#Mineral Supply Chain

[alwaysbewoke]

Congo💔🕊️

We really cannot be free until we all are free.

#Congo Genocide #Conflict Minerals #Cobalt Exploitation #Coltan Crisis #Resource Exploitation #Human Rights Abuse #Environmental Impact #Corporate Accountability #DRC #Mineral Supply Chain

[faultfalha]

A small army of scientists and engineers are gathered in a windowless room in a secret location in Beijing. They are working on a plan to stop the US from interfering with China's Gallium and Geranium-based chip production. The Chinese government has been investing heavily in these two minerals in order to build a strong chip supply chain. But the US has been trying to disrupt this process by cutting off the supply of Gallium and Geranium. The Chinese scientists and engineers are confident that they can find a way to overcome the US interference. They are working hard to develop a plan that will keep China's chip supply chain running smoothly.

#Archive #Disruptive Technology #OODA Original #Security and Resiliency #Critical Minerals #Global Computer Chip Supply Chain Disruption #GLobal IT Supply Chain #Rare Earth Minerals #fault

[darnellclayton]

Debt Trap Or Golden Opportunity For Africa?

Debt Trap Or Golden Opportunity For Africa?

So the United States is leading a coalition of western nations to help various African countries manufacture minerals previously purchased for pennies on the dollar. The United States and key partner countries have announced the establishment of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), an ambitious new initiative to bolster critical mineral supply chains. This announcement was made in Toronto…

View On WordPress

#Africa #Australia #Canada #Congo #Debt #Debt Diplomacy #Environmental #Europe #Finland #France #Germany #Japan #Minerals #Minerals Security Partnership #Mining #Mozambique #Namibia #South Korea #Supply Chains #Sweden #Tanzania #United Kingdom #United States #Zambia

[writella]

I know others have probably said this before, but I just love the idea that Daryl would be the type to give you little things— small treasures— or do things for you— share a sweet moment, or of course, be his heroic self and help you (or really you help each other) out of harms way. I think it’s because one of his love languages obviously has to be acts of service. He may not be a big talker, but the way he fights for his loved ones is nothing sort of fearless, and as I heard Norman Reedus say in an interview, when it comes to Daryl as a person, “it’s about what you do, and what you say, and what you follow up with…” Similarly, I think this is how he would show his sincerity and care for a partner and since he may not be quick with the verbal initiation…

⋆｡˚ this care would first be shown in the things he gives you or does with you like… ⋆｡˚

- The way you’d probably have variety of little knickknacks all around your room or ones that you’d keep in your pocket from things Daryl has found for you outside.

- Perhaps he would find cool looking or pretty rocks on the ground from a supply run or from hunting in the forest.

- He’d pick the interesting ones, the ones that glittered or shimmered in the sun, or if he was lucky enough to find it, maybe there’d be a colorful mineral.

- You’d have them specifically placed all around different corners in your room, the collection getting too big to keep in one place.

- Maybe he’d also start a charm collection for you.

- One time in the woods, the two of you tracked a deer, or really Daryl did. You stood behind, taking it as a hunting lesson for yourself.

- When he caught the deer, you both went closer to the body and in the corner of your eye you saw something that shined in the grass.

- Crouching down to pick it up you discovered a tiny charm of the sun. “Look!” You held it to the sky so the sun could shine on it further.

- “We just caught a deer, and you’re lookin at that?”

- “We just caught a deer for the first time in months and this was right by them… it’s good luck, literally a lucky charm.”

- You clipped it onto your necklace so you didn’t loose it.

- There was something about how the charm, and the actual sun, and your eyes shined perfectly together with it, so after that, he wanted to find one with a moon and another with stars to match.

- Then, he’d just start collecting whatever charm or even keychains that had a clasp or jump ring to add to your collection.

- You didn’t even think it was something you’d be interested in starting until he found those other two. It felt special because he gave it to you and it made you become obsessed so much so that you even joined him in the pursuit of finding charms or cool little keychains yourself.

- It became a fun little side quest for the both of you, a-not-actual-competition-competition to find the most interesting and unique ones when you happened to be on runs together.

