BiCurean

Data centers aren't going away — and honestly, we probably don't want them to. So where does that leave the rest of us?

In the final episode of the series, Aicila and John move from diagnosis to action. They dig into why the problems outlined in part two are largely unnecessary, what's already being done at the state and local level, and why John thinks this technology will look completely unrecognizable in five years — for better and for worse.

In this episode:

• Why companies are shopping for the cheapest land and weakest regulations — and what Virginia and Georgia tell us about that race to the bottom
• The real math on jobs: thousands during construction, maybe fifty once it's running
• How AI hardware demand is already hitting your wallet — RAM prices up ~400% in 18 months, and phone memory costs heading the same direction
• The water problem in detail: clean water in, warmer and potentially bacteria-laden water out — and why aquifer-dependent siting is a choice, not a necessity
• Data centers in Germany that have been heating entire city buildings with their waste heat for over a decade (proof that thoughtful design is possible)
• Where to actually push: federal is a dead end right now — state legislatures and city councils are where traction is happening
• Organizations doing the work: Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, NRDC, Union of Concerned Scientists, Columbia Riverkeeper
• What you can do personally: local vs. remote processing, and why it matters more than it sounds

The BiCurean thread: They can build this right. They just won't unless we make them. And in five years, the gold rush will be over — we just can't let them wreck the water supply in the meantime.

Resources

AI and water

Not just use- also cooling and contamination

https://undark.org/2025/12/16/ai-data-centers-water/

https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/data-center-water-use/

Innovative ways to use data center energy-

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-hooks-up-berlin-data-center-to-local-district-heating-system/

World Resource 

https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-center-growth-impacts

Politico- 

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/ai-data-centers-georgia-midterms-00888668

AI data Centers- Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/ai-data-centers-energy-demands/686064/

Living in Hell- data center neighbors grapple with noise, air pollution

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution

Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delivering-an-open-data-center-ecosystem-for-ai-302756458.html

Server Racks /  Data center

https://www.cdw.com/product/startech-4-post-26u-wall-mount-network-cabinet-19-hinged-wall-mounted-serv/4705173

ChatGPT4 data sizes

https://seifeur.com/gpt-4-model-size/

ChatGPT Model Version History:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT#Model_versions

OpenAI revenue growth, still operating at a loss:

https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-explosive-revenue-growth-implications-ai-ecosystem-2507/

Other AI Revenue (DO NOT SHOW ON AIR- COPYRIGHTED)

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-soaring-revenues-of-ai-companies-2023-2025/

Sustainable Cloud Computing companies:

https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-cloud-companies

The Green Grid (Industry coalition for green computing):

https://www.thegreengrid.org/

Different states pursuing laws and regulations:

https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/state-regulation-data-centers-2026-shifting-landscape

Harvard Kennedy School / Belfer Center paper on AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: AWatershed Moment

https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Mural%20et%20al_AI%20Data%20Centers%20Grid_20260206.pdf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The cloud was humming along just fine. Then AI walked in.

In part two, Aicila and John dig into why AI data centers are a fundamentally different beast from the cloud infrastructure we've been using for decades — and why the timing couldn't be worse. More power, more water, more heat, less accountability, and a deregulatory environment that's removing the guardrails just as the stakes get higher.

In this episode:

• How the pandemic accelerated cloud adoption — and set the stage for AI's arrival
• What large language models actually are and why they're such resource hogs (GPT-3.5: 45 terabytes of training data; GPT-4: a full petabyte — a 22-fold increase in months)
• Why local AI models on your phone or laptop exist, and what Apple and Microsoft are quietly doing about data center costs
• The uncomfortable truth: only Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are profitable in AI — everyone else is burning venture capital
• Traditional data centers vs. AI-centric ones: an order of magnitude more power, an order of magnitude more heat
• Why the most sustainable operators are actually the big cloud companies — and why the AI startups aren't following their lead
• What EPA gutting and deregulation means for where this is all heading

The BiCurean thread: The technology could be built sustainably. The problem isn't capability — it's who's building it, how fast, and with whose money.

Next episode: What's actually being done, and what you can do.

