2 Google Searches = 1 Cuppa

From the UK Times Online:

Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches

Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross says that performing two Google searches uses up as much energy as boiling the kettle for a cup of tea

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2. Boiling a kettle generates about 15g. “Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact.”

Shoot, I use Google so much it's probably the daily equivalent of making a barrel of tea. It wouldn't surprise me to find that my computer habits waste the energy it takes to broil a cow. Come to think of it, I drink a couple cups of tea per Google search anyway, so I'm doubly dangerous to the environment.

Good Grief.

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EDIT: Anytime "tea" is mentioned is the time for my tea joke:

Didja hear about the Indian chief who drank a hundred cups of tea?

They found him dead the next morning, drowned in his tepee.

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EDIT: Also read where there was "outrage" over Prince Harry's recent remarks. My callous and insensitive joke above where I referred to Native Americans as "Indians" made me realize that I'm just as bigoted as "the spare".

Good.

God Bless Harry, God Save the Queen, God Bless the U.K., God Bless us one and all except for the ragheads who want to kill us.

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Just saw this:

STRANGE AND GOOFY HOUSES! - TEA CUP?

Aermotor Windmills

From Texas Country Reporter (YouTube Channel)

The location is quite a bit south of here, not really in the Panhandle, but certainly could be in regards to the landscape and particularly the wind.



My sister's in-laws used to be haying & fencing contractors and one summer hired a couple of young men who stayed with the family. One guy had a beautiful old pickup and had under the dash the only record player "deck" I have ever seen. It very seldom skipped, only when he hit a pothole.

The other guy was pretty much a greenhorn and I remember something very funny he said to one of the family "Sure are a lot of air motors around here." "Air Motors"??? The mystery was solved when he pointed to a windmill with "Aermotor" stenciled on the vane.

I certainly did not know Aermotor was the sole windmill manufacturer in the United States.

There's a lovely old wooden windmill about five/six miles out of town and I'd love to photograph it in the morning because there's nothing behind it to the east and I think it would make a fantastic shot with the sun rising in the background.

The only problem is that I'd have to pretty much be on the farmer's porch when the sun came up!

EDIT: Poking around the windmill vids at YT, I found this one:

What I Learned From Windmills

The End of the World - Skeeter Davis

Dinky Bird

From the KFDA NewsChannel 10 feed in the right-hand column:

Rare, 'dinky' bird migrates to US for first time

The "dinky" bird reminds me of my childhood friend Joe Bill; we were about 13 or so and he asked me if I had ever heard of a "dicky bird". I told him that it seemed as though I had and he told me I'd know it if I heard it, its call was:

"Sc-rooh! Sc-rooh!"

If you don't "get it", even after saying it out loud, then I'm not explainin' it to ya

eclectic

eclectic \i-KLEK-tik\, adjective:
1. selecting and using what seems best from various sources or systems; made up of selections from various sources
2. broad in acceptance of ideas or approval from other sources

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I like this word because I think it describes me and how I try to do things. In fact, I think the world would be a much better place if we all were a bit eclectic.

In other words, I want everyone else to be like me.

Not very eclectic of me, is it?

Don't Click This Link

Unless you want to read a truly gruesome story:

Death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it

VIRUS WARNING!!!

From the email archives:

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If you receive an email entitled 'Bedtimes'

Delete it IMMEDIATELY.

Do not open it.

Apparently this one is pretty nasty. It will not only erase everything on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything on disks within 20 feet of your computer.

It demagnetizes the stripes on ALL of your credit cards. It reprograms your ATM access code, screws up the tracking on your VCR, and uses subspace field harmonics to scratch any CD's you attempt to play. It will program your phone auto dial to call only 900 numbers.

This virus will mix antifreeze into your fish tank.

IT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE SHOWERING.

It will drink ALL your beer.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING? ?

It will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table when you are expecting company.

It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine. If the 'Bedtimes' message opened in a Windows 95/98 or Windows XP environment, it will leave the toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer plugged in dangerously close to a full bathtub.

It will not only remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, it will also refill your skim milk with whole milk.

***WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN. ***

And if you don't send this to 5000 people in 20 seconds, you'll fart so hard that your right leg will spasm and shoot straight out in front of you, sending sparks that will ignite the person nearest you.

Send this warning to everyone!

THERE'S A LOT OF SADNESS IN THE WORLD!

Right now, as you read this, 17 Million people are partying

And look at you - you're on the computer