Recently in Online Resources Category

See that map above? It's the SourceMap for a compact fluorescent bulb (you might need to zoom out a little). MIT has cooked up a handy site that uses Google Maps to plot where a product's component parts and raw materials originate. SourceMaps are sparse at the moment, and the one that's sure to pique the interest of gadget junkies, the BlackBerry Bold, is marked as private.

The site's goal is to help "producers, business owners and consumers to understand the impact of supply chains." After all, there's more to green products than recyclability and energy efficiency. This site illustrates that beautify.

Hopefully, this is one site that takes off.

For the uninitiated, it may be hard to tell the difference between emulation and virtualization. The overarching concept is similar to a degree, but as you can probably already tell, they are worlds apart when talking about their purpose and implementation in modern computing.

Computerworld's Russell Kay helpfully explains:

Emulation:

Emulation is important in fighting obsolescence and keeping data available. Emulation lets us model older hardware and software and re-create them using current technology. Emulation lets us use a current platform to access an older application, operating system or data while the older software still thinks it's running in its original environment.

...and Virtualization:

Virtualization is a technique for using computing resources and devices in a completely functional manner regardless of their physical layout or location. This includes splitting a single physical computer into multiple "virtual" servers, making it appear as though each virtual machine is running on its own dedicated hardware and allowing each to be rebooted independently.

There's more, of course, and well worth the read or link-to for your non-virtualization-savvy coworkers (hopefully not making decisions for your IT shop). Bottom line: emulation is for obsoleting obsolescence and virtualization is for combating energy-robbing underutilization.

Desktop Virtualization seems like a great way to save energy and reduce desktop support. But experts warn that technology that can streamline the datacenter doesn't necessarily translate into a cure-all for the topsy-turvy world of desktop support.

Denise Dubie of Network World explores Desktop Virtualization Pros and Cons and is able to glean some great insights, including...

For John Turner, desktop virtualization isn't the right move yet. The director of networks and systems at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., says his group evaluated the possibility of extending their successful server virtualization implementation to the desktop and the argument didn't stand up. For one, being a university it would be a challenge to "lock down" a PC image for the majority of students, faculty and others to use. And without solid support for streaming video across the virtual PCs, Turner says he couldn't sign on just yet.

Also discussed are network and shared storage requirements as well as some economics that penny-pinching--or shortsighted--CIOs may find off-putting. A definite must-read.

Adding a hard drive to your Windows PC is an easy way to expand storage capacity if you find yourself running out of room for your files. But there are two problems with this approach.

First, it'll cost you money. There are bargain basement drives out there, but they're unlikely to be of the energy efficient variety. Which leads us to the second point, power savings. Installing another drive adds yet another component that you have to keep powered. And while heat-wise they pale in comparison to processors, they can contribute to your PC's thermal load making the fans work harder.

There is one super cheap option: delete files.

You're thinking, "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" What you may not have considered are the less obvious places to reclaim drive space, which can free up megabytes, if not gigabytes, of space.

Before you take a single step forward, an important reminder: backup your files!

Everyone needs a backup plan, no excuses. Things happen, no matter how well maintained your PC. There are tons of backup guides online and many external drives ship with software that makes it dead easy to make copies of your data. So, take this opportunity to backup (or ghost, even better) your PC and check the integrity of your backup files.

Got that? Good, then read on...

Happy Follow Friday!

I've already covered the Twitterers you should be following as an eco-techie, but I keep on following more. Here are the one's I mentioned in today's #FollowFriday tweets, deliciously formatted for your convenience:

@make - Make

@JaymiHeimbuch - Jaymi Heimbuch

@cloudnomics - cloudnomics

@celrae - Celeste LeCompte

@grist - Grist.org

@keetsa - keetsa

@the_daily_green - The Daily Green

@Sierra_Magazine - Sierra Magazine

@greenbiztweets - Hugh Byrne

@katiefehren - Katie Fehrenbacher

@GreenTechnology - Green Technology

@datacenter - Rich Miller - Data Center Knowledge

@Ecopreneurist - Ecopreneurist

And, as always, don't forget that you can follow this site on Twitter here @ecoINSITE and me here @pedrohernandez.

#followfriday

There's a good chance you're seeing a lot of that today on Twitter. In the spirit of Follow Friday, I'm getting in on the act with a list Twitterers that offer good insights on greening those server rooms, datacenters and desktop computing environments.

