Internet routing going greener soon

Researchers have come up with a new way to route Internet traffic that could save big Internet companies like Google millions on their electricity bills, according to an article published by MIT's Technology Review.

Researchers from MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and the networking company Akamai recently published results from a study that suggest big Internet companies could save up to 40 percent on their electricity bills by using an algorithm to send Internet traffic to data centers where electricity is less expensive.

Data centers consume a lot of energy, which costs operators like Google and Amazon millions of dollars to run each year. And now as more digital information is "virtualized" and accessed in the cloud, centralized data centers are getting even bigger and are consuming even more energy.

In fact, data center energy usage is expected to quadruple during the next decade in the absence of efforts to improve efficiency, according to the article, which referenced a report from McKinsey & Company and the Uptime Institute published in July 2008. The article also estimated that today, some large Internet companies spend more than US$30 million a year on energy costs.

But now there could be a way for these companies to lower their energy costs. Using an algorithm developed and tested by researchers at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Akamai, these companies can track electricity prices that fluctuate by location and time of day. It then calculates the best option depending on the price of electricity and the distance that data must travel to get to a particular location, to provide the most cost-effective route for data based on energy costs.
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Solar cells for phones still not fully feasible

Solar or photovoltaic (PV) technology in mobile computing devices is still impeded by performance and price issues, and is not likely to entirely replace batteries anytime soon, according to analysts.

James Hines, Gartner's research director for semiconductor, told ZDNet Asia in an email interview that performance is the "primary inhibitor to the practical application of integrated solar cells" in today's mobile devices.

Solar-powered battery chargers for mobile phones and other devices are already available in the market, but are not only expensive but performance is also "poor", he had said in a recent research document.
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EPEAT's green electronics rating system now for other countries

The Green Electronics Council said Monday it is making its EPEAT rating system, now mandated in US government agencies, available for computer gear sold in other countries.

Products certified by EPEAT--which stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool--are listed in a registry. Products are judged on 23 attributes that make up an environmental performance rating. There are 28 optional attributes as well.

The ratings--either gold, silver, or bronze--cover monitors and desktop computers right now. The organization, which is made up of manufacturers, recyclers, and advocacy groups, is in the process of establishing an EPEAT rating for televisions, printers, and copiers. It also expects to take on consumer electronics and servers, according to executive director Jeff Omelchuck.
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iPod nano cassette tape case

Though it will add bulk to your iPod nano (4th generation), the 45 Nano case scores points for its retro style. Made from gutted cassette tapes, it will contain your MP3 player without blocking access to the scroll wheel and connector. Held at certain angles, it appears as if you have plugged your headphones into a cassette tape.
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Prepara's plant growing machine

It's hard to ignore the incessant messages to buy local, plant a garden, check for organic labels, and lead a sustainable lifestyle, yet most of us dismiss these suggestions as practices that require too much money, time, and effort.

And it's true--they really do.

Last summer I went through a green phase, heading to the plant store to purchase soil, seeds, shovels, pots, and everything else that Martha Stewart suggests I buy. Well, US$120 and two weeks later, I had forgotten I'd even planted a garden and deemed my project a failure.
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