I like your analogy so I will use it in my counter argument. I even have a personal example!

In my last place, there were no ethernet ports, and there was no shot that my landlord would install any. Coaxial wasn’t correctly wired up either. So my two options were to either move my setup into the kitchen, or to run an Ethernet cord up into my room.

I chose the second option to not monopolize the dining room table. It wasn’t pretty but my roommates were happier with some painters tape on the walls than my computer being in the kitchen.

I think a similar thing can be said for people who live in remote areas, it is about compromise. In this example it’s low internet speeds, traveling to get groceries if you live in a food desert, or paying more for utilities.

People prefer what they prefer. And if their preferences are worth their cost of the compromises, then they are going to go with their preferences.

It’s unreasonable to expect someone to move / abandon their preferences because they may not make sense to others on paper.

Sure, we'll just pack up our glass and steel foundries and oil refineries and move them across the country. Should be cheap and easy.

The world is a lot more complicated than "datacenter bad". I don't think datacenters are a good justification for HVDC transmission. HVDC transmission justifies itself because even if you could magically transport the biggest consumers to where the power is generated, we still need to transport power all the way across the country. HVDC is the most efficient way to do that bar none.

The reality of the situation is that our power grid is a century out of date and needs an overhaul for the realities of renewable energy. Not installing HVDC transmission lines is simply not an option if we want the whole country to stop using local coal and gas plants.

> A ping goes around the whole world before your pressed key is visible on the screen.

I don't disagree with your sentiment, but as someone who manages infrastructure which is literally on the opposite side of the planet (from me) RTT is long enough to be objectively horrible for anything interactive like typing over SSH. At least 250ms capital to capital for Europe to Oceania + last mile latency makes 300ms a more realistic minimum + actual processing time + client side rendering and it really starts to feel like a half second from the full human perspective... Under ideal conditions.

Increasing latency can also reduce TCP throughput ceiling, increase in-flight concurrency, and increase server memory consumption.

Dafuck? No way lol

Playing from eu on us servers is not playable

>A ping goes around the whole world before your pressed key is visible on the screen.

> Latency for interaction with AI?

It's not just AI. Video streaming or game streaming both depend on close proximity to the end user, alone because the data volume would completely overwhelm backhaul links... that's why Youtube, Netflix and a lot of CDNs all have colo facilities close to major population centers and their regionally dominant ISPs.

It can be significantly cheaper to pay colo fees at an ISP' s data center than to pay interconnection fees for bulk transfers.

I'd assume that site selection managers understand how recommending "only useful for training" locations might impact their careers.

Either the data center is in the wind belt and you run fiber to the people, or the data center is near the people and you run power to the source. Either way you have to do some kind of cable run, and that means land.

Once built, the DC has like, ten employees. Nine security guards and a part-time on-site technician.

The current admin doesn't have a long enough shelf life to be making any long-term plans based on their proclivities.