Aggregator

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: As Big Tech dumps billions of dollars into America's data center buildout, a slew of opportunities have opened up to the electricians wiring these massive facilities. In some cases, the scale of the projects and the demanding construction timelines are fueling talent wars for the industry's best and brightest. The US-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has argued that its workers are "powering the AI Revolution," and a set of "Data Center Principles" published in March argues that union labor is "essential to the future of AI." Tech companies are trying to meet the moment: Meta recently announced a skilled trade academy program, and Google committed $50 million to help train people in skilled trades. But amid growing national opposition to data centers, debates over the ethics of the massive buildout have started to pop up in some online pockets of the community. Threads about how AI will affect the economy now pepper r/electricians, a subreddit with around half a million monthly visitors. Some users wonder whether the work will eventually prompt widespread job losses. Others aren't sure if their labor makes them complicit in the damage done to local communities or whether it's unethical to take on data center work. For some, the answer is a firm no. Ultimately, they argue, work is work. An anonymous Midwest electrician who spoke to Wired acknowledged concerns about scams, corporate greed, and AI's impact on workers, but said he views data centers as an important source of career advancement. "This is most likely going to be a major part of our future. And if you can't beat them, join them," he said. An electrician named Ryan, meanwhile, is strongly opposed to working on data centers because he distrusts the corporations and political environment driving AI development. Still, if the facilities are going to be built, he would prefer union workers construct them. "If they're going to get built, I'd rather they go union," he said. Jesse, an IBEW electrician, sympathizes with communities negatively affected by data centers but does not believe the electricians building them should be blamed. In his view, opposition should instead be directed toward policymakers and the project approval process. "I think it's ridiculous if, to build a data center or any kind of a business, you're going to significantly impact the lives of that community in a negative way," he told Wired. An electrician named Dante echoed some of those sentiments, arguing that data center work is no more ethically compromised than many other commercial construction projects. "We're almost always working for the worst possible people in the end, but we all need a paycheck," he said. He added that such projects are "essentially the same kind of work," typically performed for wealthy corporations seeking to become even richer.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Animal lover Lorraine Riordan, 56, from south Wales, was hauled to court after her neighbours and a primary school complained about large numbers of rats.

Lauryn Goodman posted a sweet picture of her children on Instagram to mark Father's Day on Sunday.

Rob Keating, 40, bombarded Alexandra Saper, 34, with hundreds of emails and 30 videos, some of which were sexual in nature and aggressive, before travelling to Bali where she lived.

The longtime music executive and founder of Arista Records and J Records - who has an estimated net worth of $850million - passed away at his home in New York City on Monday.

Tireless AI agents could help scientists do research humans alone can't, says GPU giant

Thalha Jubair, 19, and Owen Flowers, 18, hacked into Transport for London's (TfL's) system between August 29 and September 3, 2024, causing chaos for Oyster card users.

A stunning discovery buried deep inside a cave for 300,000 years has revealed a lost chapter in human history.

MIKE KEEGAN IN BOSTON: Rape charge midfielder Thomas Partey says 'things that happen outside football you cannot control' and that he is 'ready to play' against England.

More than 240 people were arrested, two people stabbed, and others raped, as France's biggest open air music festival descended into intense violence.

The Met Office has issued a red 'danger to life' extreme heat warning for 'significant disruption to daily life' as the UK faces major delays to road, rail and air travel.

A 'signficant number' of conduct complaints have been lodged againt councillors according to new infomation

Valve's new Steam Machine will launch June 29 starting at $1,049 and go up from there depending on the configuration. Although it costs considerably more than the PS5 ($599.99) and Xbox Series X ($649.99), "the value proposition for the Steam Machine is that it can play your library of Steam games you may have accumulated over years (or even decades), rather than just PlayStation games, and it's also a full Linux PC that you can customize to your heart's content," reports The Verge. "Valve also says that it's selling the Steam Machine for the cost of its components alone instead of subsidizing the price." From the report: You can now register your interest to buy a Steam Machine as part of a reservation system. To offer a fair playing field for people who want to buy one, Valve will randomize everyone in the queue on Thursday at 1PM ET. After that, anyone who registers their interest will be added to the end of the waitlist. The first emails giving people the opportunity to buy will go out on June 29th. Valve will sell four configurations of the Steam Machine: - A 512GB model for $1,049 - A 512GB model with a bundled Steam Controller for $1,128 - A 2TB model for $1,349 - A 2TB model with a bundled Steam Controller for $1,428

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

From academic toss-aside to cloud substrate

Toy Story 5 has scored the highest opening weekend at the 2026 box office, as the Pixar franchise continues to enthrall audiences 30 years on.

A glum-looking Chancellor was pushed into the background as a triumphant Andy Burnham posed for a selfie with Labour MPs on his return to Parliament today.

TrophyLab bad for Vlad as battlefield losses spill the secrets they had

Alan Greenspan, legendary US economist and musician, has died at 100, confirms his wife Andrea Mitchell.

Bin collections are starting earlier to protect crews during the latest extreme heat warning in Braintree.

Plans were submitted to transform the former Mauro's café on The Green in Writtle into a new coffee, bakery and wine deli