rob53

TSMC delays Arizona plant, blames US labor shortage

rob53

July 2023

danox said:

blastdoor said:

quakerotis said:

They are FOS. I feel no pain for them. They chose Arizona, which in 5 years will be burned to a crisp and uninhabitable.

And their water demands will only further its demise.

My understanding is that Arizona is actually very appealing due to geological stability and lack of hurricanes/tornadoes.

It is also my understanding that while a fab uses a lot of water, it's mostly recycled water. The analogy I've heard is that it's like a swimming pool -- it holds a lot of water, but then it just mostly recycles it.

And in terms of water use furthering the demise of Arizona -- I've read the biggest culprit is ALFALFA farmers. Yes, alfalfa. Somehow, people are growing one of the most water intensive crops there is in the middle of a desert.

Far better to turn those alfalfa fields into solar farms that power a Fab that's filled with water once, and then use the vast quantity of water saved from alfalfa farming to, you know, drink.

TSMC could have built the facility somewhere near/close to the Columbia river basin in eastern Washington or Oregon, and certainly not in water less Arizona. Another good location would’ve been somewhere in British Columbia just north of the US Canadian border within 50 miles of the border and within 50 miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Anywhere in the Pacific northwest near the Pacific ocean close to vast amounts of hydroelectric power (45% of the USA’s total Hydro electric output) and plenty of water. With the added bonus of having a better post secondary educational system and Microsoft and Boeing nearby.

Being in Arizona, long-term is not good because of the lack of water means you’re gonna have to duplicate your efforts in building another facility within 5 to 10 years in an area with water.

TSMC, did a bad job in scouting. Whatever they were going to build should’ve been within 50 miles of the pacific ocean between Vancouver and San Diego, the best schools, the largest population of Asians in the United States, and the best companies in Tech are all along the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Vancouver, Qualcomm in the south, and Microsoft and Boeing in the north, with Silicon Valley in the middle.

TSMC could also build near Hanford and not worry about any additional contamination. This article is about labor shortage and central and eastern WA is not heavily populated, gets very hot and dry during the summer (majority of rain falls on the Olympia Peninsula, then the western side of the Cascades leaving only a bit of water for eastern WA. The Columbia is fed from Canada and the Cascades. It's true WA uses a ton of hydroelectric power but it's subject to erratic amounts of rain just like the rest of the country. WA actually had a long, mild winter along with a long damp spring. I don't remember any of rivers flooding this year but previous years it's been much heavier. The current population in central and eastern WA is primarily made up of farmers and college students along with what's left of the scientist in Hanford.

Apple threatens to kill iMessage & FaceTime in UK if controversial law passes

rob53

July 2023

It's about time Apple drew a line in the sand. I'm sick and tired of countries dictating how a product is designed especially when those countries have nothing worthwhile to offer. Yes, the UK and EU make some cellular devices but nothing compared to what Apple produces. The removal of end-to-end encryption is simply a ploy to allow governments to capture all kinds of personal information without even having a warrant. The UK wants to go back to the days of the telephone party line so they can snoop constantly.

Apple guts internal communication tool, crippling union organization

rob53

July 2023

The First Amendment guarantees citizens the protection of free speech from intrusion by the federal government, it does not apply to private actors, and employers are private actors. Employees working in the private sector often don't understand that the constitutional First Amendment right to free speech applies to government employees but not employees working for businesses. There are all sorts of things dealing with private sector communications but in most cases the company you're working for can decide what can and can't be said at work. It's the same with personal use of computer equipment. Some companies allow it while others don't. To go to the extreme, several people where I worked were running their side businesses while at work using work computers. That's generally a definite no-no!

Judge scolds Apple's lawyers over appeals arguments

rob53

July 2023

AppleZulu said:

I want shelf space at WalMart for my product, but I'd like to include a QR code on the box that allows customers to purchase the product directly from me, so that I may avoid paying WalMart anything for stocking my item.

I agree. I don’t understand where these judges are getting their basis to force a company to host someone’s product for free. Why should Apple be required to provide free services?