PeakOil is You
I.T Industry post peak?
Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by waegari » Wed 17 May 2006, 06:58:47
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('newhunter-gatherer', 'I')t takes 1.2kg of fossil fuels and 10kg of water to produce a single 32mb microchip!
And water shortages are already encroaching on us, all around the world. Not just in developing countries, as many may believe. The latest news in this area is the following:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')ewspaper reports in Britain say the country's largest water supplier, Thames Water, is considering towing icebergs from the Arctic to London to solve what could be the worst shortage in a century.
Richard Aylard, from Thames Water, has told The Times that the company has to look at any possible alternative to solve the crisis.
Iceberg May Solve London’s Water Shortage
And this is just one out of many very recent news stories on the subject. Just do a Google News search to find for instance:
Lack of water drains Beijing
Delhi facing acute water shortage
and many many others.
So, to return to the topic, the future of computing looks quite bleak.
The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.
Al Bartlett
Al Bartlett
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by newhunter-gatherer » Wed 17 May 2006, 07:10:04
And they blaim the water shortages on lack of rainfall, nothing to do with the collossal volumes of water industry is consuming 
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by Caoimhan » Thu 18 May 2006, 09:53:24
Ummm... what do industries DO with the water when they "consume" it? It doesn't disappear. I'm sure that some industries hopelessly pollute the water (paper bleaching producing dioxin, for instance), but I'm sure that others return the water through treatment plants.
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by benzoil » Thu 18 May 2006, 10:05:39
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Caoimhan', 'U')mmm... what do industries DO with the water when they "consume" it? It doesn't disappear. I'm sure that some industries hopelessly pollute the water (paper bleaching producing dioxin, for instance), but I'm sure that others return the water through treatment plants.
I think its all the Dansani bottled water consumed in the front office!
Seriously though, my understanding is that circuit board etching and other bits of the hardware manufacturing process produce some serious toxins.
TANSTAAFL
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by newhunter-gatherer » Thu 18 May 2006, 10:20:38
Caoimhan wrote:
''Ummm... what do industries DO with the water when they "consume" it? It doesn't disappear. I'm sure that some industries hopelessly pollute the water (paper bleaching producing dioxin, for instance), but I'm sure that others return the water through treatment plants.''
Where water is used in such a way that it is changed in quality and temporarily lost as a resource it is consumed
''Ummm... what do industries DO with the water when they "consume" it? It doesn't disappear. I'm sure that some industries hopelessly pollute the water (paper bleaching producing dioxin, for instance), but I'm sure that others return the water through treatment plants.''
Where water is used in such a way that it is changed in quality and temporarily lost as a resource it is consumed
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by Comp_Lex » Thu 18 May 2006, 12:01:55
If we can't use our computers anymore, then it means that:
- we can't watch television anymore
- we can't use the refrigerator anymore
- we can't listen to the radio anymore
- .......
And if can't use our computers, then our society will return to 1900's level.
- we can't watch television anymore
- we can't use the refrigerator anymore
- we can't listen to the radio anymore
- .......
And if can't use our computers, then our society will return to 1900's level.
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by SoothSayer » Thu 18 May 2006, 12:04:40
f we can't use our computers anymore,
Sorry, that option is NOT on the table. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my computers going. Even in a Mad Max scenario there will enough computers, computer bits, car batteries etc around to keep me happy!
Sorry, that option is NOT on the table. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my computers going. Even in a Mad Max scenario there will enough computers, computer bits, car batteries etc around to keep me happy!
Technology will save us!
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by kam30en » Mon 22 May 2006, 08:17:12
I think the internet will decrease in size and eventually collapse. All the companies that run servers based on advertisement revenue will collapse. I can't see as many people being able to afford the internet either, and as less people are using it, the costs will increase for the remaining that want to use it. I could see localized internet in certain prepaired and prosperous communites though. The people in those communities will probably only use the "internet" for a few hours a week as they will be too busy trying to survive without fossil fuels.
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Re: I.T Industry post peak?
by thor » Mon 22 May 2006, 10:34:10
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kam30en', 'I') think the internet will decrease in size and eventually collapse. All the companies that run servers based on advertisement revenue will collapse. I can't see as many people being able to afford the internet either, and as less people are using it, the costs will increase for the remaining that want to use it. I could see localized internet in certain prepaired and prosperous communites though. The people in those communities will probably only use the "internet" for a few hours a week as they will be too busy trying to survive without fossil fuels.
This is the most likely scenario I think. Running server farms with soaring energy prices and rolling blackouts becomes next to impossible. ISPs pull the plug and dot-commers will be fired in larger numbers, from sysadmins to web programmers: all have to go. Like the aviation industry, 24/7 dot-com is dying. Entire city districts based on dot-come will gather dust, eroded by a persistent PO sand storm.
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