5 ms·

> And I've vibe coded entire ephemeral apps just to find a single bug because why not - code is suddenly free, ephemeral, malleable, discardable after single us

by seu 9mo ago

> And I've vibe coded entire ephemeral apps just to find a single bug because why not - code is suddenly free, ephemeral, malleable, discardable after single use. Vibe coding will terraform software and alter job descriptions. I'm not super up-to-date on all that's happening in AI-land, but in this quote I can find something that most techno-enthusiast seem to have decided to ignore: no, code is not free. There are immense resources (energy, water, materials) that go into these data centers in order to produce this "free" code. And the material consequences are terribly damaging to thousands of people. With the further construction of data centers to feed this free video coding style, we're further destroying parts of the world. Well done, AGI loverboys.

Hendrikto 9mo ago
You know what uses roughly 80 times more water in the US alone than water used by AI data centers world wide? Corn.
- raddan 9mo ago
  Assuming your fact is true, that corn merely uses an order of magnitude or two more water than AI is surprising, given the utility of corn. It feeds the entire US (hundreds of millions of people), is used as animal feed (thus also feeding us), and is widely exported to feed other people. I the spirit of the “I think”s and “I believe”s of this blog post, I think that corn has a lot more utility than AI.
  - Hendrikto 9mo ago
    > It feeds the entire US (hundreds of millions of people), is used as animal feed (thus also feeding us), and is widely exported to feed other people. Not really. Most corn grown in the US isn’t even fit for consumption. It is primarily used for fermenting bioethanol.
    - daveguy 9mo ago
      Source?
      - Hendrikto 9mo ago
        https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-grains/feed-grains-sector-at-a-glance https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-gr...
        raddan 9mo ago
        The report you link says that 45% is used for ethanol. A lot, but not “most.”
        Hendrikto 9mo ago
        I could have worded that more clearly: The vast majority (90%+) of corn grown in the US is not for human consumption, with most of that 90% being used for bioethanol.
dwaltrip 9mo ago
Can you provide numbers relative to things many of us already do? - drive to the store or to work - take a shower - eat meat - fly on vacation And so on... thanks!
- Jaxan 9mo ago
  Of those things you mention, I only take showers (but not even everyday). But maybe I’m an outlier.
  - daveguy 9mo ago
    > drive to the store or to work If you don't do that, and are a homesteader, then yes. You are a very small minority outlier. (Assuming you aren't ordering supplies delivered instead of driving to the store. > Eat meat. Yes, not eating meat is in the minority. > Fly on vacation. So, don't vacation, walk to vacation, or drive to vacation? 1/3 are also consumptive. It seems you are either a very significant outlier, or you're being daft. I'm curious which. Would you mind clarifying?
    - Jaxan 9mo ago
      I do my commute with my bicycle. Very common in the Netherlands. For holidays, we did a cycling holiday with our children. They loved it! I don’t at all feel like an outlier, many friends do similar things.
      - daveguy 9mo ago
        Thank you for the clarification! I'm impressed. I've always been envious of the bicycle friendliness of roads in the Netherlands. Here in the US stroads and poor bike infrastructure still reigns. It really depends on the region. We have a backward orange fool running things for gems like this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46357881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46357881 But it's just as much local political issues as national around here.
- monkaiju 9mo ago
fourside 9mo ago
My guess is that “free” is meant in terms of the old definition where you’re not having to pay someone to create and maintain it. But yes, it’s important to realize there really is a cost here and one that can’t just be captured by a dollar amount.

by seu 9mo ago

Hendrikto 9mo ago

You know what uses roughly 80 times more water in the US alone than water used by AI data centers world wide? Corn.

raddan 9mo ago
Assuming your fact is true, that corn merely uses an order of magnitude or two more water than AI is surprising, given the utility of corn. It feeds the entire US (hundreds of millions of people), is used as animal feed (thus also feeding us), and is widely exported to feed other people. I the spirit of the “I think”s and “I believe”s of this blog post, I think that corn has a lot more utility than AI.
- Hendrikto 9mo ago
  > It feeds the entire US (hundreds of millions of people), is used as animal feed (thus also feeding us), and is widely exported to feed other people. Not really. Most corn grown in the US isn’t even fit for consumption. It is primarily used for fermenting bioethanol.
  - daveguy 9mo ago
    Source?
    - Hendrikto 9mo ago
      https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-grains/feed-grains-sector-at-a-glance https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-gr...
      - raddan 9mo ago
        The report you link says that 45% is used for ethanol. A lot, but not “most.”
        Hendrikto 9mo ago
        I could have worded that more clearly: The vast majority (90%+) of corn grown in the US is not for human consumption, with most of that 90% being used for bioethanol.

dwaltrip 9mo ago

Can you provide numbers relative to things many of us already do? - drive to the store or to work - take a shower - eat meat - fly on vacation And so on... thanks!

Jaxan 9mo ago
Of those things you mention, I only take showers (but not even everyday). But maybe I’m an outlier.
- daveguy 9mo ago
  > drive to the store or to work If you don't do that, and are a homesteader, then yes. You are a very small minority outlier. (Assuming you aren't ordering supplies delivered instead of driving to the store. > Eat meat. Yes, not eating meat is in the minority. > Fly on vacation. So, don't vacation, walk to vacation, or drive to vacation? 1/3 are also consumptive. It seems you are either a very significant outlier, or you're being daft. I'm curious which. Would you mind clarifying?
  - Jaxan 9mo ago
    I do my commute with my bicycle. Very common in the Netherlands. For holidays, we did a cycling holiday with our children. They loved it! I don’t at all feel like an outlier, many friends do similar things.
    - daveguy 9mo ago
      Thank you for the clarification! I'm impressed. I've always been envious of the bicycle friendliness of roads in the Netherlands. Here in the US stroads and poor bike infrastructure still reigns. It really depends on the region. We have a backward orange fool running things for gems like this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46357881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46357881 But it's just as much local political issues as national around here.
monkaiju 9mo ago

fourside 9mo ago

My guess is that “free” is meant in terms of the old definition where you’re not having to pay someone to create and maintain it. But yes, it’s important to realize there really is a cost here and one that can’t just be captured by a dollar amount.