Core77

Energy saving search engine?

By Xanthe Matychak - July 25, 2007

in Tech

Powered by Google, Blackle was created on the premise that a black, as opposed to a white, computer screen saves a significant amount of energy. Multiply that by the number of searches conducted a day and we're on to something.

We know that not everyone is crazy about the look of a black screen, but part of this sustainable design gig is about examining our perceptions of beauty. Maybe if the bevel and embossed logotype were tweaked just a bit.

via do.

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alex

16 years ago

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while blackle talks about energy saving using a black interface.
how about actually reducing the number of queries that take place.
can be achieved very easily by using custom search engines on the google custom search platform
try it out for yourself

www.lazii.com

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geminihunter

16 years ago

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There are around 25 different versions of ï¿½black googleï¿½ online. The best one Iï¿½ve found is www.cleanblack.com. Cleanblack is the only version that allows you to change the text colors of the google search results. Try it yourself by going to www.cleanblack.com/theme/
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BB

16 years ago

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As correctly explained by ill trooper, Blackle does not save energy on LCD monitors.
And Brightle.com does. Because it encourages you to think about saving energy.
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iDarkle.com

16 years ago

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I use http://www.idarkle.com/. The search results look nicer than Blackle.
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Energy Saving Search Engine

16 years ago

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This is cool and catching on. There is a better energy saving search out called hugagoogle at http://www.hugagoogle.com
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Jason

16 years ago

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I've seen a few pages around which claim to help the environment in many ways, the main being - using a black screen energy consumption is reduced and therefore your "foot print" is reduced.

Personally I feel the savings are minimal and we need to take an additional more proactive approach. using http://www.regrowgle.com as a search portal does this. Any profits generated through searches on this site are actually reinvested into "green" projects such as forest regeneration. So in basic terms you are making positive changes to our world as you search. And the best this is - it costs you as a user - NOTHING!!

If for nothing else, at least give it a try and get your friends to have a go as well. There's nothing to loose, and a whole lot to gain.

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blackle

16 years ago

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nice concept, a small step towards saving the planet:)
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Pam

16 years ago

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Darkoogle.com is another black with the option 'similar pages' in the search results.

http://www.darkoogle.com
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Mayra Vera

16 years ago

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I actually like the Goobony.com idea better. Goobony.com/About.html states that it darkened the background to protect our eyes from the scatter radiation produced from some CRT monitors. I just think it looks better than Blackle.com
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ROJ

16 years ago

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the concept looks quite interesting. In fact, recently i noticed a Blackle Games website http://www.blacklegames.com/
i think is uses the same principle.

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girl18

16 years ago

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I'm using at the moment BLACKOOGLE, which is similar to blackle but offers a lot more functionality like image search, youtube search, mail access, etc. And looks nicer too, give it a try!

US
http://www.blackoogle.us

UK
http://www.blackoogle.co.uk

bye
;)

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blackgle

16 years ago

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nothing loss :)

i will try blackgle for help the earth!!

http://blackgle.blogspot.com

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James

17 years ago

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There's another one that's pretty good, I think this one is the cleanest looking and designed:

http://www.wattoogle.com
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D.Allison

17 years ago

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Earthoid is an alternative Energy Saving Search Engine which offers more services than Blackle and is based on Yahoo! Search Technology.
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David

17 years ago

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Why do people think this is a good idea? If you don't have a CRT, then this would do NO good, as ill trooper has pointed out. The only possible benefit is if the electron gun in the CRT somehow used less energy because of only displaying black. My guess is the beam guide coils are comparable in power consumption. Here's what you do if you want to make a convincing post: 1. Get CRT. 2. Measure power consumption with a white screen. 3. Measure power consumption with a screen displaying black (not on sleep or something). 4. Post results.
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Vance

17 years ago

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This is not true at all for the vast majority of users with LCD displays. Black probably uses more energy.
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Namssorg

17 years ago

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This doesn't actually save energy if you're using an LCD, since black on an LCD is actually pixels blocking the backlight. Maybe on a CRT though.
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Anonymous

17 years ago

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there was a great blog post about this a couple months back that i really enjoyed: http://thewaywelive.wordpress.com/2007/05/07/use-blackle/ it's a really great idea!
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ill trooper

17 years ago

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I think that may be innaccurate, however! Perhaps this is true with CRT monitors, but many people use LCD monitors on their desktop and laptop computers now, and it's possible that flooding the screen black on an LCD might require more power usage than to just allow the white backlight to pass through... Just a thought.
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