BiCurean

BiCurean
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Society & Culture

BiCurean takes typically combative topics and teaches them to play nice. Our view is the mainstream reactionary rhetoric divides us and only helps those invested in the status quo. We seek to find answers beyond the most obvious. Join host Aicila as she digs into topics ranging from social and political to geeky and fun. Aicila is looking for the "BiCurean Moment"- the point where contradictions meet or are embraced. BiCurean was conceived of in 2011 by Aicila as a podcast and originally created as a blog. On hiatus since 2021, she's been eager to start back up. Watch for new episodes, a new format, and just her as the host. https://bicurean.com/bicurean for more info Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. What's All the Fuss About Data Centers?

    5d ago

    What's All the Fuss About Data Centers?

    Data centers aren't going away — and honestly, we probably don't want them to. So where does that leave the rest of us? In the final episode of the series, Aicila and John move from diagnosis to action. They dig into why the problems outlined in part two are largely unnecessary, what's already being done at the state and local level, and why John thinks this technology will look completely unrecognizable in five years — for better and for worse. In this episode: Why companies are shopping for the cheapest land and weakest regulations — and what Virginia and Georgia tell us about that race to the bottomThe real math on jobs: thousands during construction, maybe fifty once it's runningHow AI hardware demand is already hitting your wallet — RAM prices up ~400% in 18 months, and phone memory costs heading the same directionThe water problem in detail: clean water in, warmer and potentially bacteria-laden water out — and why aquifer-dependent siting is a choice, not a necessityData centers in Germany that have been heating entire city buildings with their waste heat for over a decade (proof that thoughtful design is possible)Where to actually push: federal is a dead end right now — state legislatures and city councils are where traction is happeningOrganizations doing the work: Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, NRDC, Union of Concerned Scientists, Columbia RiverkeeperWhat you can do personally: local vs. remote processing, and why it matters more than it sounds The BiCurean thread: They can build this right. They just won't unless we make them. And in five years, the gold rush will be over — we just can't let them wreck the water supply in the meantime. Resources AI and water Not just use- also cooling and contamination https://undark.org/2025/12/16/ai-data-centers-water/ https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/data-center-water-use/ Innovative ways to use data center energy- https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-hooks-up-berlin-data-center-to-local-district-heating-system/ World Resource  https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-center-growth-impacts Politico-  https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/ai-data-centers-georgia-midterms-00888668 AI data Centers- Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/ai-data-centers-energy-demands/686064/ Living in Hell- data center neighbors grapple with noise, air pollution https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delivering-an-open-data-center-ecosystem-for-ai-302756458.html Server Racks /  Data center https://www.cdw.com/product/startech-4-post-26u-wall-mount-network-cabinet-19-hinged-wall-mounted-serv/4705173 ChatGPT4 data sizes https://seifeur.com/gpt-4-model-size/ ChatGPT Model Version History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT#Model_versions OpenAI revenue growth, still operating at a loss: https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-explosive-revenue-growth-implications-ai-ecosystem-2507/ Other AI Revenue (DO NOT SHOW ON AIR- COPYRIGHTED) https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-soaring-revenues-of-ai-companies-2023-2025/ Sustainable Cloud Computing companies: https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-cloud-companies The Green Grid (Industry coalition for green computing): https://www.thegreengrid.org/ Different states pursuing laws and regulations: https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/state-regulation-data-centers-2026-shifting-landscape Harvard Kennedy School / Belfer Center paper on AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: AWatershed Moment https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Mural%20et%20al_AI%20Data%20Centers%20Grid_20260206.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  2. What's the Fuss About Data Centers?

    Jun 11

    What's the Fuss About Data Centers?

