ago

            You mean cost more money. It’s not like water is free but it is very cheap to use. But those other ways to cool it cost quite a bit more electricity and aren’t nearly as efficient.

            • Itizaj@lemmy.world
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              4 hours ago

              That’s what I meant, sorry, english is not my native language, but yes, water is the cheapest of all solutions

      • TrippingBalls@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        That’s typically how the government operates as well. No incentive to use funding wisely and decrease spending

  • DupaCycki@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    So it’s official now. AI comes before schools, and before children. Welp. So much for thinking about the children.

  • dan1101@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    We all see this coming, but the billionaires and our state/county/city leaders assure us everything will be fair and fine.

    Same deal with water. It will be 100 degrees and data centers will be draining local water supplies, while residents will be told not to water their flowers or take too many showers.

    Fuck all this.

  • rynn@piefed.social
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    21 hours ago

    I guess they could light a data center on fire to keep warm and not run their heaters? Win/win?
    (Also I hope it’s very obvious to everyone this is a joke, I’m not trying no to incite or encourage violence in any way at all).

    • melsaskca@lemmy.ca
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      9 hours ago

      I’m just amazed at the grotesquely huge amounts of copper they have in those datacenters.

    • gilokee@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      I also hope that data centers “don’t” get burnt down. How "un"satisfying would that be. While I’m at it, I hope no one kills the trillionaire.

    • Stern@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      Clearly you were talking about doing this in Minecraft, so its okay.

    • knomie@feddit.org
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      14 hours ago

      We need Anonymous to do something about data centers.

      Don’t wait for others to save us.

      • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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        7 hours ago

        While I agree, theres nothing I can actually do. Besides inform people of the damage they cause by using big tech, which has gotten me nowhere so far.

        If everyone today quit using meta and google products and openai (and voted on laws to keep data centers out, and voted on laws against monopolies) , the entire industry would crumble.

        • knomie@feddit.org
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          27 minutes ago

          First of all, thank you for (trying) to inform people.

          It is really important that we do not see ourselves as passive, waiting for other more skilled people to solve the current problems. Everyone of us can do something. Although sometimes it doesn’t turn out as we had hoped, but not trying would bring is nowhere.

          I don’t exactly know about the organization of anonymous, but for most groups there are a lot of possibilities to support. Legal support, social media and website support, giving interviews, food and material, logistics as a few examples.

          You could also join other local groups against datacenters. I think there is a lot of campaigning going on.

          • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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            23 minutes ago

            I just have no idea how to do it. I mean theres a fb group (ironiiiic) for us against data centers in our state. But that gets us nowhere. I’m afraid something real, physical, is going to actually be needed. they know we won’t do anything, and we are too scared of the fascist paramilitary at their disposal.

  • GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml
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    In Virginia during the fifa World Cup there are a lot of pro data center ads funded by a group that was created for this purpose called Virginia Connects.

    It’s the usual shitbags lying to the public to make it sound like data centers are good

    • Notyou@sopuli.xyz
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      8 hours ago

      In Virginia ads are still running about not leaving rural Virginians behind by banning data centers. Claiming that they will bring jobs to the rural community but those nasty politicians are banning the progress of data centers.

    • XLE@piefed.social
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      1 day ago

      Are they in cahoots with the PACs that support pro AI candidates? (Are they the same groups? I really don’t know.)

    • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 hours ago

      I never understood why we’re supposed to need to be ‘taught’ how to use AI if it’s so good at natural language processing. If the reference desk librarian can understand it and give you what you actually want (not necessarily the exact thing you’re asking for), so should anything being touted as AI.