Resources

AI and water

Not just use- also cooling and contamination

https://undark.org/2025/12/16/ai-data-centers-water/

https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/data-center-water-use/

Innovative ways to use data center energy-

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-hooks-up-berlin-data-center-to-local-district-heating-system/

World Resource 

https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-center-growth-impacts

Politico- 

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/ai-data-centers-georgia-midterms-00888668

AI data Centers- Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/ai-data-centers-energy-demands/686064/

Living in Hell- data center neighbors grapple with noise, air pollution

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution

Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delivering-an-open-data-center-ecosystem-for-ai-302756458.html

Server Racks / Data center

https://www.cdw.com/product/startech-4-post-26u-wall-mount-network-cabinet-19-hinged-wall-mounted-serv/4705173

ChatGPT4 data sizes

https://seifeur.com/gpt-4-model-size/

ChatGPT Model Version History:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT#Model_versions

OpenAI revenue growth, still operating at a loss:

https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-explosive-revenue-growth-implications-ai-ecosystem-2507/

Other AI Revenue (DO NOT SHOW ON AIR- COPYRIGHTED)

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-soaring-revenues-of-ai-companies-2023-2025/

Sustainable Cloud Computing companies:

https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-cloud-companies

The Green Grid (Industry coalition for green computing):

https://www.thegreengrid.org/

Different states pursuing laws and regulations:

https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/state-regulation-data-centers-2026-shifting-landscape

Harvard Kennedy School / Belfer Center paper on AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: AWatershed Moment

https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Mural%20et%20al_AI%20Data%20Centers%20Grid_20260206.pdf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've seen the headlines — data centers as economic savior or neighborhood villain — but weren't totally sure what a data center actually is, this episode is your starting point.

Aicila sits down with John Bowman, an IT veteran with 35 years in the industry, to trace the arc from the very first data center (built in 1945 to house ENIAC, a military computer the size of a room) to the cloud infrastructure powering your phone right now.

In this episode:

• What a data center actually is — stripped of the hype
• From military origins and DARPANET to corporate mainframes and the dot-com era
• How Amazon Web Services and the iPhone arriving at the same moment changed everything
• Why cloud computing democratized access to computing power
• The basics of how data centers work: power, cooling, fiber, security, and fire suppression (including why John had to practice escaping his rack in under 10 seconds)

The BiCurean thread: Before we can have a real conversation about what's happening now, we need to understand that data centers didn't appear with AI — they've been quietly running the world for nearly 80 years.

Next episode: AI arrives, and things get complicated.

Resources

AI and water

Not just use- also cooling and contamination

https://undark.org/2025/12/16/ai-data-centers-water/

https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/data-center-water-use/

Innovative ways to use data center energy-

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-hooks-up-berlin-data-center-to-local-district-heating-system/

World Resource 

https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-center-growth-impacts

Politico- 

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/ai-data-centers-georgia-midterms-00888668

AI data Centers- Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/ai-data-centers-energy-demands/686064/

Living in Hell- data center neighbors grapple with noise, air pollution

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution

Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delivering-an-open-data-center-ecosystem-for-ai-302756458.html

Server Racks / Data center

https://www.cdw.com/product/startech-4-post-26u-wall-mount-network-cabinet-19-hinged-wall-mounted-serv/4705173

ChatGPT4 data sizes

https://seifeur.com/gpt-4-model-size/

ChatGPT Model Version History:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT#Model_versions

OpenAI revenue growth, still operating at a loss:

https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-explosive-revenue-growth-implications-ai-ecosystem-2507/

Other AI Revenue (DO NOT SHOW ON AIR- COPYRIGHTED)

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-soaring-revenues-of-ai-companies-2023-2025/

Sustainable Cloud Computing companies:

https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-cloud-companies

The Green Grid (Industry coalition for green computing):

https://www.thegreengrid.org/

Different states pursuing laws and regulations:

https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/state-regulation-data-centers-2026-shifting-landscape

Harvard Kennedy School / Belfer Center paper on AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: AWatershed Moment

https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Mural%20et%20al_AI%20Data%20Centers%20Grid_20260206.pdf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not Dinner Conversations with G and Aicila covers the topics considered too impolite for the family dinner table. This week, the episode dives into the concept of meritocracy and how it is currently being used in political agendas, particularly by the present administration in the U.S. G and Aicila discuss the myth of meritocracy, emphasizing that the system often excludes non-elite individuals based on inherited leadership and wealth rather than true merit. They highlight how meritocracy is being used as a weapon to discourage diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, despite these offering more genuine opportunities for advancement. The conversation touches on the practical benefits of diversity in modern society, contrasting it with the fear and entitlement driving opposition to DEI.

