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- Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers
Photographs by Landon SpeersAs we drove through southwest Memphis, KeShaun Pearson told me to keep my window down—our destination was best tasted, not viewed. Along the way, we passed an abandoned coal plant to our right, then an active power plant to our left, equipped with enormous natural-gas turbines. Pearson, who directs the nonprofit Memphis Community Against Pollution, was bringing me to his hometown’s latest industrial megaproject.Already, the air smelled of soot, gasoline, and asphalt. Then I felt a tickle sliding up my nostrils and down into my throat, like I was getting a cold. As we approached, I heard the rumble of cranes and trucks, and then from behind a patch of trees emerged a forest of electrical towers. Finally, I saw it—a white-walled hangar, bigger than a dozen football fields, where Elon Musk intends to build a god.This is Colossus: a data center that Musk’s artificial-intelligence company, xAI, is using as a training ground for Grok, one of the world’s most advanced generative-AI models. Training these models takes a staggering amount of energy; if run at full strength for a year, Colossus would use as much electricity as 200,000 American homes. When fully operational, Musk has written on X, this facility and two other xAI data centers nearby will require nearly two gigawatts of power. Annually, those facilities could consume roughly twice as much electricity as the city of Seattle.To get Colossus up and running fast, xAI built its own power plant, setting up as many as 35 natural-gas turbines—railcar-size engines that can be major sources of smog—according to imagery obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center. Pearson coughed as we drove by the facility. The scratch in my throat worsened, and I rolled up my window.xAI’s rivals are all building similarly large data centers to develop their most powerful generative-AI models; a metropolis’s worth of electricity will surge through facilities that occupy a few city blocks. These companies have primarily made their chatbots “smarter” not by writing niftier code but by making them bigger: ramming more data through more powerful computer chips that use more electricity. OpenAI has announced plans for facilities requiring more than 30 gigawatts of power in total—more than the largest recorded demand for all of New England. Since ChatGPT’s launch, in November 2022, the capital expenditures of Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google have exceeded $600 billion, and much of that spending has gone… [TheTopNews] Read More.5 days ago - Toxic people in your life may have a hidden health impact, study suggests
Surrounding yourself with difficult people could shorten your lifespan, according to new research.A study published in the journal PNAS found that negative social ties contribute to a faster aging pace and an older biological age.The researchers, from various U.S.-based universities, studied how "hasslers," or people who often cause problems or social difficulties, impacted aging and mortality, according to a study press release.NEW STUDY HINTS AT A HIDDEN ALZHEIMER’S RISK FACTOR AFFECTING OLDER AMERICANSBiological aging refers to the pace of aging on a cellular level, which is often different from chronological age.Based on a sample of more than 2,000 Indiana participants 18 years and older, nearly 30% of individuals reported having a "hassler" in their network.People who were more likely to report hasslers included women, daily smokers, people in worse health and those with adverse childhood experiences.Using biological clocks that measure age-related changes to DNA, the researchers found that the presence of hasslers was linked to accelerated aging, higher inflammation, more chronic conditions and worse mental health.For each additional hassler, there was about a 1.5% increased pace of aging and about a nine-month older biological age.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESNot all hasslers "exert the same influence," as blood relatives and non-blood relatives both showed "detrimental" associations, but spouse hasslers do not, the researchers stated.Blood-related hasslers are hard to avoid, making them "stronger chronic stressors," according to the study. Spouse hasslers may not have shown a significant association because these ties mix negative and positive exchanges. "These findings together highlight the critical role of negative social ties in biological aging as chronic stressors, and the need for interventions that reduce harmful social exposures to promote healthier aging trajectories," the researchers wrote in the study abstract."We are surrounded by those who make our lives difficult and cause problems," study co-author Byungkyu Lee of NYU’s Department of Sociology told Fox News Digital.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ"We found that they are not just stressful; they are associated with measurable acceleration in biological aging at the molecular level, along with higher inflammation, depression, anxiety and chronic disease burden."Reducing exposure to people who consistently create stress or conflict "may benefit health," the study suggests, although this is not always realistic, Lee noted."Many of these relationships involve family members or others who are deeply embedded in daily life, so the challenge is often not simply avoiding them, but finding healthier ways to manage them," he said.… [TheTopNews] Read More.5 days ago - Flatbed Spot Rates Keep Climbing, Reaching Strongest Week Since 2022
