from The happy place

I’m thinking that I’ve been a dead fish floating downstream for a long time, but then suddenly I’ve come to life swimming upstream, unable to complain because no words come out of my fish lips, only bubbles, and suddenly I feel the strong current trying to drag me with it, but not me! I swim nimbly with muscular movements and lo and behold even I make it up this waterfall.

I know that that’s where the bears are, I’m not stupid. And yet these dangers must be faced, even though this is just a matter of luck, isn’t it?

It’s just a matter of luck. Being a fish in this example, is also just luck (or lack thereof)

The only real choice was coming alive swimming upstream

And for someone such as me, it wasn’t a choice at all!

 
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from Jodan/ZAI

The Creative Discipline Behind JZAI: Turning Vision Into Sound

In the world of independent hip hop, talent is only one part of the equation. What truly defines an artist over time is discipline, clarity of vision, and the ability to transform ideas into consistent creative output. The project behind JZAI is built on this principle: music is not just inspiration—it is structure, focus, and long-term commitment.

Behind every release, every concept, and every step forward, there is a process designed to turn creativity into something sustainable.

Creativity as a Daily Practice

Many people think creativity appears in moments of inspiration. In reality, for an independent artist, creativity is a habit. The work behind JZAI is based on the idea that artistic growth comes from repetition, observation, and constant refinement.

Writing lyrics is not only about expression, but about clarity of thought. Each idea is developed with intention, focusing on themes such as:

personal evolution

mental resilience

self-discipline

ambition and long-term thinking

navigating challenges with perspective

Instead of chasing trends or external expectations, the creative process starts internally. The goal is to produce music that feels honest, focused, and aligned with a consistent artistic direction.

From Concept to Track

Every song within the JZAI project begins with a concept. Sometimes it comes from a personal experience. Other times it comes from a mindset, a question, or a moment of reflection.

The process typically follows three stages:

  1. Idea development Defining the message or emotional tone behind the track.

  2. Writing and structure Building lyrics that balance storytelling, rhythm, and clarity.

  3. Sound direction Choosing production that supports the mood and reinforces the identity of the project.

This structured approach allows each release to feel intentional rather than improvised. Over time, it also helps build a recognizable sound and narrative style.

The Importance of Consistency

One of the biggest challenges for independent artists is consistency. Without the structure of a label or management team, progress depends entirely on personal discipline.

For JZAI, consistency means:

continuing to write, even without immediate releases

improving technical skills over time

maintaining a clear artistic direction

showing up regularly in the creative process

Growth in music rarely comes from sudden breakthroughs. It comes from steady effort and long-term focus.

Building Identity Through Sound

In today’s music landscape, listeners have access to unlimited content. What makes an artist stand out is not volume, but identity.

The sound behind JZAI is shaped by a few core principles:

emotional authenticity

modern but timeless production choices

balance between introspection and energy

coherence across releases

The objective is not to follow a single trend, but to develop a sound that evolves while remaining recognizable.

Identity is built track by track, decision by decision.

Independence as a Creative Advantage

Operating as an independent hip hop artist brings challenges, but it also creates opportunities. Without external pressure to follow commercial formulas, the project can grow at its own pace.

This independence allows:

full control over creative direction

flexibility in release strategy

freedom to experiment and refine

a stronger connection between artist and audience

For JZAI, independence is not a limitation—it is a foundation for authenticity and long-term sustainability.

The Role of Mindset

Behind the music, there is a strong focus on mindset. The philosophy of the project is based on a simple idea: growth happens through discipline, patience, and self-awareness.

This perspective influences both the creative process and the long-term strategy. Instead of measuring success only through numbers or short-term attention, the focus remains on:

improvement over time

building a solid body of work

developing a professional presence

creating lasting value

In a fast-moving industry, mindset often becomes the difference between temporary visibility and long-term progress.

Looking Forward

The JZAI project continues to evolve with a focus on sustainability and gradual expansion. Future steps include new releases, deeper sound development, and a stronger digital presence across platforms.

Each stage is part of a larger vision: building a career that grows steadily, without losing creative integrity.

Discipline, Vision, and Long-Term Growth

Hip hop has always been rooted in self-expression, but the modern independent landscape requires more than passion. It requires structure, consistency, and strategic thinking.

The work behind JZAI reflects that balance—creative freedom supported by discipline and long-term vision.

Because in independent music, success is not just about making noise.

It’s about building something that lasts.

 
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from Jodan/ZAI

Building an Independent Path in Hip Hop: The Vision Behind JZAI

In today’s music industry, being an independent artist is both an opportunity and a challenge. Technology has opened doors that didn’t exist before, but it has also created a highly competitive environment where visibility, consistency, and identity matter more than ever.

The project behind JZAI was born from a simple idea: create music that reflects real experiences, personal growth, and a long-term vision, without compromising authenticity.

This is not just about releasing songs. It’s about building something meaningful over time.

More Than Music: A Long-Term Mindset

For many artists, the focus is on quick exposure or viral moments. While visibility is important, the foundation of JZAI is different. The goal is to develop a sustainable career based on consistency, discipline, and identity.

Hip hop has always been a culture of expression and storytelling. For JZAI, music is a space to explore themes such as:

personal growth

resilience and mindset

self-awareness

ambition and purpose

the process of building something from the ground up

Each track is part of a larger journey, not just a standalone release.

The Power of Independence

Being an independent hip hop artist means taking responsibility for every aspect of the project. From writing and creative direction to branding and digital presence, independence requires more than talent—it requires strategy.

The decision to remain independent is intentional. It allows:

full creative control

a clear artistic identity

long-term flexibility

direct connection with listeners

In a world driven by trends, independence makes it possible to stay focused on authenticity rather than short-term attention.

Building a Digital Presence

Today, an artist’s career exists as much online as it does in the studio. Visibility is no longer limited to radio or traditional media. Platforms, portfolios, and digital publications play a critical role in shaping an artist’s reputation.

Part of the JZAI vision is to build a strong and consistent digital footprint that reflects professionalism and growth. This includes:

music distribution across streaming platforms

professional artist profiles and portfolios

written content that shares the vision behind the project

strategic online presence focused on long-term positioning

The goal is simple: when people search for JZAI, they find a clear, credible, and evolving artistic identity.

Authenticity in a Fast-Moving Industry

The modern music landscape moves fast. Trends come and go, sounds change, and attention spans are short. In that environment, the most valuable asset an artist can have is authenticity.

For JZAI, authenticity means:

writing from real experience

staying consistent with the artistic vision

avoiding shortcuts that compromise identity

focusing on growth instead of comparison

Success is not defined by a single moment, but by the ability to evolve while staying true to the original purpose.

Looking Ahead

The journey of JZAI is still in progress, and that’s exactly the point. The project is designed to grow step by step, with a focus on sustainability rather than speed.

Future plans include:

new music releases

expanded digital presence

collaborations with other artists and creators

reaching broader international audiences

Every step is part of a long-term strategy built around consistency, learning, and continuous improvement.

A Project Built to Last

Hip hop has always rewarded those who stay real and stay committed. The vision behind JZAI is grounded in that philosophy: build slowly, stay authentic, and let the work speak over time.

This is not about chasing trends. It’s about building a voice. A presence. A legacy.

And this is only the beginning.