Key Points:

• Meritocracy is often a myth that excludes individuals from non-elite backgrounds.
• Current political agendas use meritocracy to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
• The importance of true meritocracy that considers all factors, including socioeconomic status and resource access.
• Recognizing that fair and genuine meritocracy should be the goal.
• The role of fear and entitlement in resisting diversity, with an example of mass media's portrayal of black superheroes.
• Encouragement to reflect on one's personal definition of merit and why certain attributes are valued.

Resources Mentioned:

• American Medical Association updates on health topics.
• Example of past Kodak product failure due to lack of diversity.

Call to Action: Reflect on your personal definition of merit. Why do you value certain attributes as meritorious? Share your thoughts and join the conversation on what true meritocracy should look like.

For an insightful exploration into often unspoken societal challenges, tune in to Not Dinner Conversations where G and Aicila fearlessly address topics that don't usually make it to the dinner table.

Not Dinner Conversations is co-produced by Gwendolyn R Houston-Jack and Aicila of BiCurean.com

Notes created by CastMagic and edited by human hands and eyes.

Follow G at https://www.youtube.com/@GRHoustonJack

Not Dinner Conversations premieres on YouTube Wednesdays at 4pm Central a few times a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not Dinner Conversations with G and Aicila covers the topics considered too impolite for the family dinner table. This week, the episode covers "Gender Affirming Care." G and Aicila dive into the broader implications and misconceptions surrounding gender affirming care, discussing how it is often misunderstood and only associated with the transgender community. They highlight that gender affirming behaviors extend to actions many engage in, such as wearing makeup or receiving cosmetic procedures, and stress the necessity of empathy and education on this topic. They also explore societal perceptions of gender, discussing personal anecdotes and broader implications for both trans and cisgender individuals, while advocating for a more inclusive understanding of gender diversity.

Key Points with Timestamps:

• Introduction and importance of accurate terminology
• Gender issues and women fighting for opportunities
• The importance of doing one's part in societal transitions
• Misconceptions about gender affirming care
• Broader implications of gender affirming surgeries
• Discussion on the impact of societal standards on personal identity
• Learning through diverse interactions and experiences

Resources Mentioned:

• improvethenews.org
• snopes.com
• whatcango right newsletter
• Books: "As Nature Made Him" and "My Husband Betty"

CHALLENGE: Expand your understanding of gender diversity by exploring media and resources authored by individuals across the gender spectrum. We challenge you to listen to a podcast or read an article by someone who identifies as transgender or gender non-conforming, and reflect on the commonalities in human experiences.

For an insightful exploration into often unspoken societal challenges, tune in to Not Dinner Conversations where G and Aicila fearlessly address topics that don't usually make it to the dinner table.

Not Dinner Conversations is co produced by Gwendolyn R Houston-Jack and Aicila of BiCurean.com

Notes created by CastMagic and edited by human hands and eyes.

Follow G at https://www.youtube.com/@GRHoustonJack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BiCurean takes typically combative topics and teaches them to play nice.

Our view is the mainstream reactionary rhetoric divides us and only helps those invested in the status quo.

Join host Aicila as she digs into topics ranging from social and political to geeky and fun. Aicila is looking for the "BiCurean Moment"- the point where contradictions meet or are embraced.

Episode Overview: Season 5.0 Intro BiCurean

In this season opener, host Aicila delves into the return of BiCurean, explaining her renewed passion for the podcast and her plans moving forward. She discusses the origins of BiCurean and its evolution from a blog to a podcast. Aicila emphasizes the podcast's aim of exploring contradictions and building understanding. She unveils some exciting collaborations, notably with podcaster Gwendolyn R. Houston-Jack, and shares her intent to engage more deeply with topics ranging from social issues to fun, geeky subjects.

Find episodes and more on my website, bicurean.com. Reach out if you have ideas for topics or questions. Descript and Castmagic used to process and then edited by human eyes, ears and hands. Lightly edited and produced by BiCurean.

