It is safe to say technology providers are creative. I mean, they have to be. Fresh ideas help providers stay ahead of the competition, while in many cases promoting causes and launching movements. 

Do those creative ideas go a bit too far? On a few occasions, probably. Just ask U.K. Members of Parliament (more on that below). But in some cases, those wacky ideas work to benefit the greater good. 

Who lives in a data center under the sea? 

No, the answer is not SpongeBob SquarePants. Well, maybe not. Yet.

In a patent application filed Dec. 29, Microsoft outlined its plans for an "artificial reef data center," which would create an "apparatus for actively promoting marine life," according to the filing. 

We've all heard of Project Natick, but this takes Microsoft's undersea efforts one step further. While continuing its technology expansion and data center growth, the company is creating a fish-friendly haven. 

Microsoft isn't going to simply drop a whirring machine into the ocean. Instead, the company intends to create a data center "configured for operation and submerged in water" (which is a feat by itself) while promoting housing for marine life and attracting the growth of other reef inhabitants. 

What's different about these data centers is they are created with the intention of hosting marine life. Other artificial reefs, the company argues, "often introduce additional environmental concerns," such as corrosion, which could work to pollute the environment. 

Microsoft is committed to the idea of giving back to the environment. While try new undertakings with its data center technology — and by extension promote its growing cloud business — it wants to do so without harmful environmental impact. And Microsoft is not the only company dedicated to going green. 

According to a report released by Greenpeace this week, Apple, Google, Facebook and Switch are all leading the effort to create an internet powered by renewable energy. The IT sector consumes approximately 7% of global electricity, according to the report. That's likely because there has been a dramatic increase in the use and reliance on technology for everyday life. 

So many technology leaders, like Microsoft and Google, have committed to relying on 100% renewable energy, changing how their machine-powering energy is provided, from wind to solar undertakings.  

Amazon's English humor falls flat

Some U.K. Members of Parliament were less than chuffed when Amazon renamed the London Underground's parliament station for a publicity stunt promoting its cloud business, Amazon Web Services.

Amazon paid Transport of London 390,000 pounds to change signs at the station from "Westminster" to "Webminster," Reuters reports. 

While Amazon surely had a chuckle over its guerilla marketing, Nick Smith, a Member of Parliament with the opposition Labour party, said the company was "undermining the word 'Westminster,'" according to reports.

Next stop is #Webminster. The AWS London Region  is open for business & you can start using it today! https://t.co/yJaTRUT62B pic.twitter.com/mc0bblefso

— Amazon Web Services (@awscloud) January 12, 2017

Obligatory banana news

Meanwhile, in other Amazon news, the cloud/e-commerce/pretty much everything giant recently gave away its one millionth banana from its Seattle-based banana stand. And who mans the banana stand? "Banistas."

Last but not least, phishy phishers keep on phishing

Guess what? Those hackers are creative too. But this creativity is indeed used for evil. 

This is the closest I've ever come to falling for a Gmail phishing attack. If it hadn't been for my high-DPI screen making the image fuzzy… pic.twitter.com/MizEWYksBh

— Tom Scott (@tomscott) December 23, 2016