On to the list...

Data Center Knowledge - @datacenter
Not expressly 'green' (some on this list aren't) but datacenter efficiency is a priority.

Daily Cloud - @DailyCloud
Exhaustive cloud coverage.

VM Digest - @VMDigest
Nothing but virtualization news and resources.

Tom Raftery - @TomRaftery
RedMonk's green tech analyst. Keeps an eye on how big IT is navigating these eco-conscious times.

Uptime Institute - @UptimeInstitute
Lately, they're out to prove that energy efficiency and enviable uptime aren't mutually exclusive.

Sean Whetstone - @geekygreen
Green computer technology from a British perspective.

Heather Clancy - @HeathClancy
Always good for some green IT tips and stats.

Neuwaste - @Neuwaste
Because what goes into your server room must one day come out. Learn about e-waste, recycling and the proper disposal of obsolete gear.

ReGeneration.org - @ReGeneration
Dell's online sustainability effort is surprisingly wide-ranging but still manages to deliver the techie goods.

eITplanet - @eITplanet
Me in a former life. Still rockin' the green IT.

Don't forget that you can follow this site on Twitter here @ecoINSITE and me here @pedrohernandez. Happy Follow Friday!

Wondering how to land one of those green jobs that are sprouting up all over? GreenerComputing has posted a great podcast with GreenJobs.com founder Peter Beadle.

It's a pretty insightful conversation and definitely worth a listen if you're in school (look for renewable energy coursework) or if you're changing your career trajectory (network, network, network).

Go, now!

U.S. Navy enlists virtualization to supercharge sprawling intranet - InfoWorld

The task of virtualizing NMCI's network fell to Hewlett-Packard's EDS subsidiary, which has managed the system for the Navy since 2001. EDS has thus far consolidated 2,000 of the Navy's 4,500 x86 servers down to 300, each hosting multiple EMC VMware ESX virtual machines. The servers are Dell PowerEdge R900 blades, designed to host multiple VMs. They boast 32GB of memory, six network connections, and six host bus adapters for storage traffic.

Go green: Energy-cutting apps for your PC - CNET

GreenPrint World and GreenPrint Premium

How many extra pages do you really need when you print that page from a Web site? And how many sheets of paper do you generally recycle after replicating that page? We all agree that it's much better for the environment if you can avoid inking up those unwanted extras in the first place. The free GreenPrint World and pro-level GreenPrint Home Premium can help (watch the video.)

Dell, HP and IBM Are Among 9 Meeting IDC Green Certification - eWeek

The research company recognized that thousands of companies were involved in various aspects of the collection, treatment and marketing of retired IT assets, but that the young ITAD (IT asset disposal) industry needed a set of standards--particularly as enterprises, looking for third parties to help them phase out old hardware, face government regulations, fear of data breaches and environmental concerns.

IDC decided to launch its own certification process and identified more than 50 variables--concerning areas of risk, the environment, cost, operation and outcome--that represent a checklist for best practices and help enterprises to navigate the ITAD industry.

How Green Is Apple: Cleaning the Supply Chain - PC World

The Ceres report acknowledged Apple's efforts to remove toxic chemicals from its products, but knocked the company for not releasing more details about its "carbon footprint," the amount of greenhouse gases that it generates in regular operations. The companies that scored higher in the study "choose to make public an overall emissions footprint for their operation," says research analyst Megan Good, one of the report's authors, "and Apple hasn't done that." In addition, Apple hadn't set up a specific executive committee or a task force to address climate issues, which many of those other companies have done.

Earth Day: 10 Steps For Greening an IT Department - PC World

1. Reduce the amount of data kept in online storage. Online disks spin around the clock, and they need to be cooled. Disks may be full of multiple data copies or ancient files that are rarely opened. Archive historical files to off-line media for storage in the data center.

Happy Earth Day!

I don't have an official blogroll for the site yet (guess I should get started on that...). But there are some sites that I visit to get my daily dose of green. Here are some off the top of my head in no particular order...

Treehugger
EcoGeek
Green Wombat
Dot Earth - NYT
Inhabitat
Cleantech Investing - Greentech Media
GreenBiz.com
VentureBeat - Cleantech
Earth2Tech

What are yours?