- You’d both keep an eye out on the ground or whenever you searched vacant neighborhood houses: looking in the kids room for charms or on the key hooks by the front door for keychains that could possibly work.

- If either of you found one you didn’t have, you’d add it to your collection. Or if you found those bigger keychain character figurine ones, you’d both give those to Judith so she could play with it. Unbeknownst to her, you were helping her set up a collection as well.

- You would use them to hopefully make a charm bracelet in the future if you found the right chain for it or if you could find pieces to make one yourself; or you would just switch them off with your necklace chain depending on the day; or have them on your backpack or jeans or belt if you could.

- Now here’s a moment: after a lot of begging and wear down he would finally teach you how to ride his bike.

- You two were a team, and he knew he would probably need you to know how to ride eventually. Maybe it would come in handy when the group is attacked or they are the one doing the attacking. Who knows where he’ll be or where you’ll be in those moments? Or who the bike is closer to in that instance. This way, you have a possible escape plan with that extra skill.

- You’d probably even get a little too comfortable after you got better at riding and try to hop on first, taking the main spot.

- He doesn’t always let you, pushing you to the back so he can get in front, but sometimes… sometimes, he likes letting you take the wheel, because he knows you like it from time to time, and because he likes to see you smile; likes to see you proud of your capability.

- I think he’d also try to find a special knife for you. Something unique like Carol’s or that has a nice sleeve like Beth’s did. Something uniquely your own. Just like he has his bow.

- And with that, if you didn’t have one yet, I also think he might help you find the best weapon for you. Another thing that you could have as your own that you could become very skilled at fighting with.

- One time, he’d even gift you with the action of allowing you to talk a picture of him: Rick’s polaroid would have been in your backpack one day as you take a break from your travels outside of Alexandria. You and Daryl are sitting under a tree near an open grass plain. You would see how the wind made strands of his hair fly, making him look even more effortless in his uniquely strange natural beauty way. You’d take the camera out slowly, knowing he’d protest, and of course he did.

- “Please,” you would plead softly, “we don’t get to do things like this all the time. All we use the camera for is to document the houses, and the community work, or when Rick used it for the Savior war… it would be nice to have a nice picture for once.”

- He would look down impassively for a moment. You couldn’t tell it from his face— sometimes the quiet usually meant no— but he was actually deciding on doing it for you.

- Finally he says, “If I gotta take one, then it’s going to be of both of us.” He looks up at you through his hair, hiding the fact that he wanted to see how excited you were going to get. “Don’t need no one thinking I wanted a picture of just myself.”

- It makes you laugh. This is even better actually. A picture of you and him to have; a piece of you and him that will last forever.

- He would also gift you with one of his rare touches.

- Maybe it would start with allowing you to hold onto him while you’re on the back of his bike just a little closer. Or him pushing his neck back into you just the slightest bit more when you rest your head on his shoulder as he rides.

- Then maybe, the hugs would start increasing. Him not only giving you one after you’ve just escaped death yet again, but after he comes home one day from a run, maybe it happens just because now.

- And finally, this would all lead up to a kiss. Perhaps first on the side of your head, in your hair, as he comes home from a long journey one day, until the time finally comes where you both express all the things that have kept in your head about each other for so long, revealing your love.

- It would all commence to the kiss that you always wished would be placed right on your lips. It might just be the best gift of all. But not just because it’s a kiss, but because you finally get to love him in the way you’ve always desired. As your man, as your partner, as your Daryl.

So… this may or may not be a teaser for the next fic? >:) Stay tuned. ♡

#daryl dixon x reader #the walking dead #daryl dixon #twd fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x fem!reader #daryl dixon fluff #daryl dixon x y/n #twd fluff #wonders with writella #wonderings with daryl #writella’s sfw section

[kazimirkharza]

People who think that replacing a wild ecosystem (left pic) with a solar plant (right pic) is "good for the environment" are seriously delusional. Solar panels require a global supply chain, (fossil fuel-based) mining and refining of rare-earth minerals, denuding of areas, and regular washing, all of which are extremely ecologically destructive. They also have a relatively short life and become problematic toxic waste afterwards. Humans have existed sustainably for hundreds of thousands of years prior to the advent of civilization and thrived - believe it or not - without any of these 'green' energy technologies. If we wish to survive and thrive again we must return to those ways.