 
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from 下川友

弁当クラブという部活動を、もう10年続けている。 とはいえ部員は2人だけで、高校のときに知り合った親友だ。

活動内容は、毎週土曜にそれぞれ弁当を作ってきて、公園にレジャーシートを広げ、互いの弁当を見せ合い、食べ合い、そして本気で評価し合うというものだった。

最初の頃は「正しい温度の弁当」という基準を作り、 「正しいそぼろ弁当」や「正しい唐揚げ弁当」を作っては、 うんうんと2人で満足げに頷いていた。 だが10年も続ければ、いつの間にか2人にしか良さが分からない創作弁当になっていた。

「ははは、海苔が襲いかかってきたぞ」なんて笑い合っていたとき、 野球ボールがコロコロと転がってきた。

「すいません!」と、小学生が走ってくる。 ボールを拾って投げ返すと、「それ、美味そうっすね」と言う。

「食べる?」とウインナーを分けてやると、 「めちゃ美味いっす!」と礼を言って、また練習に戻っていった。 最近の子にしては、こんな訳の分からない大人にビビらない、いい子だと思った。

翌週、また弁当を見せ合う日がやってきた。 弁当箱を開けた瞬間、俺は固まった。 あいつは、とんでもないものを作ってきたのだ。

たこさんウインナーだ。

「おいおい、これ絶対あの子に食べさせたいだけだろ」と俺が言うと、 「いや別に」とそっけなく返される。

「俺とお前だけの時間だろ、これは。 これからも、俺とお前だけが喜ぶ弁当を作ろうぜ」と言うと、 あいつは少し黙ってから言った。

「実はな……1年くらい前から、人に食べてほしい弁当を作りたいって思うようになってたんだ」

なんともくだらない。 人が食べるための弁当だって? 弁当のための弁当を作れよ、と心の中で思ったが、 自分でも変なことを言っている自覚があったので、強くは言えなかった。

その日は結局、あの子は来なかった。 不貞腐れながら帰ろうとしたとき、 「来週もやるよな?」とあいつが言う。

「……別にやるけど」と、不機嫌なまま返事をして、その日は終わった。

 
もっと読む…

from Attronarch's Athenaeum

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from 3c0

You can’t love someone who doesn’t want to be loved.

At first, it was a saying, a reminder for me to be open, and that I could easily fall pray to my old habits of being a love vampire myself.

This is important to keep in mind when opening yourself up to someone else too. Allow yourself to be met where you can meet yourself.

If they are unwilling to meet you where you are willing and open to meet yourself, what’s the point?

You will have to learn your lesson again and again. You will meet the same person again and again.

If they don’t stay, they are not your person. They are just another lesson, yet another love vampire, living in a fantasy world.

They would rather run in circles around you and in their heads than live out the present with you, where they inevitably must meet themselves.

 
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from The happy place

Today I had this dust cloth sticking out of my back jeans pocket. While I was cleaning sexily.

Later the same day when at the grocery store I saw this sausage type of meat pressed into the shape and form of a teddy bear, you know? For children…

Much like the HP inkjet printer, this too I think of as an object of pure evil.

The sadistic smile of this teddy bear made of thousands of pig carcasses like taken from a nightmare !!

 
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from ecovariants

Papaya Soap for Skin Allergy: A Natural Remedy for Healthier Skin

Skin allergies are a common concern affecting people of all ages. They can be triggered by various factors such as pollution, harsh chemicals, weather changes, food reactions, or certain skincare products. Symptoms like itching, redness, rashes, dryness, and irritation can make daily life uncomfortable. As more people look for gentle and natural solutions, papaya soap has gained attention as a soothing and skin-friendly option. Known for its rich nutrients and skin-repairing properties, papaya soap is widely used as a natural remedy for skin allergies.

This article explores how Papaya Soap works, its benefits, and why it is considered a helpful choice for sensitive and allergy-prone skin.

What is Papaya Soap?

Papaya soap is a skincare product made using papaya extract, particularly from ripe or raw papaya fruit. Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, along with vitamins A, C, and E, which are known for their skin-healing and nourishing properties. When used in soap form, these natural compounds help cleanse the skin gently while supporting repair and hydration.

Unlike chemical-based soaps that may worsen allergic reactions, papaya soap is often made with natural ingredients, making it suitable for people with sensitive skin conditions.

How Papaya Soap Helps with Skin Allergies

Skin allergies often occur when the skin reacts to irritants or allergens. This leads to inflammation, itching, and dryness. Papaya soap works in several ways to help reduce these symptoms and promote healthier skin.

First, papaya contains papain, a natural enzyme that helps remove dead skin cells without being harsh. This gentle exfoliation can help unclog pores and reduce irritation caused by buildup on the skin. By keeping the skin clean and fresh, papaya soap can help prevent further allergic reactions.

Second, the vitamins in papaya play an important role in healing. Vitamin C supports skin repair and helps reduce redness, while vitamin A encourages skin renewal. Vitamin E helps moisturize the skin and protect it from damage. Together, these nutrients help soothe irritated skin and speed up recovery.

Third, papaya soap has mild anti-inflammatory properties. This can help calm itching, swelling, and discomfort associated with skin allergies. Regular use may provide relief and improve the skin’s natural barrier.

Benefits of Papaya Soap for Allergy-Prone Skin

Papaya soap offers several advantages for people dealing with skin allergies or sensitivity:

Gentle Cleansing: It cleans the skin without stripping away natural oils, which is important for maintaining skin balance.

Reduces Itching and Irritation: Natural enzymes and vitamins help soothe irritated skin and reduce itching over time.

Supports Skin Healing: Papaya’s nutrients promote faster healing of damaged or inflamed skin.

Improves Skin Texture: Regular use can help remove dead skin cells and make the skin smoother and softer.

Natural Moisturizing Effect: It helps prevent dryness, which is a common issue in people with allergies.

Free from Harsh Chemicals: Many papaya soaps are made with natural ingredients, reducing the risk of further reactions.

Suitable for Different Types of Skin Allergies

Papaya soap can be helpful for mild skin allergy conditions such as:

Itchy skin caused by dryness

Mild rashes due to environmental factors

Skin irritation from dust or pollution

Sensitivity to certain soaps or skincare products

Uneven skin tone after allergic reactions

However, for severe allergies, infections, or long-term skin conditions, medical advice is always recommended before trying new products.

How to Use Papaya Soap Safely

To get the best results, it is important to use papaya soap properly and gently.

Start by wetting your skin with lukewarm water. Rub the soap between your hands or directly on the skin to create a soft lather. Apply it gently to the affected areas and leave it on for about 30 seconds to one minute. This allows the natural enzymes to work without causing irritation. Rinse thoroughly and pat the skin dry with a soft towel.

Follow up with a mild moisturizer to keep the skin hydrated. Using papaya soap once or twice a day is usually enough for most people.

Before regular use, it is wise to do a patch test. Apply a small amount of lather to a small area of skin and wait for 24 hours. If there is no redness or irritation, it is likely safe to use.

Why Natural Soaps Are Better for Sensitive Skin

Many commercial soaps contain strong fragrances, artificial colors, and harsh chemicals that can trigger allergies. These ingredients may strip the skin of its natural oils and weaken its protective barrier.

Papaya soap, especially when made with natural ingredients, is usually free from such irritants. It works gently and supports the skin’s natural healing process. This makes it a better option for people who experience frequent skin reactions.

Additional Skin Benefits of Papaya Soap

Beyond helping with allergies, papaya soap offers other skin benefits that make it popular among users.

It can help brighten the skin by removing dead cells and promoting new cell growth. Over time, this may reduce the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone. It also helps keep pores clean, which can reduce the chances of acne and breakouts.

