Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Al Gore Unplugged


I'm not exactly talking about an acoustic album from our country's exuberant ex-vice president, but it would certainly be a best seller if it ever came into fruition. I'm sure you've at least heard of his PowerPoint presentation-cum-documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which was a certified success (due to his bright, sparkling voice no doubt). The documentary hits on the negative effects of carbon emissions on our environment, and ways to cut down on said emissions.

Our technological devices need power, and creating this power releases carbon dioxide. There are times when our devices are plugged in, not doing anything, yet still drawing power. One major offender is cell phones: a recent study reported that if 10% of the world's cell phone users unplugged their chargers when their batteries were full, the amount of electricity saved could power 60,000 homes (from Treehugger). Televisions and related electronics are also under fire for their "standby" modes where the device uses power in order to interpret signals from a remote control, even when it's been turned off.

What would Al Gore do? I haven't met him, but I'd guess that he'd unplug a lot of his devices when not actively using them. Take Nintendo's upcoming Wii video game console. It boasts a 24 hour Internet connection that will download little Pokemon goodies even when it appears to be turned off. Mr. Gore would most likely instead shut off his console and walk / swim to Japan and obtain said Pokemon by hand. He's an outdoorsman. No big deal.

So what's the story? Tech products usually improve our way of life in some fashion. It's worth considering their total impact on our lives, and weighing their convenience with their disadvantages. The "green market" will be fascinating to watch in the coming years, to see how ideas are implemented with environmental concerns.

8 Comments:

At 2:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pokemon live in Japan, but Al Gore can't see them, since you need to believe in them to see them. They're like Santa Claus, another thing that Al Gore can't see...even though he has a bell from Santa's sleigh. He can't hear it.

 
At 11:35 PM, Blogger Kevin said...

dude bri-man, al gore just came tonight and did the "Inconveinient Truth" powerpoint and i mean the facts were amazing, having not seen the movie, or fully read the book. but what really amazed me, is the jokes he pulled were actually funny. he can be a funny guy, and impersonate Bill Clinton really well, apart from the fact he worked with the guy for about 8 years.

 
At 1:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Al Gore just needs to get off his high horse and chill out with a refreshing Martino (trademark pending) from Starbucks-- nonfat of course.

 
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