Item — HN Reader

> 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.

This baseless assertion contrasts with any report or reasoning. They are noise generators operating 24/7 that eradicate social activity and purpose to such a degree that makes high-security prisons feel like community centers.

Please in your own words state what you feel is the primary advantage of having a data center in your neighborhood.

> 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.

You don't need to build a data center to plant some trees. There are other ways to do that, you know?

> But data centers by themselves intrinsically seem like very good neighbors, much better than warehouses and strip malls

You got to be joking. Datacenters are massive warehouses whose main output is noise 24/7.

Strip malls at least serve a purpose in the community, such as fulfilljng needs of those who go there to shop, and simplify the job if small business owners to setup and maintain a shop.

2 comments

You are confusing construction of data centers with their normal operation.

Data centers are silent in normal operation. It's the construction you're hearing about that is noisy, but that goes for any construction.

This is plainly wrong considering many people's complaints about the ridiculous amount of noise these things spew out. The whiring of gas turbines and cooling systems of complete, fully operational, data centres has nothing to do with construction.

Again, this isn't unknowable, you can literally just pull up next to CHI1 and open your window and listen. You won't hear anything.

No. You can drive right into the parking lot of a CyrusOne data center in Aurora and listen. You're not going to hear anything.

Nobody is disputing that Elon Musk or whoever has built data centers powered by jet turbines or whatever, or that those are good. I'm being specific about what I'm talking about, and you're responding with a platitude.

Buddy I am writing this from that parking lot and I can hear quite a bit. I call bullshit. And suggest a hearing test, for real if you’re a DCO person get it checked on the regular.

Respectfully, I've done this recently and I don't believe you, but I'd be happy to place a bet with you and then drive out there and take decibel readings (I can go grab some hardwood at Owl to justify the trip).