#earth first! #earth liberation #earth love #green anarchy #anticiv #anarcho primitivism #anti civ #anarchy #anprim #anprimgang #luddism #deep ecology #luddite #ecocentrism #biocentrism #bright green lies #scam #solarpunk #solar #solar energy #solar power #green politics #eco anarchism #ecology #protect environment #wildlife #anti tech #ecocide #clean energy

[roseofhybrids]

He he he hoo hoo hoo I can get the higher quality screencaps now, time to mess with the levels

The mineshaft We have some human skulls and rib cages (I count at least 3 of each), shovel, lantern, supply box, Indiana Jones hats, cloth roll. Your normal every day mine stuff. Oh, and the weird growths, of course. I thought this was like the red vines we saw in the manor, but these seem to be coming forward and off the rocks a lot more while the ones at the manor seemed to stick flat. They remind a lot of deer antlers.

Next we have the goobers in the cathedral Lottsa pillars, unlit candles, some sort of beam or bench knocked over in the back, a pile of furniture I can't quite make out (one in the front maybe a piano?), and a barrel. Your normal every day church stuff.

N getting dragged to hell hard to make out much in this. Looks to be more bones and goo. I recall someone saying the object N is grabbing looks like Uzi's hat. Hard to say for sure, but the size and texture does seem to match.

The outside of the cathedral Complete with a gravestone/pillar with a pickaxe and miner's helmet, chained up dingoes, and a giant lab space for rent sign. A few ends and nulls written on the skull and stone.

Nori's door, before and after (presumably) Tessa slams it shut. There's no other humans we know of around the place. And I believe that shape in the bottom left is her bow. Not much else to say about these ones. It's too dark to actually see anything inside the room. Though, I will say that the lighter edges we see along the frame when it's open seems a little strange. Like there might be something solid blocking the doorway.

More of the cathedral Another pillar (love those), some sort of entrance in the back, looks like a staircase to the right. Also, Uzi has yellow hand lights

N helping Uzi up Nothing to see after adjustment other than floor

ow Not much the adjustment tells us here either, just get a slightly better view of N getting his fingers broken

It is worth noting that her hand is back to purple here. But in the scene where her hands are yellow, she is not holding the crucifix.

So either the yellow was temporary / comes and goes. Or it turns yellow after the last shot and the scene we saw earlier in the trailer comes later in the actual episode.

I'd thought that maybe that shot of them turning came right after the hand crushing, but you can't see the staircase in that shot. That and the wooden ladder-like supports don't match up with the single one we see in the scene where her hand is yellow.

#murder drones #trailer #md episode 7 #md episode 8 #trailer analysis

[fuckyeahthomaspynchon]

"Kekule dreams the Great Serpent holding its own tail in its mouth, the dreaming Serpent which surrounds the World. But the meanness, the cynicism with which this dream is to be used. The Serpent that announces, "The World is a closed thing, cyclical, resonant, eternally-returning," is to be delivered in too a system whose only aim is to violate the Cycle. Taking and not giving back, demanding that "productivity" and "earnings" keep on increasing with time, the System removing from the rest of the World these vast quantities of energy to keep its own tiny desperate fraction showing a profit: and not only most of humanity - most of the World, animal, vegetable, and mineral, is laid waste in the process. The System may or may not understand that it's only buying time. And that time is an artificial resource to begin with, of no value to anyone or anything but the System, which sooner or later must crash to its death, when its addiction to energy has become more than the rest of the World can supply, dragging with it innocent souls all along the chain of life. "

-Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

#gravity's rainbow #thomas pynchon

[quotespile]

Taking and not giving back, demanding that 'productivity' and 'earnings' keep on increasing with time, the System removing from the rest of the World these vast quantities of energy to keep its own tiny desperate fraction showing a profit: and not only most of humanity — most of the World, animal, vegetable, and mineral, is laid waste in the process. The System may or may not understand that it's only buying time. And that time is an artificial resource to begin with, of no value to anyone or anything but the System, which must sooner or later crash to its death, when its addiction to energy has become more than the rest of the World can supply, dragging with it innocent souls all along the chain of life. Living inside the System is like riding across the country in a bus driven by a maniac bent on suicide...

Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

#literature #quotes #Thomas Pynchon #Gravity's Rainbow #quote #books #lit

[alwaysbewoke]

THERE'S ALSO A GENOCIDE HAPPENING IN THE CONGO!!!!! THERE'S ALSO A GENOCIDE HAPPENING IN THE CONGO!!!!! THERE'S ALSO A GENOCIDE HAPPENING IN THE CONGO!!!!!

#congo #genocide #horror #congo genocide #conflict minerals #cobalt exploitation #coltan crisis #resource exploitation #human rights abuse #environmental impact #corporate accountability #drc #mineral supply chain

[zvaigzdelasas]

The Chinese government has announced buyers of two metals used in computer chips and solar panels will need to apply for export permits, starting on Aug. 1. The metals, gallium and germanium, are also used in military applications. The U.S. has been imposing trade limits for several years to try to restrict China's access to semiconductor technology. In a statement, China's Commerce Ministry said the new controls on exporting the metals are to safeguard China's national interests.

"These controls aren't a ban," notes NPR's Emily Feng, reporting from Taipei. "But it's possible China could reduce the amount it sells as retribution."[...]

China produces 60% of the world's germanium and 80% of the world's gallium, according to the Critical Raw Minerals Alliance. It also dominates supply chains for rare earth minerals used in many high-tech products, as well as the lithium, cobalt and graphite used in batteries.[...]

The U.S., citing national security, has imposed its own export limits on semiconductor manufacturing equipment [to China]. The Netherlands, under pressure from the U.S., recently did the same.

4 Jul 23

[hybridmindthoughtsreloaded]

Copper mining project in Zambia . The bottom of the EV supply chain. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030, U.S. multinational corporations like Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla and Google will require 17 times more rare earth minerals to power consumers’ smart devices and electric cars for the coming green revolution. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/batteries-lithium-ion-energy-storage-circular-economy/

#green economy #go green #it's to save the planet

[indigo-greene]

Whats happening in Congo is absolutely vile and the fact that some of you know yet do nothing makes me sick. The condition under which people fo Congo have to work are inhumane, amnesty international has said things like sexual asault, arson and abuse are the norm. Children are being forced to work, every day people are dying. Siddharth Kara, British Academy Global Professor and an associate professor at the University of Nottingham. Has said that they work under slave-like working conditions here are some highlights of the article I read:

"rechargeable batteries are frequently powered by cobalt mined by workers laboring in slave-like conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo."

"People are working in subhuman, grinding, degrading conditions. They use pickaxes, shovels, stretches of rebar to hack and scrounge at the earth in trenches and pits and tunnels to gather cobalt and feed it up the formal supply chain."

"There's complete cross-contamination between industrial excavator-derived cobalt and cobalt dug by women and children with their bare hands," he says. "Industrial mines, almost all of them, have artisanal miners working, digging in and around them, feeding cobalt into the formal supply chain."

Siddharth Kara has been researching modern day slavery, human trafficking and child labour's for 2 decades, listen to what he si saying about this. This is a violation of human rights, and we as humans should not sit and watch. Speak up.

It is expected that the demand for cobalt is going to go up by 300 Percent, which most likely means even worse working conditions for the people of Congo. Please if your Phone works, don't buy a new one. And use your voice! Speak up about what's happening

artisanal miners= freelance workers who do extremely dangerous labor for the equivalent of just a few dollars a day.

Source:

https://www.nu.nl/economie/6280537/groeiende-vraag-naar-elektrische-autos-leidt-tot-nog-meer-ellende-in-congo.html

(It's in Dutch.)

And

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara

Please read the articles, if you don't speak Dutch at least read the second one, it's in English.

#free congo #congo genocide #congo #democratic republic of the congo #modern slavery #slavery #child labor

[outofangband]

Basic Tol Sirion World Building

world building post for the Isle of Wolves!

World Building Masterlist

This was requested by an anon awhile ago, I’m so sorry for the delay

Please feel free to ask more!! General posts are hard because I didn’t have specific categories to cover so feel free to send categories or more questions!

