A consumer is a shopper who is sore about something - Harold Coffin
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Greenpeace warns about the cloud
PLANET SAVING protester group Greenpeace has warned that we may rue the day that anyone suggested cloud computing.
Greenpeace is using the run up to the launch of the Ipad to warn about increased use of data centres, and specifically their tendency to use a lot of power and create greenhouse gas emissions.
The group said that it was up to the 'great innovators of the digital age', and sadly we must acquiesce that it probably means Steve Jobs, to be "leaders in promoting an energy revolution".
Greenpeace's newly released report - try not to print it out - "Make IT Green: Cloud Computing and its Contribution to Climate Change", shows how cloud services, can "contribute to a much larger carbon footprint of the Information Technology (IT) sector than previously estimated," and urged firms to make sure that they are as green as possible.
As for the Ipad, Greenpeace did not single it out as being particularly Earth-destroying, yet. Rather it said that it hopes that the gewgaw will be used for the greater good.
"To be clear we are not picking on Apple, we are not 'dissing' the Ipad, but maybe someone can come up with an app that calculates the carbon footprint of using different web sites based on their location and energy deals," it said.
Greenpeace also called upon Microsoft and Google to play their parts, and said that it hopes they will use their national and global influence to push for an increased use of renewable energy.
Unfortunately, many firms are not committed to renewable energy, and recently Facebook announced that it will be using coal to power a datacentre in Prineville, Oregon.
Here, Greenpeace said, "Facebook missed a chance to promote the use of renewable energy and instead reinforced the coal industry's grip on the United Sates power grid."
Sheesh! What's next? Whale bacon for breakfast and Dolphin fritters for lunch? µ
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... that these tree-hugging, granola-eating, hybrid-driving, Birkenstock-wearing, razor-avoiding, Greenpeace fruitcakes are some of Apple's most devoted fanbois.
Leave it to Greenpeace to totally miss the point of cloud computing. If any of them had half a brain they would learn that Blade systems and cloud computing are the GREENEST computing going on right now.
What a bunch of idiots.
What does Greenpeace propose is the solution then? Have people using separate computers for the same tasks? These datacenters are even able to use technologies like virtualization to better utilize the processor resources rather than having your processor running at 50W even in idle states.
Greenpeace won't be satisfied until we're all living in caves.
It is not Global Warming, it is Climate Change and before someone says but climate changes all the time, the issue is with the speed of it happening.
Major climate change usually happens over millennia time spans, since the industrial revolutions it started to accelerate and now you can see it within a one generation’s life span.
Humans might be able to over overcome this ourselves, however, the rest of our planet, like the fauna and flora, animals, insects and marine life cannot adapt that fast and extinctions will accelerate as a result. Now those, we can’t live without.
As for using renewable energy, it simply makes sense; its renewable which means we will always have it, as such our future is more secure and our environment will be cleaner, which is a very good side effect. Such a result should be viewed as a win win situation in anybodies book!
I am disappointed that Greenpeace did not look at this issue more carefully before spouting off.
If you carry the "cloud"-computing idea to its logical conclusion, home computing power requirements could decrease to a tiny fraction of what they are now. A typical home desktop computer today draws 200-700 watts (or more) depending on configuration. Lets say, an average of 300 watts. These computers are left on much of the time, as they take a long time to boot (and initialize virus scanners on Windows, and so on). If we assume 1 PC/person in the USA, that is about 90 GW of continuous load.
If we transition to "the cloud", then all you would need at home would really be an "instant-on" thin client, which could draw just enough to run the LED's lighting the LCD and a 5 watt processor (say 25 watts, average, and it could even be powered down when not in use, due to being "instantly" available on power-up). This would result in a load of 7.5 GW or less (or a savings of at least 82.5 GW). As well, thin-clients running Linux instead of Windows would not require the additional computing load of constantly-running virus scanners (it would be interesting to calculate what this additional annual load is).
Data centres can be optimized for efficiency, and effectively one server processor can service thousands of thin clients. On top of this, more and more data centres are using "green" power sources.
So this situation is similar to that of electric cars being supplied by a thermal power plant (again, supplemented by some other "green" power). The thermal power plant has a much higher efficiency that ICE engines, and is less polluting than the equivalent thousands of ICE engines (even incorporation transmission losses), so Greenpeace must also be against electric cars, yes?
THEY ARENT THAT PEACEFUL WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT.
THEIR FLAG IS GREEN THO.
MONEY IS GREEN TOO (XCEPT FOR WEIRD ISLAND MONARK CURRENCY, THAT AINT GREEN)
Warmer, cooler, it's all reletive.
The real issue that the mass media is distracting you from with 'warming" words is from the toxic polution, methal mercury for your childrens nervious system, poisioned lakes, how many miles of land are loaded with chemicals from dumping making them uninhabitual? That's the issue being avoided with arguing about warming, who cares,, lets stop poisioning the planet so our children will have a healther place.
The planet is alot cooler than its been for a long time. If people bothered to look things up for themselves instead of being misled like they are day in and day out they may wake up to the B$ but i doubt it.
to the above comment to, Bang on. GP is just another cult. THis is what happens in society with 'group speak'.
I like to call people sheeple, For the simple fact that everyone is controlled without even relising it. Funny world, well it is when your eyes are open :)
Nothing is free and no ones going give you anything. DO things for yourself and dont be influenced by anyone, not even me :) Sounds hard to do but when it clicks maybe you will be truely free :)
Let us climb atop gargantuan data centres
and protest! spill fake blood on DELL servers! demonstrate the inhumanities of the entire HP DL line.
These madmen must be stopped at all costs! burn them to save the planet or we will all die.
Even the original founders of greenpeace say they have gone too far...
They are less of an organization for peace & more a cult of nutters.
Raise awareness & tell the children where you live how dangerous these people are.
Now...back to my kangaroo burger.