computer

Sun is the Greenest

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

Computers burn a lot of energy on our planet, in fact it’s 4-5% of total world power consumption. Well, Sun Microsystems knows this and is doing something about it. I wonder how they stack up to sustainable linux, black google, but, they are better than windows and Apple.

For him, this is just good business. “Energy responsibility is about to become a society-wide business imperative,” he says. “All my projects have measurable business benefit. You might say the ‘eco’ in my title is for economics as well as ecology.”

“We’re not only part of the solution but also part of the problem,” he confesses. What he means is that computers are egregious energy hogs. Data centers alone, Sun calculates, account for 2-3 percent of total world energy use, with all IT making up more like 4-5 percent. At big companies, 20 percent of total energy costs can typically be accounted for by information technology.

Illegal Software No Longer Necessary

- Adam Clare 3 Comments

Linux, which is a free and open computer operating system can be used instead of more popular options like Apple and Microsoft Windows. We already know that Windows is a big polluter, and Apple has been criticized creatively for their lack of green policies. The alternative to these polluters is linux (my favourite linux version is Ubuntu).

To make computing even easier, a blogger has put up a list of software that is commonly pirated with a list of free and open alternatives. For example, no need to buy Microsoft Office when you can use Open Office.

Blogs for Empowerment

- Adam Clare

Information technology can be used for more than spam and this is a perfect example. Blogs for African Women uses blogging to communicate ideas and share resources with women to empower them.

Nine young women, activists in non-governmental organisations or community programmes in Lagos, will come together online and face-to-face to gain technical skills in blogging, podcasting and wikis over the next six months. Networking for Success is geared towards women who are already looking for ways that technology can help their work, who want to reach out to other organisations and collaborate more effectively.

Reuse Your Obsolete Technology

- Adam Clare

Old disks, keys from keyboards, and hard drives can all be used to make useful and fashionable things you can use! EcoGeek has the lowdown on a man who has created a business converting old geek trash into crafts that he sells locally. Ingenious!

There is no longer any use for a 3.5 inch floppy disk let alone a 5.25′. many a coastered CD never finds another home. And keyboard keys, well, they may be beautiful, but there’s nothing you can do with them after you (I) spilled that beer.

Robothink: Japanese Robot Museum

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

robotThis a fun thing for this Friday. Japan now has a robot museum.

“Finally, scholars have a place to conduct Astro Boy studies. Robothink, Japan’s first bot museum, opened its doors this fall. The 28,000-square-foot facility is housed in a former used-car dealership in Nagoya. From Robby to Aibo, the droid depository features dozens of actual automatons, plus replicas of real and fictional bots.”

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