Shut Down Your Console To Save The Planet

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The Natural Resources Defense Council wants people like me to shut off our consoles when not in use. I suppose this can apply to PCs as well and I know a lot of you guys leave yours running constantly too.

Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles and found that they consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego.
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While I can clearly see what the NRDC is trying to say, the problem I have is that my PS3 and PC run Folding@Home 24/7. So, I am torn between saving energy and possibly finding a cure for cancer, Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's. Then I remembered my car consumes about four dead dinosaurs a week when I drive it (so much for saving the planet) so I said screw it and I keep folding. So, if you are going to leave your PC or console running, you might as well join us in doing something positive while we kill the planet.
 
My mom smacked us in the head if we left a light on in the house if we weren't using it. Glad to know all that pain paid off.
 
I bet if I go to the The Natural Resources Defense Council building I will find empty offices with all the lights and AC vents on. :p
 
I got power strips with on/off switches for alot of stuff in the house like the TV, digital reciever box, wireless router, phone etc. so the stuff doesn't just go into standby but is fully turned off when not in use. It does pay off, especially in Europe where electricity costs between two to six times as much as in the US per KWh.
 
Who leaves their console on?? I mean, other than the obvious f@h people...but other than that...I've always turned off my consoles when I was done using them.
 
Isn't there a difference in power usage between an idling cpu vs a cpu? that's being utilized 100% for folding
 
Well, I think folding can be considered as the console or PC being in use.

The problem is that many computers are left idle all the time. here in my workplace, the workers always leave all of their PC on overnight, and even through the weekends without anyone using them.
 
I still turn my computer/ other electronic appliances even though i fold... because my pc is too loud for me to sleep and parents won't let me :( sighs.. but global warming is bs lol.

 
stop!theradio said:
Who leaves their console on?? I mean, other than the obvious f@h people...but other than that...I've always turned off my consoles when I was done using them.
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Just turning them off doesn't stop them from using power. They used to be called vampire devices because even when they're off they still sucked around 2 to 10 watts. Granted it's not much, but when you have a TV, a home theater receiver, a dvd plyer, a VCR, a game a console, a computer, a monitor, a electronic washer and a dryer, etc all sucking their share of power it starts adding up to make an impact on your bill.
 
So I leave my pc on because of boot times and because it does stuff while I'm gone. But unless you're folding with your console, why turn it on? Boot times are short with them, and they don't need to do anything while you're gone (unless you're folding).

This study = fail
 
Freezebyte said:
I leave my PC and it does nothing except download bittorrent. Suck it tree huggers.
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The only thing they're gonna be able to hug is your neck once the trees are gone due to our rampant and irresponsible power consumption.

...and by "hug", I mean "strangle". So, ya know, be careful with that talk! :p
 
The average American consumes about 5 times the amount of energy as the average Swedish citizen =P Considering we have about the same level of technology it can't be computers, TVs and such that are at fault. Inefficiency perhaps?
 
dagas said:
The average American consumes about 5 times the amount of energy as the average Swedish citizen =P Considering we have about the same level of technology it can't be computers, TVs and such that are at fault. Inefficiency perhaps?
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Agreed...we Americans are careless, lazy, inefficient, power-hungry beings.
 
I get what Steve's saying, but in the interviews I saw yesterday, they were clearly aiming this at people who leave the machine one either by accident, or because they were in the middle of a level and didn't want to lose their spot.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that I had to set up Folding to run on my parents PS3...thus, if I hadn't done that, and they left it on, it'd just waste energy and money....No cure for you.
 
We'd best pray that the new more efficient solar panel designs hit the market soon!
 
It's cold! I keep my house warm with this :D

gmaster4.jpg


killwatt.jpg


Fold on!

 
pic didn't work, no edit :rolleyes:

omaster4.jpg


The killowatt is just for that rig...... I have more boxen :D

 
Freakin Tree Huggers ... Suck on This ....

Folding@Home is more important ...

ATIGPU2R.jpg


If they want to help the earth, have them go buy solar panels ...
 
