The natural and digital worlds combine to help decrease the global impact of today’s internet addiction.

Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to imagine a world without the internet when just over a decade ago, the internet itself was scarcely a thing of the imagination.  With it’s billions of users, the earthbound mechanisms that keep this digital universe expanding are showing signs that surfing the web can lead to an environmental wipeout.

The bulk of the information that flows through our computers is stored and powered by a network of high-tech data centers.  The hardware used at these sites needs shocking amounts of electricity that generates lots of heat.

New green data centers like Oregon-based Taproot Hosting, power their boards on 100% wind energy.  They even tell their employees to stay home, opting for tele-commuting over terrestrial commutes.  Other centers bury their gear, taking advantage of natural geothermal cooling instead of conventional air conditioning.

For more on how to reduce your carbon e-print, have a look at some of these sites:

Sun’s take on green data centers in 2009 (GreenTechMedia.com)

Green Data Center Blog

Google: Our green data centers get a lot greener (GreenerComputing.com)

Photo by ibmphoto24.

If you’re not getting enough from your bookmarking sites, readers, comment apps, and content penetrators, stop squirming and start sharing on Current.com.

Recent noodlings around this explosive and intelligent community have seen two Green Air posts make it to the homepage and one almost made it on TV! While that may sound tawdry, I assure you this is like total vilification amid the hulking mass of Google AdSense supported contamination out there.

The ultra-sympathetic and largely discerning user base rapidly shares content through a media accelerator that does most of the work for you.  Once a url is submitted, pictures from the submission can be selected, descriptions can be made, heart palpitating headlines can be added as well as links, files, and a webcam soundoff recorder if you can’t bark your point accross loudly enough with words.  Customizable notifications are available and I would recommend customizing with a heavy hand.  I checked all the boxes and allow 100% of the updates on new submissions and comments to be emailed to me and admitedly, it’s a bit much.

What’s slightly unnerving from a traditional broadcast perspective is how the Current TV News segment has the sound of total automation and the complete absence of anyone real producing it.  The tin-throated cyber female announcer delivers the generic interstitial copy with perfect diction and the top stories are there from the most votes accumulated from (what we hope are) human users.  This isn’t to say I’m not totally impressed by it… I’m just worried talking heads may be obsolete pretty soon!

I’ll say I’ve had more fun and ease of use with Current than any other social bookmarking site I’m on (and I’m a whole lot).  So if you go, add me!

It’s your first date and you’re at the pricey seafood restaurant of her choice.  You want to impress and seem savvy by ordering the “right” dish.  You seem to remember reading something about tuna… yeah, tuna… it’s bad right?  Wait… or was it salmon… or grouper?  DANGIT!!!

Before you soak your shirt with anxiety and opt for the garden salad, your aquaculture-alert-on-the-go cell phone function has arrived… introducing, Fish Phone!

Our fishing-forward friends a the Blue Ocean Institute are the master mariners behind the “first sustainable seafood text messaging service.”  From geared up smart phone users to pay-as-you-gosters, anyone can tap the up-to-the-nanosecond news on species with significant environmental concerns.

The fish are ranked according to Blue Ocean’s evaluation of species’ life history, abundance, in the wild, habitat concerns, and catch method or farming system.  Health advisories are also provided indicating unsafe levels of mercury, PCBs, and dioxins.

Now take a deep breath, order the halibut, and get on with the courtship you eco STUD!

Thanks Fish Phone!

Photo by soxer123.