Did Google's stunt of turning their web page black for "earth hour" hurt the environment?

Question

All of our LCD monitor tests showed that Blackle actually causes a rise in monitor power consumption over the standard white Google search engine page. The results also match what is known about LCD design – that the display has to block the passage of light from the backlight getting through to the front of the screen and in order to do that, more power is required.

On average, our four LCD monitors saw a rise of 0.35W by using Blackle instead of Google.

http://techlogg.com/content/view/341/31/

Answer 1

EARTH HOUR... LOL. Another feel-good liberal publicity stunt. What garbage...

Answer 2

An LCD by its nature blocks a constant light source it doesn’t matter what the colour they will be no increase in power consumption once the switch has been made, were you would get an increase would be if the display is moving or changing like a movie.

Answer 3

This is because the hypocrite liberals at Google want to make money and think the rest of society is dumb enough to listen to them.

Answer 4

Typical "skeptic" argument, emotional appeal that is nonsense according to real data.

The difference in power consumption because of what Google did is clearly VERY insignificant.

Understanding global warming involves understanding what the numbers mean.  These guys are good at that, which is why they all say global warming is real, and mostly caused by us.

The National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Physics, the American Chemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Association, etc.

EDIT - Note that the website cited above actually supports this answer, not the question.

"However, the power consumption difference between Google and Blackle on all 23 LCD monitors was as small as you could get – an increase of 100mW (0.1Watts). So after all that testing, we’re in a better position to say that anyone else that Blackle makes next to no difference, on average, with LCD monitors."

By all means, read this cite, and decide for yourself who's more accurate.

EDIT 2 - Please check the update cite also.  It clearly shows the result is statistically indistinguishable from zero.  No measurable difference at all.

If you don't understand data, you won't understand global warming.

EDIT 3 - Continued lack of understanding of data shown above.  This stuff is obvious to any scientist, but, let me make it clear to anyone.

0.1 watts X 10 million monitors X 1 hour.  Reasonable estimates on the last 2.

1000 kilowatt-hours.  

US annual power consumption = 3,000,000,000 kilowatt hours

An increase of .00003%.  "next to no difference".  More likely, given the uncertainty shown in their measurements (you think they can get this right to 0.1 watt?), ZERO.

If you don't understand data, you won't understand global warming.

EDIT 4 - And I omitted CRTs, which used dramatically less energy.  But, no matter how look at it, this is INSIGNIFICANT.  Please keep this up.  This is fun, and you're sinking your credibility yourself.

Answer 5

My only comment is when you guys come up with your brilliant observations and conclusions why do you never seem to take them up with the involved people, instead of dumping them in Yahoo Answers like so much trash?  It's not like anyone here is craving one more moronicism.

Answer 6

I don't know if it had any impact on the environment, but it irritated the f**t out of me.

Answer 7

lies!

use mercury ridden fluorescent bulbs

use ethanol gas: more carbon created to make & worse

milage, same emissions

worship al gore & his lear jet/ classic car driving lifestyle

dont believe 500 scientists, beleive 1 failed pres. hopeful

ignore the creater of the Weather Channel

disregard more snow/thicker ice in Antarctica, which break

glaciers & float in the ocean & eventually, melt

believe everything you hear, regurgitate it without question

and never, EVER, check for facts.

Answer 8

i dont kno about that...but i think they turned their page black cuz it was obviously a direct contrast to their usuall white- which made people pause for a moment, and read the blurb about earth day.  this must have informed many people about it, especially those who didnt kno about it.  but it seems kinda sketchy that the color of a website uses more energy....

Answer 9

Lol, no. Earth hour is stupid google was being stupider.