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I'm aghast that Facebook burns that much power to run what is basically a giant BBS. I guess mining all of our personal data must take up an outrageous number
by jandrese 5y ago
I'm aghast that Facebook burns that much power to run what is basically a giant BBS. I guess mining all of our personal data must take up an outrageous number of computer cycles.
However, in Facebook's defense it's per-user per-transaction energy costs are going to be much lower than Bitcoin.
- vkou 5y ago> I'm aghast that Facebook burns that much power to run what is basically a giant BBS. I guess mining all of our personal data must take up an outrageous number of computer cycles. Did Ye Olde BBS support 1:millions broadcasting, and real-time viewing of high-definition video? Uploading and viewing thousands of high-quality photos? Calling Facebook 'basically a giant BBS' is a lot like saying 'Oh, I could build Twitter in a weekend'.
- sharpneli 5y agoIt depends on what is counted there. It might be the total operations of the company. Offices, AC for offices and whatnot. Especially when talking about CO2 emissions absolutely everything is included, including plane trips and whatnot.
- jandrese 5y agoSeems a bit disingenuous to compare that to just the kWh consumed by the ASICs that mine Bitcoin.
- donkeyd 5y agoIt definitely is. Either that, or it's incredibly short-sighted. That comparison ignores the actual value add of Facebook and the fact that people are using it. Most BTC trades happen off blockchain and are powered by the servers of the market places and nobody really knows how much energy they use.
- ClumsyPilot 5y agoIf Facebook has a value add, then so do columbian drug lords
- sharpneli 5y agoThat's true. But in a way it just emphasizes how much energy Bitcoin wastes, so it's fine-ish.
- mckeed 5y agoFB is a top video streaming platform. Also they run WhatsApp, which I think is the largest global telephony system.