Tol Sirion stood from the middle of the first century of the first age, for almost 400 years until 456 FA. Finrod first oversaw its building but Orodreth was left in charge and it was under his rule that the fortress lasted until Sauron

-Minas Tirith, unlike Nargothrond, is primarily a military operation rather than a creation of a realm where people can live and work and prosper. Minas Tirith means watch tower.

-Minas Tirith is constructed primarily from white limestone, mostly from deposits of the river Sirion, south of Tol Sirion. Slate, wood and clay were also used

-It is not a city, but rather watch tower with a collection of outer buildings, including an infirmary, a library of sorts, where information about the lands and its creatures and people were collected for sometime, an armory and forge and small houses. The watch tower itself has a number of personal rooms.

-There are also gardens and a small greenhouse, partly modeled after the one built at Barad Eithel which was warmed through hot springs. The greenhouse at Tol Sirion is mostly warmed through the sun and with steaming and misting practices originating from Alqualondë

-The library was a project of Finrod’s and at the time of its creation held very little text, because there was not room to bring many tomes, and written, works over. However, by the time it was invaded there was a modest collection of research. Not all of it would turn out to be completely accurate, but always done with sincerity, and with the help of truly preserving information. All of it was destroyed when the island was invaded.

-Food was primarily sourced from the river itself and from trade with Dorthonion, Hithlum, and Nargothrond. The island of Tol Sirion was probably both too small and its soil in ideal for large scale agricultural production though materials like leaves, roots, some fruit and meat were obtained locally. There were also some smaller gardens, mostly for medicinal herbs but some vegetables too.

-Fresh fish and vegetables, both grown and foraged, are common. During the Watchful peace, small scale agriculture projects are headed by some of the host. These were primarily west, in the shadow of the Ered Wethrin. Trout and river lampreys are delicacies

-Wild mushrooms are also eaten. Elves who have more contact with dwarven and human groups are more likely to eat mushrooms

-Materials for clothing, weapons and other supplies were also mostly acquired through trade however during the Watchful peace, mineral and ore deposits in the nearby mountains were quarried to gather metals and other resources

-The environment is far colder than Tirion, Alqualondë and the rest of Valinor and Orodreth and his host would suffer homesickness at times. The summers and spring are warm however and the island is draped in wild flowers and wild herbs, the scene mixing with the cool water

-The island is large enough that there are several small underground streams that cut through it. It’s from one of these that a well is sourced which provides Minas Tirith with water. It is from two of these wells that form the caverns that will become the pits of the Isle of Wolves. With the streams corrupted by Sauron’s force and repairs of the wells and foundations are no longer done so frequently, the water that drips down the walls where Finrod’s company are chained is poisoned and foul

Please feel free to ask more!

#the silmarillion #tol sirion #Finrod #orodreth #beleriand #musing and meta #tol in gaurhoth

[mariacallous]

This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

On a 20-acre parcel outside the tiny Southern California town of New Cuyama, a 1.5-megawatt solar farm uses the sun’s rays to slowly charge nearly 600 batteries in nearby cabinets. At night, when energy demand rises, that electricity is sent to the grid to power homes with clean energy.

To make renewable energy from intermittent sources like solar and wind available when it is most needed, it’s becoming more common to use batteries to store the power as it’s generated and transmit it later. But one thing about the Cuyama facility, which began operations this month, is less common: The batteries sending energy to the grid once powered electric vehicles.

The SEPV Cuyama facility, located about two hours northeast of Santa Barbara, is the second hybrid storage facility opened by B2U Storage Solutions. Its first facility, just outside Los Angeles, uses 1,300 retired batteries from Honda Clarity and Nissan Leaf EVs to store 28 megawatt-hours of power, enough to power about 9,500 homes.

The facilities are meant to prove the feasibility of giving EV batteries a second life as stationary storage before they are recycled. Doing so could increase the sustainability of the technology’s supply chain and reduce the need to mine critical minerals, while providing a cheaper way of building out grid-scale storage.

“This is what’s needed at massive scale,” said Freeman Hall, CEO of the Los Angeles-based large-scale storage system company.

