What would it take to "green" the computer industry?

I've had several questions in regards to the "tongue biting" in my last post about how computers are presented in The Story of Stuff. Just so I didn't make a total ass of myself I went back and watched the entire video just to make sure my comments below were framed in the proper context (I hadn't watched the whole movie from front to back in about a year since it is over 20 minutes long). For those of you who would rather skip the viewing (long or short) here is the first section on computers (at 13:10 in, under the Consumption heading) quoted in its entirety, and checked by me, from the footnoted script (located here).

"I opened up a big desk top computer to see what was inside. And I found out that the piece that changes each year is just a tiny little piece in the corner. But you can’t just change that one piece, because each new version is a different shape, so you gotta chuck the whole thing and buy a new one."

Where did she (Annie Leonard, the "host" of the video) get this information? It seems that she attended a workshop called "The Literal and Figurative Story of the Computer" in 2005 sponsored by the Environmental Grantmakers Association in Mohonk, New York. You can find a full description of the course (from the original 2005 webpage) here. Or you can just read the best part right now:

The many inner parts of computers are rarely seen, touched or understood—here’s your chance. Computers are manufactured and disposed of all over the world, and the global impacts are stunning. E-waste is toxic (contributing 70% of the nation’s hazardous wastes) and the volume is rising—three times faster than any other source of municipal waste. Meanwhile, more than half a billion obsolete personal computers sit idle in closets and basements around the world. What should we do with them? Come grab a screwdriver and hear about the life cycle of the computer and promising solutions for reducing both the volume and toxicity of electronic waste through the patchwork of state and global initiatives.

Seeing as this was late 2005 maybe we can give Annie somewhat of a break. This course seems to have its heart in the right place and the presenters seemed to be extremely intelligent from their bio blurbs. Perhaps her oversimplification is meant simply to make a point and get me to write this post about it. I would venture to say that E-waste is probably much, much, much worse in 2009 (although I don't have the research at hand to justify this claim). I think most people would agree with me unless there is a new form of municipal waste that streaked to the #1 spot. I've recently noticed it's even become fashionable (more on this later) to have 2-3 computers. One or two of these would be at home (desktop and/or laptop, media center, etc.) and the other is a netbook/lifestyle PC/ultraportable that fits into a small bag. I can't see this trend REDUCING waste. But before I really start to comment let's look at the second half of Annie's story.

This section of the movie (at 14:11 in) deals with the "fashion side" of computing.

I’ve have had the same fat white computer monitor on my desk for 5 years. My co-worker just got a new computer. She has a flat shiny sleek flat screen monitor. It matches her computer, it matches her phone, even her pen stand. She looks like she is driving in space ship central and I look like I have a washing machine on my desk.

This is what most people would define as "perceived obsolesence." I think the single greatest example of this in computing / gadgetry is the iPod. Say what you want about Apple but you have to hand it them in the marketing department. Usually a new product rev makes the front page of local newspapers. These things are HIGHLY visible. As for "perceived"...you can tell instantly how "hip" someone is by their iPod. If you saw a chick rocking a pink iPod Mini at the gym you would laugh your ass off. Don't lie to me.

Let's take a step back though and look at the big picture. We are talking about computers here but it is easy to see that this issue is social, political, economical, philosophical, psychological, etc. There isn't an easy fix for this problem. Freud and Bernaise helped create a monster. Those of you who know what I'm talking about can nod your heads slowly and for the rest of you...I'm not a talented enough writer to explain it quickly.

Now let's narrow our focus again. Computers (we'll just say laptops and desktops for now) change all the time. Some of the changes are small (a processor bump from 2.0 GHz to 2.1 GHz for example). Some of them are "large" (like the new Nehalem microarchitecture that integrates the memory controller and eliminates the need for a front side bus). Some of them are just related to power (the battery in new 17" Macbook Pro for example). Annie Leonard completely understates the complexities of computer evolution. Everything is changing, not just the "piece in the corner."

But the question remains: How on earth could we make this industry green? The short answer: we can't (at least not in its present form). In our current free market economy it makes sense to make things highly fashionable and ready for the dump. How else can these giant corporations survive otherwise? If those corporations go bankrupt (by say a complete consumer blackout) what happens to all the employees? How do those newly unemployed people vote? Is the crime rate affected? etc.

