hardware – Still Water Lab

A chart showing a log-log scatter plot that shows big tech is spending far more on AI than it earns from it. The x-axis shows annual data-center and compute spend in billions of dollars on a logarithmic scale from $25B to $300B. The y-axis shows AI revenue run-rate in billions of dollars on a logarithmic scale from $0.35B to $320B. Seven companies are plotted as purple dots. xAI sits at $31B spend and $0.5B revenue, the lowest revenue point. Oracle is at $60B spend and $12B revenue. OpenAI is at $120B spend and $25B revenue. Meta is at $135B spend and $0.5B revenue, far below all others at its spending level. Alphabet is at $185B spend and $30B revenue. Microsoft is at $190B spend and $37B revenue, the highest revenue point. Amazon is at $200B spend and $15B revenue. A green dashed diagonal line marks break-even where revenue equals spend; all companies sit far below it. A red dashed diagonal line marks 10% revenue recovery; most companies cluster near or below it. Vertical error bars on Oracle, Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft show the estimated range between reported AI revenue and a conservative first-party-products-only floor, with Oracle having the longest bar, dropping from $12B to approximately $1.5B.

What if data centers aren’t about AI?

AI, Digital Curation, Jon, New Media, Still Water / jon / June 10, 2026

Are we building data centers for AI—or something else? Data from the industry suggests a more insidious motive.

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Bangor Daily News story on New Media capstones, December 2020

COVID-related New Media capstones win acclaim in print and broadcast press

Connected Knowledge, Jon, New Media, Still Water / jon / January 5, 2021

News stories in the Bangor Daily News and the Portland CBS station profiled New Media seniors and their creative applications designed to help people cope with COVID-19.

Still Water Ripple initiative aims to connect creators and communities

Connected Knowledge, EcoVillage, Innovators, Joline, LongGreenHouse, Maine Intellectual Commons, New Media, Still Water, Still Water Permaculture Guild / jon / July 11, 2020

Organizations working to make a better world may soon get help from students with design and technical skills, thanks to a new initiative from Still Water, a lab at the University of Maine dedicated to studying and building creative networks,

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“Right To Unmake” CAA panel examines Lego-like creativity

Craig, EdgeOfArt, Innovators, John Bell, Jon, Maine Intellectual Commons, New Media, Open Art Network, Still Water, Still Water West, Thoughtmesh, Variable Media / jon / July 14, 2017

While the maker movement continues to gather publicity, one of its most critical dynamics seldom makes the headlines: the right to unmake. Now the College Art Association has published a call for presentations on unmaking and “Lego-like” creativity for its next annual conference in Los Angeles in February 2018.

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The Wired Ecovillage: Can a smart house leave a smaller footprint?

4 Comments / EcoVillage, Innovators, Joline, Jon, LongGreenHouse, New Media, Still Water, Still Water Permaculture Guild / joline / June 11, 2013

Starting in June 2013, the home of Still Water Co-Directors Jon Ippolito and Joline Blais becomes an experiment in sustainable living through digital feedback. This net-zero-energy unit in the award-winning Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage now includes a smart grid whose energy generation and use patterns can be monitored in real-time on the Web.

The Wired Ecovillage: Can a smart house leave a smaller footprint? Read More »