Electric vehicle batteries are typically replaced when they reach 70 to 80 percent of their capacity, largely because the range they provide at that point begins to dwindle. Almost all of the critical materials inside them, including lithium, nickel, and cobalt, are reusable. A growing domestic recycling industry, supported by billions of dollars in loans from the Energy Department and incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, is being built to prepare for what will one day be tens of millions of retired EV battery packs.

Before they are disassembled, however, studies show that around three-quarters of decommissioned packs are suitable for a second life as stationary storage. (Some packs may not have enough life left in them, are too damaged from a collision, or are otherwise faulty.)

“We were seeing the first generation of EVs end their time on the road, and 70 percent or more of those batteries have very strong residual value,” said Hall. “That should be utilized before all those batteries are recycled, and we’re just deferring recycling by three, four, or five years.”

Extending the useful life of EV batteries mitigates the impact of manufacturing them, said Maria Chavez, energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“The whole point of trying to deploy electric vehicles is to reduce emissions and reduce the negative impacts of things like manufacturing and extractive processes on our environment and our communities,” Chavez told Grist. “By extending the life of a battery, we reduce the need for further exploitation of our natural resources, we reduce the demand for raw materials, and we generally encourage a more sustainable process.”

Just as batteries have become crucial to reducing emissions from transportation, they’re also needed to fully realize the benefits of clean energy. Without stationary storage, wind and solar power can only feed the grid when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.

“Being able to store it and use it when it’s most needed is a really important way to meet our energy needs,” Chavez said.

The use of utility-scale battery storage is expected to skyrocket, from 1.5 gigawatts of capacity in 2020 to 30 gigawatts by 2025. EV packs could provide a stockpile for that buildout. Hall said there are already at least 3 gigawatt-hours of decommissioned EV packs sitting around in the United States that could be deployed, and that the volume of them being removed from cars is doubling every two years.

“We’re going from a trickle when we started four years ago to a flood of batteries that are coming,” he said.

B2U says its technology allows batteries to be repurposed in a nearly “plug-and-play fashion.” They do not need to be disassembled, and units from multiple manufacturers—B2U has tested batteries from Honda, Nissan, Tesla, GM, and Ford—can be used in one system.

The packs are stored in large cabinets and managed with proprietary software, which monitors their safety and discharges and charges each battery based on its capacity. The batteries charge during the day from both the solar panels and the grid. Then B2U sells that power to utilities at night, when demand and prices are much higher.

Hall said using second-life batteries earns the same financial return as new grid-scale batteries at half the initial cost, and that for now, repurposing the packs is more lucrative for automakers than sending them straight to recyclers. Until the recycling industry grows, it’s still quite expensive to recycle them. By selling or leasing retired packs to a grid storage company, said Hall, manufacturers can squeeze more value out of them.

That could even help drive down the cost of electric vehicles, he added. “The actual cost of leasing a battery on wheels should go down if the full value of the battery is enhanced and reused,” he said. “Everybody wins when we do reuse in a smart fashion.”

B2U expects to add storage to a third solar facility near Palmdale next year. The facilities are meant to prove that the idea works, after which B2U plans to sell its hardware and software to other storage-project developers.

At the moment, though, planned deployment of the technology is limited. B2U predicts only about 6 percent of decommissioned EV batteries in the US will be used for grid-scale storage by 2027.

“People are skeptical, and they should be, because it’s hard to do reuse of batteries,” said Hall. “But we’ve got a robust data set that does prove reliability, performance, and profitability. We’re at a point where we really can scale this.”

[newkiqx]

Nearly every single modern computer utilizes cobalt, a mineral whose supply chain is so heavily dominated by slave labor that it's practically impossible to ethically source. Ignoring AI, it is even ethical to do digital art at all? The production of a drawing tablet is not a victimless crime.

I feel you when you want to reduce this to something as simple as a comparison. But bear with me (or alternatively, I put a tl;dr/conclusion at the end).

Much of capitalism is unethical - yes. I agree with this point completely. It's impossible to completely avoid unethical consumption in the world we live in. But it's good to be thoughtful of it and I think businesses and governments responsible for bad practice should be held accountable. Sadly I can't change the world on my own in any meaningful way, but i'll do my part where I can & vote people into power that care about this too.

