How the fuck should a loan program help paying for monthly recurring costs?!
Because in the summer people run the AC more than they can afford and rack up like $300 bills when their off-summer average would normally be like $70. The loan programs are more like a deferred payment plan where they will cap the individual monthly payment at $150 or something, and then just push the surplus onto other future bills. Then usually when you close the account you owe them a bunch of money still, and that’s when they start doing things like offering to set you up with loan services.
I participate in the “residential smart thermostat rewards” program where they can adjust my temps during high demand periods. In the past it has been like if it’s 100F out they will bump my settings from 77 to 79 which is not a big deal and gets me like two weeks of free electricity.
This year those mother fuckers have been bumping the thermostat up to like 86 when it’s 87 outside. Gee I wonder what the fucking difference is now? I can reject their temp settings in the app, but I can only do it like three times before they cancel my rewards. I’m half tempted to go wire up a little Arduino in series with the thermostat so I can control the AC without touching the smart thermostat if needed.
I had a similar deal (I actually got a free Nest thermostat out of it), but eventually I disabled that feature. Instead, I now use a fixed temperature upper bound that is at the edge of my comfortable range. Of course, this is because I can afford to run the air conditioning when it gets that hot.
This is honestly the first year I’ve even noticed the events. Previously I’d notice the email like a few days later and check the logs to see what they did. This was the first time where I was just at home and felt noticeably uncomfortable and checked the thermostat to see they’d set it to 86F which is outrageous. Its pissing me off enough that I want to cheat the system instead of just opt out, because like… The fucking audacity.
They’re putting data centers in near me (they have been heavily protested, but of course that doesn’t do shit, the local government holds lots of meetings that are crowded with people saying they don’t want them, and then they shrug and approve them anyway. The last meeting I heard about they just flat out cancelled because too many people were planning on coming and speaking against it). I got a letter from my power company that they’re raising electric rates, and would I like to contribute to a fund to help pay other people’s bill?
Replace them. Either recruit a candidate or run yourself. Ignoring your voters should have consequences.
Oh I know exactly how I’m voting next election, but the problem is that I live in a conservative area and these dumb fuckers wouldn’t vote for their own self interest if you held a gun to their heads, because if they vote for things that benefit them then a brown person or someone on disability might also benefit.
This conundrum is why America has been continuously turning into a shit hole for the lower classes. It goes all the way back to right after the civil rights movement. By the early 70s, most public pools were filled with concrete (supplemented via private country club pools of course) and white private schools were opened up all over the South to exclude blacks. These examples are just a small part of what has been going on over the last 50+ years.
the bigger issue is that education is mostly underfunded, or defunded. defunded is where gop do it to rural areas. even in places that are blue can be underfunded. as i see them still using the same version of books like 10+years ago without much updates, plus if you looking at how they are shuffling students around to make sure the funding for the budget, if the student is struggling.
Guess what? It was defunded because the money got poured into private schools and it doesn’t help public schools in America rely on local property taxes, so low income schools get less money due to the property taxes netting less money.
I absolutely cannot figure this out. Isn’t a kwh the same price for everyone? Why would a data center pay less? (I’m not asking anyone to justify the poor decisions of energy companies)
Same as with RAM prices. There is a limited supply and the datacenters are hogging it, possibly willing to pay extra because the entire bubble depends on MORE MORE MORE, or willing to bulk purchase the entire contingent in advance.
Now if you are a power supplier you find yourself in the comfortable position of being financially courted by the datacenter corps, and you have a captured audience of consumers who rely on you supplying them, who you can now justifiably bleed out, and if they cant pay you just sell it to the datacenter after all.
That is actually very sick behavior.
Capitalism is essentially based on the concept that everyone doing whatever they believe is in their best interest will magically balance itself out and achieve the most-efficient outcome, instead of the most self-serving and greedy criminals and psychopaths colluding to exploit and deceive the masses, accrue the lions share, and enslave everyone else.
It’s basically a religiously-dogmatic mental illness that has no place beyond the 19th Century, but the criminals and psychopaths used their wealth to exploit and deceive the masses… so here we are. May the greediest psychopath win!
To you or I, surely, but to an MBA it’s just business as usual.
Isn’t a kwh the same price for everyone?
Perversely, no. Large industrial users often get a bulk rate that’s cheaper than the household rate.
Happy cake day, BTW.
Don’t you have something like an energy board to protect your citizens against price hikes by power companies.
If we did, it would be populated by MAGAs who would take bribes to let the power company put ALL the costs on the residential consumers. Except for the wealthy neighborhood. They deserve a break, because they’re better.
Sounds like getting politically involved is a MAGA-exclusive thing in your country.
People with wealth have more time on their hands and are also more likely to have a mentality that they deserve what they have more than others. Many of them are obsessed with hierarchy whether they realize it or not, allowing them to dismiss the troubles of the commoners with talk of personal responsibility.
You don’t need wealth, just using your spare time getting involved is enough to boost the ranks.
Ah, capitalism!
Technically it’s socialism - the population is subsidising the datacenters. It’s only capitalism when it comes to getting paid
They are raising prices because there is new demand in the market. That’s not socialism at all, it’s market forces.
