What a time to be alive y'all! This Jumanji timeline keeps getting wilder by the day. Got to build hyperscale data centers to run the AI to run the mass surveillance network to watch all the poors the AI made.
In a surprising turn of events, Americans along all wavelengths of the political spectrum have discovered that there is in fact something they can agree on. Seems a tech broligarch digital panopticon is about as welcome as a case of the clap.
Between the data centers and the Flock cameras springing up in every nook and cranny, people all across this country are starting to draw redlines of their own.
About the only thing more surprising than the newfound common ground is the complete obliviousness of those in charge.
Here in Louisville, we've got an old business partner of the mayor trying to build a hyperscale data center, and it seems about the only ones in favor of it are the ones hearing cash register sounds. The story we're being sold is that it just "happened" to slip through the cracks in the regulations. After the mayor drew protests on multiple occasions (one of which I may or may not have been involved in), he came out in favor of a moratorium on new data centers, one that conveniently didn't affect the one his old partner is building.
The Louisville Metro Planning Commission announced new restrictions on data centers, seemingly crafted to create the appearance of doing something without actually restricting much of anything. They also held a series of meetings for the public to comment on them, and comment they have, in the thousands. Took photos at two of the meetings and the responses at both were overwhelmingly negative. The mayor appoints 8 of the 10 members of the commission, so it will be interesting to see how well their ears were working.
This past Thursday, the Metro Council met to vote on the moratorium, with nary an empty seat in the room. The mayor's version was for just six months but the room was packed with people calling for a year.
Never been to a council meeting quite like it, the longer it went on, the more the hostility and antipathy grew between the people and some of their ostensible 'representatives'.
At one point the council president even hollered out "You haven't earned the right to speak in this room!" which went over like a lead balloon. One man got escorted out for reminding him, "We pay your salary."
By the time the council passed a six month moratorium after voting down a year long one, the mood in the room was raw. Not quite to the level of angry that touched off the Breonna Taylor protests in 2020, but closing in on it fast. A few more displays like that of the disdain that those moving the levers of power hold us in and we'll make it there for sure.
Mix that with the outrage over Flock cameras which keep suffering misfortunes here and elsewhere around the country, and you've got all the makings of a perfect storm.
How that'll play out is anyone's guess but my money's on the winds of change blowing mighty hard.