Taking your comparison for a second, I feel like the art project of that OP was asking a much more direct "I bought cobalt I didn't need and then turned into a children's toy, could this be art?". And my reply was basically yeah sure it could be art, but was it worth it? My point is that I'm not sure on that last part, and leaning towards a 'no'. They specifically sourced it unethically and made that the center piece, which is distinct from the utilitarian nature of consumer electronics we need to get through our lives. Unethical sourcing of art can be a goal or statement (like here cw dead pets) but will then of course still be a part of it. I don't think ethics were considered for the post we're discussing though and it instead only discussed the very unproductive 'is it art' discourse. This, of course, matters about as much as my "dick" being objectively "long" or not.

Maybe getting a little sidetracked, but I also want to mention that cobalt is an extremely useful metal, whereas AI.. well.. i've mentioned the very human cost of mturk and the wholesale theft of the entire internet. There's also:

the power required

the jobs in art it threatens and therefore the skilled labor we stand to lose if we're not careful

the inevitable price hike and betrayal of the public as soon as alternatives are out competed (this will happen)

the risks of biases (racism, ableism, sexism) in an opaque weighted system like AI & the fact we cannot deal with this except for slapping some extra prompts in front

AI poisoning our actual collective knowledge with untrue shit. Recent cases in point being the hilarious fake mouse dick science being published and the ai generated inaccurate servals on google, but there's a lot more going on

the risks of companies and people in power using AI to more efficiently screw everybody over and hide behind 'machine told me so' accountability loopholes

the risks of AI being used in all sorts of malinformed use cases

But what are the gains? What do we stand to win? Call me cynical, but we already had an infinite amount of pictures at our fingertips, as well as all the mediocre writing you could ever want (but actually much better because someone loved writing it). I feel like all these general AI's are good for is filling the pockets of some very rich robber barons and grifters, as well as diluting everything that's beautiful and true in the world.

Quick sidenote - Some specialist AI have genuinely already improved the world, like with medical screenings, but even then it's hard to really call it a win because reverse engineering the reasoning of an AI is so fucking hard. And again, they're a slippery slope with insurance companies wanting a piece of that pie badly, just so they can apply their 'justified' penalties to people not even sick yet.

tl/dr; So in conclusion, no, I don't think your comparison holds up. I agree that it sucks that so much of necessary consumption is unethical in ways we can't easily fix as consumers. But one thing bad does not equate other thing good. If anything, it should inspire you to do better where you can make a difference and hold the ones responsible for the exploitation in this world accountable.

Don't let it eat you up though. I'm not even saying you can't use it for inspiration ever. But any art based on these generated pictures cannot be divorced from the ugly side we'd rather not see: the underpaid army of technically not slaves and the wholesale theft of everything.

also sorry but i couldn't not include this (source: matt bors)

#long post #txt #ask #fuck ai art #ai #ethics #negativity

[rpgsandbox]

25 Volcanic City Adventure Seeds

by Robb at readytorole.com

Below the city, magically protected boats cast fireproof nets into the lava to try and catch some of the small creatures that dwell within. Just yesterday a boat capsized dumping the crew into the lava while those on another vessel claimed they saw a large form rise out of the lava and push the boat over.

The magic that keeps the city habitable has been slowly wearing down over time and the citizens are beginning to suffer from the extreme heat. The city is desperately seeking adventurers need to go to plane of fire and harvest some phoenix essence to restore it.

Within the city is a blacksmith renowned for his magmaforged armor using a secret method. In his old age, he has begun a contest to find a suitable apprentice to teach his methods to.

Small fire elementals keep appearing and causing mischief in the city, from burning food to scorching graffiti into the rocks. These have begun getting more serious with people suffering burns and other harm but the fire elementals disappear back into the lava before they can be reprimanded.

The lava levels in the volcano have been lowering steadily over the past few months and some have been afraid that the goddess of fire is upset. The lava has gotten so low that the entrance to a mysterious cave below the lava is now visible.

