Blackled. What is it?
It’s google, but with a black background.
Why you ask?
Well, apparently it takes more energy for your computer monitor to display a white web page than a black one. So while the traditional white or brightly coloured backgrounds with dark text are great for readability, apparently its not all that great for the planet and actually uses up a lot of energy. The premise is that by simply changing to a black background, we can each save a little bit of energy each time we use Google. It's powered by Google, so you should have pretty much the same user experience when using Blackle as you do with Google. Only darker. If you consider the popularity and the number of people who use Google on a daily basis, the potentially energy which can be saved from this simple switch could be enormous. We are all so addicted to google that we think twice before we even consider using another search engine.
From a shallow perspective, Blackle is an ingenious idea. Well for its founders at least. It preys on the guilt we all feel as we use more energy and natural resources than we are suppose to in order to do what we need to do from day to day. While admittedly, the darker background is not as easy on the eye, it is a relatively minor and hassle free change we can make in our daily lives in order to contribute to saving the environment.
While there is some debate over whether a black backgrounded google will actually make an impact on the world's carbon footprint and the energy saving only working on certain computer screens, the creators of Blackle say there is another purpose behind the idea. They beleive that at the very least, those who use Blackle daily will be reminded to find other ways to reduce energy consumption throughout the day.
Blackle has saved 2, 105, 610.586 Watt hours of energy to date. Almost enough to power a small country one could say.
Wow -- I guess I'm not as green conscious as I would've hoped. Liked the idea, tried it, not using it.
ReplyDeleteIt works and all, but it doesn't give you as easy access to all the extra little search options which normal Google does. And I've turned into such an information junkie using Blackle is just too much of an inconvenience!
How very shameful of I!
Very true Kai, Blackle doesn't have all the extra google apps such as translate and scholar which i have become so dependant on. However, i think it is still in its early days and perhaps if it gained more popularity, those extra features may be incorporated. If they were, would you consider using it or is it the black background which you have more of a problem with?
ReplyDeleteWell you know how much of a lifetime-member fan of Google I am (oh valiant guardians of democracy and free speech!). Notwithstanding aesthetics, if it offered everything normal Google does I reckon I could become accustomed to using this.
ReplyDelete