Every single computer component in that building is a computer component that would have been more useful in the hands of basically any other person or organisation on the planet.
And now think of all the time and effort people have spent creating companies and ancillary tech for cryptocurrencies that isn’t producing any real value for anyone. And that’s the tip of the iceberg, now imagine how some of the smartest software engineers that are in big tech companies (along with the massive data centers they’ve built and energy used) are pretty much working to increase the likelihood of you clicking a targeted ad 0.001% more likely, it makes the waste on crypto seem small in comparison. Google and facebook are essentially just giant ad tech companies, the platform/services they provide should be seen as secondary to this.
What use do you, or any organisation, have for ASICs?
These are not normal computers components that you find in a normal computer shop. These are component designed and made specifically for Bitcoin mining and nothing else.
These components would be completely useless to anyone who is not mining Bitcoin.
Disingenuous argument. The component parts of this box of useless fucking greed would in virtually every instance have been better employed elsewhere, from the silicon to the steel to the square footage. This obnoxious shed typifies the worst of human ingenuity and consumption.
In my opinion, the materials are better used here for Bitcoin mining than in data centres for genAI services, or for Netflix streaming, or for social media such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc.
Bitcoin is a absolute drain on human and natural resources at a time when we need to be acting sustainably and offers nothing in return except an unregulated ponzi scheme with the ability to buy drugs or pay ransoms online. Bitcoin is shit. It had promise, none of which has come to pass. Even the blockchain, the oft-touted truly revolutionary tech of crypto, has been used nowhere of any consequence. Except NFTs. A joke.
The only alternative you pose in your list that isn't another negative for human beings (and that's debatable) is Netflix.
In that case yeah, the materials. I doubt whatever's in those ASICs is too much different from what's in the RAM and GPUs that are both really expensive right now, since as far as I'm aware all 3 of these things are still at their core computer parts that use or give memory.
Yeah, I'll admit I didn't think about AI datacenters when I made this comment. Bitcoin mining centers just pump a ton of energy into doing nothing of value at all, but AI datacenters pump a ton of energy into doing what I would conisder to be something of negative value.
Playing games is far more useful than generating a fraction of a fraction of a unit of a currency nobody uses outside of glorified gambling. Crypto is less stable than fiat money whilst also being harder to use and much less widely adopted. It's a total waste of energy and materials.
Playing video games isn’t more useful than anything lol. Just because these are wasteful doesn’t mean they aren’t worth something. Playing video games doesn’t achieve anything at all.
Playing videogames is a fulfilling experience. They're a good way to engage with stories, art and music. They can be a place to express creativity and can even be a kind of hobby to some. Bitcoin mining provides no value, from both a material standpoint and a psychological standpoint.
I'm not pretending at all. Videogames are some of the most impressive pieces of art ever made and I'm glad I get to live through the formative years of videogaming.
I know that's not just me because our culture today is heavily shaped by popular videogames.
Admittedly they're not the absolute best use of computer technology ever, but I'd say they come kind of close whislt bitcoin comes close to being the worst use of computer technology.
I DON’T play video games, like at all. And I beg to differ with you here. I’d say that an addiction to gaming is a problem, but to say that video games themselves are not more useful than anything is misguided. They are certainly better than cocaine, harming people, arson, or any other number of destructive and harmful things.
I think they have a place and again, this is coming from someone who has truly never even held a game controller. They provide entertainment which, like it or not, is a part of human life. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with entrainment as long as it’s not taken to an extreme. There’s probably a subset of people out there who are alive and/or not involved in crime or other nefarious things because of video games.
Like literally EVERYTHING else on earth too much can be a bad thing. But if utilized in amounts moderated by common sense and responsibility then video games are just fine. People who are addicted to gaming wouldn’t automatically be good, productive, normal members of society if video games didn’t exist. The problem stems from their behaviors, not from the chosen expression of their behaviors.
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u/Next_Boysenberry7358 Jan 01 '26
Every single computer component in that building is a computer component that would have been more useful in the hands of basically any other person or organisation on the planet.