Here's a little information for them to chew on. It's cheaper for me to heat my apartment with computers running 24/7 than it is to run the damn furnace. No, this is not a joke. Since I added two quads and swapped a dual core out for a quad core last Spring, my electric bill has gone down.

Hell, it's getting towards the end of November and I still haven't turned the furnace on. Normally, I have to turn it on sometime in October. It's currently 32F outside and still 73F inside with the nice warm computers. As long as it stays like this, my electric bill won't be more than $70/month.

 
I shut 'em all down. Or at most S3.

I keep getting spammed to "fold for the cure." To what end? So big pharma can get free compute time on my dime? No thanks.

I see many folders as purely e-peen attention mongers. Look how many work units MY MASSIVE THROBBING LIQUIOD COOLED FOLDING TOOL has completed. LOL.

AFAICT F@H has cured as many diseases as aliens found by SETI@HOME. Both worthy pursuits, just not on my dime.

Again, no thanks.
 
EvilAlchemist said:
Freakin Tree Huggers ... Suck on This ....

Folding@Home is more important ...

ATIGPU2R.jpg


If they want to help the earth, have them go buy solar panels ...
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I'm not a tree hugger but find your comments narrow minded.
We are on the edge of an energy crisis and a lot of resources are being used up to keep our world in motion.
I'd say the interests of the world are more important than curing one disease.

I agree its a disease that needs all the help we can give but there are way more efficient ways of doing the same thing.
For example, there is a fair amount of redundancy built in to the calculation of work units such that each work unit is calculated more than once to be sure that corruption doesnt occur or that the data has been tampered with.
Computers designed for the task of folding would not need so much redundancy as they would be a closed system not prone to tampering, the chance of data corruption will be dramatically reduced due to having less points of failure and the hardware can be designed to trap the more common errors and recalculate very small sections not larger work units.
They would also be far more efficient as only the electronics required for the folding task need be in the system.
High electrical efficiency isnt one of the major design goals for consoles, PC PSU's are only 85 to 90% efficient when operating in a certain power range, so the power supplies used for a dedicated folding machine can be made much more efficient.

The money you would spend on electricity could be given to an organisation that operated these machines and using the same energy, can produce a cure far faster.
The problem lies that many (most?) people would not contribute unless they are involved in a project and can see what appear to be tangible results from their work.
This would make it more like a charity but it could work out really well.

I think folding is a great way to raise awareness of computing potential but it ideally should move on to dedicated systems unless we get a quick solution to the impending energy crisis.
You never know though, a solar cell has been designed that can accept light from almost any angle and absorbs the whole light spectrum.
It can be built using the same processes currently in use as well.
I'm hopeful that this will make it to market soon and just maybe energy problems will be history!
Hopefully theres enough raw material to supply the demand.

Current solar panels are much too expensive for the amount of power they produce (and require too much energy to make for the return) so its not currently a practical method.
 
Oh really?! In Minnesota here, we're not using enough power:

Xcel, CenterPoint Ask for Rate Increases: Xcel is Asking for a 6.05% Overall Increase in Its Electric Rates in Minnesota.

Nov. 3--Minnesota's largest electric and gas utilities asked state regulators today to let them raise their prices.

....

Both utilities acknowledged bad timing for customers, as the slumping economy taxes family budgets, but they said rising costs and slowing energy consumption necessitate the requests.
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http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle+articleid_2763433.html
 
ianken said:
I shut 'em all down. Or at most S3.

I keep getting spammed to "fold for the cure." To what end? So big pharma can get free compute time on my dime? No thanks.

I see many folders as purely e-peen attention mongers. Look how many work units MY MASSIVE THROBBING LIQUIOD COOLED FOLDING TOOL has completed. LOL.

AFAICT F@H has cured as many diseases as aliens found by SETI@HOME. Both worthy pursuits, just not on my dime.

Again, no thanks.
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What energy crisis? Oil is below $50 a barrel. There never was an energy crisis. Global warming is a myth that a bunch of hippies that grew up to be "Environmentalist" and stupid us are listening to them.

