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Tiny data center makes for a comfortable swim [digitaltrends.com]:

A data center about the size of a washing machine is being used to heat a public swimming pool in England.

Data centers’ servers generate heat as they operate, and interest is growing in finding ways to harness it to cut energy costs and offset carbon emissions.

In this latest example, the computing technology has been placed inside a white box and surrounded by oil, which captures the heat before being pumped into a heat exchanger, according to a BBC report [bbc.co.uk].

The setup is effective enough to heat a council-run swimming pool in Exmouth, about 150 miles west of London, to about 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) for about 60% of the time, saving the operator thousands of dollars. And with energy costs rising sharply in the U.K., and councils looking for ways to save money, an initiative like this could be the difference between the pool staying open and closing down.

Behind the idea is U.K.-based tech startup Deep Green. In exchange for hosting its kit, Deep Green installs free digital boilers at pools and pays for the energy that they use. Meanwhile, tech firms pay Deep Green to use its computing power for various artificial intelligence and machine learning projects.

The success of the initiative has prompted other swimming pools across England to sign up for the service.

Harnessing the heat

Data centers are used to store and handle vast amounts of data, and each server inside those centers generates heat while doing so. But instead of using electricity to keep the servers cool, a number of firms, Deep Green among them, are capturing that heat and channeling it for other uses, with the aim of reducing both costs and carbon emissions.

But it’s not just startups that are exploring such initiatives. For example, Facebook, now Meta, is recycling the heat from at least one of its data centers, using it to heat thousands of homes [datacenterdynamics.com] in a community in Odense, Denmark.

Meta’s system circulates water around the data center via insulated steel pipes that run through copper coils inside cooling units. The water picks up low-temperature heat before flowing onto a facility where heat pumps warm it further. Once hot enough, it’s then channeled to the homes.

Meanwhile, firms like Nvidia are looking at others ways of handling the heat created by data centers. The chip giant recently implemented a liquid-cooling system [digitaltrends.com] that reduces power consumption by 30% and rack space by 66%, compared to traditional air-cooling methods.

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• Jasper AI: how to use the ChatGPT alternative now [digitaltrends.com]
• DuckDuckGo is taking on ChatGPT without busting your privacy [digitaltrends.com]
• Microsoft is slowly lifting Bing Chat’s restrictive turn limits [digitaltrends.com]

• Computing [digitaltrends.com]

Google missed big chance with ChatGPT-like tech, report claims

Google missed a golden opportunity to lead the way with its own ChatGPT-like chatbot technology tool two years ago, but an overly cautious attitude from those at the top prevented the company from releasing it, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday.

The two Google researchers who created the powerful conversational AI technology reportedly told colleagues at the time that their creation could revolutionize how people searched on the internet and worked with computers.

Read more [digitaltrends.com]

• Computing [digitaltrends.com]

5 things I love in the Google Docs redesign

Google is refreshing the look of Google Docs, Slides, Drive, and Sheets. The changes are happening across the board for Google Workspace subscribers and free personal accounts. I love that we all get to enjoy the changes, and there are five things, in particular, that really stand out to me as significant improvements.

This is a continuation of the Material Design 3 updates to Gmail last year. If you are happy with how Gmail looks, you’ll probably enjoy the new Docs as well.
Subtle color adds structure

Read more [digitaltrends.com]

• Computing [digitaltrends.com]

Caktus AI: How to use the ChatGPT alternative that can write essays for you

Caktus AI is a ChatGPT alternative that has piqued the interest of many people across the web, with approximately 1.1 million users having accessed the service since the beginning of 2023. It's not quite as popular as ChatGPT, but it has a unique take on AI-generated content.

The student-focused tool has taken AI content creation up a notch with features that haven't been seen on other services. The brand also offers a number of additional writing generators and several other tools in a myriad of unique categories. Here's what you need to know about Caktus AI.
What is Caktus AI?
Caktus - First Educational A.I. For Students

Read more [digitaltrends.com]

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