The flatbed spot rates market continues to show strong momentum, reaching its highest levels since 2022. According to recent data from FTR Transportation Intelligence and DAT Freight & Analytics, flatbed freight rates and volumes increased again last week. Meanwhile, dry van and refrigerated segments experienced modest week-over-week declines. Nevertheless, overall spot market conditions remain stronger than in recent years. Although some equipment segments softened slightly, the flatbed segment continues to support the broader spot market. In fact, flatbed demand has steadily increased for several weeks, suggesting that certain sectors of the freight economy are gaining strength. Overall Spot Market Trends Across the three primary equipment segments—dry van, refrigerated, and flatbed—spot rates remain significantly stronger compared with the same period in previous years. According to FTR, overall broker-posted spot rates increased 4 cents per mile last week. Consequently, gains in the flatbed segment more than offset declines in the dry van and refrigerated markets. Furthermore, analysts note that even though weekly decreases occurred in some segments, pricing levels remain elevated compared with historical averages. Therefore, despite short-term fluctuations, the trucking spot market continues to show resilience. Dry Van Rates and Volumes The dry van segment recorded another small weekly decline. However, the market still shows strength when viewed from a longer-term perspective. According to FTR: Average dry van spot rates decreased 3.6 cents per mile last week Nevertheless, rates remain 19% higher than the same week last year Dry van load volumes declined 4.6% overall, although volumes increased regionally in the Southeast Similarly, DAT reported comparable trends: National linehaul spot rates fell 2 cents per mile, averaging just under $2.00 per mile This marked the fourth consecutive weekly decline of 2 cents Even so, dry van rates remain 22% higher than last year Therefore, although the segment has cooled slightly in recent weeks, dry van freight continues to perform better than it did during much of the previous year. Refrigerated Freight Shows Similar Movement Refrigerated freight followed a similar pattern. Weekly spot rates declined slightly; however, year-over-year comparisons remain strong. According to FTR: Reefer spot rates fell 4.4 cents per mile week over week However, rates are still 26% higher than last year Refrigerated load volumes declined 2.4% overall At the same time, certain regions experienced… [TheTopNews] Read More.5 days ago - Australian businessman found guilty of working for suspected Chinese spies
Csergo argued his reports did not contain any secrets but only information available on the internet. [TheTopNews] Read More.6 days ago - Qantas agrees to pay $74m over Covid-19 travel voucher refundsThe case relates to cancelled flights during the pandemic, for which customers were given credits instead of cash. [TheTopNews] Read More.6 days ago
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Photographs by Landon SpeersAs we drove through southwest Memphis, KeShaun Pearson told me to keep my window down—our destination was best tasted, not viewed. Along the way, we passed an abandoned coal plant to our right, then an active power plant to our left, equipped with enormous natural-gas turbines. Pearson, who directs the nonprofit Memphis Community Against Pollution, was bringing me to his hometown’s latest industrial megaproject.Already, the air smelled of soot, gasoline, and asphalt. Then I felt a tickle sliding up my nostrils and down into my throat, like I was getting a cold. As we approached, I heard the rumble of cranes and trucks, and then from behind a patch of trees emerged a forest of electrical towers. Finally, I saw it—a white-walled hangar, bigger than a dozen football fields, where Elon Musk intends to build a god.This is Colossus: a data center that Musk’s artificial-intelligence company, xAI, is using as a training ground for Grok, one of the world’s most advanced generative-AI models. Training these models takes a staggering amount of energy; if run at full strength for a year, Colossus would use as much electricity as 200,000 American homes. When fully operational, Musk has written on X, this facility and two other xAI data centers nearby will require nearly two gigawatts of power. Annually, those facilities could consume roughly twice as much electricity as the city of Seattle.To get Colossus up and running fast, xAI built its own power plant, setting up as many as 35 natural-gas turbines—railcar-size engines that can be major sources of smog—according to imagery obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center. Pearson coughed as we drove by the facility. The scratch in my throat worsened, and I rolled up my window.xAI’s rivals are all building similarly large data centers to develop their most powerful generative-AI models; a metropolis’s worth of electricity will surge through facilities that occupy a few city blocks. These companies have primarily made their chatbots “smarter” not by writing niftier code but by making them bigger: ramming more data through more powerful computer chips that use more electricity. OpenAI has announced plans for facilities requiring more than 30 gigawatts of power in total—more than the largest recorded demand for all of New England. Since ChatGPT’s launch, in November 2022, the capital expenditures of Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google have exceeded $600 billion, and much of that spending has gone… [TheTopNews] Read More.
