Mastodawn

#Datacenter builders thought #farmers would willingly sell land, learn otherwise

Even in a fragile farm economy, million-dollar offers can’t sway dedicated farmers.

Ashley Belanger – Feb 23, 2026

Excerpt: "For 'Silicon Valley executives,' rural areas are likely attractive due to 'weak zoning protections, cheap power, and abundant water,' The Guardian reported.

"It likely doesn’t help to sell the farmers these deals when they tend to come out of nowhere, following a knock on the door from a middleman who doesn’t make it clear who wants to buy the land or how the land would be used.

"One 82-year-old Kentucky woman, Ida Huddleston, turned away a 'Fortune 500 company' offering $33 million for 650 acres. NBC News reported that several of her neighbors received similar offers. Huddleston joined at least five other residents in the county who refused to move forward after learning they’d have to sign a non-disclosure agreement just to find out who they would be dealing with. Ultimately, Huddleston had to search public records to figure out that a data center was even being planned in the area, The Guardian reported. The #LackOfTransparency is a problem, farmers have said, because what buyers want to do with the land matters.

" 'You don’t have enough to buy me out,' Huddleston told the company representatives when rejecting the deal. 'I’m not for sale. Leave me alone, I’m satisfied.' "

Read more:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/im-not-for-sale-farmers-refuse-to-take-millions-in-data-center-deals/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/DB229

#Datacenters #LandIsLife #NoDatacentersOnFarms #NoAI
#AISucks #NoWaterForAI
#NoNukesForAI #SendTechBrosToMars #NoMoreDatacenters #WaterIsLife #USPol

Data center builders thought farmers would willingly sell land, learn otherwise

Even in a fragile farm economy, million-dollar offers can't sway dedicated farmers.

Ars Technica

DoomsdaysCW Feb 23

Not just water and power, but apparently ALL OF THE COMPUTER CHIPS!

The #DataLords Are Taxing Our Water and Power to Build Their Castles | Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/data-lords-water-power

#NoAI #AISucks #NoWaterForAI #NoNukesForAI #SendTechBrosToMars

The Data Lords Are Taxing Our Water and Power to Build Their Castles | Common Dreams

Data center dukes and barons appropriate land and resources while indirectly taxing the middle and lower class through higher utility bills.

Common Dreams

Show thread

DoomsdaysCW Oct 6

I wrote about this very subject back in the 1990s! (TY @internetarchive for preserving this!)

https://web.archive.org/web/20050220054041/http://www.whatmagazine.org/fiction/secret.html

#SendElonToMars #SendTechBrosToMars #SpaceMadness #TechBros #MarsMission

The Kosmos

DoomsdaysCW Mar 28, 2025

Alrighty then! All the more reason to send #ElonMusk and friends to #Mars!

Toxic dust on Mars would present serious hazard for astronauts

By Jack Guy, CNN
Published Mar 27, 2025

"Substances such as silica, gypsum, perchlorates and nanophase iron oxides contained in Martian dust could have life-threatening effects on members of a potential Mars mission, according to a study published in the journal GeoHealth last month.

"'The biggest danger is the risk to astronauts’ lungs. Since the dust is so fine, it is expected to remain in astronauts’ lungs and some of it will be absorbed into the bloodstream,' study co-author Justin Wang, a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), told CNN on Wednesday.

"'Astronauts are already at risk for pulmonary fibrosis due to the radiation exposure in spaceflight, and many of the hazards including silica and iron oxides can cause pulmonary disease that could be superimposed.'

"Wang also highlighted concerns that perchlorates – chemical compounds that have been detected at toxic levels in Martian soil – could cause thyroid dysfunction and aplastic anemia – a condition in which the body stops producing enough blood cells."

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/toxic-dust-on-mars-would-present-serious-hazard-for-astronauts/1759779
#MarsMission #MarsMissionNow #SendElonToMars #SendTechBrosToMars #SendOligarchsToMars

DoomsdaysCW Mar 25, 2025

#SpaceMadness! Assault at Antarctic base could be a warning for future travellers to Mars

Conflict among people living in extreme isolation and confined quarters is a concern for #MarsMission planners

Bob McDonald · CBC Radio · Posted: Mar 21, 2025

"A tense situation among members of an isolated base in Antarctica could foretell conflicts among astronauts on a long distance journey to Mars.

"The South African Antarctic research base, SANAE IV, is located at a remote location in East Antarctica. It hosts a nine-member team made up of a doctor, scientists, and engineers who spend 10 months in isolation during the harsh, dark southern winter.

"Reportedly, an altercation between one of the members and the leader resulted in an alleged physical attack, death threats and sexual harassment. Names have not been released. According to a statement from South African government officials, the team is undergoing mediation and the accused person has written a formal apology. The statement says the issue is considered resolved and the team will not need to be evacuated.

"This type of conflict among people living in extreme isolation and confined quarters is a concern for planners of a much longer human mission to Mars. Travel to the red planet, using any currently available technology, will take roughly seven months one way. Once the crew arrives, they will have to remain there alone for almost another year waiting for the Earth to come around its orbit so it is on the same side of the sun as Mars for a return trip.

"Then it will take another six or seven months to journey home. That is a total round trip journey of 750 to 1,000 days, depending on how much fuel you are willing to burn."