Adopt This Data Center Plushie and Hear Its Piercing Scream
wired ·
Basura, a New York creative studio, and music producer Alan Wilkis’s Big Data project have created Bezzy, a plush toy shaped like an anthropomorphized server rack. When squeezed, the doll plays a piercing recording made by a neighbor of a data center in Virginia. The satirical “Adopt a Data Center” project is intended to offer a cuddly introduction to data centers while drawing attention to their energy use, expansion, gas power, and noise pollution. It also includes stickers and a website linking to research and stories about the effects of data centers on nearby communities. Only 20 handmade-in-the-US Bezzy dolls are available for $99, but the creators say the toy is mainly a way to encourage people to examine the broader issues. Basura says the central question is who decides where data centers are built, what resources they consume, and whether neighboring communities benefit.
wired