Lonely Laptop, Crying Computers
Save Energy! Week 1: Pledge to turn off your computer at night!
I was thousands of miles away from home and living with friends when I bought my laptop. Up to that point I had been bumming off my friends’ desktops, but after one of them almost discovered my shrine to Elisha Cuthbert, I decided it was time to make the pilgrimage to the electronics store. I found an instrument of mobility, dual-processing speed, and a 15.4” screen for me to look at all of my pics of Elisha in privacy. I bought the laptop, and took it home.
It was love.
When I returned to New York City, I proceeded to use my laptop not only when I visited the coffee house or traveled for the weekend, but when I was sitting in my very own apartment. I grew to love my laptop so much that I left it on when going to bed, using its soft glow to keep me company at night. What this did, however, was not only waste energy, but increased the chance that my portable love would burn out faster and I would have to replace it with another model in the very near future. It takes 1.8 tons of chemicals, fossil fuels, and water to produce a PC, and this week I am pledging to reduce waste by turning off my laptop at night for at least one day this week. I also pledge to use it for as long as possible before buying a new one, and encourage you to join me in this campaign. Perhaps, with the money we both save, we can spring for a copy of the House of Wax DVD.
Elisha would be pleased.
by Neil Gordon