HN user

ethagknight

1,917 karma

Real estate developer with Www.dsginc.net Urbanist, Memphian, aspiring entrepreneur, retired civil engineer.

Gmail:Knight240

[ my public key: https://keybase.io/alphak2; my proof: https://keybase.io/alphak2/sigs/pRs9Dk_vgRkVGoUuA6pXDN5hUpSl9vvP565ViOP91ko ]

Posts2
Comments714
View on HN

The permits are supposed to provide a review of the proposed discharge, usually requires a public notice and review period, and ensures compliance. I assume this Texas permit is typical to that end.

While permits CAN be “just red tape”, permits SHOULD be, and frequently are, the conclusion of an appropriate review process that industry standards are being implemented.

It's not a weird thing to say, it's what has happened. We used to have vehicle inspections, now we dont, vehicular pollution can be horrible in Memphis, even our city buses frequently pour out black smoke, but no lawsuits or front page 'journalism' on that!

The Shelby County Health Department has been leading the charge against xAI.

I just bought a Switch 2 for my kids and I am very impressed with it. Yes, pricing for games and components is wild, but so is everything else these days. The Switch software is very good, the kids love it, Nintendo online retro games are awesome, and we've had a lot of fun playing Zelda together.

I would pay 50 more dollars for the same experience if thats what it took. I do think Nintendo should provide a little more value at the new price, but it's not a huge gap.

I live in Memphis, none of this is true. What is true is that there is a concerted effort to smear anything related to xAI‘s presence in Memphis for some reason.

For some facts, the colossus data center is next-door to a steel mill and city sewage treatment plant, a vacated gigawatt scale coal power plant complete with nasty Coal Ash Ponds, and a brand new combined cycle gas power plant. The area is at the far edge of Memphis city limits up against the river, in a heavy industrial area. There’s even a major Valero oil refinery right there too.

Memphis has trillions and trillions of gallons of water, both in a gigantic underground aquifers and the Mississippi River itself. xAI has agreed to shed load in case of impending brownouts. The fear mongering is out of control.

They had a ton of portable turbines that were under operating under a temporary permit, and that was the disputed part. However, the blame should rest with TVA and or Memphis light gas and water for not being able to run an appropriate high voltage connection less than 1 mile from the plant to the data center in a timely manner. However… What difference does it make if the natural gas is burned at TVA plant or very similar gas turbines on site in the same neighborhood. Environmental groups and the county health department tried suing, was struck down, xAI works closely with the State, but the whining continues. xAI is paying gargantuan taxes to the city, no tax breaks.

These environmental groups do not care about the nasty unregulated cars burning oil, that I have to breathe every day. We terminated our motor vehicle inspection requirements due to the “burden” it places on the low income population. So they can burn their oil in my face, but then they sue to stop a SOTA turbine in an industrial area? There are junkyards in these same areas that burn their piles of waste tires every year or so “on accident”. No lawsuits there either.

Surveillance State? They already have all kinds of data on you, including your child’s vaccination records, security cameras throughout the building, supposed home addresses, and parental information. I assume you have to have your ID scanned before entering the building. LPR does not offer anything revelatory from a personal freedoms perspective.

Tracking license plates to look for unusually activity is an easy win for both fraud prevention and security from more serious threats.

My thoughts. The escorts serve little benefit to the US given the risk. US doesn’t “need” the Persian gulf exports as much as other countries (who could run their own minesweeping operations). Iran mining Hormuz is a feature not a bug for US effort in a “proxy war” against Iran (hint: it’s all about China)

I seriously long for a free transit solution in my city, Memphis. We already pay for 90% of the operating cost anyway via various taxes, and fareboxes frequently cost more than they bring in. If I am a citizen paying property taxes in the city, why charge me $1.75 to hop on a bus?

However- it shouldnt be simply "free".. it should be "free with a pass, which is free" and a pass is easy to get, tied to your ID, and easy to revoke. No pass? thats fine, pay the $3 to ride. bus driver yanked your pass because you were peeing on the seat or intimidating other riders? You can ride again, for $3. Concerned about security or privacy? No problem, Pay $3.

Before the majority of law abiding citizens and travelers, passes are easy and free to get.

