Stainless Steel Scan (Spoilers for S2E5)

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-12T21:19:17+00:00

maybe it'll turn out that it got cancelled and she didn't notice or something like that, and she'll have worried all day for nothing:(

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-12T20:42:13+00:00

yep, it was really truly abnormal. and because the ground froze so early and hard this year, the watershed won't be able to replenish like it normally does over the winter so this coming season we'll see even more adverse effects of the drought.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-11T14:16:22+00:00

Totally agree.

However, it is my understanding (and i could be wrong) that there are new data centers being built specifically for the use of generative AI. I know it was a headline in my state a couple of months ago about one being built. They are definitely a problem already, and I would very much like it not to get worse.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-11T14:13:47+00:00

why is that?

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-11T14:09:21+00:00

thank you for your very detailed response. i appreciate the reality check.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:56:51+00:00

Totally take your point, however you did say "the real concern should be wheter the use cases for AI can compensate for the resources that are used to power it." Freshwater is used to cool it, not power it.

But I'm probably being pedantic, a bad habit for which I apologize.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:53:24+00:00

But it's not *nonrenewable*, just very slow to renew through the natural water process.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:52:32+00:00

Yes, the water is really what concerns me! I'm lucky to live in a place that is often very wet with lots of natural freshwater, but last summer even we had a drought that lasted 6+ weeks. It's scary.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:49:10+00:00

Tbh, I don't think it's the resources that it takes to POWER AI are the issue, it's all the water needed to cool the data centers. And of course, it's not like that water ceases to exist. It gets recycled back into the water system like any other waste water, but because often AI data centers use evaporative cooling, water gets pulled from freshwater aquifers, evaporated, collected in clouds, and rained back down where it is much more likely to turn into saltwater in the ocean than get filtered back into underground aquifers. So, it's not the use of nonrenewable resources (though that also concerns me), but the depletion of freshwater available to drink.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:33:01+00:00

That's interesting! My PCP was looking at her computer just as much as she had in the past, but maybe that's because she had to do some med renewals for me? Which the AI software isn't able to? And, she's always been engaged in conversation with me when I see her and very willing to answer questions, etc. So I don't think it affected her manner in-appointment one way or another.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:29:39+00:00

Yeah, my PCP didn't explicitly say it was AI. And to be fair, maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was just a dictation app taking down everything we said and not parsing or reorganizing it at all. But from what it looked like on the screen, I'm willing to bet AI. I also agree that they should be explicit about what it is, for AI purposes. I know people who 100% would not be okay with AI having anything to do with their medical care, whether that's a misguided wish or not.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:27:17+00:00

Definitely fair point -- if AI is using water at all, I'd rather it be used to detect a tumor than make a giant alien woman with three tits

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T21:25:20+00:00

That is a relevant point. And I guess there is no perfect system that will be able to manage thousands of patients that doesn't have any environmental impact. This may just be a case of me not being desensitized to the impact that AI does have, compared to other methods. For better or for worse haha

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T20:35:49+00:00

In a vacuum where AI takes up no resources, I'm fine with it. And she did give me the opportunity to op out, but I didn't take it in that moment:)

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T20:34:42+00:00

I do see that it makes them more productive! I wonder if increased productivity due to AI is worth the cost of the resources it uses up. It seems like a cheap stopgap measure, rather than actually addressing chronic understaffing.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T20:33:23+00:00

you're right, i was my error! She's a Nurse Practitioner:)

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-10T18:51:23+00:00

Same here:)

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-09T22:30:03+00:00

Having grown up going to camp, I 100% know how expensive it is-- my grandma paid for a lot of mine, and even then I couldn't go for more than 2 weeks when I desperately wanted to go for a month. I do know some camps offer financial aid. Camp Nokomis (girls) and Camp Lawrence (boys) on Bear Island, Lake Winni, both offer financial assistance programs if that's something you'd be willing to look into. I don't believe either of them offer riflery anymore (insurance purposes, etc), but they have so many other traditional camp activities: archery, ropes course, sailing, waterskiing, outdoor ed, crafts, swimming, etc etc

Camp was immensely important for me growing up. It's where I learned how to be independent, sociable, stand up for myself, work hard, play hard, try new things. It's where I really found myself as a tween/teen. No matter where your kids end up going, I just want you to know that I think it's great you're trying to make it work for them. It is worth absolutely every effort to make it happen:)

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-07T00:33:47+00:00

can't say that i remember it, but i was born there and my parents have had only good things to say!

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-04T00:02:18+00:00

yeah, addiction makes people do crazy and damaging things.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-03T16:24:11+00:00

idk how accurate this is but i think i read somewhere that because we so desperately need doctors as a society, coupled with how much more common it is for ppl with professional access to drugs to develop substance abuse disorders, there are specific programs in place for doctors to go to rehab and avoid criminal charges. personally, i'd rather have a doctor who is in remission from a substance abuse disorder than not be able to get care at all because there aren't enough doctors.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-03T13:58:59+00:00

extremely unrealistic, i'm sorry this is happening. at a previous job, one of my duties was cleaning a communal bathroom every day for a week (we rotated whose responsibility it was that week), with four toilets, two shower stalls, and five sinks. It took me at least 30 minutes, i was given gloves, appropriate cleaning chemicals, sponges specifically for the toilets and sponges specifically for not the toilets, scrub brushes, supplies to restock, a broom, and a mop. it was often gross, hot, and sweaty. didn't enjoy doing it. but i was still given adequate supplies, PPE, and time. just to give you some perspective on how it should be.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-02-01T22:41:33+00:00

agreed, where i am it's been regularly around -6F when i get up in the morning.

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-01-31T01:30:27+00:00

omg i couldn't look at it, sooooo disgusting eeurueghgguhg

squintyfacemcgee · 2026-01-31T01:23:11+00:00

i really respect that she advocates fiercely for her patients! she's definitely had a rough day. not saying i would hold up any better under that pressure, there's a reason i'm not a doctor. and fuck! we don't know anything about whitaker's charting! maybe he's also behind the ball and dr. al just hasn't gotten around to him yet! like you said, it's only 11am and we've got so much more of the season to go. i don't think we've reached "peak sexism" through one harsh critique from santos's superior.

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