For people with rough or dry skin, papaya soap can provide a softening effect, making the skin feel smoother and more refreshed.

Who Should Use Papaya Soap?

Papaya soap is generally suitable for:

People with mild skin allergies

Individuals with sensitive or dry skin

Those looking for a natural skincare solution

People who prefer herbal or chemical-free products

It is suitable for both men and women and can be used on the face and body. However, those with very sensitive skin should choose a mild formulation without added fragrances.

Precautions to Keep in Mind

While papaya soap is natural, it may not suit everyone. Some people may be sensitive to papaya enzymes. If you notice increased redness, burning, or itching after use, stop using the soap immediately.

Avoid using papaya soap on open wounds, severe rashes, or infected skin unless advised by a healthcare professional. Overuse may also lead to dryness, so it is important to balance cleansing with proper moisturizing.

Choosing the Right Papaya Soap

When selecting papaya soap for skin allergies, look for products that contain natural papaya extract and minimal artificial additives. Soaps that include moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil, glycerin, or shea butter can provide extra comfort for dry and irritated skin.

Reading ingredient labels and choosing trusted brands can help ensure a safe and effective experience.

Conclusion

Papaya soap is a gentle and natural skincare option that can help manage mild skin allergies and sensitivity. With its rich content of enzymes, vitamins, and antioxidants, it works to cleanse, soothe, and repair the skin. Regular use may reduce itching, irritation, and dryness while improving overall skin health.

Although it is not a replacement for medical treatment in severe cases, papaya soap can be a supportive addition to daily skincare routines. By choosing a quality product and using it properly, individuals with allergy-prone skin can enjoy a natural way to keep their skin clean, calm, and comfortable.

 
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from bios

2: The Corruption Of My Understanding


Hands locked behind our heads we are sitting on the cold concrete floor in front of each others laps, our elbows on the knees of the person behind us, stale invective spits from the cops searching the curtains, the mattresses, every broken item in the room is broken, they search the door frame cracks for crack, cracks in everything – they tear the newspaper coverings on the broken windows letting the light in.

They will find nothing, or something, or plant something or pretend to plant or whatever, it's daily this shit. They're here for money, they're here to get something if there's no money, the magosha are already undressing in the room next door, they are here to steal our time, because they have time to waste, we only have to wait, they'll move on, so we can remove our drugs from the various places we've hidden them, the cracks in the door frames, the mattress, the curtains.

It's daily this shit, we all have holes to fill, some fall on you like a stone and sometimes you dig your own. Sometimes you get poesed in the face with the back of a gun for upsetting the balance of power. For control.

The scrawled phones numbers of various policemen, a particular policeman, on a decaying scrap of the back of a flyer for a penis enlargement sangoma service, and a side of the road pay by the second phone, whenever all else failed we can always pimp our dealers. The guys who give us squalid and dash us Sundays, who we wheedled and bothered and whimpered at, begging and scraping and then finally selling out, because they were careless under which rock or in which fucked switch can they hid their stash.

You sleep on the pavement next to where they ply their trade and you watch them pay off the cops daily and you call the cops and they pay you off with the drugs you can't afford to buy and the dealers pay off the cops with money they need to buy the drugs the cops are paying you off with to get money that they need to buy food at home and the dealers trade drugs for food from the shoplifters and the fraudsters, and for phones from the phezula boys and two finger kids and sometimes someone goes to prison but it's all just time.

The Quantum appears on the security cameras twice a day. Before even they are banging at the gate Mike or Prince or Dave or whatever name interchangeable is already counting out, looking at the screen, “How many are there? Six. Okay.” He counts out three hundred in the smallest dirtiest notes possible. If he's been shat on by the boss today he'll sometimes rub the notes up his ass crack. For control.

In the drug houses, where we sometimes crash, on the floors of the magosha's rooms, between clients -the larnies have the mapusa's phone numbers and sometimes if a client is out of hand, too much meth, too much no sleep, beating the dogs is fine but beating the magosha, damaging the merchandise for resale, they will call the cops and they will come quickly. Fights on the street reported by the neighbourhood embattled whatsapp group have no such swift luck. This is an informal relationship that is often a solution for the woman trapped by a raging ego high on crack raining blows down on her, because she is merchandise.

Unless the raging ego high on crack is mapusa himself. These are the exceptions. This is not daily and treated with force and phone calls and conferences and the redrawing of lines. The money that is paid daily to the Quantum or the Manchester Boys or the Polo comes from the money the magosha bring in. Cops on drugs are slowly edged out of circulation. For control.

Trapped by economics, living above a Tanzanian restaurant, in a tiny room, with all my things I can't afford a lock, so I can't leave my things in my room because I'm one flight up from a busy restaurant in a street where I buy my drugs. Out of one window I can call to the Somalian shopkeeper for supplies, out of another window I can wave my late night food order to the Bangladeshi take away, out of the sliding door that opens, an abandoned idea of a deck, dizzying to the street I can throw down my bank card to my dealer who throws up my supplies for the day. I sit online earning, asking, failing. I am always in my room.

I don't know how they get in. It's past midnight, my drugs have run out and I am passing out while trying to subtitle a you tube video at $0.25c an hour. Three of them in full body armour and more crashing through the kitchen below. I am the only one here at night and they want me to call the restaurant owner, the obviously suspected Tanzanian drug lord.

They find not even drug evidence and then they resort to violence, one of them has me against the wall. I don't bother to ask if they have probable cause or a warrant. I am not Dick Wolf. The mapusa in charge is going through my belongings on the floor, my technology, my clothes and he pulls out a hoodie and says, “This looks too small for you but it will fit my son.” They are shopping now. I tell them, sure, and take them through a tour of what I no longer need.

One of them shifts a piece of rhinoboard and finds a makeshift cupboard, gleefilled they assume they have found the drug stash. They fully empty out the only furniture, these recessed makeshift shelves, jumper cables, hello kitty hot water bottles, a assortment of those tiny tool sets that come in either red or blue plastic, boxes nondescript, half used bags of pollyfilla, three different parts of three different vacuum cleaners, a less shiny but more valuable guitar, reams of now rat shredded blue plastic, a small child's car seat, a now broken set of plates with Olde English recipes glazed on to them... these are less the contents of some feared drug dealers apartment, and more that of a struggling suburban dad. Which of course is what the proprietor is. The policemen's glee is palpable. They are also suburban dads. I donate some pots and pans to the officer who had just poesklapped me. For control.

Its a golden hot afternoon I am selling dog food samples gleaned from a pet store to the dealer who is looking after the dog I am trying to rescue from him. In the yard of the sprawling three property nymandawo we are unconcerned by the circling sirens, we are after all doing nothing illegal, we are merely in proximity to illegality, we don't anticipate heat. But I am white and in this particular yard and the quantum boys are hungry and I am dragged through the golden dusk to the police van.

I am well dressed, clean, without any drugs on me and they do not give a fuck. Someone must cry. They make me wait in the cells with everyone else waiting in the cells, people squeezing the last battery life out of their should have been confiscated phones, begging their people to send ewallets. There is a another cell, behind the main cell, where we are encouraged by a junior officer to go, to make calls, so no one can see. Call your people she says with care, these guys, they will take money.

There is an ATM around the corner from the police station. I am driven by this young officer. I have negotiated a spot fine of R800. For feeding a dog. In the wrong place. This is not something I wish to defend in court. I have a record. A first offence admission of guilt for possession and assaulting a police officer. It's easier to pay the spot fine. To buy the cool drink. To drink the Kool aid.

