😎🤠👀And please do follow me... I may not be famous (yet 🙃), but I have lots of opinions and a bunch of brain tumours... You can read my DizzyChipmunk story on Substack, I've been told it is quite entertaining - and generous donations are very welcome, writers do like to be rewarded for their hard work 😉: https://chrissieb.substack.com/p/please-help-the-dizzychipmunk-beat?r=2apocv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

I've got Data Centres on my mind... I get it, that many communities do not want these in their backyard. Mostly they do seem to be a nuisance, using up sorely needed resources, making excessive noise (surely that can be mitigated?) and generally upsetting people, who often don't even have all the facts. But I think that is a rather selfish and hypocritical stance! I bet those same people also use the online services and advantages that require more and more data centres... and they would be quite happy plonking them in someone else's backyard! So banning them totally from the state (as in the USA) or country, county, province... whatever you have... makes absolutely no sense. They're not going away, and the need will just continue growing as we move to the next level of computing and AI. The answer clearly lies with the companies building these behemoths, and the authorities granting them the permission to do so in their jurisdiction. They have to negotiate the terms properly, so that these things don't become a nuisance, but a benefit to the community. And there will be some job creation. Because even computers need humans to program, repair, clean, organise, and generally look after everything! The locations must be chosen carefully. They should be as unobtrusive as possible. They must generate their own electricity and supply surrounding areas with any excess. They must not be built in areas with water shortages. I think the best options are near the coast, where water could be desalinated, and electricity be generated, at least partially, with wind turbines. One could even make it a tourist destination, with tours, educating the public on what data centres do, and showing the benefits, as well as the deficits, of this new future. Like I said, they won't be going away... no matter how much the people protest. They will just be built in someone else's backyard! So don't be the hypocrite; rather, be the one who helps to find sustainable solutions.

So what's this new idea, or Ursula's new idea, of EU Associate Membership? Is she serious about this? I wonder exactly what that would entail? Would it be a good idea to have such arrangements? How would these associate members be chosen? I guess Canada would be a good choice, they're stable and well behaved and have a strong connection to Europe. But what if the EU leadership had to propose less suitable associates? Countries that don't have such a strong connection to Europeans and whose values and traditions differ considerably? So many questions...