Ben Snaith

@KCL / independent researcher // geographies, internet infrastructure, ecology, data
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[Ben Snaith @bsnaith_]

🌱🌿 we published this personal reflection piece last week on the tensions when we introduce data and technology to the natural world https://t.co/Mcj6mAeBYn

[Pope Crave @ClubConcrave]

"We must, then, avoid the 'Babel syndrome,' namely the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak, a uniformity that neutralizes differences, and the pretense that a single language — even a digital one — can translate everything, including the mystery of the person, into data and performance."

[Club des Cordeliers @cordeliers]

Data center overload may be *intended* to break the grid. A subsequent emergency order could permit unregulated private ownership. This would allow direct control of electrical distribution by tech billionaires. They'll decide who gets power, and how much. https://t.co/vvktsHTJHd

[Will Manidis @WillManidis]

ai data centers skyrocketing fiber prices leading to Ukraine/russia being priced out of using drones to do liveleak atrocities is a scale of marketplace solution that sounds skizophrenic on the outset

[Adrienne LaFrance @AdrienneLaF]

It’s okay for hard things to be hard. On the subject of AI and writing, I like the way George Saunders puts it:

[The Londoner @_TheLondoner]

That massive knock-off Harry Potter shop on Oxford Street? It's owned by the sanctioned Libyan sovereign wealth fund.

[Nicholas Guyatt @NicholasGuyatt]

The FT now reporting that, even without the energy shocks, there's a pretty good chance that the closure of Hormuz will pop the AI bubble and lead to a stock market crash

[Ben Snaith @bsnaith_]

about as clear sighted analysis as you could possible get

[Richard Seymour @leninology]

Wrote this on the collapse of the liberal belligerati: "They may once, two decades ago, have been useful ... but no more. The right no longer caters to, nor needs, its liberal outriders. They hang on out of habit."

https://t.co/p6AzRLw2mi

[Sam Biddle @samfbiddle]

The militarization of the cloud (or the cloud-ification of the military) mean data centers can be legitimate and fully legal targets during war https://t.co/0kBry0rnhN

[ianVisits @ianvisits]

There’s an office in London that contains something critical to the security of the global internet — a bunch of swinging pendulums.

https://t.co/cmtowzB7i8

[Sophia Goodfriend @sopgood]

This is a very timely and important piece

It highlights precisely how the integration of large language models into targeting is muddying accountability and ensuring militaries can shirk demands for transparency, particularly when it comes to the unlawful killing of civilians

[Tyler Rogoway @Aviation_Intel]

Just got this from Planet Labs, they are delaying posting imagery from specific areas in the Middle East 96 hours due to operational security concerns:

Reads in part:

As part of Planet’s commitment to responsible data practices and the safety of personnel on the ground, we are implementing temporary adjustments to imagery access for a Designated Area of Interest (AOI) across the Middle East.

All new imagery collected over the Gulf States, Iraq, Kuwait, and adjacent conflict zones will be subject to a mandatory 96-hour delay before it is made available in our archive. This change applies to both high (SkySat and Pelican) and medium (PlanetScope) resolution data sets.

This measure is intended to prevent adversarial actors from using recent data for immediate Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) and is rooted in our commitment to ensuring the safety of allied and NATO-partner personnel and civilians on the ground. As the conflict evolves, the area impacted may change.

What this means for your workflow:

Effective immediately, customers will experience a 96-hour delay on all data in the Planet Archive over the Gulf States, Iraq, Kuwait, and adjacent conflict zones. This delay applies to customer-tasked data as well. Tasking and Archive data access over Iran will remain unchanged and continue to publish immediately, for the time being.

We recognize that timely data is critical to your operations. We are actively monitoring the situation and intend to resume standard service cadences as soon as safety conditions permit.

...

Thank you for your partnership and understanding.

Best regards,

[Financial Times @FT]

Iran hits Amazon data centres in jolt to Gulf AI drive https://t.co/kFLTT2HLZJ

[Peter Carlyon @PeterCarlyon4]

Fascinating graphic in my latest piece for @_TheLondoner

It shows how London's telecommunication cables and the construction of the Elizabeth Line has formed a belt of data centres across the city - interactive graphic in the piece below!

[Ghassan Abu Sitta, Chair of Conflict Medicine AUB @GhassanAbuSitt1]

The UK government actively participated in the genocide. It is now trying to impose a McCarthyite climate of fear and censorship to stop the solidarity movement from becoming a force for societal change. Presided by a morally bankrupt, intellectually mediocre Prime Minister.

[Workshops4Gaza @Workshops4Gaza]

The UK hunger strikers are now writing their wills

[Ben Snaith @bsnaith_]

A beyond bleak day

[NJ @NoJusticeMTG]

"only my brand of snake oil will save your beloved institution"

[Omar Hamad | عُـمَـرْ 𓂆 @OmarHamadD]

The first library to be rescued during the genocide.

My dream is for it to become a big library.

[Daniela Gabor @DanielaGabor]

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