S11E23 – Data Center Rules and the Windows 24H2 Deadline

Episode Summary

Mike opened with the new city council rules for data centers in Tucson. He agreed the rules seem reasonable but said he does not understand why companies build in such a hot climate, and he stressed that data centers pull on the whole connected power grid. He also touched on his frustration with electric utility bills.

The practical center of the show was a warning for Windows 11 users: version 24H2 is reaching the end of support, and the free 25H2 update is the answer, not a new computer. Mike also covered Gemini replacing the old voice assistant and making his in-car calling unreliable, and a Google Drive change that stopped backing up computer photos.

The last segment compared virtual and augmented reality. Mike said he wants good augmented reality and dislikes VR because it makes him motion sick. There were no listener calls this week.

Topics Covered

Data center rules

Mike said the city set rules that a data center over 25,000 square feet or around 20 megawatts needs special zoning and a public council vote, and cannot use potable water. He said a poll found 71 percent of Americans do not want data centers nearby. His view was that large power users should be required to generate their own power, with solar and batteries, rather than lean on the shared grid. He added that he rents space in a local data center and uses about $20 of electricity a month.

Windows 11 24H2 is ending

Mike said the latest Patch Tuesday started the end of 24H2, and that anyone on Windows 11 should be on 25H2. You can check with the Winver command or in Settings. He said Home editions lose support in October, and that the update is free and relaxes some CPU and RAM requirements, so nobody should need a new computer for it. Windows 10 users, he said, need to move off it too. Major updates on Home machines are approved by the user until Microsoft labels one critical.

Gemini on phones and in cars

Mike said Google reports Gemini has a billion users. He said that since the Gemini update, hands-free calling and navigation in his car through Android Auto fail to find contacts he used to reach by voice. Howard said the old phone assistant handled calendar commands better. Mike likes Gemini on his home Google speaker for short answers. He said the Tesla’s built-in assistant handles contacts better.

Google Drive photo backup

Mike said Google Drive on a computer has stopped backing up personal photos, and Google turned that off silently. Photos taken on a phone are still backed up. He recommended making sure irreplaceable photos are backed up somewhere else.

VR versus AR

Mike said he finds VR dumb and it makes him motion sick, while he would like augmented reality glasses for tasks such as photographing a server room during a site walk-through. Howard agreed he likes AR, and the hosts noted that Meta seems to be the only major company working on it, with Ray-Ban glasses that now have a display. They joked about the safety risks of watching video on glasses while driving.

Calls

There were no listener calls this episode.