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January 20, 2003
CLEAN UP YOUR MESS
I woke up at 12:30 in the afternoon today which wasn't bad.
I installed Windows XP which took a bit of arm twisting due to some quirks with the SunPCI interface. I must say, for all the criticism people put forth towards Microsoft and their shoddy implementations of software, I wish people would attempt to innovate like they have from Windows 98/2000/Me to Windows XP. Just reorganizing and making things prettier along with allowing multiple users to "share" the desktop and switch between users shows that someone has thought of something somewhat useful.
Kris and I usually watch a bit of the shows from the week that have collected on the TiVo and one of them happens to be CSI. This past weeks scene contained pictures of landfills and all the garbage people throw away. A lot of waste is produced from manufacturing technology-related things like computers.
A study done in 1997 by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition says that:
The production of every single six-inch silicon wafer uses the following resources:
* 3,200 cubic feet of bulk gases,
* 22 cubic feet of hazardous gases,
* 2,275 gallons of deionized water,
* 20 pounds of chemicals, and
* 285 kilowatt hours of electrical power.
And for every single six-inch silicon wafer manufactured, the following wastes are produced:
* 25 pounds of sodium hydroxide,
* 2,840 gallons of waste water, and
* 7 pounds of miscellaneous hazardous wastes.
When you consider that Intel's Rio Rancho, New Mexico facility can process 5,000 eight-inch silicon wafers in a single week, the environmental costs are staggering.
Another note says that most states don't have space for more semiconductor fabrication facilities because of the strain on the water supply. Apparently 1-2mil gallons of water per day is needed.
It's sad but instead of recycling the components (I don't mean ship them to China) and making sure we don't consume ourselves to death, the problem is ignored.
In an effort to understand more about globalism, I'm reading a book called "The Case Against the Global Economy: And for a Turn Toward the Local" which is questioning whether or not Globalism is a GoodThing(TM).
Posted by beamz at January 20, 2003 12:08 AM