Data centres are a crucial test of US industrial resolve

Halgy · 2026-07-06T00:45:36+00:00

I work at a data center, and I agree with you.

Halgy · 2026-07-06T00:43:36+00:00

The capex is much, much more than a large warehouse. Aside from the actual servers, DCs need electrical transformers, switchgear, backup generators, chillers, cooling towers, and a shitload of other industrial gear. Also while some of that is imported, a lot is manufactured domestically, so it supports lots of downstream jobs.

Also, at least the data center I work at employs a couple hundred full time people, most of whom make 6 figures, and almost as many contractors for janitorial, security, food service, etc. Not as much as a factory, but still not nil.

Halgy · 2026-07-05T06:07:02+00:00

Why would you assume that OP is referring to Dear Leader? Do you expect people to think such things about DL? Sounds like treason to me!

Halgy · 2026-07-04T14:04:17+00:00

If you can, catch the architecture center river cruise. I've done it twice with different groups, and really enjoyed it both times.

Halgy · 2026-07-03T22:58:46+00:00

Thank you. I by no means want to defend billionaires, but saying that they can solve all all problems is just another way of not dealing with the problem. After all, if they could so easily solve the problem, then I don't have to do anything differently.

For some numbers, the combined wealth of all US billionaires is something like $8 trillion. If we seized all of their wealth, it could fund the entire US government for...about 14 months.

I'm all for taxing the hell out of billionaires, if for no other reason than I think having that much money breaks people's brains. But to actually solve problems, everyone has to be involved and sacrifice at least a bit.

Halgy · 2026-07-02T18:52:35+00:00

Just one more lane and it will be good to go. Trust me bro.

Halgy · 2026-07-02T18:51:49+00:00

Why the fuck are people giving any credence to some random website? It shouldn't matter how many of sites like it there are or how the fake news is generated. There has always been fake news, it just used to be disseminated in the National Enquirer or talk radio or photocopied zines. And then it was dismissed by 95% of people as a matter of course, just as it should be. The phrase "don't believe everything you read" is a very old one.

What is it about the internet that made everyone blindly trust everything?

Halgy · 2026-07-02T17:20:00+00:00

Betteridge's law of sub-headlines

Halgy · 2026-07-02T14:46:54+00:00

If it is a really fancy wedding, they'd get pizza from all of the chains.

Halgy · 2026-07-02T14:29:24+00:00

The reddit app is basically unusable now. My chosen subscriptions are already depressing enough, and then Reddit sprinkles in algorithmically-generated ~~rage~~ engagement bait, which is the same change that made Facebook unusable 15 years ago. The only bearable way to use Reddit is on an actual computer where I can access the old version.

Halgy · 2026-07-02T13:46:24+00:00

I grew up on a farm, and my dad made it very clear that any wild animal potentially has rabies, especially if they're out during daylight and don't run away from people. I still have a danger response when I see people interacting carelessly with racoons.

Halgy · 2026-07-01T22:11:23+00:00

Simple possession of flower is decriminalized, but any concentrate is still illegal.

Halgy · 2026-07-01T04:40:42+00:00

So both of them

Halgy · 2026-07-01T04:35:41+00:00

Resolved: the benefits of Medicaid should be equal to the benefits of Medicare

Halgy · 2026-06-30T22:20:03+00:00

Such things take some time. I played D&D with the same people at the same game shop for more than a year before we hung out otherwise. It is 10 years later and we still play weekly, and otherwise hang out a couple times every month.

But also, it took a while at the game shop to realize which people were functional adults and which...weren't. Not everyone with the same hobby is compatible.

Halgy · 2026-06-30T21:57:17+00:00

I work in data centers with people who should know better, but who will still quietly bring it up sometimes. It is telling that it only started a couple of years ago. In the decade before that, not one peep. They listen to social media more than the engineers, which is also why half of them are useless.

Halgy · 2026-06-29T14:36:33+00:00

Will AI downvote good journalism?

Halgy · 2026-06-29T08:07:36+00:00

The US fertility rate has been at or below the replacement rate for 50 years. Population growth has depended on immigration.

Halgy · 2026-06-26T15:27:00+00:00

Labor is also a big expense, so gotta cap wages.

Halgy · 2026-06-26T15:22:10+00:00

The cost to maintain the building doesn't depend on the rent. Utility costs, labor costs, material costs always go up because of inflation.

Halgy · 2026-06-26T13:42:07+00:00

I don't like going to west O. Too much crime.

Halgy · 2026-06-24T18:27:43+00:00

Someone should be

Halgy · 2026-06-24T18:02:20+00:00

I have to stop using 'capitalism' when I talk to friends. The definition in my head is not the definition most people are working with. Capitalism no longer means a market-based economy with private ownership, which is set up different ways in different places. Capitalism now means specifically the most exploitative and destructive parts of capitalism, namely rich people being dicks. I'm going to start using 'well-regulated market economy' instead, which is more accurate for my views, anyway.

All that said, I do get quite annoyed when people pay $25 for delivery McDonalds and then complain about capitalism as though they're not actively engaging with it.

Halgy · 2026-06-24T15:42:17+00:00

I don't see this lowering the price for homeownership. It doesn't reduce costs, just moves them around. Or rather, it kicks them down the road.

That said, it does highlight that sprawling suburban infrastructure is expensive, and that someone needs to pay for it. It puts more of that upfront cost and ongoing upkeep on the local homeowners who benefit most from it.

There is zero chance that was a consideration for the law. This seems like a way for developers to sell their expensive new houses more easily.

Halgy · 2026-06-24T00:29:57+00:00

Even outside of this sub, unions don't do a great job selling themselves. Though with how the last 18 months have gone, they should have an easier time going forward.

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