The ATM is out of order and I have to go into a shop to do a cashback. The officer asks me politely if I can also get her some things. But to please not tell the other police. She needs some maize, some salt, some maybe a few vegetables please. Its mid month and there is no food at home.

An age ago, drunk on the way home from a bar the two of us stopped to swing in the park, and were arrested, me for solicitation, her for soliciting. She chose an admission of guilt fine, paid to the policemen directly. Admitting guilt for fear of going to prison, which is where the guilty go, ergo not being guilty. I opted to go to the holding cells for the weekend, and ended up in Westville Prison, where I begged, because I was afraid of Gen Pop, and was sent to the Psychiatric Section, three days cowering under a sheet while faeces was flung about. At no point did either of us campaign for prison reform.

The power goes off in the beach house I am renting. The landlord is unreachable. I try to figure it out phoning Eskom. It is a maze of an unfathomable tangle of departments before I find out that my landlord owes a size-able amount, even if he pays today, the power will only, because of the backlog, because of load shedding and cable theft, be put back on the week after I leave. And I can't reach the landlord.

Driving home I pass an Eskom truck at a sub-station. It seems to me so much easier to make them an offer, to pay the workers directly, to side step this behemoth of a failing system, to not contribute to it's obviously corrupt ways, and so two men, working for the the crippling civil service minimum wage (I am helping them, I tell myself) come to the box in the street outside the beach house where I am on holiday and reconnect the power for R500. There might be a fine to the landlord later. I won't be there.

Often I am caught driving without my driver's licence, because I simply have not had the time and it is simply easier to pay a spot fine. So I slip a clippa to the officer. For control.

 
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from Lastige Gevallen in de Rede

zonovergoten

Ik zit in een baan om de zon ben een jaar onderweg voor ik weer op dezelfde plek kom elk rondje maal ik met iedereen mee te land in de lucht en op zee bij iedereen in de atmosfeer neemt al het goede zijn keer en al het andere evenzeer ik zou willen dat het niet zo was maar ook ik draai mee om eigen as net als ieder kind in elke klas elke vogel in zijn nest van noord naar oost van zuid naar west elke koe op stal iedere muis in de val elke kat voor het raam ieder wezen zonder naam massaal in het reusachtig draaiend rad keren en draaien om het eigen gat zowel de levenden als de dooien of we nu hoge of lage ogen gooien wel of niet zitten klooien de oranje, de groene en de rooie de lelijken, goeien, slechten en de mooie het herdertje, de rammen en de ooien hetzelfde blokje aan onzichtbaar spit rondom de grote hittepit als halve garen rondom draaien terwijl dat roekeloze vuur blijft laaien en wij maar maaien eerst de ene kant dan de andere die golf beweging zal niet verandere sommigen keren in de duisternis anderen in het volle licht sommigen mensen gaan lekker rond anderen voelen zich ertoe verplicht de ene gang valt zwaar op de maag een ander maaltje vederlicht het is maar of je er om maalt of niet of je de lol van het ommetje in ziet zo ja dan heb je het diploma behaald zo niet dan wordt het een moeilijk verhaal

 
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from in ♥️ with linux

I’ve completed one month with Debian stable. It sounds dramatic, but it’s actually been a positive experience.

Switching from a rolling release like openSUSE Tumbleweed was quite a change, but I’ve really come to like the stable foundation Debian offers.

Some software is a few versions older—which isn’t a big deal—but there are also things that aren’t (or aren’t yet) available in the Debian repositories.

But for that, there’s Flatpak, which I trust more than random third-party repositories.

Right now, my only issue is that my custom-built AMD PC occasionally and very rarely freezes. I’m on the case, though, and I actually suspect it’s a third-party program that doesn’t come from the Debian repo.

On the bright side of committing to Debian for a year, I’ve now got a solid backup strategy in place with Déjà Dup, Timeshift, and Dotdrop. Thanks to that, reinstalling the system is a breeze – especially helpful since I tend to tinker more than a lot!

Since I’ve still got 11 months with Debian ahead of me, one of my current projects is learning how to create .deb packages. The Debian documentation is excellent—but also quite complex!

But my first attempt with rofi 2.0 was a success—so maybe in 11 months, I’ll have my own repo! ;)

All in all: A positive experience in the first month and a happy outlook for the next 11 months with Debian. Beyond the technical aspects, there’s also the good feeling of being on the right side.

 
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from Kool-Aid with Karan

Researchers recently discovered a 67,800 year-old piece of cave art in Indonesia which predates humans' migration to the European continent. My first reaction upon learning of this was of awe. Imagining early humans trekking across the globe, the vast unknown before them, is incredible. This discovery provides us with greater insight into human history, and how we came to occupy every corner of the planet.

The piece of this discovery that intrigued me the most was the cave painting itself. This piece of art, left behind by our ancestors thousands of years ago, is all that's left of their presence on the island. The art they created was a marker to the world of their existence.

The reason this aspect of the story resonated so much with me is because of our current relationship with art and the value we put on it. In our increasingly culturally-corrosive, late-stage capitalist society, the value of art is measured in “likes” and online virality. What we're losing when we don't bring our art into the real world is the impact it has on creating community. The collective, communal experience of art is something that I worry we will lose sight of in our online, isolating society.

What we leave behind, what marks our passage through time, is the art we physically create and share in the real world. I believe it's important to continue to create art and share it out in the real world. Zines, graffiti, CDs, paintings, are all physical pieces of art that can be shared in community and mark our presence in the real world.

Strive to create modern-day cave paintings, because they may be all that remains to mark our time on Earth.

 
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The numbers should give anyone pause. Data centres worldwide consumed approximately 415 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024, representing about 1.5 per cent of global electricity consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. By 2030, that figure is projected to reach 945 terawatt hours, nearly doubling in just six years. The culprit driving much of this growth has a familiar name: artificial intelligence. The same technology that promises to optimise our energy grids, monitor deforestation from orbit, and accelerate the discovery of climate solutions is itself becoming one of the most rapidly growing sources of energy demand on the planet.

This is the defining contradiction of our technological moment. We are building systems powerful enough to model the entire Earth's climate, predict extreme weather events with unprecedented accuracy, and optimise the operation of cities in real time. Yet these very systems require data centres that consume as much electricity as 100,000 households. The largest facilities under construction today will use twenty times that amount. Training a single large language model can emit more carbon dioxide than five cars produce over their entire lifetimes. And as AI becomes embedded in everything from web searches to medical diagnostics to autonomous vehicles, its aggregate energy footprint is accelerating faster than almost any other category of industrial activity.

The question is no longer abstract. It is urgent, measurable, and contested. Will artificial intelligence prove to be our most powerful tool for addressing climate change, or will its insatiable appetite for energy accelerate the very crisis it promises to solve?

Monitoring the Planet from Above

The most compelling case for AI's climate potential begins not in server rooms but in orbit. Climate TRACE, a global coalition co-led by former United States Vice President Al Gore, uses artificial intelligence to analyse satellite imagery and remote sensing data, generating emissions estimates from over 352 million sources worldwide. Unlike traditional emissions reporting, which relies on self-reported data from governments and corporations, Climate TRACE provides independent verification at a granularity that was impossible just a decade ago.

