In the Philippines, it’s illegal to cut down a single tree without a permit. It’s a constant reminder that the preservation of nature should be a civil, besides being a moral, obligation. And yet, corporations are seemingly immune from obligations and morals. Google, the company that used to stand for “Don’t be evil,” shows off its true colors by illegally cutting down 250,000 trees in Finland for a datacenter.

As first reported by The Guardian, Finland is now staring at 330 hectares of land suddenly denuded of around 250,000 valuable trees, all thanks to Google. A local ecologist has also said that the company killed a further 150,000 trees at a separate site.

The environmental desecration is part of Google’s multibillion-dollar push to build data centers all over the world for artificial intelligence. Google has since been ordered to stop the development in the country after Finland found that the company acted without securing the needed assessments and permits to clear the area.

Google brushed away the report by saying that they acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time.” The company also said that they are protecting the water quality at the affected sites and committed to replanting trees across 130 hectares, a pale comparison to the total area affected.

Other AI companies are also trying to weasel their way into other countries to build data centers. An example is the controversial Pax Silica in the Philippines. Finland now stands as a cautionary tale against the unimpeded and unsupervised growth of data centers for a service that no one asked for.

Don’t be evil, my ass.

As one of the wisest sages of the 2000s once said, “He was a punk, she did ballet. What more can I say?” Sometimes, opposites attract. Now, two of those opposites in the audio space are coming together: the punk Skullcandy and the ballet-loving Bose.

Today, Bose has announced its acquisition of Skullcandy. The latter will continue to operate as a separate brand but now officially under the Bose umbrella. Although, it’s not a new collaboration as the two brands have previously worked together on devices before. Skullcandy will just have more access to Bose’s technologies moving forward.

Alternatively, Bose will now have access to Skullcandy’s more varied audience. Compared to Bose’s focus on premium products, Skullcandy caters to more alternative lifestyles. Though the brand has since mellowed from its more radical roots, it is still known as one of the alternative brands.

Bose, on the other hand, is still a household name for home audio and noise-cancelling headphones. The new relationship between two polar opposites might be seen as a weird one, but it’s ultimately beneficial to both parties. Besides, both brands were very strong in the 2010s. Keeping both brands going is a boon to audiophiles of the past decade.

SEE ALSO: Sony unveils three premium Walkman music players

Buying a new gaming setup must be one of the most torturous things you can purchase these days. The rising price of chips has hampered the buying ability of many a consumer today. Sadly, that trend isn’t changing anytime soon. According to new reports, the next Xbox might cost double of what an Xbox costs these days.

The next console is currently codenamed Project Helix. Spearheaded by relatively new Xbox CEO Asha Sherma, Project Helix has hopes of being an all-around gaming machine capable of playing PC games besides console exclusives. Sharma obviously wants the platform to come back as a worthy destination for gamers.

That’s a monumental task, though, especially after the rising prices of chips are constantly threatening the prices of new devices. Now, according to a profile of Sharma published by Fortune, the next Xbox might cost as high as US$ 1,800. For reference, the limited 25^th anniversary edition of the Xbox Series X currently costs US$ 899.

Should Fortune’s estimate hold true, a new console in the coming years is double the cost of the most expensive Xbox Series X variant available today. The next generation of gaming might be even more of a luxury than it already is.

Unfortunately, things aren’t getting better across the board. Gaming on PC and on PlayStation aren’t going to be much cheaper as the RAM crisis continues.

SEE ALSO: Xbox might get rid of physical discs too