MAY 27

Have you got a few minutes? I thought so...well, I suggest you spend them watching the above video. Not only is it semi-adorable, it's got a moral we can really get behind. "Love the one you're with," particularly, the computer you're with.

It takes more energy to create a computer than the computer will consume in 10 years. I know that we're geeks, and that the new machines are always oh-so compelling, but there's something to be said for upgrading. You might find that a little bit of simple maintenence might restore some of your 1.5 ghz machine's former glory. The simplest upgrades, RAM, hard drive and (for laptops) a new battery, certainly won't run you more than a hundred dollars or so.

But the most necessary bit of maintenence (that this video won't tell you about) is an occasional re-install of the operating system. It's essential to wipe your machine of all the memory-consuming crap that youve acquired over the years. And a re-install won't cost you a dime...but it will take some time. The question is, is your old computer worth it? Do you love it enough to give it the gift of life?

Maybe these statistics from lovethe1yourewith.com will help you make up your mind:

• The energy required to produce a new computer is enough to run a computer for 10 years
• The energy saved by extending the life of your computer by a year could run it for 2 years
• 220 million tons of e-Waste are generated annually in the USA

Comments (8)

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written by Monotonehell, May 27, 2008

Hank mate, you forgot the number one;
Install Linux - do more with less! :)

My machine can't run Vista, but OpenSuse10.3 gives me more eyecandy than Vista, I can use all the graphics, vector and office programs just like Vista and better.

All this plus I downloaded OpenSuse from my ISP over the Internet negating the packaging and transport carbon wasted on getting Vista on the shelf. It also came with all the software I use included. Negating all that extra packaging.

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written by Kris, May 27, 2008

Right on, Monotonehell :D

But even if you don't adore Linux (like most geeks should), you should at least know how to re-format (or even re-image) your HDD. It's a basic skill all home users just HAVE to know, lest they end up whining about how slow their once top-of-the-line box has become and go out and buy a new one - what a horrible waste! I think technolgy (il)literacy has a lot to answer for when it comes to the wasting of energy and resources.

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written by Ken Roberts, May 27, 2008

It's always of course cheaper (and thus more environmentally friendly) to rebuild your computer than to buy a new one. Yet it's not that simple. Upgrading your RAM, battery, and/or hard drive may not be difficult, but beyond 4 or so years old that will not even help. RAM types and pin counts change over time, requiring you to buy a new motherboard in order to install cost-effective RAM. A new power supply may be required to run a new graphics card or other device, and a new processor may be required to run the latest programs.

These are complex installations for the computer hardware illiterate. Implying that computer upgrades are easy is a little misleading, in my opinion. Knowing how to build a computer from scratch is essential to the average geek, but your average consumer will likely not even be comfortable taking the case off.

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written by Dan Wilson, May 28, 2008

@Hank: We can't thank you enough for the blog post and for putting us on your YouTube channel. We are in your debt.

@Ken: Our site's goal is to raise awareness of the environmental hazards inherent in frequent computer purchases. You are absolutely right that things can get tough after more than 5 years or so, but we feel that consumers can perform a few simple tasks to keep their computer working well after, say 3 years.

The tutorials on the site are fairly straightforward; we'll have to see if some users find them difficult.

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Free PC Tune-Up tool
written by PC Tune-Up, May 28, 2008

Great video! It is so true that we need to stop being such a disposable nation and start taking care of the products that we already own. PC Tune-Up is a great tool that will help you clean, defrag, and optimize your computer. And you don't need to be a tech-wizard - it has a magic button (seriously) that will run the program for you. You can get a free trial at www.largesoftware.com.

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Awsome
written by Big Carbon Foot Print, May 28, 2008

Sweet, when I add the number of computer that I have bought over the years, plus the ones I intend to buy I increase my Carbon Footprint! This is really great news to add to my quest to have the largest carbon footprint in the world! I am buying a new computer every 6 months now!

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thanks!
written by Marilyn, May 29, 2008

Hi Hank,

Thanks so much for featuring our video and spreading the message!!!

Marilyn

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Carbon cards for everyone are next
written by John Dodd, May 29, 2008

As you can see by the title of my post that I don't subscribe to the Church of Man Made Global Warming and it's high priestess , Al Gore. He's the typical holier than thou leader of a religion that says I must dramatically alter my way of life to reduce my carbon footprint yet he still owns four huge houses(ones a ten bedroom , 8 bath, w/poolhouse mega house ) and flies around the planet in mostly private jets. Now the British government is wanting to impose a carbon card for everyone to monitor their carbon footprint. This is just another scheme to control the masses. It's government micro management under the disguise of , if you don't do this , the end of the world will occur. No thanks, I like to live life to it's fullest without the government telling me how much I can eat , how much petrol I can buy, or how many concerts I can attend( Madonna, I just bought tickets to Sticky and Sweet... Fabulous!!) There is no such thing as Scientific Consensus or Fact. So the science is not settled when it comes to global warming, so why give up all of our rights to the government until we have an open debate with hypocrites like the high Priestess of this radical religion???

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