er4z0r 🇺🇦2d ago
saljam

this ai bubble is going to burst any minute now, and we all know what that means: cheap data centre rack space in huge quantities.

can we use server racks to grow salad instead of swindle? i set out to find out: https://sa.lj.am/rack-mount-hydroponics/

Mar 15 at 12:59amWeb
Show threadsaljam3d ago
(the answer is obviously no it's a stupid idea but i had fun)
Show threadmerlin / alex glow2d ago
@sa Hell yeah 🤘🤘
Show threadAndrew Dunham3d ago
@sa This is *delightful* - thank you for sharing!
Show threadHenry Wilkinson3d ago
@sa You might like https://futurerack.info/main.php
FutureRack

Server racks as home furniture.

Show threadrawe2d ago

@hank @sa I got 3 high IBM racks with glass doors etc. Main issue: They are designed for airflow, so all stuff inside collects a lot of dust if used in a "normal" room.

I moved them to our vaulted cellar as storage space. It just fits along the highest part. Down there, the airflow is actually good so there are no issues with dampness/mold.

Show threadrawe2d ago
@hank @sa fun fact: I got the racks for scrap price (30 bucks per unit) as they are black and all the other racks at that company were grey/white.
Show threadMaria “indigoviolet” Ivy3d ago
@sa Wait racks are being sold for cheap?? Oh it’s bad bad
Show threadWTL2d ago
@sa @andrew This is pretty neat and I appreciated the Fifth Element joke in the cron job.
Show threadLoïc Denuzière2d ago
@sa Oh, when I saw the salad photos and read the beginning of toot I thought this was a Liz Truss "Will the bubble last longer than this salad?" thing.
Show threadⓋ Gregory Trolliet Ⓐ🔻 🇵🇸2d ago
@sa Do you know Jeb and the Kratky method ?
https://youtu.be/5z0NaYpVHMs
How the Kratky Method of Hydroponics Works

YouTube
Show threadraspberry2d ago
@sa aziz LIGHT!
Show threadEm2d ago
@sa *has no money to even buy reduced RAM*😭
Show threadBit_form2d ago
@sa I....Want.This.
Show threadKlaus Frank2d ago

@sa

I kinda want to put one of these pictures on linkedin and /cc AWS and ask which of their services I've to book for this :p

Show threadtk2d ago
@sa the 19inch racks are also nice for lfp battery storage, maybe there is an opportunity for further experiments?
Show threadBrooke Vibber 2d ago
@sa ah, the salad days of the data center
Show threadHoward Cohen2d ago
@sa You get a server! And *you* get a server!
Show threadCaptain of the SS El Faro2d ago
@sa this is the future they took from us
Show threadTuchowski2d ago
@sa Liz Truss in a rack...
Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️2d ago
@sa maybe some of the latest liquid-cooled racks will include all the necessary pumps and plumbing for hydroponics? That could be a factor when millions of them are dumped onto eBay for almost nothing. Maybe they'll come with nice GFI breakers, those are $$$.
Show threadSikorski Arkadiusz2d ago

@sa Category: This made my day - used for today with this post.

P.S.
If the metal parts are powder-coated and there's no damage, which there shouldn't be, then moisture won't harm them.

Show threadBoerps ☑️2d ago
@sa
Yes‼️ That's it!
Show threadDavid Penfold 2d ago
@sa Excellent stuff 😁
Show thread🍋 Superball ☀️2d ago
@sa fun! 😸💚🌱
Show threadsu_liam2d ago
@sa I just want the RAM, GPUs and SSDs. You can do what you like with the rest.
Show threadThe Doctor2d ago
@sa Anything we could repurpose and use for ourselves will probably be destroyed.
Show threadBradley M. Kühn2d ago

It *will* burst,but studying past bubbles (incl. industrial revolution),it's years until burst after an obviously ridiculously overvalued market (eg: pundits predicted a DotCom bubble burst in 1996)!

IMO this'll last *longer* than DotCom—in part—b/c most wealthy tech bros invest heavily in #LLM-backed #AI.