I’m betting the datacenters and power companies are funded by capital from investors that demand to receive the maximum capital return that can be extracted from that municipality. That’s capitalism
Data centers have lobbying force the citizens lack, they can negotiate for better prices.
Data centers also force power grid upgrades, the cost of which gets unfairly distributed to consumers.
And, data centers have the technology to take advantage of peak pricing, running on low power when electricity costs more and amping up when the price is more favorable.
People need to fight back in force, write their representatives, their energy companies, show up to town halls and increase public pressure to make sure data centers are paying their fair share.
I emailed the department of energy asking it why the cost of the data centers energy is being pushed onto the people and I also mentioned how it seems like a direct conflict of interest.
You think those clowns care about your email?? Probably got put in the trash as soon as it arrived.
Everything is worth what someone is willing to pay.
I don’t really get how the fig leaf of “due to data-centers” is even supposed to work.
They get more demand, so more revenue. Then the fixed costs of the business are spread over more revenue, which is supposed to make the prices better not worse.
I know the profit motive is just extracting whatever the market will bear, but could anyone still explain the reasoning they are trying to make customers believe?
probably need to build new power plants while the existing ones are in overdrive
they could handle that diffeently, butt fleecing regular joe is more fun
WHY is everyone so ANGRY at This? It’s the EXACT same Thing that Happens when your Neighbors have a HUGE Power Hungry weekend! EVERYONE Pays an Increase INSTEAD of JUST your Neighbor! I’ve NEVER had to Pay MORE for a Bill when I’ve used MORE Energy! It’s ALWAYS Distributed to EVERYONE instead!
So, this looks like “Something awful, that I don’t need, is increasing my energy prices”. A more accurate version would probably look like “Something really useful that I use all the time is increasing my energy prices”.
Whenever you see social media posts that demonise data centers just bear in mind all the foreign powers who are working hard to make you hate data centers (also look at my comments and downvotes which have now entered legendary status and are all pointless anyway, because no one’s reading this now lol. Next time if you’re going to organise a pile-on you’ve got to be quicker off the mark chaps).
LMFAO
yeah that’s about as hilarious an article as I expected from an outlet called “btcpolicy”
To anyone with an interest in critical thinking just Google who the Bitcoin Policy Institute is and make your own mind up. Or you know… go with the glib soundbite. Up to you lol
So I did as commanded
“BPI provides the research, education, and expertise necessary to help America lead in the digital asset revolution while protecting consumers and preserving individual liberty.”
They sound just lovely and definitely have all our best interests at heart. And totally not bitcoin shills, nosiree.
Nice cherry picking… Allow me:
BPI operates as a 501©(3) nonprofit with research and editorial independence. The core team consists of around 25 fellows, advisors, and full-time professionals, including:
Grant McCarty: Executive Director
Matthew Pines: Director of Special Programs / Senior Fellow
Sam Lyman: Head of Research (formerly of the U.S. Treasury Department)
David Zell: PresidentThe institute acts as an educational and advisory resource for lawmakers, regulators, and the media.
Direct Engagement: BPI regularly briefs Congressional members and agency staff, provides expert testimonies, and shapes federal and state legislation.
Congressional Fellowship: BPI operates a fellowship program to train policymakers and their staff on the fundamentals of Bitcoin technology and policy.
Bitcoin Policy Summit: BPI hosts an annual flagship conference in Washington, D.C., that brings together regulators, researchers, and industry leaders to discuss digital asset policy.
You think a Bitcoin based outlet is not biased on power usage and individual economic growth over society’s? Good critical thinking
Google “are foreign powers trying to turn people against data centers?” I’ll wait…
Shilling for data centers puts you on the same dumbass level as Kevin O’Leary and Peter Thiel who spout bullshit like “the Pope is serving the Chinese communist agenda for doubting AI”.
Classic mischaracterization of my intent there. Keep going lol
What is your intent?
Well it isn’t to “Shill for data centers” but I suspect you knew that already. Honestly, nobody is reading this anymore unless it’s their job, so this is just a conversation between us. I get fed up with these echo chambers. They’re so pointless since everyone already agrees with each other and sensible people just stay away anyway, but it’s still annoying that so few people challenge these talking points. “Data center bad”, “Won’t someone think of the water?!”, “AI is secretly a plan to enslave us all” etc.
My intent was to challenge these things and see who would respond genuinely and who would just stick to the script. It’s been quite interesting. Also, honestly it felt good not to be intimidated or spun out in a thread full of sarcasm, ridicule, ad hominem attacks etc.
As for the downvotes, oh well… Most of the rest of my time here is generally positive. Sometimes though it feels good to stand up and say what I think, even if it costs some fake internet points lol
Bro, what are you going to do about this? Share it on the internet? Sure yea will solve nothing.
Wow bro, you’re so smart. Clearly once someone posts something to the Internet that is the only action they are taking. And clearly posting to the Internet is only as effective at communicating the problem as putting up posters for thousands of people to read.
What should we do about it OP not knowing your super-smart insight here? Reply to their post about it?
I believe it’s time to start mass protests worldwide l, but hey, let our feature be destroyed.
