Should "AI" Data Centers be converted into public libraries?

Involved from the sidelines in a volunteering project and reviewing their website. It’s made by a developer who has switched to “vibe coding”.

Me and the other contributors have now spent maybe twice as much time pointing out VERY OBVIOUS issues (both with the code, design, and copy) than it would have taken me to code it all from scratch without gen AI.

But sure, ✨ it’s the future ✨

"It's impossible to reverse engineer the truth from bullshit." ~Lambert Strether

I've got some good news and some bad news...

https://www.404media.co/cops-keep-getting-arrested-for-using-flock-to-stalk-people/

Think it through: the US gov't buys into the big AI companies; now when people are protesting a new data center, they will be fighting not only big tech, but also the US government. And if you think the US gov't would use it's ownership stake to stop data center construction, I have a lovely bridge to sell you at a very reasonable price!

Bernie Sanders has read the room and determined that what people want is for the gov't to give "AI" companies a shit ton of money...Man, fuck that guy.

https://oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/an-ai-trojan-horse

"His discussions included an hour-long meeting with Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has called for AI companies to be 50% state-owned."

For those coming in late, that's just a stealth bail-out. Scam Altman says "OpenAI has a one trillion valuation," and so we hand them $500 Billion. Great idea, Bernie! Much socialism (for the rich)!

"OpenAI...loses a lot of money...But if Trump forces the public into “a partnership” with the company, it immediately becomes more plausible that the federal government could use taxpayer dollars to cover OpenAI’s costs."

And if you don't understand what's going on here, I kinda think you just don't want to understand. Bernie and Trump singing from the same hymnal, both trying to hand money to billionaires. Do you get what's going on here yet? Well, do ya?

In order to make it look like at least one company isn't totally losing their shirt by using "AI," the Financial Times (an outlet that absolutely knows better) was forced to remove expenses from their analysis. Think about that one for a moment: the numbers were so bad that they felt the need to add an asinine assumption, just to avoid coming to the obviously true conclusion: everyone is losing massive amounts of money on this. Yes, even Amazon.

https://xcancel.com/askyoshik/status/2059849267725152285

"According to a report from Axios, an AI consultant revealed that one of their enterprise clients accidentally racked up a staggering $500 million bill in a single month on Anthropic’s Claude after failing to implement spending caps or usage controls for employees. Yes, half a billion dollars. In 30 days. On AI usage."

I'm sure they got some killer code out of it though, right? A new must-have app, or something, right? Right?!?

https://techstartups.com/2026/05/28/company-accidentally-spent-500-million-on-claude-ai-in-one-month-after-forgetting-usage-limits/

You knew Linked-In was evil, but did you know how evil?

"Every time any of LinkedIn’s one billion users visits linkedin.com, hidden code searches their computer for installed software, collects the results, and transmits them to LinkedIn’s servers and to third-party companies including an American-Israeli cybersecurity firm. The user is never asked. Never told. LinkedIn’s privacy policy does not mention it."

https://browsergate.eu/

The rank stupidity of soooo much of our society is really killing me. I feel like there are a lot of techies who need to stand trial for crimes against humanity for purposefully trying to stupidify the world.

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/study-do-what-chatgpt-tells-us

PSA for anyone using "AI" coding agents.

Lot of you all performing self-lobotomies out there, and it really shows.

TIL that Palantir UK is lead by Oswald Mosely's grandson. WTF? Can you be any more on the nose?* Have they hired one of David Duke's progeny too?

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/02/the-political-fallout-from-mandelson-gate-has-only-just-begun.html

*...I ask of a company that is literally takes it's name from evil magical tools.

"But, guys, I've found a niche personal use-case for Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude Code. That's worth it, right guys? Right?"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/29/gas-power-ai-climate

"It’s easy to throw stones if you think about the job displacement and ecological destruction caused by this pointless technology. But such black-and-white, not-wanting-billionaires-to-get-richer thinking is, quite frankly, cruel. You can’t just measure the value of something in terms of “whether or not it makes everything worse for everyone.” The world is much more complicated than that."

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/please-dont-say-mean-things-about-the-ai-that-i-just-invested-a-billion-dollars-in

Do with this what you will

https://grist.org/living/this-valentines-day-get-frisky-with-diy-flaxseed-oil-lube/

https://www.amazon.ca/Balloons-Colors-Nozzle-Adults-Balloon/dp/B08CXFKZ49/132-5262476-9219346?psc=1

Doesn't look like the BBC has reported on this yet. Strange that...I wonder why the government's plan to turn society into a panopticon isn't being broadcast more widely? :thonking:

"...Mahmood is effectively telling the British public that they are prisoners and that the government quite literally plans to become Big Brother using AI. Yet there is barely a word about it in the media (with the notable exceptions of The Telegraph and The National). This, of course, is also a feature, not a bug."

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/01/uk-home-secretarys-surprisingly-candid-admission-about-real-reason-for-ai-surveillance-state.html

Remember when FB got busted trying to manipulate people's emotional states through their feed? I wouldn't be surprised if this is eventually revealed to be something similar. Definitely wouldn't put it past them.

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/meta-ai-glasses-desert-aliens

He doesn't know it's #caturday