| Title | Green Computing, Green Living |
|
Dr. Achuthsankar S. Nair |
Abstract
“Technology, Economy and Ecology are words that not only rhyme but also refer to three areas that are intricately inter-connected and inter-dependent. Every new technology needs to be evaluated from the context of these inter-relations. Information Technology, the technology that caused a tsunami of changes in our lives has been for very long viewed as an eco-friendly technology. Computers were considered to be modest consumers of power causing no harmful pollution and suited for small scale industries in densely populated countries like India. Tele-communing, a reference to working from home using internet connected computers was touted as a major way of reducing pollution arising from automobile use for daily commuting to and from offices. Tele-conferencing has cut down air-travels, web based govt. services made people travel lesser to public offices, and the net in general provided whatever informational needs people had without the need to travel. This rosy scene is now crumbling with emerging realization of the threats posed by information technologies to the environment. The cry to make computers and computing green is gradually reaching a crescendo.
What is the most striking imagery of the cyber space? It is perhaps the home page of the Google web site with a tiny search box in the middle. This sample and elegant web view is perhaps the most striking imagery of not only the cyber space, but our times. There was a time when we used to refer to the Television as the idiot box, summarizing our skepticism about the electronic media into two words. Well, today the reference to idiot box seems most suited for the Google search box- where people rush without thought to get their first impression about anything and everything. Let s leave the media-sociology analysis and look at not so well known ecological significance of the Google search box. Every seemingly simple search operation is today being debated for the 8 grams of CO2 that it arguably produces, adding to global warming. This arises from the huge server farms of thousands of server computers arrayed by Google to provide us with a search through the cauldron of knowledge, wisdom, salvation, pulp, faith and ignorance that is boiling and expanding endlessly in cyber space. These server farms have become a considerable load on the power systems. Well, Google is and quick and intelligent to remind us, rightly, that each of the computer that emanates a search does so causing CO2, of its own, which is more than that caused by the servers. With crores of computers in operation all over the world, perhaps it is true that the servers cause less damage to environment. But then, again we need to relook at the Google home page. The peaceful white that fills this home page is not that innocent. It means that the screen consumes about 4 times more energy than an equivalent black area. A search engine Blackle.com does exactly this-presents you with a black background and white letters which make a lot of sense in terms of energy conservation. Today many web sites & software are considering blackening their interfaces. The traditional black board and white chalk seems to be a metaphor for computer screens to latch on to.
If Google CO2 emission is argued around 8 gms/ search with 300 crores of searches per day, imagine how we are warming up ourselves! Facebook, the hang-out of the youth, is no better. An average facebook user causes more than 120 gms of CO2. Such estimates are available for many other cyber services.
The response to the alarming situation is of course not to shun technology, but to not over use it and fine tune its use to minimize energy consumption. Before you forward an unauthentic attention grabber email to hundreds of email addresses, remember, there is nothing called a free lunch. Yes free emails are not free. The whole humanity has to pay.
Mobile phones are the ‘janatha’ IT. If computers have penetrated only a miniscule of the population, mobile phones are 10 times popular. They are not just phones. They are ‘janatha’ computers with many of the features of a personal computer available on them. As far as eco-friendliness is concerned, they are far from innocent. Each Mobile manufacturing consumes 60 Kg of CO2. An average user causes 100+ Kg/year of CO2. Mobile phones were at one time considered as means of emergency communication, while on the move. However, today it has become a predominant media of socialisation and routine communication. The millions of SMS that fly around, are all causes of worry for mother earth.
What can we do to better the situation? Well, the answer is simple to state and difficult to implement. Live a simple life, driven by needs and not greed. Use technology sparingly, for meeting essential informational and communication needs, but not as a means of passing time. "Talk India Talk" might be a fancy call but it is neither good as a philosophy or as a eco-friendly living style. Perhaps green computing is possible only when it is practiced as a part of green living. When we throw away everything that is traditional as old-fashioned, we are also throwing away some very green practices that are knowingly or unknowingly scientific. The traditional Indian boque has given way to the plastic wrapped, plastic ribboned imitations of the West. The ‘daridra narayanan’ who sells the jasmine flowers wrapped in lotus leaves and tied with jute thread is not only green, but the last hope against cultural homogenisation that globalization threatens to catalyze. What a boring proposition it is if one were to fly from New York to New Delhi to find the same food, same dress, same cultural icons and same floral boque. We are almost there! Indian tradition is that Mother earth is the embodiment of patience. We seem to believe that too far. Act before it is too late. Let us recite the mantra: Green Living, Green Computing. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu.”
Biography
Dr. Achuthsankar S. Nair heads the State Inter University Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics, University of Kerala. He had his B.Tech (Electrical Engineering) from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram and M.Tech (Electrical Engineering) from IIT Bombay. He also holds an M.Phil in Computer Speech and Language Processing from the Dept of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK and Ph.D from University of Kerala. Since 1987, he has taught in various Engineering Colleges, Universities and Institutes both within India and abroad. During 2001-2004 he served as Director of Centre for Development of Imaging Technology, C-DIT, an autonomous techno-creative centre of Govt. of Kerala. In 2006 he was a Visiting Professor in University of Korea, Seoul.
He has authored 10 popular-science books on IT in Malayalam, including one on the internet in 1996 and one on Free software in 2002. His latest books are 'Googolavalkaranam' (2009) and Data Structures using C published by Printice Hall in 2009. He has also authored a science fiction novel for the children. His current research interests include use of digital signal processing (DSP) in bio-sequence analysis. 10 Candidates have taken PhD under his supervision and he is currently guiding 11 full-time researchers. He has a modest number of research publications in International & Indian Journals. One of his contributions on electro-mechanical model for the Transistor is cited in the classic text book: Hughes's Electrical Technology (7th Edition) published by Orient Longman, UK.
Carnatic classical music tops his hobby list, followed by local history of Thiruvananthapuram in early 19th century. He has published on both the areas. During his tenure as Director, C-DIT, he had led the establishment of the music-rich web site [http://www.swathithirunal.in]. He has widely traveled and given talks in hundreds of venues including Universities, a very large number of colleges in Keralam, University of Madras, Indore University, Bharathi Dasan University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, National University of Juridical Sciences, Culcutta and the Madras Music Academy.
He is recipient of Young Scientist Award of Govt. of Kerala (1991), Cambridge Barclay Scholarship (1991), ISTE National Award for Young Engineering Teachers (1994). He is a member of Computer Society of India, IEEE, Indian Society for Technical Education, and International Society for Computational Biology. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of State Higher Education Council of Govt. of Kerala. He is passionate about teaching and has been lucky to be mentored by great teachers including his own father Dr. A. Sukumaran Nair and his professor Dr. K.P.P. Pillai and Dr. R.P.R. Nair. One of his current projects is to develop a massive website Gurusmarana to archive the life and thoughts of past teachers.
More information at http://achu.keralauniversity.edu/.
