JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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One of my favorite youtube channels is Ken LaCorte’s Elephants in Rooms, where he breaks down controversial subjects that most media won’t touch. He makes a real effort to present both sides of the argument and does a good job of not showing any bias.
His most recent entry is on data centers, breaking down the background of the issue and the valid concerns of both the pro and con sides of the argument.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfaKAtTXurY
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The Left will only hate them and the coal, gas, nuclear energy and water they consume until they realise the importance of AI and data centres for their vision of a dystopian, Orwellian society where they get to trace, track and control everyone and spread Leftist propaganda and monitor your opinions via favoured social(ist) media platforms like Farcebook/Meta.
It’s also odd how all these woke “green” tech companies aren’t so green anymore when they realise you can’t run AI or data centres on wind, solar or Unicorn flatulence.
Even in fully woke Australia, the desire to trace, track and control everyone will over-ride the desire to run AI/data centres on ruinables and either exemptions will be made to run them on coal/gas or there will be a huge taxpayer-funded power subsidy (if they’re not owned by Government).
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It’s not just the left. It’s one of the only truly bipartisan political issues that exist today. Conservatives hate them too at the grassroots local level.
Problem is, the data centers issue reminds me a lot of the nuclear issue in the 1960s/1970s. Nobody really likes them … but the world NEEDS them. People are addicted to having the entire world of information in their pockets, but don’t want the infrastructure that makes it possible. They want ChatGPT or Grok to write their papers or do their research for them, but they want it to appear out of the ether with no real-world footprint rather than manifest in big ugly annoying energy-sucking buildings.
Sadly, like with nukes back in the day, I suspect a quarter or half century from now, people will look back and bemoan how backwards their parents or grandparents were for trying to kill a useful new technology in the crib.
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In the following video Simon Webb suggests that the forthcoming UK Government exercise “Operation Albiston Shadow” is more about suppressing possible domestic rebellion rather than repelling a possible military invasion.
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Here is an interesting video about little-known physical signs of autism, by an autistic person. Very well presented.
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