“Vampire Capitalists” – Using this term now, thanks!

I’ve experienced many losses and traumas, some of which were guided by others with even more experience than I. They reminded me that while we grieve, we also have to take care of ourselves. Bathe, eat, drink, and live, even if the vector forward has an infinitesimally small magnitude… And to remember that our loved ones would want that for us.

I hope to be that friend for others when we inevitably experience these things and I’m glad to share what I’ve learned to keep us resilient in community. Carry their memory forward, and use the gifts they gave you to give back to yourself and those around you. ❤️

Something similar can be said of our oceans. In short, global warming is causing the ocean currents and heat distribution from the equator to the poles to slow down, which contribute to the positive feedback loop of more climate instability. This ignores the other compounding problem of the increasing percentage of plastic pollution, acidification, loss of habitat and species… all which have a knock on effect for each other.

How can we help? Educating ourselves and organizing. Advocating for science based policy, saying no to energy and resource intensive projects like AI and cryptomining (just one crazy example of how bad it gets). Plant based diets and ditching plastic for glass/metal/wood/cellulose/myco products, etc. organizing with these goals in mind, finding like minded people that keep inspiring us to think creatively about lifting us all up while doing less harm to the planet.

Also, learn about your local watershed and your storm water infrastructure!! It’s much more interesting than you think when you actually get to see where all the water flows… And then get your mind blown when you find out how we manage it!

Sorry to hear this news. While you’re probably feeling a wild amount of strong emotions and having difficult conversations, we often forget to hydrate and eat something nourishing. I hope that you and Mom can grab a bite somewhere that will help give you the energy to take the next few steps. Little by little, friend.

Another way people end up with a master’s is if they don’t want to do a PhD in the subject matter they study. In my case, I had plans to go into a slightly related field for my PhD (and got accepted into a great school for it) but had a career opportunity presented that I couldn’t pass up… so I left it at master’s.

The water thing is not overblown if you consider that data centers will only use potable water and will not be able to use treated water. Per just one of many studies:

Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people.

With climate change and the exacerbation of droughts around the world, this puts any source of fresh surface or groundwater at risk of drying up.

Only 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater, and only 0.5% of all water is accessible and safe for human consumption.

This is a growing environmental justice issue (and data centers encourage further energy poverty that I haven’t even addressed, much less the increasing ratio of usage for industry vs residential), and to ignore that we as humans cannot replenish or increase freshwater supplies with any meaningful scale to support life, this becomes a dire issue.

I for one would much rather have water and affordable energy for communities.

Commenting to keep track of this.

Was going to say something similar about the clusterfuck part. That sounds like an absolute logistical nightmare for any small dev team that’s already stretched thin.

Thank you for this, and keep hanging in there! I get by, and try to manage with hydration always as the first line of defense. Sending you another fist bump of solidarity! 👊🏽

If this is what gets someone into planting trees, I’m all for it. Native trees and shrubs, please!

Woof. It sounds like you face your share of stressors still, and your old place is also eerily familiar to what I’m seeing in different sectors we’re interacting with lately. That ‘collateral damage’ thing is real, and I’m seeing colleagues getting caught in things that were above their pay grade (with lasting damage to their will to stay in the role). Sending my best to you for the strength to hold the line another day!

Being scared feels like an appropriate response, and I’m sure you’re not alone. It’s big of you to be able to type this out and I bet a lot of us are rooting for you. I’ve dealt with chronic pain and an anxiety diagnosis for decades, so I know this is hard. One breath at a time, friend.

Best to you for the days ahead and good luck with the procedure!

Telework changed my life. I’m very lucky to have the hybrid 50/50 option for office/home work, and wish it was afforded to everyone that could. I recognize those that have jobs requiring their physical presence are so strong for showing up daily in their professions. I’m in a similar field as you, but not for the Fed – hang in there!

Thank you and likewise!

Just found my password for this account again and I’m stoked. Not so stoked for the week ahead, although it’s just my own anxiety getting in the way. Big work project that needs to start Wednesday, and my partner has to drive 5 hours away with his colleagues to a work thing. I’m usually the one that drives us everywhere and, precious cargo, ya know? Hard to trust someone else driving him. Otherwise I’m trying to start biking again, did over 100 miles in the past week and I’m actually feeling like that could be what gets me back into exercising after all these years after several car accidents kept getting in the way of my recovery. Sending well wishes to everyone here, I know this timeline keeps giving all of us wtf moments every second of the day lately, but I’m practicing radical hope and kindness to myself and others as much as I can, and I think it’s helping. My wish is for you (reading this) to give yourself grace, and best of luck to you for the week ahead. You got this - one breath at a time.

Edit: following up after yesterday’s anxiety attack, I’m feeling much better and very positive, which is unnerving to juxtapose what I was going through just hours ago, but travel anxiety is real. I have a smile on my face after today! Hope is real. 🙏🏽

Hear hear. They’re fallible, make trash decisions, and bleed like the rest of us. It’s time we recognize them only as the scourge they are.

I’m very meh on the AWD as someone in the north. Not needed, but a/c is definitely helpful!

My colleague introduced me to the term Traditional Ecological Knowledge today, which is very reminiscent of what you’re describing. This should be standard practice to learn everywhere!

If I can give you any small kernel of hope, there are a lot of people in the world, including non profits, government workers, community champions, and people that talk to their friend networks about living for and facilitating a more sustainable and respectful life on this planet - that care about people and the environment, and are fighting every day of their lives, dedicated to mitigation and adaptation regarding climate change. They may not have very much power, but they are surely standing up right now against this brain drain, and I feel confident that the tide will eventually turn. Will it be in the time we need it to? Absolutely not, but all is not lost.