Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo • Hacker News Board

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#511

Post by hollerith » Fri, Aug 07, 2026, 3:16 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #78

mixdup wrote: post #24

I don't know what DC Blox was going to put in this particular datacenter, but they are a "traditional" colocation datacenter company. Maybe this one would've been superdense GPUs with a jet engine as electrical generator causing all kinds of noise, but it's also just as likely this would've been a project that 5 years ago no one would've batted an eye over, and wouldn't cause any issues in the local neighborhood That…

The funny thing about data center concerns in Chicagoland, where I'm hearing it, is that data centers are better neighbors than almost any other commercial real estate. The data centers in Aurora are surrounded with prairie green space; everything else, including the nicest office buildings, are a sea of eyesore asphalt parking lots. I get there can be real concerns, locally-specific, about energy usage (again: they…

You wouldn't be worried about constant noise from the chillers?

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#512

Post by mafuy » Fri, Aug 07, 2026, 7:47 PM UTC

inigyou wrote: post #509

mafuy wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't need to block the airway. Air and sound move differently, so you absorb on paths that sounds likes to travel and minimize obstruction on the air path. Something akin to a Tesla valve. I'm willing to bet that you can make the exhaust noise near inaudible if you want to. Problem is, it costs a couple 10k dollars or so, and why pay for that if you can just fuck over the neighbour instead?

Tesla valve noise cancellers are not a thing that exists. Why don't you go and invent them before telling the rest of us we should just buy them for $200 each?

The Potential of Tesla Valve Design on Acoustic Application https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-96-5063-7_...

Analysis of sound performance on Tesla valve principle-based model: Experimental and simulation approach https://doaj.org/article/8cfc59ce5f59454e856e5b2fb613372a

:P

But I think even with just a basic understanding of physics its clear that something like this could work. It also does not have to be a Tesla valve precisely. There are all kinds of mufflers and some of them can no doubt be applied at industrial scale - if one is willing to pay a reasonable amount of money.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#513

Post by kulahan » Fri, Aug 07, 2026, 8:12 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #250

kulahan wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve heard there’s misinformation regarding water use. As far as I’ve heard, these data centers use quite a bit. I imagine they just use them for cooking and spit it back out warmer (though if we’re going to do that, I’d prefer we do it cooling a nuclear power plant, personally…) Is this not accurate? Are there any good resources that aren’t like… these companies being super honest about how super good they are?

Construction Physics [1] and Hank Green [2] have done good takes. Broadly speaking, most general-use datacenters use evaporative cooling ( i.e. open loop) because it's cheap [3]. AI datacenters reject so much heat, however, that even absent public pressure they pretty much need closed loops [4]. The misconception is that while both of these processes use a lot of water, we both have and use tremendously more. That ma…

Thank you very much! Lots of reading to do today :3

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#514

Post by genocidicbunny » Sat, Aug 08, 2026, 1:01 AM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #458

jrflowers wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These people commute to construction sites elsewhere during the day While it is a shame that tptacek has to see “commuters“ going both ways it is good to know that the people of Aurora have this beautiful park https://www.cyrusone.com/data-centers/north-america/aurora-i...

I don't know what you think this link shows, but you can just jump to CHI1 on Google Maps (or, you know, drive there) to see what that area looks like.

It shows another generic large semi-industrial/semi-commercial building with a fancy facade around the lobby/reception area and a big blocky rectangular warehouse-style building behind it, with a little mechanical area outside of it. For a moment I thought I was staring at a satellite photo of parts of south San Jose, Sunnyvale or Newark. I can't even begin to count how many of these I've seen in my life. And counter to your point about aesthetics of an office building, I have seen plenty of office buildings that have nice shaded and tree-covered parking lots that aren't wide expanses of asphalt, with pleasant outdoor areas, and architecture that might not be exquisite, but fits well with the time and place it exists in.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#515

Post by userbinator » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 9:24 AM UTC

altcognito wrote: post #162

userbinator wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Decades ago, there was a plan to equalise the water supply throughout the country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Water_and_Power... Now China is beating us: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South–North_Water_Transfer_Pro...

Oh good, I'm glad China is beating us in the path to stupidity. These types of projects are the dumbest things we ever did here. Classic! Nothing dumber than reallocating resources thouands of miles away from where they should be.

You seriously think that it's a good thing to have absolute drought in some areas, while others are experiencing intense flooding?