    The cloud was humming along just fine. Then AI walked in. In part two, Aicila and John dig into why AI data centers are a fundamentally different beast from the cloud infrastructure we've been using for decades — and why the timing couldn't be worse. More power, more water, more heat, less accountability, and a deregulatory environment that's removing the guardrails just as the stakes get higher. In this episode: How the pandemic accelerated cloud adoption — and set the stage for AI's arrivalWhat large language models actually are and why they're such resource hogs (GPT-3.5: 45 terabytes of training data; GPT-4: a full petabyte — a 22-fold increase in months)Why local AI models on your phone or laptop exist, and what Apple and Microsoft are quietly doing about data center costsThe uncomfortable truth: only Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are profitable in AI — everyone else is burning venture capitalTraditional data centers vs. AI-centric ones: an order of magnitude more power, an order of magnitude more heatWhy the most sustainable operators are actually the big cloud companies — and why the AI startups aren't following their leadWhat EPA gutting and deregulation means for where this is all heading The BiCurean thread: The technology could be built sustainably. The problem isn't capability — it's who's building it, how fast, and with whose money. Next episode: What's actually being done, and what you can do. Resources AI and water Not just use- also cooling and contamination https://undark.org/2025/12/16/ai-data-centers-water/ https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/data-center-water-use/ Innovative ways to use data center energy- https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-hooks-up-berlin-data-center-to-local-district-heating-system/ World Resource  https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-center-growth-impacts Politico-  https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/ai-data-centers-georgia-midterms-00888668 AI data Centers- Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/ai-data-centers-energy-demands/686064/ Living in Hell- data center neighbors grapple with noise, air pollution https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delivering-an-open-data-center-ecosystem-for-ai-302756458.html Server Racks / Data center https://www.cdw.com/product/startech-4-post-26u-wall-mount-network-cabinet-19-hinged-wall-mounted-serv/4705173 ChatGPT4 data sizes https://seifeur.com/gpt-4-model-size/ ChatGPT Model Version History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT#Model_versions OpenAI revenue growth, still operating at a loss: https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-explosive-revenue-growth-implications-ai-ecosystem-2507/ Other AI Revenue (DO NOT SHOW ON AIR- COPYRIGHTED) https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-soaring-revenues-of-ai-companies-2023-2025/ Sustainable Cloud Computing companies: https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-cloud-companies The Green Grid (Industry coalition for green computing): https://www.thegreengrid.org/ Different states pursuing laws and regulations: https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/state-regulation-data-centers-2026-shifting-landscape Harvard Kennedy School / Belfer Center paper on AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: AWatershed Moment https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Mural%20et%20al_AI%20Data%20Centers%20Grid_20260206.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    23 min
  3. What's the Fuss About Data Centers?

    Jun 4

    What's the Fuss About Data Centers?

    If you've seen the headlines — data centers as economic savior or neighborhood villain — but weren't totally sure what a data center actually is, this episode is your starting point. Aicila sits down with John Bowman, an IT veteran with 35 years in the industry, to trace the arc from the very first data center (built in 1945 to house ENIAC, a military computer the size of a room) to the cloud infrastructure powering your phone right now. In this episode: What a data center actually is — stripped of the hypeFrom military origins and DARPANET to corporate mainframes and the dot-com eraHow Amazon Web Services and the iPhone arriving at the same moment changed everythingWhy cloud computing democratized access to computing powerThe basics of how data centers work: power, cooling, fiber, security, and fire suppression (including why John had to practice escaping his rack in under 10 seconds) The BiCurean thread: Before we can have a real conversation about what's happening now, we need to understand that data centers didn't appear with AI — they've been quietly running the world for nearly 80 years. Next episode: AI arrives, and things get complicated. Resources AI and water Not just use- also cooling and contamination https://undark.org/2025/12/16/ai-data-centers-water/ https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/data-center-water-use/ Innovative ways to use data center energy- https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-hooks-up-berlin-data-center-to-local-district-heating-system/ World Resource  https://www.wri.org/insights/us-data-center-growth-impacts Politico-  https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/26/ai-data-centers-georgia-midterms-00888668 AI data Centers- Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/ai-data-centers-energy-demands/686064/ Living in Hell- data center neighbors grapple with noise, air pollution https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delivering-an-open-data-center-ecosystem-for-ai-302756458.html Server Racks / Data center https://www.cdw.com/product/startech-4-post-26u-wall-mount-network-cabinet-19-hinged-wall-mounted-serv/4705173 ChatGPT4 data sizes https://seifeur.com/gpt-4-model-size/ ChatGPT Model Version History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT#Model_versions OpenAI revenue growth, still operating at a loss: https://www.ainvest.com/news/openai-explosive-revenue-growth-implications-ai-ecosystem-2507/ Other AI Revenue (DO NOT SHOW ON AIR- COPYRIGHTED) https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-the-soaring-revenues-of-ai-companies-2023-2025/ Sustainable Cloud Computing companies: https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-cloud-companies The Green Grid (Industry coalition for green computing): https://www.thegreengrid.org/ Different states pursuing laws and regulations: https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/state-regulation-data-centers-2026-shifting-landscape Harvard Kennedy School / Belfer Center paper on AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: AWatershed Moment https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Mural%20et%20al_AI%20Data%20Centers%20Grid_20260206.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  4. A New Direction

