Last week, I found out about a fantastic program called BOINC, which is an open-source program to use shared computing power to solve complex problems.

It's similar to the SETI@home program, but allows other areas of research to take advantage of home computing processor power. There are lots of different projects available.

I'm not turning my computer off for Earth Hour because I run Rosetta@home after 3 minutes of inactivity. Rosetta@home determines "the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases" to fight diseases like HIV, cancer, Alzheimer's, and malaria.

Don't blog tonight from 8:00-9:00 p.m., you should know why, it is earth hour!

My first diary since being threatened by some hatefilled bloggers. I'm still a little skittish after recieving physical threats...but it's an important day today. EARTH HOUR day. 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - boom, boom...out go the lights tonight. And now...more ECO NEWS TO USE!

Lights off! Sydney supports Earth Hour. Sydney embraced its second Earth Hour tonight, as hundreds of thousands of citizens turned off their lights across the city between 8 and 9pm to make a statement against climate change. Sydney Morning Herald

A movement that spans the world. Fellow electricians Justin McInerney and Tony Bautista have never met, and probably never will, but the pair are playing their part in Earth Hour tonight. Sydney Morning Herald

Every day we hear about the problems of global warming, and every day we wonder what we can do to help address this global problem.  Well, here's an opportunity to make a small change that has a huge impact.  Earth Hour is a global event asking individuals, businesses and organizations to turn off their lights for one hour of one day: 8pm to 9pm on March 29th.  Tonight.

The idea of boycotting DKOS (and all other sites) for Earth Hour, or even shutting it down completely, is currently being discussed.

I would like to suggest a less radical approach: Do the same as Google Denmark is currently doing - change the color scheme to gray on black. If the site is back to normal when you visit it, you can look at Blackle instead

This change in colors would serve two purposes:

1. It reminds every visitor of Earth Hour

2. It reduces the power consumption of the visitors screen.

Note: I do not know the reduction in power consumption - nor am I even sure it is measurable. Any one who knows, please feel free to comment

UPDATE: It seems this may not reduce consumption at all for LCD's. Since the effect is probably neglible anyway, please ignore point 2 above.

Implementation details and DIY instructions for your own site below the fold.

...as well as all other web sites!

In just about 2 hours, the city of Sydney Australia will turn off its lights for Earth Hour, beginning what will hopefully be a very large ripple effect around the planet of city after city doing the same.  (Personally, I'm hoping for a "tidal wave of darkness"!)  And let's hope the ripples continue long after the lights come back on.

In a comment on Meteor Blade's front-page post about this, jmorton asked if DailyKos was going to participate in Earth Hour... that is, not just we the participants of DailyKos (and you were going to particpate, right?), but the actual site itself.

We should, you know.

Tomorrow, March 29, around the planet, millions of people will shut non-essential electrical power off for one hour, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., local time. The Earth Hour originated with the World Wildlife Fund.

The event started last year in Sydney, Australia, and boasted more than 2 million participants who cut the city's overall electrical usage during that hour by as much as 10%. As of yesterday, nearly 12,000 businesses worldwide had signed up to participate in this year's event. Some 100 cities throughout North America have joined.

Earth Hour has been pooh-poohed by some as a lame, symbolic act in the face of a gargantuan problem. But often much of the criticism about a baby-step like this one comes from people who sit on their butts rather take the big steps they say are needed.

The biggest step, of course, is weaning ourselves off the fossil-fuel teat, something most individuals can only have a modest impact on in their own lives. But all of us can collectively pressure our governments - city, county, state, federal - to take bold action. Since Ronald Reagan gutted the best parts of Jimmy Carter's energy plan in 1981, not more than a handful of federal officials (or candidates for high office) have been willing even to discuss seriously the initiatives so desperately needed. Indeed, quite a number have engaged in three decades of foot-dragging and spouting bogus science. But we're starting to see some attitudinal changes among previously recalcitrant politicians.

Symbolism obviously has its limits, but events like Earth Hour can have a positive impact. We too often underrate the benefits and spin-offs of such political theater. So, tomorrow, please join me and millions of others who will be switching off our power at 8 p.m.

Days since Mission Accomplished: 1795

The Overnight News Digest is posted.

Tomorrow millions of people around the world will be turning off their power for one hour at 8pm.

I would be happy if you all could rec. this diary, to let people know about this important day.

Earth Day. Live Earth. And, now, Earth Hour.

The latest bright idea from the country that gave us "Crocodile Dundee" is to have everyone across the globe turn off their lights for an hour at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Apparently, a bunch of neo-Luddites in Sydney did this last year and it made them feel good about themselves, so they've decided to give the rest of the world a chance to achieve a similar sense of self-worth.

Because, if we are being honest, Earth Hour, like its forefathers, is not about environmental policy--it is about social networking and self-importance.

Earth Hour is for those consumed with monitoring their carbon footprint and confused about why they do it.

The desire to be relevant and to have a positive impact on the world is a good instinct. But it's lost in the self-involved nature of exercises like Earth Hour.