[Diggers350] Diggers against Facebook

[Paul Mobbs]

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On Sunday 21 November 2010 19:27:52 Tony wrote:
> Main problem with Facebook is that while content
> is available to people who are logged in it is
> not generally available via search engines and quickly disappears.

- From my point of view it's a little more complex...

All "Web 2.0" systems (Facebook, all the syndicated rss content, and a large 
proportion of the blogging software) are driving the energy demand of the Net 
way ahead of it's actual growth curve.That's because, even when not in regular 
use, a large proportion of the content is still sitting in databases actively 
connected to the system -- burning energy to do nothing. Server hardware has 
become very much more energy efficient, but because the growth in the physical 
number of servers is greater than the increase in efficiency the system still 
burns more energy.

The worst development of recent years has been the tie-in with mobile devices. 
in effect you're operating two parallel systems to serve the same data, one 
through conventional web systems and another specially tailored to feed 
through the mobile network.

I've never had a mobile phone, and I refuse to use dynamic services either for 
communication or on my own web site. It's all a consumption con -- it offers 
simplicity but once you get into the system it forces you to burn more 
time/money servicing it's needs. Not using Windoze (or Mac) software really 
helps because all the corporate tie-ins with the programs you use don't get in 
the way of what you wish to achieve using computers/ICTs.

I'm finishing off some information right now as part of an international 
collaboration looking at the whole ICT chain -- from the militia mines of 
Congo through to the e-waste beaches of Nigeria and all points in between. 
I'll post details when it's launched in a couple of weeks.

Good old fashioned static services such as email are far more efficient than 
web-based systems -- long live the Diggers list!!


P.


- -- 

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party nor against the other but we are
for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom,
that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness,
righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity with
God, and with one another, that these things may abound."
(Edward Burrough, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')

Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", is out now!
For details see http://www.fraw.org.uk/ebo/

Read my message board, "Ecolonomics", at:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ecolonomics/

Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864
email - mobbsey at gn.apc.org
website - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/index.shtml
public key - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/mobbsey-2010.asc
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