caucus99percent

free-range politics, organic community

I keep hearing about the 250th anniversary of the US and the really big beautiful celebration thereof scheduled for later this year. This prompted me to post this refresher of some of the key dates in early US history including the official start of the new US government under the US Constitution on March 4, 1789 for everybody's use and reference, or not, as they see fit.

July 4 1776: Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence,

Why is there such a rush for AI implementation on such a huge scale and the building of so many data centers throughout the country?

I have my own thoughts about this but since this is an essay about AI data centers, let's ask the Google AI Chatbot (everyone trusts that, right?):

The rapid explosion in data center construction is primarily driven by the massive computing power required to train and run Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Companies like Microsoft and Amazon are investing billions to build massive server farms because modern AI models need thousands of specialized processors working continuously to parse and generate data.

Beyond AI, the build-out is fueled by a few other core factors:

• The Shift to Cloud Computing: Most businesses and consumers no longer store files on in-house servers. Everyday activities—such as streaming ultra-HD video, scrolling social media, cloud gaming, and managing the Internet of Things (IoT)—all require centralized storage and continuous network availability.
• Real-Time Data Needs: To support instant financial trading, autonomous vehicles, and real-time analytics, tech companies are building "edge" data centers. These are placed geographically closer to users to eliminate lag.
• Continuous Global Growth: Worldwide data generation is increasing at an unprecedented rate, requiring greater physical space and infrastructure to undergird the modern digital economy.
• While these massive investments aim to future-proof technological infrastructure, they are reshaping local energy and water grids, pushing developers to heavily invest in Data Center Energy Crisis solutions to sustain long-term digital growth.

Really? If this is true, then why are we in a race, predominately with China, to obtain AI supremacy? Do any of the reasons above warrant the breakneck pace to rape landscapes, water sources and electricity at the expense of the many for the benefit of the few? Yes, it appears that the AI boom will be, in the end, financed by you and I, according to Larry Fink anyway, even if a portion of everyone's wealth must be requisitioned to bankroll it, IE; bail ins.

Cultural Deterioration

Smear campaign.

This is a story I thought was interesting. In Japan, as in Korea, publishing defamatory information about a political candidate for office during a campaign, is an election law violation. If a candidate or office holder is found responsible in court for the act or actions, then they are disqualified from office.

Billionaires Are Getting Angry! GOOD!
Matt Stoller recently wrote a good article. It's in his 'Monopoly Roundup' from about a month ago and is entitled: The Rage of the Billionaires Is Coming (Note, you don't have to be a subscriber to read the main article, just to read the roundup news after the article).

What I thought was good about the article wasn't that the billionaires' rage is coming, of course it is. I thought it was good because Stoller talked about what is making the billionaires angry, and... what is making everyone else angry at the billionaires. Stoller starts with AI and the rage against it:

The public is extremely angry, and they are centering their anger on AI. Seven out of ten Americans oppose data centers being built nearby. It’s not hard to see why.

AI and tech CEOs seem almost proudly villainous. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei routinely says that half of white collar jobs are going to disappear because of his technology. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, noted that “AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there’ll be great companies.” And Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, said during an earnings call that “This is a revolution. Some people can get their heads cut off.”

Voters are no longer brushing these comments off. They have experience with social media and enshittification, they don’t believe in the promise of the future. And even if they did, business leaders seem to luxuriate in explaining how terrible things will soon be for the little people. So they are starting to respond with frustration.