I am quitting Google - Blackle
June 28, 2007 by Pareen
I am using a search engine called http://blackle.com/
WHAT IS BLACKLE?
It is the same Google search engine but Black in color. Everything that appears white in Google, is black here. The search results and everything else is the same.
WHY BLACK?
Certainly not because Black is beautiful.
Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. “Image displayed is primarily a function of the user’s color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen.” Roberson et al, 2002
In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.
MY OPINION?
Okk. This doesn’t seem so interesting to me from the point of view of saving energy. I have observed that I read a page full of results with Black background in twice the time I take to read the ones with white behind them. Besides, my eyes strain a lot.
But still I have set Blackle as my homepage and use it instead of Google. Why? I believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. But more importantly, I feel that seeing Blackle every time I load my web browser reminds me that I need to keep taking small steps to save energy.
Besides all this, I feel this is an amazing piece of innovation - and Google deserves applause for supporting it. Though I doubt its functionality, I feel we should give it a try.
That’s an interesting idea. I’m not sure if I’ll make the switch, but it’s something to think about.
That’s fine but if you own an LCD monitor than it uses more energy to make the black image, Why?…because in LCD displays there are 3 colours Red Green Blue, so to make the image white what colours do you need?…NONE, BUT to make black you need ALL the colours, therefore using more electricity!
White light (from the sun) is additive, using colours from the spectrum (added together) to create ‘white’. Monitors, CRTs and LCDs, use the same additive effective. When Red Green and Blue are mixed together, they create white. When RGB are at zero value, you get black pixels.
No sorry that’s only with CRT’s (i think), because LCD has 4 or 5 layers and 3 of them are RED, GREEN, and BLUE, so one must think it as if it were cellophane, you put the each colour on top of each other and you would get black. It’s like when you mix paint if you mix red, green and blue you dont get white (LCD) but when you mix red green and blue lights you do get white (CRT).
This is a complete joke and I can’t believe anybody is taking this seriously! If you understand how a monitor (LCD or CRT) is built, you would know that it makes absolutely no difference what color is on the screen.
Both types use a power supply which is constantly converting AC current into DC, as long as the monitor is on. If your monitor is on, it’s going to use the same amount of power.
Furthermore, LCD panels use small fluorescent tubes inside as the light source (usually two sets, two at the top and two at the bottom). They are called cold-cathode fluorescent’s or CCFL’s). They are always on and illuminate the thin space behind the LCD panel. The LCD screen itself does not generate the light, it merely filters it.
So, set your screen to whatever color you want. It doesn’t matter one bit.
Blackle is just a copy of the first page of http://www.searchincolor.com, which has offered web search in color since a much longer time.
I dont know much about energy saving, but I do find green on white as the best color combination for search. That is available on searchincolor.
Sanjay
Like I said LCD uses filters! And so on.
how do i make blackle my search bar?i don`t want google there.
You cannot place Blackle instead of Google on searchbar. Alternatively, you can place it on your bookmarks toolbar if you use Mozilla or I would recommend make it your homepage.
Yes you can set Blackle instead of Google on the search bar just set. On bottom of firefox toolbar go to manage search engines then you can enter your own and Blackle will come up….
But I am curious about this black, white color thing…does it or does it not save energy. I’d think the folks who are encouraging Blackle use would know, but perhaps not…Also, when I set Blackle it seems to search for environmental type sites unless I click web search vs. blackle…is that a setting or other glitch…thanks, rick
Ignore last comment. An error was made in it.
People, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, then don’t act like you do. Blackle does work because LCD screens are the same as CRT screens except that there are more pixels on the screen, and instead of a tube there is a lot of fluorescent lights, and there are seperate lights for separate colors, red, green, and blue. There is also a backing light. The backing light does use up energy, but much less than a standard bulb. What uses so much energy are the smaller bulbs, because there are so many, and there is one red, one green, and one yellow for each pixel, and only the backing bulbs are lit when it is a black picture, because to make the black, the red, green, and yellow lights are unlit. The backing bulb only makes the screen give off light rather than drawing it from things around it, and the smaller bulbs collectively use much more energy. Stop being stubborn. Don’t lie to people so that they’ll lie and everyone will believe what you say. Don’t make yourself look good. Give the real facts. Please.
The facts as mentioned by bryantn3 can be found on here on Wall Street Journal based on a quick test (not a rigorous study) disputing the effectiveness of Blackle with LCD screens. The test was conducted by a consulting firm specializing in energy and environment.
“The changes were so slight as to be within the margin of error for the power meter. Tweaking brightness and contrast and settings had a bigger effect. The bulkier CRT screen did see savings with Blackle of between 5% and 20%.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/does-a-darkened-google-really-save-electricity-104/