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Google’s carbon emissions soar by 48% due to AI
  • That is assuming that those data centers are necessary. If the data center is doing something that is not really needed then it is in effect wasting power that could have been used for other purposes. (e.g. using surplus power to make steel or aluminium for instance)

    While I do think that AI-tools can be increadibly useful, the current hype surrounding it very much looks like a bubble akin to the DotCom bubble to me. Companies left and right are jumping on the AI bandwagon for the sake of using the buzzword "AI" in their marketing speech.

    I don't consider that kind of use of datacenters to be necessary.

  • Your thoughts on compacts cars like this?
  • I also live somewhere that isn't car-dependent (the Netherlands)
    While I would like to see fewer and smaller cars, I don't particularly mind the current state of things over here.

  • Google’s carbon emissions soar by 48% due to AI
  • Sadly it's tricky to separate the two.

    Say if hypothethically we have a data center that is not connected to the grid, and is entirely running on solar power and battery storage.
    If the grid still generates (part of) its electricity need using fossil fuels, those same solar panels and batteries could instead have been used to (further) decarbonize the grid.

    While using solar power is good, increasing the overall unnecessary electricity consumption is still not great.

  • Your thoughts on compacts cars like this?
  • To me the idea of "fuck cars" is not so much about cars as a concept, but rather the scurge of car dependency.
    You don't want a society built around cars to the point that you cannot reasonably live your life without one.

    That said, even in a perfect situation with ample public transit and walkable/cyclable cities everywhere, there will still be people in situations who need a car to get around. And for those people I'd prefer it if they would be driving around in compacts like this or smaller, rather than some of the cross-overs, SUVs and pickups you see today.

    Some people will always need a car, and practical compacts like this would be perfect for that role.

  • New Patch with Smaller Service Buildings (amongst others) Released

    Patch notes: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/detailers-patch-1-patch-1-1-6f1.1693090/

    Video by Biffa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVh-TtPOJQA

    New content:

    • Zoneable Roundabouts
      • 8 New Roundabout Decorations
    • Age Selector Added To The Tree Placement Tool
    • Surface Tool
      • 2 Concrete Surfaces
      • 2 Grass Surfaces
      • 2 Pavement Surfaces
      • 2 Sand Surfaces
      • 3 Tile Surfaces
    • 27 New Service Building Variations
      • New Small Water Tower
      • New Small Medical Clinic
      • New Urban Fire Station
      • 4 New Education Buildings
      • 2 New Police Stations
      • New Small Post Office
      • 6 New Public Transportation Buildings
      • 5 New City Parks
      • 6 New Parking Lots
    • 4 New Vehicles
      • New North American Garbage Truck
      • New North American Snowplow
      • New North American Passenger Train
      • New European Cargo Train Engine
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    'Becoming a totalitarian state': UK judge on why he quit Hong Kong court
  • I guess it wasn't explicitly stated anywhere that the two systems were supposed to be different from each other. /s

  • Biden's approval rating just hit its lowest mark on record
  • Please please please don't vote the orange man into office.. good God.

  • EV sales slowdown is mostly a Tesla problem, according to sales data
  • But at least is was a lemon with style.. unlike the Cybertruck ;P

  • Urban Microcars
  • Sometimes people do need a car, and if they do I would prefer it to be a small little thing like this rather than something larger.
    These kinds of car are quite popular in Amsterdam, for instance

  • France considers approval of European chat control plan
  • Guess I'll be contacting my MEPs, and looking into which MEPs support and oppose this plan.
    Though I am glad to see my country at least has stated it finds the proposal unacceptable.

  • If you are a Libertarian and hold liberty as your core value, why do you not believe in universal healthcare? Nothing impacts liberty more than sickness and death.
  • What the hell man.. The guy is just sharing his view on what OP asked..
    Just because you disagree with the guy doesn't mean you need to wish cancer upon him.

    Have some decency for crying out loud.

