Data centers are at the intersection of everything we care about: social, political, and environmental. The trajectory the tech billionaires want us on is catastrophic to everything. But the tide is turning, and we can win.

Remembering yet again how, when I worked at HHS, we weren't allowed to use public funds for the water cooler in our office. That was a personal expense and we all chipped in, because we needed to preserve public trust.

Data centers are at the intersection of everything we care about: social, political, and environmental. The trajectory the tech billionaires want us on is catastrophic to everything. But the tide is turning, and we can win.

My guess is that the percentage of Americans who are aware that we are blockading and immiserating a neighboring country is in the single digits. Its not an invasion, but involves the use of American military force with the intent of collapsing the government.

Seems like folks have a hard time understanding that two things can be true: 1. Billionaires are a policy failure and 2. Very occasionally a billionaire is better on the issues than the non-billionaires he's running against. We don't fix #1 by voting for worse candidates in races where #2 is real.

You: please act normal you need these people to like you Me: ok! People: hi Me: The pace of global warming has DOUBLED since just 2015. In this, the 6th mass extinction, the extinction rate is currently up to 10,000x the natural rate. And covering Earth in gas-guzzling data centers is INEVITABLE?

This thread. It's the trajectory/juggernaut that's problematic—there are beautiful futures we can still have with tech, if we demand them. We have to start by acknowledging the distortions of profit motive/rent-seeking, & by LIMITING resource use based on true value to an interdependent planet.

This thread. It's the trajectory/juggernaut that's problematic—there are beautiful futures we can still have with tech, if we demand them. We have to start by acknowledging the distortions of profit motive/rent-seeking, & by LIMITING resource use based on true value to an interdependent planet.

the crimes of this era are nigh innumerable but what the united states has done to the global south will live forever in infamy

Absolutely maddening—Big Tech still gets to double down on fossil-fueled data centers while pretending to be "100% renewable". "A recent paper..found that an hourly clean-energy accounting system could cut CO₂ emissions dozens of times faster than the present system." So much for "science-based."

Spanberger playing straight into my #1 worst fear for Abundance bro based admins. Abundance just keeps looking like old fashioned union busting with slick new marketing.

Oh.

"Here’s the thing about empires. They don’t just seek to devour everything – they depend on it for their survival. IOW, the very thing that appears to give them paramount strength is their greatest vulnerability." This is very good news! Slow down the juggernaut, leave room for other possibilities.

"The frenetic AI race is inseparable from the petty, clashing egos of the unfathomably rich, hellbent on dominating one another" - must read from Karen Hao.

Okay most ad targeting these days is creepily accurate, but I just got an email from a company trying to cheerfully offer advice on my NEWBORN? Oh, honey. I like to think I'm in pretty good shape for my age, but....no.

My aunt, Priscilla Stephens Kruize, can no longer live on her own at age 87 & assisted living costs are huge. Our family launched a fundraiser to help fund her care until she gets financial aid. She is a civil rights HERO who has given so much to others - and now she needs us. gofund.me/8db8323e6

Been thinking about LLMs as suicide bombers aimed at the internet, while they're regular old bombers aimed at much else, including >the stability of life on Earth >our kids' educations >human expertise >actual machine learning beneficial uses 🧵

Wow...I cannot believe it's been 10 years. OTOH, it feels like a billion. Break Free was such an amazing, successful, tight, chaotic, joyful 3-day action, and we learned SO MUCH and worked with so many amazing people. @callidan.bsky.social

Been thinking about LLMs as suicide bombers aimed at the internet, while they're regular old bombers aimed at much else, including >the stability of life on Earth >our kids' educations >human expertise >actual machine learning beneficial uses 🧵

“They’re taking the water, they’re taking electricity,” Ismael said... “Now, they’re taking our land,” said his daughter, Deisy Quintero. "To use a third of an acre of their front lawn, Grant County PUD has offered a one-time payment of $2,415 — 25% of the fair market value."

I have listened to far too many podcasts on AI, but this one was exceptional, with philosopher @shannonvallor.bsky.social. Just in the first minutes, she offered 3 really useful metaphors for AI: prosthetic, accelerant, mirror; talked about it being the past, not the future (b/c of its training)...

I have listened to far too many podcasts on AI, but this one was exceptional, with philosopher @shannonvallor.bsky.social. Just in the first minutes, she offered 3 really useful metaphors for AI: prosthetic, accelerant, mirror; talked about it being the past, not the future (b/c of its training)...

Anyone who thinks Mark Zuckerberg will usher in "superintelligence" (not actually a word, @nytimes.com!)....hasn't got much of the original, actual kind. So so wearying, all of this.

Re-upping this interview I did with @justinjpearson.bsky.social a couple of years ago— he's so fantastic, and you should definitely help make sure he wins despite the GOP's attempt to steal the election: secure.actblue.com/donate/jjp5....

Oh and PS. OP says "The Searchlight Institute found that 59 percent of voters in battleground states are “bothered that climate change has become such a political issue,” " Because they think caring about reality should be bipartisan, not because they think it should go away, you silly donut.

