Comments on: Turn off your computer for Shutdown Day

By: Jonathan Hughes

Jonathan Hughes — Sun, 25 May 2008 07:23:25 +0000

I use my computers a lot. Most computers built in the last 2 years can most likely be automatically placed into standby (s3 mode) which will look as if turned off. In fact, as little as 15 watts will be used to save the system state so that, with the press of a key, the computer can be quickly(on my machine 5 seconds) awakened to a usable state.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/29899.aspx

I have all my computers set to standby after 10 minutes and it works very well indeed whether desktop or laptop. If something is running such as a download or virus check – anything that uses CPU cycles or hard drive activity – will correctly prevent the standby until said activity is over. Electricity is saved, you components will last longer, and if in a hot climate, less heat will be generated by your PC.

You can also google for information relating to standby and or S3 (this is the term for standby to RAM)

By: mrt

mrt — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:28:05 +0000

No I can’t live without my computer, don’t see why should and most definitely won’t be shutting it down – it’s on 24hrs.

By: Irish guy

Irish guy — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:20:54 +0000

Andy McNair,i certainly wouldnt want to live near whatever beach your talking about, thats patrolled and policed by computers. Your missing the point as much as the guy who said he'd play his 360. The clue is in the title you see: "Turn off your computer for Shutdown day" not "Turn off your computer, and also avoid anything that may have been in any way assisted to getting to its current state with the aid of a computer at any point during its past".

I cant wait for this personally. I work with computers as a developer, and as much as i enjoy my job, im absolutely sick of checking email, forums, social network sites etc.. and generally sick of people asking for advice on why their printer is making strange noises, or whats the best digital camera to get. Ive booked a one way ticket to the other side of the world (australia) and going to go travelling around the world for a year or two, and while ill have my phone, ipod and im sure ill be in internet cafes now and then, i just cant wait to get back to a world with little or no computers. :-)

By: Sarah Stokely

Sarah Stokely — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:22:39 +0000

Yeah, I hear you on that one. :)

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:10:56 +0000

Shame for those of us working that day.. in a job which depends soley on use of a computer. :)

By: susanai

susanai — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:33:47 +0000

Iced tea, good book, my fluffy cat and some television.

By: Matej T

Matej T — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:16:12 +0000

I will shutdown computer too!

By: Andy McNair

Andy McNair — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 06:22:51 +0000

I assume that the point of "Shutdown Day" is to make a statement about the way that the developed world choose to live. "It aims to get people thinking about their lives and the world outside the computer screen". Ironically, the vast majority of activities would indirectly involve computers.

The puppy that you mention would no doubt have received vaccinations/been neutered/cleaned/chosen/purchased via the use of computers. The book would have been manufactured and marketed via computers. The coffee beans are shipped with the aid of computers, the coffee machine requires the use of computers in its manufacture (and in some more advanced ones, include basic computers within its design). As for the mid-afternoon siesta, I don't think that you'd sleep as soundly if the peaceful environs on the beach and, indeed, within society, were not being controlled and policed with the aid of computers.

And so I ask you this. At what stage do we declare that we are no longer using computers? Does playing Call of Duty 4 on the Playstation 3 (still nowhere near as good as the PC :P) constitute as anything more than sipping a cup of mass-produced, globally-transported, marketed and packaged coffee?