On the last Friday of each month I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds.
“isn’t it strange that we were taught to fear the witches, but not the men who burned them?” —@Laura
“The AI panic looks like an orchestrated con: The bosses of these rapacious, sleazy, and infinitely sloppy companies are angling for government permission to be a cartel. This would be followed, as certain as day follows night, by the bailout they all know they’ll need when their bubble deflates.” —@Dan Gilmore
Electronic Waste Expected to Triple by 2030 Amid Surge in Server and Data Center Upgrades
In the United States, nearly 5,000 data centers are either under construction or in planning stages, driven by growing demands for artificial intelligence computing power. By 2030, these facilities will require approximately 100 gigawatts of new energy capacity. Servers within these centers are replaced every 2 to 5 years, and by 2030, discarded equipment is expected to generate up to 13 million tons of waste annually.”
Canada’s AI data centre push isn’t about sovereignty, and the feds know it
You don’t have to squint very hard before the “Canadian” data centre buildout starts to look suspiciously like U.S. corporations expropriating vast swaths of fossil fuel deposits — for the benefit of U.S. clients.
“A French trial found that tilting solar panels flat over nectarine trees on nights when frost is forecast warmed the flower buds by up to 1.7 degrees Celsius, and during the frost that caused damage, flower injury fell from 35 percent to under 10 percent” —Science Blog 2026
“Subscription-model capitalism where you own nothing and just pay monthly fees forever (or until the corporation decides to make it unavailable) is especially funny after decades of ‘under communism you won’t be able to own anything’ propaganada.” —@Jay