5 days ago
Surrounding yourself with difficult people could shorten your lifespan, according to new research.A study published in the journal PNAS found that negative social ties contribute to a faster aging pace and an older biological age.The researchers, from various U.S.-based universities, studied how "hasslers," or people who often cause problems or social difficulties, impacted aging and mortality, according to a study press release.NEW STUDY HINTS AT A HIDDEN ALZHEIMER’S RISK FACTOR AFFECTING OLDER AMERICANSBiological aging refers to the pace of aging on a cellular level, which is often different from chronological age.Based on a sample of more than 2,000 Indiana participants 18 years and older, nearly 30% of individuals reported having a "hassler" in their network.People who were more likely to report hasslers included women, daily smokers, people in worse health and those with adverse childhood experiences.Using biological clocks that measure age-related changes to DNA, the researchers found that the presence of hasslers was linked to accelerated aging, higher inflammation, more chronic conditions and worse mental health.For each additional hassler, there was about a 1.5% increased pace of aging and about a nine-month older biological age.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESNot all hasslers "exert the same influence," as blood relatives and non-blood relatives both showed "detrimental" associations, but spouse hasslers do not, the researchers stated.Blood-related hasslers are hard to avoid, making them "stronger chronic stressors," according to the study. Spouse hasslers may not have shown a significant association because these ties mix negative and positive exchanges. "These findings together highlight the critical role of negative social ties in biological aging as chronic stressors, and the need for interventions that reduce harmful social exposures to promote healthier aging trajectories," the researchers wrote in the study abstract."We are surrounded by those who make our lives difficult and cause problems," study co-author Byungkyu Lee of NYU’s Department of Sociology told Fox News Digital.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ"We found that they are not just stressful; they are associated with measurable acceleration in biological aging at the molecular level, along with higher inflammation, depression, anxiety and chronic disease burden."Reducing exposure to people who consistently create stress or conflict "may benefit health," the study suggests, although this is not always realistic, Lee noted."Many of these relationships involve family members or others who are deeply embedded in daily life, so the challenge is often not simply avoiding them, but finding healthier ways to manage them," he said.… [TheTopNews] Read More.
5 days ago
The flatbed spot rates market continues to show strong momentum, reaching its highest levels since 2022. According to recent data from FTR Transportation Intelligence and DAT Freight & Analytics, flatbed freight rates and volumes increased again last week. Meanwhile, dry van and refrigerated segments experienced modest week-over-week declines. Nevertheless, overall spot market conditions remain stronger than in recent years. Although some equipment segments softened slightly, the flatbed segment continues to support the broader spot market. In fact, flatbed demand has steadily increased for several weeks, suggesting that certain sectors of the freight economy are gaining strength. Overall Spot Market Trends Across the three primary equipment segments—dry van, refrigerated, and flatbed—spot rates remain significantly stronger compared with the same period in previous years. According to FTR, overall broker-posted spot rates increased 4 cents per mile last week. Consequently, gains in the flatbed segment more than offset declines in the dry van and refrigerated markets. Furthermore, analysts note that even though weekly decreases occurred in some segments, pricing levels remain elevated compared with historical averages. Therefore, despite short-term fluctuations, the trucking spot market continues to show resilience. Dry Van Rates and Volumes The dry van segment recorded another small weekly decline. However, the market still shows strength when viewed from a longer-term perspective. According to FTR: Average dry van spot rates decreased 3.6 cents per mile last week Nevertheless, rates remain 19% higher than the same week last year Dry van load volumes declined 4.6% overall, although volumes increased regionally in the Southeast Similarly, DAT reported comparable trends: National linehaul spot rates fell 2 cents per mile, averaging just under $2.00 per mile This marked the fourth consecutive weekly decline of 2 cents Even so, dry van rates remain 22% higher than last year Therefore, although the segment has cooled slightly in recent weeks, dry van freight continues to perform better than it did during much of the previous year. Refrigerated Freight Shows Similar Movement Refrigerated freight followed a similar pattern. Weekly spot rates declined slightly; however, year-over-year comparisons remain strong. According to FTR: Reefer spot rates fell 4.4 cents per mile week over week However, rates are still 26% higher than last year Refrigerated load volumes declined 2.4% overall At the same time, certain regions experienced… [TheTopNews] Read More.
5 days ago
Csergo argued his reports did not contain any secrets but only information available on the internet. [TheTopNews] Read More.
6 days ago
The case relates to cancelled flights during the pandemic, for which customers were given credits instead of cash. [TheTopNews] Read More.
6 days ago
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