The chief export of the city, obsidian, has been booming lately as more uses for it have been found. Ogre thugs outside city who also want it are now blocking trade routes unless they get to buy it discounted and before anyone else.

Due to the magic inherent to the volcano, a mage college specializing in teaching pyromancy has opened. Many aspiring spellcasters have come from all over, including some brutish types who are stirring up trouble with the natives.

The three large chains that hold the main platform of the city up and stable are starting to show age and need some repairs. The problem is that if even a single chain is removed to be fixed the city will swing wildly and dump the people into the lava.

The land outside of the volcanic city has been growing greener with time, and this actually has the druids of the magma upset. They are at odds with the other druids who are ushering in this growth and are planning on doing something drastic.

Miners underneath the city accidentally sprung a leak into the lava that is quickly filling the tunnels. It must be rerouted to prevent further damages to the mine, but the only two places it can go are to the forests outside the city or to a grouping of small settlements at the base of the volcano.

Natural and manufactured hot springs have become a go to destination for travelers who are seeking to relieve some stress. Some of those who indulged have begun noticing some side effects, from suddenly being able to cast firebolts to getting hypothermia in anything but the hottest of places.

The clerics of the city maintain a magical lock on a portal to hell that would otherwise let in all sorts of demons and devils. They’ve now caught three magical rogues attempting to break in and undo the lock.

A week ago the lava in the city began slowly rotating underneath the city. Now, it is a whirlpool of flame and sounds of otherworldly screaming can be heard at all hours throughout the city, unsettling the citizens.

A rare fruit that only grows inside volcanoes and within the city is facing a shortage. Its main property of giving those who eat it temporary resistance to fire is a hot commodity as two warring nations vie for the supply to protect from flaming arrows and boulders employed by both sides.

One of the noble families, the Firebloods, have a ritual to prove their bloodline by stepping into lava unharmed. The matriarch was challenged by her daughter to be an imposter in her mother’s place and reluctantly took the challenge, dying upon taking the challenge. Now the main question is, where is the real matriarch?

As a means of protection, the treasury of the city is stored in a lava-proof vault that is magically submerged and hidden in the depths of the volcano. Upon retrieving it to deposit some money, it is discovered that it has been cleaned out entirely and all the of mages used to retrieve it have alibis.

The volcano used to be surrounded by forests, but slowly over time the magic from the city inside the volcano destroyed them. Now a few treants known as the Barkcharred, tainted by the fire magic, roam the forest remains swearing vengeance on all who they come across.

Days after an imprisoned necromancer swore revenge on the city, zombies filled with lava began a slow ascent up the walls of the volcano, spewing the molten rock at the guards who have tried to stop them. It is only a matter of hours before they reach the city.

A gnomish tinkerer has debuted their newest invention: a crossbow-like vessel that spews a spray of lava out of a nozzle. The city’s armory has already placed a large order for these lavaspewers, but the design is still in a dangerous prototype stage likely to blow up.

An embassy for the elementals of the fire plane resides within the city as a place for them to meet with mortals. A heated argument has ensued over the placement of a direct portal within the city with those in the city fearful of what horrors could step through.

The city woke up to find a layer of ice forming over the lava as it darkens and cools down. The mages are frantically trying to find cause and cure for this change, especially as many in the volcano are also becoming ill as a result.

A lava mill transfers lava down a shaft to a pool where it is sold to other cities for moats and other uses. Recently someone has been buying much of it anonymously and reports of lava attacks on small towns has caused the sell of lava to cease until the attacks stop.

Gems known as firestones grow around lava and create a powder that can be used in potions to become immune to flames. The stores of powder are depleting and the seeds that grow into the gems must be harvested from the closed down depth of the mines under the volcano.

The top of the volcano has been sealed for safety after wyverns have been seen attempting to nest there. Now they swoop down at the entrance, ridden by bugbears who demand they reopen the top and allow them to live there or they’ll attack the city.

After days of rumbling, a gargantuan skeletal dragon has climbed out of the lava, breathing fire and speaking in the dragon tongue of taking over the world. He is immediately confused by both the fire resistance that protects the city that renders his breath harmless as well as his inability to fit around the city to get out.

#RPG #Dungeons and Dragons #adventure hooks