Sorry- yes there’s a used market, but the pricing is essentially handling and refurb cost. used panels are sold by the pallet for the price of a new single panel. Vastly different from a used car industry.

That being said… I might buy a pallet

It's a byproduct of a lot of oil production while also having its own reserves. My office used to look at an oil refinery that was miles away, and they were just burning the natural gas off in a huge plume, not worth trying to capture and combust for production.

The fracking is also in Arkansas and Texas and many other states. An amazing amount of gas continues to be discovered. I am not a geologist but assume that Australia could dedicate resources to explore fracking gas reserves and would come up with quite bit.

sidebar, but I just realized that Australia doesnt really have mountains to speak of. Tallest mountain is around the elevation of the typical Colorado Rockies valley towns. Australia may not have the 'cap traps' required to retain large amounts of gas in the various layers going down under ground.

Seems like people confuse the old school "gas peakers" which are basically just simple generators burning gasoline or diesel designed to be used intermittently, and advanced combined cycle natural gas, which are incredibly efficient. Natural Gas is super cheap in many markets, and it appears to be common theory that markets with limited natural gas simply haven't been explored sufficiently due to other fuels being cheaper (coal).

ACC Natural Gas + Solar/Wind + Batteries + actively priced load shedding market seems like a tremendous quartet.

Hyundai has a known track record of circumventing the law in the US, but you’d rather assume innocence. Can’t help that you side with child labor trafficking.

The wrongful arrests aren’t a death sentence, it’s an inconvenience of getting caught up in a much larger willful breach of federal law. They’re probably back at work the next day. I’ve personally been detained by police wrongfully. Not a big deal.

Amazing that someone so acclaimed can write something so foolish. Buybacks can be good, buybacks can also be bad, like any other financial management decision. The same buyback can be good for some people, and less advantageous for others.

Instead of labeling it “Trump oligarchy shit” (?) just don’t own shares of whatever company you are upset about.

This guy clearly just has a bone to pick.

You assume ATF is lying at face value, thats fine. Remember that they also have access to paystub info, tax filings, etc, for workers at this plant. They already know who they are looking for. It's plain foolishness to think this was just a random checkpoint.

An appropriate response from the employer is, "We have thorough records on all our employment, we take employment laws very seriously, and we believe to the best of our knowledge that our employees are in proper legal standing in compliance with the laws of the state of Georgia." (update: from the article, they say are committed and cooperating)

Also, Biden-era Dept of Labor accused Hyundai of using child labor throughout its supply chain. UNDER THE AGE OF 14 in an auto factory. But sure, let's presume innocence and assume the feds are the illegal ones on this next turn.

>“Our investigation found SL Alabama engaged in oppressive child labor by employing young workers under the minimum age of 14, and by employing minors under 16 in a manufacturing occupation,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Kenneth Stripling in Birmingham, Alabama. “Employers are responsible for knowing who is working in their facilities, ensuring that those individuals are of legal working age, and that their employment complies with all federal, state and local labor laws.”

https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/WHD/WHD20221011

'Many' in the context of a claim of illegal detention, can and should be given a more precise number, otherwise it's fair to assume a narrative is being sold. ATF Atlanta claims 450 workers are 'unlawful aliens'. A counter claim should be specific or get tossed out. 10s? 100s? Vague damage control is never a good sign.

SK embassy and Hyundai itself have significant liability in admitting or even acknowledging employment of illegals.

Unless the big data centers are entering into mandatory load reduction during high strain on the system, then theres going to be an increased cost to the little buyers.

The tradeoff is that Utilities can upgrade their systems and improve uptime thanks to the higher base load. It's up to the utils to negotiate well against the big data players.. good luck on that with politicians breathing down your neck to secure a big win.

> unfortunate reality is that there’s an entire constellation of municipal services and infrastructure required for even suburban development. These things cost money and the best way to raise that money is to charge the people who benefit from the value said infrastructure provides.

The unfortunate reality in my city is that approximate 80-90% of homes (many of which are investor-owned) pay a fraction of the impact they incur on the city. Property taxes may be the most progressive tax burden by a long shot. Prop taxes need to be limited and/or totally redrawn as a concept.