So when the writer says "The voters who already prioritize climate action are firmly in the Democratic camp and highly educated and affluent", he's just wrong. The voters who already prioritize climate action are multiracial working class. Not affluent. Not highly educated. Also, not stupid! /17

339 PPM.

ICYMI....from me.

The more I think about this, the angrier I get. The fact that it happened a week after Trump made it clear he's trying to gerrymander @justinjpearson.bsky.social & his opponent (& many other Dems) off the map just... They act like there will never be accountability. Let's make sure they're wrong.

The idea that generating massive amounts of energy would unleash creativity is odd to me...throughout history, it's restriction that's made us more creative (as long as we had ENOUGH). Having renewables for what we need is essential. But having 3x or 30x of that? Makes for folly, damage, bloat.

Here's a crazy idea: maybe we shouldn't consider data centers "the future" if that future is being designed by about 10 people with demonstrably hideous ideas and no imagination? Maybe we start by demanding that they meet OUR standards?

The idea that generating massive amounts of energy would unleash creativity is odd to me...throughout history, it's restriction that's made us more creative (as long as we had ENOUGH). Having renewables for what we need is essential. But having 3x or 30x of that? Makes for folly, damage, bloat.

Here's a crazy idea: maybe we shouldn't consider data centers "the future" if that future is being designed by about 10 people with demonstrably hideous ideas and no imagination? Maybe we start by demanding that they meet OUR standards?

We tried to warn you about Anthropic. Now they're using xAI's ultra-polluting community-killing nightmare data centre to power your toxic claude relationship All the new paid subs from @rutgerbregman.com and @quitgpt.bsky.social's campaign, now powered by Musk 🫠 www.anthropic.com/news/higher-...

THIS by @astra.bsky.social & Saul Levin: "The anti-datacenter movement, which has popularized the call for pauses or moratoriums on datacenter development, is essential to amassing the political leverage required to implement popular & sensible safety measures." They won't slow down on their own.

THIS by @astra.bsky.social & Saul Levin: "The anti-datacenter movement, which has popularized the call for pauses or moratoriums on datacenter development, is essential to amassing the political leverage required to implement popular & sensible safety measures." They won't slow down on their own.

It's not just that every fraction of a degree matters, it's that the rate of the changes matters (even more)—and it's been speeding up.

Because of course they did.

This thread is an ugly and incredibly important truth. Simple "abundance" (and permitting reform) WILL NOT GET US WHERE WE NEED TO BE. Fossil fuels: gotta come (way) down. Efficiency: very important. Massive new demand growth? A very, very sketchy problem.

This thread is an ugly and incredibly important truth. Simple "abundance" (and permitting reform) WILL NOT GET US WHERE WE NEED TO BE. Fossil fuels: gotta come (way) down. Efficiency: very important. Massive new demand growth? A very, very sketchy problem.

Sure looks like Republicans redrew the map in Tennessee to stop Memphis from sending Justin J. Pearson to Congress, who is/was poised to win the primary after fighting like hell against Elon Musk's methane-spewing data centre monstrosities in South Memphis. Craven, desperate and racist as hell.

Many people are saying: "Data centers need to be providing more information on what they plan to do — and not do — on the grid." The Data Center Coalition, oddly, is concerned that we "not single out one industry". Even if that industry is expected to be 9-17% of ALL POWER USE, really?

Every time you see a new Tesla, think of this. Buying a car from a mass murderer is certainly...a choice.

Many people are saying: "Data centers need to be providing more information on what they plan to do — and not do — on the grid." The Data Center Coalition, oddly, is concerned that we "not single out one industry". Even if that industry is expected to be 9-17% of ALL POWER USE, really?

As I wrote on the weekend, the qualitative and quantitative does not bear this line out at all The politics ("It's a race!!), the scale (country-sized gas plants), the energy sources (actively biased towards fossil fuels) This is Bitcoin, not a cardboard box factory ketanjoshi.co/2026/05/01/t...

Truth to power: the Port of Port Townsend quitting social media, calling FB & Insta "host-destroying parasites." Seattle should do the same, at least for X & Meta. If this place is tenable, & for how long that continues...the evidence is mixed. But it's not owned by folks destroying the nation, so

We are touching the stove (and getting singed…)

Another one falls! It was kind of them all, really, to throw cold water on us so we realized we needed a moratorium, strict minimum standards, and TARIFFS on both existing and possible new data centers.

Just finished More Everything Forever by @adambecker.bsky.social, and I just want to say: if you care about the future, if you're worried about AI and/or data centers, you should absolutely read this fantastic dissection of the sheer, sad lunacy & delusion of the tech bros driving the AI juggernaut.

Looking at the @council.seattle.gov page, one thing that leaps out is at the very bottom: "This legislation will establish a separate rate for new high electricity consumers...including data centers." This is great, of course, but THE TARIFF SHOULD APPLY TO EXISTING DATA CENTERS TOO. Because...