The Sun is warming, that is causing out planted to get warmer. Nothing we do can change that. If you need proof google "Mars Ice Caps melting". Our CO2 cannot affect Mars so why is it getting warmer over there.... hummm?

I'll fold with what ever I can get my hands on because it does make a difference.

What have we done so far and where are we going?

Folding@Home has been a success. In 2000-2001, we have folded several small, fast folding proteins, with experimental validation of our method. We are now working to further develop our method, and to apply it to more complex and interesting proteins and protein folding and misfolding questions. Since then (2002-2006), Folding@Home has studied more complex proteins, reporting on the folding of many proteins on the microsecond timescale, including BBA5, the villin headpiece, Trp Cage, among others.

More recently (2006-present), we have been putting a great deal of effort into studying proteins relevant for diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Hunntington's Disease. You can learn more about our results and peer-reviewed scientific achievements on our Papers Page.
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I run my computers 24/7 in the winter...gotta heat my place somehow. Some places only have electric heaters (no gas / heatpump). Not sure, but I think the console could beat the efficiency of an electric furnace (not heat pump). Look at it this way, one PS3 can fold about 10-20x faster than the average PC with no graphics card. A good compromise is to only run the less efficient systems in the winter.
 
ianken said:
I shut 'em all down. Or at most S3.

I keep getting spammed to "fold for the cure." To what end? So big pharma can get free compute time on my dime? No thanks.

I see many folders as purely e-peen attention mongers. Look how many work units MY MASSIVE THROBBING LIQUIOD COOLED FOLDING TOOL has completed. LOL.

AFAICT F@H has cured as many diseases as aliens found by SETI@HOME. Both worthy pursuits, just not on my dime.

Again, no thanks.
Click to expand...

http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Papers
 
Kendrak said:
What energy crisis? Oil is below $50 a barrel. There never was an energy crisis. Global warming is a myth that a bunch of hippies that grew up to be "Environmentalist" and stupid us are listening to them.

The Sun is warming, that is causing out planted to get warmer. Nothing we do can change that. If you need proof google "Mars Ice Caps melting". Our CO2 cannot affect Mars so why is it getting warmer over there.... hummm?

I'll fold with what ever I can get my hands on because it does make a difference.
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You sir are a fool. It is not called global warming it is called global climate change. Have you heard of the greenhouse effect? We are releasing greenhouse gases thus increasing the greenhouse effect. This means that the % of sun radiation that is trapped goes up regardless of the sun's output. The more radiation that is trapped the more energy is added to the earth worsening global climate change. Has folding cured any cancer or any disease? No. Is there a guarantee that it will in the future? No. Will shutting down and turning off (by closing a circuit not just shutting down which won't guarantee a break in the circuit) or even just by decreasing the power usage by going from on to idle in electronics decrease our energy use now? Yes. If we continue to do this will decrease the amount of power that is needed to be generated and thus reducing the amount of pollutants in the air and water? Yes. Will this save you money? Yes. I would rather have a guaranteed positive and immediate return on my investment than have a investment that has no guarantee of any positive return during any point in my lifetime or, for that matter, ever. Now if 100% of your power is coming from renewable energy sources then by all means fold away. BTW progress does not = a cure. If you can give me a specific disease or cancer that has been cured and has saved lives because of it being cured I will shut up.
 
[21CW]killerofall;1033345896 said:
You sir are a fool. It is not called global warming it is called global climate change. Have you heard of the greenhouse effect? We are releasing greenhouse gases thus increasing the greenhouse effect. This means that the % of sun radiation that is trapped goes up regardless of the sun's output. The more radiation that is trapped the more energy is added to the earth worsening global climate change. Has folding cured any cancer or any disease? No. Is there a guarantee that it will in the future? No. Will shutting down and turning off (by closing a circuit not just shutting down which won't guarantee a break in the circuit) or even just by decreasing the power usage by going from on to idle in electronics decrease our energy use now? Yes. If we continue to do this will decrease the amount of power that is needed to be generated and thus reducing the amount of pollutants in the air and water? Yes. Will this save you money? Yes. I would rather have a guaranteed positive and immediate return on my investment than have a investment that has no guarantee of any positive return during any point in my lifetime or, for that matter, ever. Now if 100% of your power is coming from renewable energy sources then by all means fold away. BTW progress does not = a cure. If you can give me a specific disease or cancer that has been cured and has saved lives because of it being cured I will shut up.
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LOL, In the 70's it was global cooling. A few years ago it was global warming. Now it's Climate Change. Well guess what the climate was changing before man ruled the world and will be around after we leave. I'm not saying we don't have some effect on it. Just I think it's overstated. Right now we are in a "cooling" period anyways.

