Quote · Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
Ep 624 - Big Boy (feat. Nate Marshall)
Where this was said
NYC Thermostat Tyranny and Taylor Swift's Wedding
At 1:05:57 · chapter starts 1:04:00
The heat wave conversation rolls seamlessly into NYC politics. Mamdani apparently issued guidance asking New Yorkers to set their AC no lower than 74°F to prevent grid overloads — prompting immediate Twitter discourse about Taylor Swift's air-conditioned wedding at Madison Square Garden. Matt refuses to be outraged about the billionaire exception: they're 'financial mutants,' they're going to do whatever they want, and comparing yourself to them is a waste of mental energy. But his real concern is with Mamdani himself. He floats the concept of the 'totalitarian tiptoe' — the idea that the thermostat request is a small test to see how much behavioral compliance the government can incrementally assert over citizens. [1] — Matt McCusker "I maybe it could be one of those, they call it the totalitarian tiptoe, where it's like, hey, everybody, turn your fucking air down and see…" 1:07:40 Nate counters that even if only a small fraction of Mamdani's supporters comply, that might be enough to actually prevent outages — a more charitable read. Austin Energy is apparently doing the same thing, texting residents to reduce usage during peak heat.
Taylor Swift reportedly rented Madison Square Garden for her wedding during the NYC heat wave, presumably not adhering to the mayor's thermostat restrictions.
NV Energy is abandoning 50,000 residents in the Lake Tahoe area after May 2027, redirecting electricity to data centers in North Las Vegas. Data centers are reportedly lying about how much power they'll consume, and the people paying the price live in low-income, low-population areas.
Data centers are reportedly underreporting how much electricity they plan to consume, causing utility companies to redirect supply away from residential customers.
