W E L C O M E

keep scrolling, sunshine ↓

I AM A HYPOCRITE

The Guardian · Michael Sainato · 27 February 2025

DoorDash to repay $16.75m in pocketed tips to New York delivery workers

I still order DoorDash because cooking is painful.

theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/doordash-new-york-tips-delivery-workers

“DoorDash used tips from customers to offset the base pay it guaranteed to workers rather than giving them the full tips.” “Despite the system, DoorDash encouraged customers to tip at checkout, claiming 100% of tips would go to workers.”

“More than 11m orders were placed through the app, affecting 63,000 delivery workers in New York.” “DoorDash misled customers who generously tipped and deceived Dashers who deserved to be paid in full,” said James. “We worked hard and we deserve to be paid.”

The Guardian · Antonia Langford · 26 June 2024

Air freight greenhouse gas emissions up 25% since 2019, analysis finds

I still order from China because it’s cheaper.

Environment

“By 2023, air freight emissions had increased by 25% from 2019, making up 93.8m tonnes overall.”

“The researchers attribute the sharp increase to shifts in the post-pandemic economy and newfound consumer expectations in e-commerce, where rapid shipping has become the standard.”

“Air freight produces an estimated 80 times more carbon than shipping by sea or truck, making it one of the most carbon-intensive transportation methods.”

The Guardian · Stephanie Convery · 2 August 2026

Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI

I still use AI to generate ideas because it speeds things up.

theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/02/australian-book-sellers-alarm-destruction-rare-titles-ai-supply-chain

“Unsealed court files revealed earlier this year that the company was engaging in the practice of ‘destructive scanning’ – buying physical books, slicing off the spines to more efficiently scan the pages, then pulping the remains – and had sought to keep it quiet.”

“The judge ruled this was lawful under US copyright law, as it amounted to ‘transformative use’.” “The practice is now understood to be widespread among generative AI companies.” “To me books are more than just objects.”

The Guardian · Robert Booth · 13 May 2026

Datacentres using 6% of electricity supply in UK and US, research says

I still use deep thought AI models because they’re better.

Technology

“Datacentres are consuming 6% of electricity in the UK and US, with the growing strain of AI on energy supplies prompting community resistance, according to research.”

“The proportion of electricity used by vast warehouses stacked with microchips to power AI and the internet has risen 15% worldwide in the past two years as annual global investment in datacentres approaches $1tn.”

“Significant community and political pushback starts to occur in nations once their datacentre footprints have reached the 5% consumption level of national grids.”

The Guardian · John Bartlett in Santiago · 26 June 2025

Chile targets fast fashion waste with landmark desert cleanup plan

I still want the BlackMilk Avatar drop…

theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/26/chile-fast-fashion-waste-atacama-desert

“In a dusty corner of the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar region on Earth, mounds of used clothes are scattered across the sand, where they sit, bleached and tattered, under the sun.”

“The government calculates that Chile imports 123,000 tonnes of used clothing every year.” “Some are then burned, with thick plumes of black smoke spiralling skyward from a messy dump on a high plateau outside Alto Hospicio.”