Anyways I think I'm going to leave my 360 on all night now.
 
This is just like a religion-war/discussion...
Some say "we need to use less power" others want to find cures...

I can see where both are comming from...

Saying that F@H has not helped cure a single cancer is ignorant...Of course no doctor will prescribe a good dose of F@H and no one can claim F@H SAVED ME... but the research that is done is being used.

So yeah... whichever side you are on... good for you. I fold... but then, my power comes from hydro-electricity which is causing much less greenhouse problems than coal or anything else...
 
stop!theradio said:
Agreed...we Americans are careless, lazy, inefficient, power-hungry beings.
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You're the same type of beings as Swedes or Germans. It's probably more of a cultural thing. It's more important to make as much money as possible and consume as much as possible in the US. The Nordic countries have the "Jante Law" and Australia, Canada and New Zealand have the "Tall poppy syndrome" which discourage such behavior.

If F@H really does help in finding cures for diseases, then it should benefit mankind even if it uses some extra electricity. Of course, finding a cure for cancer is going to take a little more than leaving your P4 on for a couple of days... It might also be a scam, but at least it's better than wasting CPU cycles and electricity on something like Seti.
 
I have to say, the idea of shutting down my PC or any electrical devices, or changing my lifestyle on account of an "energy crisis" is plain silly. The only reason we have an energy crisis is because they have made it impossible to build new power plants, regardless of how "green" they might be. Nuclear is the way to go! Until they get their act together and start trying to solve the problem instead of making us pay for their mistakes, then I refuse to change my lifestyle.

In the unlikely event that they (the powers that be) ever exhaust their options in an effort to make a difference (like off-shore drilling, building more power plants, etc.), then why should I consider doing something like shutting off my PC when I'm done using it?

If they refuse to take action, why should I?

I guess they honestly believe if they keep preaching "global warming" long enough, despite it's lack of scientific support, that everyone will jump on the bandwagon and just do what they want. Forget that! On the other hand, people will believe just about anything these days... so who knows, maybe someday we will implement rolling blackouts and gas coupons to enforce energy efficiency.... since it's "our fault" after all, according to a certain man who was recently elected, and we "should pay" to fix it. Seriously, how dare you run your PC too long!!! how dare you drive your car every day!!!

haha, sorry for the rant... I get really upset when people start preaching that I need to change my lifestyle because they are unwilling to do what is necessary.
 
I never have my console on when I'm not playing it.

But only a power outage can turn off my rig.

...at least till I can afford a UPS :D
 
I personally don't think that there will ever be a cure of cancer but we will be able to prevent anyone from getting cancer as long as they don't go into areas where you can inhale, ingest, and/or absorb things that give people cancer. I believe that it will be done by gene therapy to our young before they are born.
 
A few years ago I was looking into getting a motion detector setup in every room so that lights go off when activity ceases/or moves into another room. Not to save the planet - but to save on the powerbill. A little something becomes a lot over a years time.

On the other hand, cancer sure's taking its time with my dad.
 
[21CW]killerofall;1033346097 said:
I personally don't think that there will ever be a cure of cancer but we will be able to prevent anyone from getting cancer as long as they don't go into areas where you can inhale, ingest, and/or absorb things that give people cancer. I believe that it will be done by gene therapy to our young before they are born.
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I don't think they mean cure as in eradicate it or completely prevent it, but "take this call me in the morning". My son has cancer and we've been dealing with it and it effects on him for almost four years now. Any advance that would lessen the amount of time that cancer patients have to deal with their diseases is more than worth the money I spend helping research in my opinion.
 
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