Analogy: ∃ enough money to keep music playing. Musical chairs doesn't stop until music ends.

If only we *could* predict burst date: we'd get so much 💰 shorting that we'd fund #FOSS forever!

Show threadJessie Heald2d ago
@bkuhn Do you think that it _could_ burst in the near term, though? All this compute is absurdly expensive for something that doesn't provide the value it claims.
Show threadBradley M. Kühn2d ago
I played #poker for a living (part-time) when I worked for #FSF & SFLC as I was paid so little I couldn't afford {Boston/NYC}-area w/out 2ⁿᵈ job.
I'm reasonably good at making odds for real-world situations after all that poker. I have followed #LLM-backed #AI closely enough, & Wall Street is just a big casino really, so here's my predictions:
IMO, AI bubble bursts (≥15% drop in 90+% AI-related stocks in ≤3months):
≤1yr: 30-to-1 against
≤3yr: 3-to-1 "
≤5yr: 1-to-10 favorite
≤10yr: 1-to-25 "
Show threadBradley M. Kühn2d ago

Just in case it needs to be said: I am not a qualified investment advisor and the post that I'm replying to is not investment advice.

These are just predictions based on the information I have because I've followed carefully the rise of LLM-backed AI and related technologies, and my experience studying the policy and market implications of past tech bubbles.

Please do not invest based on my advice. I could easily be very wrong.

Show threadMooMoo the Cat1d ago
@bkuhn Your estimation, on how long the AI bubble will last, is in line with articles & interviews discussing the "burst" that I've read & watched.
1. It won't be sudden
2. Too many stakeholders are holding it up for it to crash sooner than later.
Show threadMason Loring Bliss2d ago
@sa I'm up for power-efficient self-hosting and more citizen science. They don't all need to be torn down. There's good that can come from computers too. They can connect us and help us share ideas. We just don't need to blanket the landscape with data centers and use them for power-hungry hallucination engines, domestic surveillance/surveillance capitalism, or cryptocurrencies.
Show threadclew2d ago

Ha! but I’d be interested in some rough calculations of energy/energy cost for Silly Server Salad vs other kinds. You can work out electrical and water costs relatively easily, you could weigh all the plastic that went into the system. You could weigh the consumer plastic per salad bought from stores.Harder to calculate the plastic used in fields esp as it varies by farm and crop.

(here I always arrive at: I wish we priced externalities into everything so $ cheaper was actually cheaper.)

@sa

Show thread🇺🇦 Anna Filina2d ago
@sa Fun fact: in French, "telling salads" means "telling lies". Very a propos in this context.
Show threadx0r2d ago
@sa Behold: Salad as a Service.
Show threadLucy2d ago
@sa Growing my weed between my UPS and switch now
Show threade. hashman 2d ago
@sa the key missing detail: no notes on ventilation setup. (I strongly recommend using fans to avoid mold/mildew issues)
Show threadCliff'sEsportCorner2d ago
@sa I am disappoint. No Sugar Snap or other Peas taking over the server room.
Show threadWanWizard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇳🇱2d ago
@sa Can't come soon enough. My servers are 400 miles away because rack space is unaffordable locally.
Show threadVictor Nava 🤖2d ago
@sa @Gargron oh this is way too fun
Show threadMack Reed2d ago
@sa SERVER. FARM.
Show threadcontrolc2d ago

@sa This is strong solarpunk vibes.

#solarpunk

Show threadKnut 🏳️‍🌈 🇳🇴🧸2d ago
@sa They're probably not using racks like that in the AI datacenters. They're probably using the ones with no bottoms, and the wider sides for water cooling....which means...all the plumbing and power is already available for something like this. Better use than a huge Halloween store.
Show threadJoe  2d ago
@sa , haha, priceless.
Show threadTim Hergert2d ago
@sa GrowOPS
Show threadRossMadness2d ago
@sa I wonder if I can rack mount a fish tank.
Show threadAdnan ELARAJI2d ago
Brilliant! xD I salute your thinking out of the box Rack!