The platform's AI systems can identify activities including fuel combustion, deforestation, methane flaring, and industrial production across every major emitting sector. Its December 2025 release includes monthly emissions data through October of that year. For the first time, policymakers and researchers can see, in near real time, which specific facilities and regions are driving climate change. The world lost eighteen football fields worth of tropical primary forests every minute in 2024, according to the University of Maryland's Global Land Analysis and Discovery Lab. That deforestation released 3.1 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Satellite AI makes such destruction visible and attributable in ways that shame alone cannot achieve, but accountability might.

Research published in 2025 demonstrated that AI systems using machine learning algorithms and neural networks can reduce data reporting latency from 24 hours to just one hour, increase spatial resolution from 30 metres to 10 metres, and enhance detection accuracy from 80 per cent to 95 per cent. A collaboration between Planet Labs and Anthropic, announced in March 2025, combines daily geospatial satellite data with Claude's language model capabilities for pattern recognition at scale. NASA's Earth Copilot, developed with Microsoft using Azure's OpenAI Service, aims to make the space agency's vast Earth science datasets accessible to researchers worldwide.

The implications extend beyond monitoring to prediction. NVIDIA's Earth 2 platform, launched in 2024, accelerates detailed climate simulations far beyond what traditional computational models could achieve. Google's flood forecasting system now produces seven-day flood predictions across more than 80 countries, reaching approximately 460 million people. Prior to devastating floods in Brazil in May 2024, Google worked with Brazil's Geological Service to monitor over 200 new locations, helping authorities deploy effective crisis response strategies. These are not hypothetical capabilities. They are operational systems making measurable differences in how communities prepare for and respond to climate disasters.

Smart Grids and Energy Optimisation at City Scale

The Municipality of Trikala in Greece offers a glimpse of what AI-optimised urban energy management might look like at scale. As a designated City in the European Union's Mission Cities initiative, Trikala is deploying ABB's OPTIMAX platform to manage approximately 10 megawatts of energy infrastructure. The system integrates near real-time data from over 130 assets including public buildings, water infrastructure, schools, and future photovoltaic installations. Using cloud-based analytics and AI algorithms, the platform performs intraday and day-ahead optimisation to support the city's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2030.

Across the Atlantic, the PJM regional grid serves 65 million people across the eastern United States. During the June 2024 heatwave, demand spiked well beyond normal peaks. Analysis has shown that hyper-local, AI-driven weather forecasts could have helped anticipate demand spikes and allocate resources ahead of the crisis, potentially avoiding blackouts and price spikes by proactively redistributing power.

In the United Kingdom, National Grid ESO's collaboration with the nonprofit Open Climate Fix has produced breakthrough results in solar nowcasting. By training AI systems to read satellite images and track cloud movements, the platform provides highly accurate forecasts of solar generation several hours in advance. Open Climate Fix's transformer-based AI models are three times more accurate at predicting solar energy generation than the forecasts produced by traditional methods. The practical benefit is direct: with greater confidence in solar output predictions, National Grid ESO can reduce the backup gas generation it keeps idling, saving millions of pounds in fuel and balancing costs whilst cutting carbon emissions.

National Grid Partners announced in March 2025 a commitment to invest 100 million dollars in artificial intelligence startups advancing the future of energy. The funds target development of more efficient, resilient, and dynamic grids. Part of this investment went to Amperon, a provider of AI-powered energy forecasting whose technology helps utilities manage demand and ensure grid reliability. In Germany, E.ON uses AI to predict cable failures, cutting outages by 30 per cent. Italy's Enel reduced power line outages by 15 per cent through AI monitoring sensors. Duke Energy in the United States collaborates with Amazon Web Services on AI-driven grid planning.

Google reported that its AI increased the value of wind farm output by 20 per cent through better forecasting. Research indicates that generative AI models using architectures such as Generative Adversarial Networks and transformers can reduce root mean square error by 15 to 20 per cent in solar irradiance forecasting, significantly enhancing the ability to integrate renewables into power systems.

The market recognises the opportunity. The global market for AI in renewable energy was valued at 16.19 billion dollars in 2024 and is projected to reach 158.76 billion dollars by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate exceeding 25 per cent. Approximately 74 per cent of energy companies worldwide are implementing or exploring AI solutions.

The Energy Footprint That Cannot Be Ignored

Here is where the story turns. For all the promise of AI-optimised climate solutions, the technology itself has become a significant and rapidly growing source of energy demand.

Google's 2025 Sustainability Report revealed a 27 per cent year-over-year increase in global electricity usage, bringing its total to roughly 32 terawatt hours. Microsoft similarly reported a 27 per cent rise in electricity usage for fiscal year 2024, reaching approximately 30 terawatt hours. Both companies have seen their electricity consumption roughly double since 2018 to 2020, coinciding directly with their generative AI push. Barclays analysts noted these gains signal hyperscalers are on track for their seventh consecutive year of electricity growth exceeding 25 per cent, and that was before the surge in AI inference demand.

The United States now accounts for the largest share of global data centre electricity consumption at 45 per cent, followed by China at 25 per cent and Europe at 15 per cent. American data centres consumed 183 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024, more than 4 per cent of the country's total electricity consumption. By the end of this decade, the country is on course to consume more electricity for data centres than for the production of aluminium, steel, cement, chemicals, and all other energy-intensive goods combined.

Training large language models requires staggering amounts of energy. The training of GPT-3 consumed approximately 1,287 megawatt hours, accompanied by over 552 tonnes of carbon emissions. GPT-4, with its 1.75 trillion parameters, required more than 40 times the electricity of its predecessor. A 2019 study found that training a model using neural architecture search could emit more than 626,000 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent, nearly five times the lifetime emissions of the average American car. According to MIT researcher Noman Bashir, a generative AI training cluster might consume seven or eight times more energy than a typical computing workload.

But training is not the largest concern. Inference is. Google estimates that of the energy used in AI, 60 per cent goes towards inference and 40 per cent towards training. Once deployed, models are queried billions of times. OpenAI reports that ChatGPT serves more than 2.5 billion queries daily. If the commonly cited estimate of 0.34 watt hours per query holds, that amounts to 850 megawatt hours daily, enough to charge thousands of electric vehicles every single day.

Research by Sasha Luccioni, the Climate Lead at Hugging Face, found that day-to-day emissions from using AI far exceeded the emissions from training large models. For very popular models like ChatGPT, usage emissions could exceed training emissions in just a couple of weeks. A single ChatGPT image generation consumes as much energy as fully charging a smartphone. Generating 1,000 images produces as much carbon dioxide as driving 6.6 kilometres in a petrol-powered car.

The energy demands come with water costs. A typical data centre uses 300,000 gallons of water each day for cooling, equivalent to the demands of about 1,000 households. The largest facilities can consume 5 million gallons daily, equivalent to a town of 50,000 residents. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that in 2023, American data centres consumed 17 billion gallons of water directly for cooling. By 2028, those figures could double or even quadruple. Google's data centre in Council Bluffs, Iowa consumed 1 billion gallons of water in 2024, its most water-intensive facility globally.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside estimate that each 100-word AI prompt uses roughly one bottle of water, approximately 519 millilitres. Global AI-related water demand is expected to reach 4.2 to 6.6 billion cubic metres by 2027, exceeding Denmark's entire annual water consumption. An assessment of 9,055 data centre facilities indicates that by the 2050s, nearly 45 per cent may face high exposure to water stress.

The Jevons Paradox and the Efficiency Trap

There is a seductive notion that efficiency improvements will solve the energy problem. As AI models become more efficient, surely their energy footprint will shrink? History suggests otherwise.

