2024-12-22T02:19:11-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/143530078/the-ecological-footprint-of-your-netflix-binge Nicholas Korody 2015-12-16T23:07:00-05:00 >2015-12-28T00:07:24-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/1d/1d54j3zthigxg3yq.jpeg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>The impact of data centers&mdash;really, of computation in general&mdash;isn&rsquo;t something that really galvanizes the public, partly because that impact typically happens at a remove from everyday life. The average amount of power to charge a phone or a laptop is negligible, but the amount of power required to stream a video or use an app on either device invokes services from data centers distributed across the globe, each of which uses energy to perform various processes [...]</p></em><br /><br /><p>"Still, it seems weird that most people&mdash;most engineers building the platforms people use every day, even&mdash;lack the basic comprehension that different online activities have different energy impacts, or that an individual&rsquo;s online activities have energy impact at all beyond a laptop&rsquo;s battery life."</p>