Tracking The Data Centers: A Handy Visual Reminder

 <https://brockovichdatacenter.com/>

Want to track the Super Sniffer Dog Surveillance State that all those feral edgelords -- I mean, tech bros, sorry -- are rushing to build, but don't know where to start? If you don't know already, the famed environmental lawyer, Erin Brokovich, offers an interactive map on a website that she's launched to shine a light on this unwholesome phenomenon, which represents that political unicorn -- a development that's aroused enough public antipathy to cross every conceivable party line.

Getting a handle on where they're popping up, however, has been slippery, since data center proponents aren't exactly shouting their arrival from the rooftops. If you look at the maps that some well-intentioned volunteers on the Open Streets public data site, for instance -- there's so few dots, it's enough to make you ask, "What's all the fuss about?"

A quick scan and click across the Brokovich map will part you from those notions pretty fast. As the old saying holds, "knowledge is power," and getting a handle on trends -- since some regions are, shall we say, more overwhelmed by data centers than others -- is the first stop toward stopping them.

And it certainly beats being treated how their proponents envision -- like mushrooms (i.e., fed shit, and kept in the dark), as they swarm our communities, armed with blizzards of non-disclosure agreements, and wild promises dangling from their lips. Which is why it's probably worth filling out the reporting form on Brokovich's website, among many other nifty features, should the need arise.

Another type of map worth checking out is one that shows which states host the most data centers, which you can get from Visual Capitalist (see link below). I was going to include it here, until I saw the "2025" portion of the headline. So, presumably, it's a bit dated, though you can still glean some useful info -- starting with the top data center states.

As you can see, Virginia (665*), Texas (413), California (321), Illinois (244) and Ohio (203) are the top five data hosting states, with others seemingly closing in on a secondary role (such as Oregon and Washington, with 137 and 134 centers, respectively). Even in 2025 terms, they're sobering numbers to view, though necessary, if we want to frame the most relevant lines of protest and resistance.

If nothing else, it's worth having a snappy visual to summarize the problem, which helps in figuring out how to tackle it. After all, what's that equally appropriate old saying? "One picture is worth a thousand words" (or 10,000 words, apparently, because its lineage is somewhat disputed, as the link below will show you), which feels eerily apropos, in this particular context.

Because, as we all know, it's a little bit late when you wake up one day, and find a data center shoehorned onto your doorstep. So let's send the data profiteers packing, wherever they show up, with a different old saying ringing in their tinny, tone deaf ears: "You're bringing coals to Newcastle, and we want it to stop!" Getting the right information, visually speaking, is the first place to start. -- The Reckoner

Links To Go: Hurry, Hurry (Before You Find

A Monster Data Center Squatting In The Backyard)

Brokovich AI Data Center Reporting:
https://brockovichdatacenter.com/

Grammar-Monster.com
A Picture Paints A Thousand Words (Origin):
https://www.grammar-monster.com/sayings_proverbs/a_picture_paints_a_thousand_words.htm

Visual Capitalist: Mapped: States
With The Most Data Centers In 2025:

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-states-with-the-most-data-centers-in-2025/

(*As dated as the map is by now, it's a grimly amusing figure, being only digit one away from that dreaded Biblical number, 666. Go figure, eh?)