The Jevons Paradox, first observed during the Industrial Revolution, demonstrated that as coal-burning technology became more efficient, overall coal consumption rose rather than fell. Greater efficiency made coal power more economical, spurring adoption across more applications. The same dynamic threatens to unfold with AI. As models become cheaper and faster to run, they proliferate into more applications, driving up total energy demand even as energy per operation declines.

Google's report on its Gemini model illustrated both sides of this coin. Over a recent 12-month period, the energy and carbon footprint of the median Gemini Apps text prompt dropped by 33 and 44 times respectively, all whilst delivering higher-quality responses. Yet Google's total electricity consumption still rose 27 per cent year over year. Efficiency gains are real, but they are being overwhelmed by the velocity of adoption.

The projections are sobering. Between 2024 and 2030, data centre electricity consumption is expected to grow at roughly 15 per cent per year, more than four times faster than total electricity consumption from all other sectors combined. AI-optimised data centres specifically are projected to see their electricity demand more than quadruple by 2030. By 2028, more than half of the electricity going to data centres will be used specifically for AI. At that point, AI alone could consume as much electricity annually as 22 per cent of all American households.

Microsoft announced in May 2024 that its carbon dioxide emissions had risen nearly 30 per cent since 2020 due to data centre expansion. Google's 2023 greenhouse gas emissions were almost 50 per cent higher than in 2019, largely due to energy demand tied to data centres. Research published in Nature Sustainability found that the AI server industry is unlikely to meet its net-zero aspirations by 2030 without substantial reliance on highly uncertain carbon offset and water restoration mechanisms.

The Nuclear Response

The tech industry's appetite for electricity has sparked a remarkable revival in nuclear power investment, driven not by governments but by the companies building AI infrastructure.

In September 2024, Microsoft and Constellation Energy announced a 20-year power purchase agreement to bring the dormant Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island back online. Microsoft will purchase a significant portion of the plant's 835 megawatt output to power its AI data centres in the mid-Atlantic region. The project, renamed the Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center, represents the first time a retired nuclear reactor in the United States is being restored to serve a single corporate customer. In November 2025, the United States Department of Energy Loan Programs Office closed a 1 billion dollar federal loan to Constellation Energy, lowering the barrier to the restart. The reactor is targeted to resume operation in 2028.

Big tech companies signed contracts for more than 10 gigawatts of potential new nuclear capacity in the United States over the past year. Amazon Web Services secured a 10-year agreement to draw hundreds of megawatts from Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. It subsequently obtained a 1.92 gigawatt power purchase agreement from the same facility and invested 500 million dollars in small modular reactor development. Google partnered with startup Kairos Power to deploy up to 500 megawatts of advanced nuclear capacity by the early 2030s. Kairos received a Nuclear Regulatory Commission construction licence in November 2024 for its Hermes 35 megawatt demonstration reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Meta announced in June 2025 a 20-year agreement to buy 1.1 gigawatts of nuclear energy from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. The commitment will support an expansion of the facility's output and deliver 13.5 million dollars in annual tax revenue to the surrounding community.

These deals represent an extraordinary acceleration in corporate energy procurement. Global electricity generation for data centres is projected to grow from 460 terawatt hours in 2024 to over 1,000 terawatt hours in 2030 and 1,300 terawatt hours by 2035. Nuclear offers carbon-free baseload power, but new reactors take years to build. The question is whether nuclear capacity can scale fast enough to meet AI's demand growth, or whether fossil fuels will fill the gap in the interim.

Quantifying the Trade-off

The most important question is whether AI's climate benefits outweigh its energy costs. Recent research offers the most rigorous attempt yet to answer it.

A study published in Nature's npj Climate Action by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and Systemiq found that AI advancements in power, transport, and food consumption could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 3.2 to 5.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually by 2035. In the power sector, AI could enhance renewable energy efficiency to reduce emissions by approximately 1.8 gigatonnes annually. In food systems, AI could accelerate adoption of alternative proteins to replace up to 50 per cent of meat and dairy consumption, saving approximately 3 gigatonnes per year. In mobility, AI-enabled shared transport and optimised electric vehicle adoption could reduce emissions by roughly 0.6 gigatonnes annually.

The IEA's own analysis supports a positive net impact. The adoption of existing AI applications in end-use sectors could lead to 1,400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions reductions in 2035 in a Widespread Adoption scenario. That figure does not include breakthrough discoveries that might emerge thanks to AI over the next decade. By comparison, the IEA's base case projects total data centre emissions rising from approximately 180 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide today to 300 million metric tonnes by 2035, potentially reaching 500 million metric tonnes in a high-growth scenario.

On these numbers, the potential emissions reductions from AI applications would be three to four times larger than the total emissions from the data centres running them. AI's net impact, the research suggests, remains overwhelmingly positive, provided it is intentionally applied to accelerate low-carbon technologies.

But that conditional is doing a great deal of work. The IEA cautioned that there is currently no momentum ensuring widespread adoption of beneficial AI applications. Their aggregate impact could be marginal if the necessary enabling conditions are not created. Barriers include constraints on access to data, absence of digital infrastructure and skills, regulatory and security restrictions, and social or cultural obstacles. Commercial incentives to apply AI in socially productive climate applications may be weak without active public policy.

Google Maps' eco-friendly routing uses AI to suggest routes with fewer hills, less traffic, and constant speeds. It has helped prevent over 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually in its initial rollout across selected cities in Europe and the United States, equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road. But that application exists because it aligns with user preferences for faster routes. Many climate applications require explicit investment with less obvious commercial return.

Efficiency Gains and Green AI

Research is advancing on making AI itself more efficient. A report published by UNESCO and University College London found that small changes to how large language models are built and used can dramatically reduce energy consumption without compromising performance. Model compression through techniques such as quantisation can save up to 44 per cent in energy while maintaining accuracy. Experimental results reveal that optimisation methods can reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by up to 45 per cent, making them suitable for resource-constrained environments.

Luccioni's research at Hugging Face demonstrated that using large generative models to create outputs is far more energy-intensive than using smaller AI models tailored for specific tasks. Using a generative model to classify movie reviews consumes around 30 times more energy than using a fine-tuned model created specifically for that purpose. The implication is significant: not every application requires a massive general-purpose model.

IBM released architecture details for its Telum II Processor and Spyre Accelerator, designed to reduce AI-based energy consumption and data centre footprint. Power-capping hardware has been shown to decrease energy consumption by up to 15 per cent whilst only increasing response time by a barely noticeable 3 per cent.

The training of Hugging Face's BLOOM model with 176 billion parameters consumed 433 megawatt hours of electricity, resulting in 25 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The relatively modest figure owes to its training on a French supercomputer powered mainly by nuclear energy, demonstrating that where and how AI is trained matters as much as model size.

A new movement in green AI is emerging, shifting from the bigger is better paradigm to small is sufficient, emphasising energy sobriety through smaller, more efficient models. Small models are particularly useful in settings where energy and water are scarce, and they are more accessible in environments with limited connectivity.

The Transparency Problem

Any honest assessment of AI's climate impact faces a fundamental obstacle: we do not actually know how much energy AI systems consume. Currently, there are no comprehensive global datasets on data centre electricity consumption or emissions. Few governments mandate reporting of such figures. All numbers concerning AI's energy and climate impact are therefore estimates, often based on limited disclosures and modelling assumptions.

Factors including which data centre processes a given request, how much energy that centre uses, and how carbon-intensive its energy sources are tend to be knowable only to the companies running the models. This is true for most major systems including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. OpenAI's Sam Altman stated a figure of 0.34 watt hours per query in a blog post, but some researchers say the smartest models can consume over 20 watt hours for a complex query. The range of uncertainty spans nearly two orders of magnitude.