  • What vegetables and fruits do you wish were commonly available in the US?
  • Isn't blackcurrant illegal in the US? I remember hearing that somewhere anyway.
    Such a shame, cassis (blackcurrant soda) makes for such a tasty drink.

  • Joost Klein from the Netherlands disqualified from Eurovision 2024
  • According to Cornald Maas (the Dutch commentator for the Eurovision) the "threatening motion", as far as he is aware, was Joost pushing down the camera/phone, after asking not to be filmed.

    Source (also in Dutch)

  • How do you listen to / discover music?
  • A mix of Spotify (I have a premium account there), and my own collection of CDs which I have ripped and can access via Jellyfin for higher audio quality.

  • Amsterdam bans new hotels in fight against mass tourism
  • You don't have to stay in a hotel in the city of Amsterdam to visit Amsterdam.
    The Netherlands is a small and densely populated country, so you can simply stay a town or city over and the city proper is only a short train or tram ride away.

    Last year my boyfriend and I visited the city with some friends coming over from America. We stayed in a rental in Amstelveen, and our friends stayed in a hotel in Zaandam.

  • UAW says Volkswagen workers vote overwhelmingly to join union, giving it groundbreaking landslide win
  • Judging by the article Volkswagen is not really opposing the union effort? They appear to be okay going along with whatever the employees decide.

    Unlike many employers who conduct campaigns against union membership when faced with an organizing effort, Volkswagen had remained neutral in this campaign. Its statement once the vote was announced was similarly even-handed, stating only the vote results and that “We will await certification of the results by the NLRB. Volkswagen thanks its Chattanooga workers for voting in this election.”

    [...]

    One reason the company was more neutral than many employers facing a union vote is the strength of unions in its home country of Germany. The main union for its plants there has a seat on the company’s board.

  • Amsterdam bans new hotels in fight against mass tourism
  • AirBnB is already severly restricted in several parts of Amsterdam (though a court ruling last year did overturn those restrictions in some neighbourhoods)

  • Amsterdam bans new hotels in fight against mass tourism
  • I think you are missing the point why people take issue with overtourism.

    Amsterdam isn't a themepark, it's a city where people actually live, grew up, have lives. And overtourism tends to hollow out what makes the city authentic. The houses get converted to AirBnB's and hotels, the regular shops, pubs and restaurants can't find regular customers anymore so start catering to tourists instead, etc. This results in a sort of Disneylandification of your city. It's generally a nuisance to the inhabitants of a city.
    Ultimately a city is for the people who live there, not the people who visit.

    Tourism can be good for the local economy, but there is only so much people are willing to put up with.


    Edit: Also, old hotels are allowed to be renovated, as long as the number of sleeping places in the city doesn't increase

    A new hotel in Amsterdam can only be built if another hotel closes, if the number of sleeping places doesn't increase, and if the new hotel will be better, for example more sustainable.

  • Amsterdam bans new hotels in fight against mass tourism
  • Amsterdam has had an issue with overtourism long before NJB was making videos.

  • Ukraine backers blast ‘double standard’ after allies rush to Israel’s defense
  • They'd probably not do much, but we don't know that for sure. It could also pull NATO into a direct conflict with Russia.
    And noone is particularly keen on finding out where exactly the border lies for retaliation by Russia.

    So best we can do right now is provide Ukraine with the military support they need, without getting directly involved in the conflict ourselves.

  • [meme] Communist Netherlands vs Freedom-Loving USA

    !

    !

    Don't take this joke too seriously. It's just a little thing I thought of making after seeing the picture used by the NOS in this article about Tata Steel emissions:

    https://nos.nl/artikel/2491434-hoe-de-zorgen-en-het-wantrouwen-rond-tata-steel-door-de-jaren-heen-groeiden

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    gay_irl

    With Reddit closing API access to 3rd party apps, I thought this'd be a good time to cross-post some of my older Reddit posts.

    4
    Humanius Humanius @lemmy.world
    Posts 3
    Comments 114