BiCurean was conceived of in 2011 by Aicila as a podcast and originally created as a blog. On hiatus since 2021, she's been eager to start back up, and 2024 will be the year she does. Watch for new episodes, a new format, and just her as the host. https://bicurean.com/pocasts for more info

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Randolf has a YouTube channel and is the founding President of the Canadian atheists, which aims to normalize atheism in Canadian society (and hopefully the world), and to present atheism in the best possible ways.  He occasionally post videos, primarily where atheism is the subject matter, although he also cover other topics from time-to-time.  If you'd like to discuss atheism or religion, or some other topic of interest, please feel free to contact him as I'd be happy to engage with you in a conversation or interview, or participate in a live debate.

Talking about how "people are more important than ideas" is an attitude he's been presenting from time-to-time in promoting atheism, and it's partly in response to the attitudes of some religious people who believe that all life should revolve around religious doctrine (which is a collection of ideas).

Randolf also touches on leadership, and encourage people to "be their own leaders" because in many scenarios leaders, despite even the best intentions, don't/can't have everyone's best interests at heart.  While leaders do serve important functions, I feel that each person is ultimately in a potentially-better position to know what their own best interests actually are.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ornella Matta-Figueroa is certified coach, working on a Ph.D in Mind-Body Medicine. Ornella was called to the healing path 5 years ago. Intuitive body and energy worker she has a calling to create spaces for healing, expression, connection, counsel, and integration. She is a collaborative and servant leader. Certified in Dancing Mindfulness and co-creator of Sacred Raves, Ornella has been supporting individuals as they address trauma in their bodies through movement and return to inner guidance. She finds most joy in creating containers for healing, using a mixture of spirit and research. She also sings and enjoys creating, sharing, and participating in music Ornella has dedicated her life to working with young people. Whether it be her own children or professionally the last 15 years has been focused on youth work in a variety of capacities. She has worked as a youth facilitator, director of programs, summer program coordinator, and as assistant director in higher education. Ornella feels excited to join the SafeArt team. She looks forward to a deepening connection with the team and participants so that she may support in the healing of trauma in our communities.

Connect with Ornella | @deciviling on Instagram, FB, & Twitter
Safeart | www.safeart.org
TuskegeeTrauma | https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm
Brene Brown | https://brenebrown.com/
Secular Humanism | https://secularhumanism.org/what-is-secular-humanism/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lorena Garcia ran a powerful people centered campaign for US Senate in Colorado. Garcia has been working on the frontlines leading non-profit social justice policy advocacy organizations for the last fifteen years, fighting for equity, dignity, and justice for everyone, especially those who have been pushed to the margins. Being on the ground working directly with communities is her calling.  As a veteran organizer, women’s rights activist and nonprofit administrator, she has worked in the interest of the public good throughout her career. As a 7th generation Coloradan on her father’s side and first generation on her mother’s side, Garcia’s family background mirrors many families in Colorado and across the country. Her commitment to the well-being of families can be tied back to her own as the youngest of six siblings and aunt of 16 nieces and nephews. She and her wife, Jaimi, have been married for seven years. Garcia has a Bachelor’s in film studies from CU Boulder and a MBA from the George Washington University.

Links:
NPR Article on Filibuster and Jim Crow connection | https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982411563/in-push-to-end-filibuster-democrats-point-to-its-civil-rights-era-history
Latino/Latina views on access to abortion | https://www.latinainstitute.org/en/latinopoll
Supreme Court will hear arguments in Mississippi abortion case challenging Roe v. Wade on Dec. 1 | https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/20/supreme-court-will-hear-mississippi-abortion-case-challenging-roe-v-wade-on-dec-1.html
Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition | https://coparentcoalition.org/
Xena Reference- Ep 2.17 The Execution | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751542/
Equal Rights Amendment | https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
Ranked Choice Voting | https://www.rcvresources.org/
Media Literacy | https://adfontesmedia.com/summa-news-literacy-curriculum/
Weta | https://www.wetafx.co.nz
Interpretting Constitution | https://www.theodysseyonline.com/interpretations-constitution-originalism-textualism-pragmatism-stare-decisis

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.