Keeping human in a techno world

After more mostly-online-reading about digitalization, my body feels like an extension of the computer. Not good. A friend and I traded tools for keeping human. The truth is, when I do these, I feel better:

After more mostly-online-reading about digitalization, my body feels like an extension of the computer. Not good. A friend and I traded tools for keeping human. The truth is, when I do these, I feel better:

Drink water consciously.

Wall squats.

Cross-crawling exercises. Sometimes also called Brain Gym.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) breathing techniques.

Don’t eat at the computer.

Say thanks for the water.

Meanwhile, here’s what I’m reading:

AI, water, energy and mining

“Why AI Is So Thirsty: Data Centers Use Massive Amounts of Water” by Jeff Young, Newsweek, March 24, 2024. Shaolei Ren, Assoc. Prof. of Electrical & Computer Engineering at UC/Riverside, found that training ChatGPT-3 in Microsoft's high-end data centers can directly evaporate 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of water. Then, for every 10-50 responses, GPT-3 needs roughly 16-ounces of water. With billions of queries, this adds up. Ren calculated the water data centers use to cool servers and generate electricity. (He did not consider the water used in manufacturing computers). Given AI’s projected growth, Ren concluded that by 2027, globally, AI could demand as much as 6.6 billion cubic meters (8.6 billion cubic yards) of water—"roughly equivalent to four to six Denmarks of national water" use. In 2022, likely due in part to AI's demands, Microsoft's water use grew by 34%.

“No, AI Won’t Outsmart Our Climate Calamity: Quite the opposite. Artificial intelligence devours vast energy while clouding the human wisdom that might save us,” Andrew Nikiforuk, The Tyee, April 1, 2024.

“Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power,” Evan Halper, The Washington Post, April 5, 2024. AI and the boom in clean-tech manufacturing are pushing America’s power grid to the brink. Utilities can’t keep up.

“The Coming Electricity Crisis: Artificial-intelligence data centers and climate rules are pushing the power grid to what could become a breaking point.” WSJ Editorial Board, 3.28.24

“Inside the Meltdown at the Sierra Club,” by Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, April 5, 2024.

Max Wilbert, “How to Stop Worrying and Love the Bulldozer,” April 9, 2024. Bright Green Lies co-author Max Wilbert responds to Bill McKibben’s advocating that “progressives fall in love with the green building boom.”

“Bitcoin miners win a legal bid to withhold their energy data,” Tim McDonnell, SEMAFOR, Feb. 24, 2024.

“’Green Mining’ won’t prevent ecological damage by global rush for raw materials: The unsustainable global use of materials and energy must be radically reduced, and in an egalitarian manner,” by Gareth Dale, The Conversation, Feb. 25, 2024.

“One of Oregon’s smallest utilities is suddenly among the state’s biggest polluters. Why? Amazon data centers,” by Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian, Feb 18, 2024. Amazon’s data centers are mostly powered by CO₂-emitting fossil fuels.

Israel, AI and Palestine

“Lavender: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza,” by Yuval Abraham, +972 Magazine, April 3, 2024. The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight.

Bethan McKernan and Harry Davies, “’The machine did it coldly’: Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets,” The Guardian, April 3, 2024.

Wind & solar power

“Emission Impossible,” Tik Root, March 21, 2024. What happened when two climate reporters tried to electrify everything in their Vermont home. N.B. This writer’s calculations fail to include the ecological impacts of manufacturing new appliances and discarding old ones.

Infrasound from Wind Turbines could be ‘a Huge Threat to the Entire Biodiversity:’ Doctor Epoch Times. Maurice Forgeng, 3.23.24 https://archive.li/5fgP1

“Conservative groups sue to stop Dominion wind farm: Nonprofit orgs say CVOW puts endangered whales at risk,” Kate Andrews, Virginia Business, 3.18.24.

“I was wrong about renewables,” Brian Gitt, March 24, 2024.

David Blackmon, “The American revolt against green energy has begun: There’s no such thing as a wind or solar ‘farm,’ just an ugly industrial site,” The Telegraph, 1 March 2024.

Smart meters

PNM, New Mexico’s largest utility, has applied for a new $330 million smart meter project. The Public Regulatory Commission ordered PNM to file a cost-benefit analysis. Retired biophysicist William Bruno explains what the analysis includes—and leaves out. April 18, the public can comment on this cost-benefit analysis over Zoom or phone or by writing. To sign up to speak (for 3 minutes), contact Patrick Rodriguez at 505.490.7910 or by emailing public.comment@prc.nm.gov.

Stealing with Solar: The Great Net-Metering Heist, by Mitch Rolling and Isaac Orr, Feb. 3, 2024. How net metering allows rooftop solar owners to get other ratepayers to pay for their electricity.

EVs

“Exclusive: Tesla scraps low-cost car plans amid fierce Chinese EV competition,” by Hyunjoo Jin et al., Reuters, April 5, 2024. Some Chinese EVs are priced at $10,000. Tesla has scrapped its Model 2, expected to start at about $25,000.

Today, in my newspaper’s classifieds section, a 2004 Toyota Camry with 139,000 miles is offered for $7900.

Osaka, Shannon, “Biden’s $7.5 billion investment in EV charging has only produced 7 stations in two years,” Washington Post, March 28, 2024.

“Failure to Charge: A Critical Look at Canada’s EV Policy,” by G. Cornelis van Kooten, Fraser Institute. Looks at EVs’ electricity demands. 

Telecommunications

“’Huge Win’: Court Rules Big Telecom Must Comply with State Environmental Laws,” by Suzanne Burdick, Children’s Health Defense, April 4, 2024. Judge rules that federal law does not preempt California’s environmental law, which requires environmental impact reviews before telecoms can apply for permits to build new wireless infrastructure on scenic highways and historic sites.

“Can We Save Our Children from Smartphones? Jonathan Haidt’s new book clarifies what we already know,” by Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2024. NYU business professor Haidt explains how social media and phone-based parenting led to Gen Z’s mental health crisis on PBS’ Firing Line—and four regulations that will “Free the Anxious Generation within two years:” No smart phones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and far more unsupervised play. Since everyone knows smartphones’ problems, his plan has a head start. Meanwhile, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has banned social media for children.

A group advising the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO’s AIRC) has again recommended a new assessment of cancer risk from RF radiation emitted by flip phones, smart phones, smart meters, routers, cellular antennas, electric vehicles and other mobile, transmitting devices.

Nuclear waste

SOS: San Onofre Syndrome: Nuclear Power’s Legacy, Mary Beth Brangan and Jim Heddle’s 2023 documentary about nuclear waste, streams free April 15-22. The film shows Holtec Corporation’s plan to ship nuclear waste from the San Onofre power plant in Southern California to Eunice, New Mexico. Here’s my review of the film.  

Degrowth strategies

“What is to be done? Thoughts on degrowth strategy,” by Ted Trainer, April 4, 2024. While discontent surges, so does turning to radically alternative ways.

The future of journalism (and journalists)

Matt Pearce, “Google’s censorship of California journalists is a preview of AI’s future. It’s time to regulate Big Tech,” April 12, 2024. After profiting $20.7 billion last quarter Google will start blocking California news stories because it does not want to pay news publishers.

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