    02/19/2025

    A New Direction

    BiCurean takes typically combative topics and teaches them to play nice. Our view is the mainstream reactionary rhetoric divides us and only helps those invested in the status quo. Join host Aicila as she digs into topics ranging from social and political to geeky and fun. Aicila is looking for the "BiCurean Moment"- the point where contradictions meet or are embraced. Episode Overview: Season 5.0 Intro BiCurean In this season opener, host Aicila delves into the return of BiCurean, explaining her renewed passion for the podcast and her plans moving forward. She discusses the origins of BiCurean and its evolution from a blog to a podcast. Aicila emphasizes the podcast's aim of exploring contradictions and building understanding. She unveils some exciting collaborations, notably with podcaster Gwendolyn R. Houston-Jack, and shares her intent to engage more deeply with topics ranging from social issues to fun, geeky subjects. Find episodes and more on my website, bicurean.com. Reach out if you have ideas for topics or questions. Descript and Castmagic used to process and then edited by human eyes, ears and hands. Lightly edited and produced by BiCurean. BiCurean was conceived of in 2011 by Aicila as a podcast and originally created as a blog. On hiatus since 2021, she's been eager to start back up, and 2024 will be the year she does. Watch for new episodes, a new format, and just her as the host. https://bicurean.com/pocasts for more info Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    8 min
  5. 4.9 Facing Facts About Health with Student Doctor Ben

    12/13/2021

    4.9 Facing Facts About Health with Student Doctor Ben

    My name is Ben and I'm a transgender medical student offering up some information about science as it relates to gender and sex. My channel covers the subjects of embryology, endocrinology, genetics, and pharmacology to provide a foundation of knowledge with which to approach discussion related to the transgender community. ★ Support this podcast ★ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 8m
  6. 4.13 An Atheism Primer

    11/23/2021

    4.13 An Atheism Primer

    Randolf has a YouTube channel and is the founding President of the Canadian atheists, which aims to normalize atheism in Canadian society (and hopefully the world), and to present atheism in the best possible ways.  He occasionally post videos, primarily where atheism is the subject matter, although he also cover other topics from time-to-time.  If you'd like to discuss atheism or religion, or some other topic of interest, please feel free to contact him as I'd be happy to engage with you in a conversation or interview, or participate in a live debate. Talking about how "people are more important than ideas" is an attitude he's been presenting from time-to-time in promoting atheism, and it's partly in response to the attitudes of some religious people who believe that all life should revolve around religious doctrine (which is a collection of ideas). Randolf also touches on leadership, and encourage people to "be their own leaders" because in many scenarios leaders, despite even the best intentions, don't/can't have everyone's best interests at heart.  While leaders do serve important functions, I feel that each person is ultimately in a potentially-better position to know what their own best interests actually are. ★ Support this podcast ★ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 23m
  7. 4.12 Decivilizing