Luccioni has called for mandatory disclosure of AI systems' environmental footprints. She points out that current AI benchmarks often omit critical energy consumption metrics entirely. Without standardised reporting, neither researchers nor policymakers can make informed decisions about the technology's true costs and benefits.

The UK's AI Energy Council

The United Kingdom has taken early steps to coordinate AI and energy policy at a national level. The AI Energy Council held its inaugural meeting in April 2025, establishing five key areas of focus. These priorities centre on ensuring the UK's energy system can support AI and compute infrastructure, promoting sustainability through renewable energy solutions, focusing on safe and secure AI adoption across the energy system, and advising on how AI can support the transition to net zero.

The Council's membership spans major technology companies including Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, ARM, and Equinix, alongside energy sector participants including the National Energy System Operator, Ofgem, National Grid, Scottish Power, EDF Energy, and the Nuclear Industry Association. The IEA shared analysis at Council meetings indicating that model inference, not training, will be the dominant driver of AI energy use going forward.

A National Commission was announced to accelerate safe access to AI in healthcare, with plans to publish a new regulatory framework in 2026. The NHS Fit For The Future 10 Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, identified AI alongside data, genomics, wearables, and robotics as strategic technological priorities.

These institutional developments reflect growing recognition that AI's energy demands cannot be managed through market forces alone. They require coordination between technology developers, energy providers, and government bodies.

Tension Without Resolution

The climate contradiction at the heart of artificial intelligence does not resolve itself through technological optimism or pessimism. Both narratives contain truth. AI genuinely offers capabilities for climate monitoring, energy optimisation, and scientific discovery that no other technology can match. AI also genuinely imposes energy and water costs that are growing faster than almost any other category of industrial activity.

The Grantham Institute and Systemiq research offers what may be the most useful framing. Using best available estimates, AI could add 0.4 to 1.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually by 2035 through data centre energy demand. If effectively applied to accelerate low-carbon technologies, AI could reduce emissions by 3.2 to 5.4 gigatonnes annually over the same period. The net balance favours climate benefit, but only if beneficial applications are actively developed and deployed.

This is not a technology problem. It is a policy problem. The commercial incentives driving AI development overwhelmingly favour applications that generate revenue: chatbots, image generators, productivity tools, advertising optimisation. Climate applications often require public investment, regulatory frameworks, and infrastructure that markets do not automatically provide.

Luccioni has expressed frustration with the current trajectory. “We don't need generative AI in web search. Nobody asked for AI chatbots in messaging apps or on social media. This race to stuff them into every single existing technology is truly infuriating, since it comes with real consequences to our planet.” Her critique points to a deeper issue. The AI systems consuming the most energy are not primarily those monitoring deforestation or optimising power grids. They are those generating text, images, and video for applications whose climate value is questionable at best.

The largest tech companies have all set targets to become water positive by 2030, committing to replenish more water than their operations consume. Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta have joined a pledge to triple the world's nuclear capacity by 2050. These commitments are meaningful, but they also constitute an acknowledgment that current trajectories are unsustainable. If the status quo were compatible with net-zero goals, such dramatic interventions would be unnecessary.

Where This Leaves Us

Will AI solve the climate crisis or accelerate it? The honest answer is that it depends entirely on choices that remain to be made.

If AI development continues primarily along commercial lines, with efficiency gains continually outpaced by proliferation into ever more applications, the technology's energy footprint will continue its rapid expansion. Data centre electricity demand doubling by 2030 is the baseline projection. Higher-growth scenarios are entirely plausible.

If governments, international institutions, and technology companies actively prioritise climate applications, if AI is deployed to optimise energy grids, accelerate materials discovery, monitor emissions, and transform food systems, the potential emissions reductions dwarf the energy costs of the technology itself.

The technology is agnostic. It will do whatever its builders and users direct it to do. A search chatbot and a deforestation monitoring system run on fundamentally similar infrastructure. The difference lies in what questions we ask and what answers we choose to act upon.

The IEA noted that nearly half of emissions reductions required by 2050 will come from technologies not yet fully developed. AI could accelerate their discovery. DeepMind's AlphaFold decoded over 200 million protein structures, unlocking advances in areas including alternative proteins and energy storage. An overly simplistic view of AI's impacts risks underestimating its potential for accelerating important climate-solution breakthroughs, such as developing less expensive and more powerful batteries in months rather than decades.

But those breakthroughs do not happen automatically. They require funding, institutional support, data access, and regulatory frameworks. They require deciding that climate applications of AI are as important as consumer applications, and investing accordingly.

The servers are humming. The electricity meters are spinning. The satellites are watching. The question is not whether artificial intelligence will shape our climate future. It is whether we will shape artificial intelligence to serve that future, or simply allow it to consume resources in pursuit of whatever generates the next quarterly return.

The answer will determine more than the trajectory of a technology. It will determine whether the most powerful tools humanity has ever built become instruments of our survival or accelerants of our crisis. The data centres do not care which role they play. That choice belongs to us.


References and Sources

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  3. Climate TRACE. (2025). “Global Emissions Monitoring Platform.” https://climatetrace.org/

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  5. Carbon Brief. (2025). “AI: Five Charts That Put Data-Centre Energy Use and Emissions Into Context.” https://www.carbonbrief.org/ai-five-charts-that-put-data-centre-energy-use-and-emissions-into-context/

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  16. Springer Nature. (2024). “Green AI: Exploring Carbon Footprints, Mitigation Strategies, and Trade Offs in Large Language Model Training.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44163-024-00149-w

  17. NPR. (2024). “Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Will Reopen to Power Microsoft Data Centers.” https://www.npr.org/2024/09/20/nx-s1-5120581/three-mile-island-nuclear-power-plant-microsoft-ai

  18. IEEE Spectrum. (2024). “Microsoft Powers Data Centers with Three Mile Island Nuclear.” https://spectrum.ieee.org/three-mile-island

  19. Nature. (2025). “Will AI Accelerate or Delay the Race to Net-Zero Emissions?” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01137-x

  20. LSE Grantham Research Institute. (2025). “New Study Finds AI Could Reduce Global Emissions Annually by 3.2 to 5.4 Billion Tonnes of Carbon-Dioxide-Equivalent by 2035.” https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/new-study-finds-ai-could-reduce-global-emissions-annually-by-3-2-to-5-4-billion-tonnes-of-carbon-dioxide-equivalent-by-2035/

  21. Nature. (2025). “Green and Intelligent: The Role of AI in the Climate Transition.” npj Climate Action. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-025-00252-3

  22. MDPI. (2025). “AI-Based Energy Management and Optimization for Urban Infrastructure: A Case Study in Trikala, Greece.” https://www.mdpi.com/3042-5743/35/1/76

  23. PV Magazine. (2025). “AI Powered Solar Forecasting Helps UK Grid Operator Reduce Balancing Costs.” https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/11/07/ai-powered-solar-forecasting-helps-uk-grid-operator-reduce-balancing-costs/

  24. NVIDIA Blog. (2024). “AI Nonprofit Forecasts Solar Energy for UK Grid.” https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/ai-forecasts-solar-energy-uk/

  25. GOV.UK. (2025). “AI Energy Council Minutes: Monday 30 June 2025.” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-energy-council-meetings-minutes/ai-energy-council-minutes-monday-30-june-2025-html

  26. Brookings Institution. (2025). “AI, Data Centers, and Water.” https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ai-data-centers-and-water/

  27. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. (2025). “Data Centers and Water Consumption.” https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption

  28. Nature Sustainability. (2025). “Environmental Impact and Net-Zero Pathways for Sustainable Artificial Intelligence Servers in the USA.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01681-y

  29. UNESCO. (2025). “AI Large Language Models: New Report Shows Small Changes Can Reduce Energy Use by 90%.” https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ai-large-language-models-new-report-shows-small-changes-can-reduce-energy-use-90

  30. U.S. Department of Energy. (2024). “AI for Energy: Opportunities for a Modern Grid and Clean Energy Economy.” https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/AI%20EO%20Report%20Section%205.2g(i)_043024.pdf


Tim Green

Tim Green UK-based Systems Theorist & Independent Technology Writer

Tim explores the intersections of artificial intelligence, decentralised cognition, and posthuman ethics. His work, published at smarterarticles.co.uk, challenges dominant narratives of technological progress while proposing interdisciplinary frameworks for collective intelligence and digital stewardship.

