Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
Google users in the United Kingdom will notice today that we "turned the lights out" on the Google.co.uk homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. As to why we don't do this permanently - it saves no energy; modern displays use the same amount of power regardless of what they display. However, you can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.On Saturday, March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation.
[google.co.uk...]
Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour.
Also to be considered...
The hardware stores here (in California) have been selling compact fluorescent bulbs for less than a dollar apiece for a while now. They're far better than fluorescent bulbs were a few years ago, and I'm putting them in wherever I can. Try them... you'll like them.
I also turn off my computer at night, something I didn't used to do.
<comments deleted>
Just call me an old cynic...
Syzygy
thought I'd contracted a virus lol!
Hah! Yeah, I thought for a second I'd picked up some scumware, as well.
Apologies in advance for the appallingly naive question I'm just about to ask but...
Asssuming that "turning your lights off for one hour" means switching off the TV and the laptop as well (it would have to, wouldn't it?) what am I supposed to do between 8 and 9 this evening? Go and sit in the pub? Doesn't that more or less negate the point of going to the trouble to actually switch everything off? (Everything would be off if I were out of my flat anyway, wouldn't it?)
Am I supposed to stay at home and sit in the bath in the dark?
What am I missing here?
BTW these aren't rhetorical questions: I do think this is a worthwhile experiment and I do wish to participate.
thought I'd contracted a virus
Got to admit thats the first thing to cross my mind as well. What a world we live in huh!
Would be interestign to see how the change of page effected search volume. It looked pretty bad TBO.
Mack.
What to do without lights? If it's actually dark outside then go outside and enjoy the stars. They may appear like you've never seen them before if you're living in a city.
P!
All those who are experiencing this 'joy', do 'feel' for us also.
What to do without lights? If it's actually dark outside then go outside and enjoy the stars. They may appear like you've never seen them before if you're living in a city.
Nice idea. Only it's overcast in London. I think I will invite a friend around and we will talk in total darkness for an hour.
Only it's overcast in London
Not to mention too smoggy to see the stars anyway.
I'm going out tonight so my lights (and everything else) will be off for more than an hour.
Although I bought a plasma TV knowing full well it consumes far more power than an LCD. When it's cold I can warm my hands by the heat coming off the front of the screen!
Regarding the hour of lights off, I've heard some people say it's pointless but I think it's good in that it gets people thinking abou turning their lights off. A lot of people don't give it a second thought and just leave them on more or less all the time :(
Now, if we can just get Las Vegas to participate...
Good way to get something noticed.
-m
Then I wake up.....
DJ
Google must have seen a huge drop in earnings because they switched back to their old white page before the whole "Lights out" thing was over?
Yeah...Google supports the "Drink No Milk" day but as soon as they see that the fact they painted all their dairy cows green means no-one drinks their fatty liquids they instantly wash off the cows! Yeah...it looks good on paper to support the "Lights Out" thing but everyone I knew flocked as far away from the black screen as possible...cute trick though...but jumping on such a bandwagon is like a society of heavy-smokers taking a one day nicotine break...
Some day people will look back after a major North American extinction event after the potential Yellowstone eruption and fondly remember the "good old days" when cars that didn't pass smog tests belched black smoke on the roads that are then covered in 2 foot of volcanic ash...
Heck, I'm across the SF bay from the Hayward fault and it's slated to destroy my house at any given moment and possibly flatten my family in the process. Worse case if we survive, we'll probably be stranded on this little isle I'm on because the only way out is over a series of little bridges that will probably crumble.
So I'm worried about turning off a lightbulb?
[edited by: incrediBILL at 3:25 am (utc) on Mar. 30, 2008]