    11/05/2021

    4.12 Decivilizing

    Ornella Matta-Figueroa is certified coach, working on a Ph.D in Mind-Body Medicine. Ornella was called to the healing path 5 years ago. Intuitive body and energy worker she has a calling to create spaces for healing, expression, connection, counsel, and integration. She is a collaborative and servant leader. Certified in Dancing Mindfulness and co-creator of Sacred Raves, Ornella has been supporting individuals as they address trauma in their bodies through movement and return to inner guidance. She finds most joy in creating containers for healing, using a mixture of spirit and research. She also sings and enjoys creating, sharing, and participating in music Ornella has dedicated her life to working with young people. Whether it be her own children or professionally the last 15 years has been focused on youth work in a variety of capacities. She has worked as a youth facilitator, director of programs, summer program coordinator, and as assistant director in higher education. Ornella feels excited to join the SafeArt team. She looks forward to a deepening connection with the team and participants so that she may support in the healing of trauma in our communities. Connect with Ornella | @deciviling on Instagram, FB, & TwitterSafeart | www.safeart.orgTuskegeeTrauma | https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htmBrene Brown | https://brenebrown.com/Secular Humanism | https://secularhumanism.org/what-is-secular-humanism/ ★ Support this podcast ★ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr
  8. 4.11 Supreme Justice

    10/26/2021

    4.11 Supreme Justice

    Lorena Garcia ran a powerful people centered campaign for US Senate in Colorado. Garcia has been working on the frontlines leading non-profit social justice policy advocacy organizations for the last fifteen years, fighting for equity, dignity, and justice for everyone, especially those who have been pushed to the margins. Being on the ground working directly with communities is her calling.  As a veteran organizer, women’s rights activist and nonprofit administrator, she has worked in the interest of the public good throughout her career. As a 7th generation Coloradan on her father’s side and first generation on her mother’s side, Garcia’s family background mirrors many families in Colorado and across the country. Her commitment to the well-being of families can be tied back to her own as the youngest of six siblings and aunt of 16 nieces and nephews. She and her wife, Jaimi, have been married for seven years. Garcia has a Bachelor’s in film studies from CU Boulder and a MBA from the George Washington University. Links:NPR Article on Filibuster and Jim Crow connection | https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982411563/in-push-to-end-filibuster-democrats-point-to-its-civil-rights-era-historyLatino/Latina views on access to abortion | https://www.latinainstitute.org/en/latinopollSupreme Court will hear arguments in Mississippi abortion case challenging Roe v. Wade on Dec. 1 | https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/20/supreme-court-will-hear-mississippi-abortion-case-challenging-roe-v-wade-on-dec-1.htmlColorado Statewide Parent Coalition | https://coparentcoalition.org/Xena Reference- Ep 2.17 The Execution | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751542/Equal Rights Amendment | https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/Ranked Choice Voting | https://www.rcvresources.org/Media Literacy | https://adfontesmedia.com/summa-news-literacy-curriculum/Weta | https://www.wetafx.co.nzInterpretting Constitution | https://www.theodysseyonline.com/interpretations-constitution-originalism-textualism-pragmatism-stare-decisis ★ Support this podcast ★ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m
See All (92)

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

BiCurean takes typically combative topics and teaches them to play nice. Our view is the mainstream reactionary rhetoric divides us and only helps those invested in the status quo. We seek to find answers beyond the most obvious. Join host Aicila as she digs into topics ranging from social and political to geeky and fun. Aicila is looking for the "BiCurean Moment"- the point where contradictions meet or are embraced. BiCurean was conceived of in 2011 by Aicila as a podcast and originally created as a blog. On hiatus since 2021, she's been eager to start back up. Watch for new episodes, a new format, and just her as the host. https://bicurean.com/bicurean for more info Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    BiCurean
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © BiCurean
  • Show Website
    BiCurean