His writing has been featured on Ground News and shared by independent researchers across both academic and technological communities.

ORCID: 0009-0002-0156-9795 Email: tim@smarterarticles.co.uk

 
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from Roscoe's Story

In Summary: * Tuned into the streaming radio feed from The Flagship Station for IU Sports, waiting for the pregame show ahead of the call of tonight's men's college basketball game between IU and Oregon. Though it'll be a challenge, I'm determined to stay awake to hear the end of this game. Go Hoosiers!

Prayers, etc.: * I have a daily prayer regimen I try to follow throughout the day from early morning, as soon as I roll out of bed, until head hits pillow at night. Details of that regimen are linked to my link tree, which is linked to my profile page here.

Health Metrics: * bw= 230.49 lbs. * bp= 146/87 (67)

Exercise: * morning stretches, balance exercises, kegel pelvic floor exercises, half squats, calf raises, wall push-ups

Diet: * 06:00 – 2 cookies, 1 banana * 07:30 – 1 peanut butter sandwich * 11:30 – more cookies * 12:30 – noodles, whole kernel corn * 15:40 – garden salad * 16:30 – saltine crackers and cheese

Activities, Chores, etc.: * 05:30 – bank accounts activity monitored * 05:50 – read, pray, follow news reports from various sources, surf the socials * 07:35 – prayerfully reading the Pre-1955 Propers for today's Mass for St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor, Feb. 09, 2026 * 11:00 – start my weekly laundry * 13:00 – listen to The Dan Bongino Show Podcast * 14:46 – listen to KAHL Radio * 15:00 – listening now to The Jack Riccardi Show * 17:00 – read, pray, follow news reports from various sources, surf the socials * 18:15 – tuned into The Flagship Station for IU Sports plenty early enough to catch the pregame show ahead of the radio call of tonight's men's college basketball game between Indiana University and Oregon.

Chess: * 14:45 – moved in all pending CC games

 
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from Café histoire

Je sors aujourd'hui de mes retours d'expérience avec mes ThinkPads et Linux et je reviens à des questions matériel photos.

Je balance toujours concernant mes setup appareils et objectifs.

En premier lieu, je m'interroge sur les objectifs Viltrox. Ceux-ci font l'objet d'une plainte relativement aux questions de brevets à propos des montures Nikon Z. Indirectement, j'apprends aussi que, lors de la sortie du Sony A7V, les objectifs Viltrox rencontraient des problèmes jusqu'à une mise à jour. De quoi s'interroger.

J'apprends aussi que seuls les objectifs Sigma n'ont pas rencontré de problème à ce moment-là contrairement à certains objectifs Tamron.

Ma gamme d'objectifs reste elle très – trop – large. C'est sûr. Difficile de se refaire.

Dans mes utilisations actuelles, elle est par contre plutôt restreinte en plein format. Mon setup de base est composé de mon Sony A7 II (un peu vieillissant de conception) auquel j'associe mon Sony FE 24-50mm f2.8 G. Ce dernier est vraiment bluffant. Je peux l'accompagner encore de mon Sony FE 35mm f1.8.

Ca se complique en APS-C tant au niveau des appareils que des objectifs.

Dans la compacité, deux boîtiers : l'increvable Sony A6000 et le vidéographe, mais pas que et de loin, Sony ZV-E10 et son déclencheur mécanique. Dans une perspective de photographie de rue et d'une certane compacité, deux autres objectifs Sony : le Sony PZ 10-20mm f4 G pour un zoom plus qualitatif que l'objectif de base et éventuellement la vidéo et un petit objectif plein format étonnant le Sony FE 24mm f2.8 G, pour un équivalent 35mm. Les deux sont légers et de très bonne fabrication.

Dans la perspective d'un roadtrip et de situation plus exigeantes, le Sony A6700 s'impose et avec lui, trois objectifs Sigma. Un kit de voyage compact avec le Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 et le Sigma 18-50mm f2.8. C'est un kit de voyage parfait pour couvrir l'essentiel de mes besoins sans prendre beaucoup de place surtout à moto.

Pour couvrir un événement, c'est le Sigma 18-300mm qui couvrira le champ le plus large. Il me faudra lui associer un objectif pour compact et lumineux. Cela pourrait être de le compléter avec le Sigma 18-50mm ou un obectif fixe tel le Sony FE 24mm f2.8 G ou le Son8y FE 35mm f1.8.

Dans les accessoires que j'envisage de tester cette année, il y a le petit flash Godox iT20. Celui-ci se marie fort bien avec mes Sony A6000 ou Sony ZV-E10.

Photos prises avec le Sony A6000 ou le Sony ZV-E10. Les objectifs soit le Sony PZ 10-20mm f4, soit le Sony FE 24mm f2.8 G.

Tags : #AuCafé #photographie #sonya6000 #sonyzve10 #sonypz1020mmf4G #sonyfe24mm28G

 
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from angelllyies

hello dears, i might have the “rare disorder” such as d.i.d (dissociative identity disorder ) ^^ ok ok lemme explain my dears!! – why? first lets look on my symptoms – i cant recall any past events (i dont remember at all usually) – so dissociative amnesia or in overall amnesia – depresonalization and derealization – trouble of identifying myself (gender, sexuality ,etc...)+ experience of different identities??? (not sure) by how i act ,speak,write,hobbies etc.. -i have traumas that im aware and others that i do not know (i just feel like it) -gaps in my memories -symptoms of anxiety and depression -sudden change of preference or skills – i sometimes do hear voices – i had panics attacks, anxiety attacks by having the stressing thoughts of the suspicions of d.i.d (i feel rn so anxious and i feel weird tho...) – dissociates – im usually confused abt stuff when ppl tell me cuz i dont remember anything!!! – detached from reality + emotion and sense of self – denying (this was actually me before but i STILL FRICKING HAVE THESE SYMPTOMS its just me who noted those in a place hehe)

i dont intent to be an attention seeker i am usually veryy verrryy introverted, shy and insociable soo yeah im not weird , im “normal” as a note to myself i still think that i hear or feel voices that are different from myself or im just being delulu i actually dont know but the dissociative amnesia is kind of semi good to me since i can forget bad stuff that happened to me but it always go back up to the surface (yeah thats sad so i cant rlly escape, almost)

i hopee u guys are ok bye my lovess!!!

xxx

ps: yall will understand how i will type here will be so DIFFERENT OK?? ill try to update everyday.... i will!! (if anyone sees this)

 
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