The brainstorm that follows is by no means meant to be comprehensive. This is a blog, a sketchpad for ideas. I am literally writing this as I think things up (with very little editing). Take it with a grain of salt.

• Standardization - Why are there nine thousand adapters for cell phone charging? Why doesn't Intel and AMD agree on the same socket size so that regardless of size or power consumption of the "piece in the corner" it would be easy to replace with upgrades? There need to be standards for development that everyone can agree to and move forward with. I don't think anyone would feel threatened by moving all cell phone charging and data transfer to a mini-usb plug?? Would you lament that stupid iPod/iPhone plug for even a second upon its future demise? Would everyone be alright with AMD and Intel becoming one giant super-corporation though? Macs and PCs becoming one and the same?
  
• Consolidation - I just hinted at this. One brand of computer, One OS (and its not Linux), One type of processor, One God, One Currency, One Government! EEK! It scares me even thinking about it (except the Linux part) but some of it has merit from a "green" standpoint whether you like it or not. If there were no free-market competition you have to admit that waste tonnage and emissions would plummet. Perhaps innovation (and numerous other things) would as well? At least there would be no need for sexy marketing campaigns because you would literally have only one brand to choose from. Perceived Obsolescence would stop all together (especially if things were designed to last as long as possible). If you were allowed one government issued laptop every five years (and were heavily charged to replace it) think how much would change.
  
• Less Emphasis - Jesus! Does everyone need their own personal computer? I'll donate mine back. I work with them all the time and I'm getting to the point of over-saturation. I'm ready to be a cave dwelling ascetic. For the sake of productivity and human progress we are spending countless hours learning, buying the latest book, maintaining, and backing up computers. While there are some fields were computing is absolutely essential there are other fields where it is a nuisance. There are also no alternatives. How could anyone hope to get through college without their own computer? It's next to impossible.
  
• Internet based services - We're getting to the point where it doesn't matter what computer or OS you are using. You have access anywhere (well...) to your web calendar, bookmarks, email, etc. If the trend continues think about how easy it would to......
• Socialize Computing! - You didn't think I would say it did you? Well I did. If the coffee shop already had computers there (state issued of course....oops maybe I should have said "Coffee Distribution Center") then why would you need to drag around your $899 doofy little tribal tattooed underpowered netbook PC?? Your state issued girlfriend wasn't really all that impressed anyway. If your data was backed up and protected by a well designed online system you wouldn't have to buy that extra hard/flash drive or optical media. Again, waste would be reduced. True it would be harder to watch porn and not get caught....damn it! Lost 75% of you right there.
  

I'll make two final points.

1. It seems there could be an endpoint on some things in the computer industry. Microsoft Word can only launch so fast. Phones can only get so tiny. These things still revolve around humans with hands and eyeballs (for now!). As long as we are flesh and bone with normal human brains there will be a point where exponential jumps in computing power will only be needed for niche researching (and gaming of course!). When all the marketers have been shot and no one can tell or care what year something came out in we might be in a better place then we are right now.
2. Computers actually ALREADY help the environment in some ways. We should push for expansion in these areas. Think of how many physical CD sales the iTunes Store (or Pirate Bay) prevented. Think of how much software was downloaded instead of burned onto optical media and packaged into cardboard boxes surrounded in plastic. Think of how many physical manuals were made into PDFs and posted online. Think of how many photolabs went out of business because of digital cameras and social networking. Think (if people stopped printing things out needlessly) how much paper (in theory) was saved by people checking the news online, buying their books online, and participating in online banking and bill paying. I'm not saying these systems are perfect but they are "pregnant with a future."

Ok, I'm out of energy for now. I intend this to be an open ended conversation though. My rough thoughts are not meant to be the end by any means. There are countless things I left out, misinterpreted, or got just dead wrong. Please leave your comments below!

Update: Wow. Nice with the 0 comments people. Anyway, I thought of an additional item to add to my list above...

• Government Regulation - Yup. It seems to be the new American bon mot. As much as people seem to hate it most people would vote for it over Socialism (mostly because no one seems to know what Socialism the concept actually is). But getting to the point how would this affect the computer industry? How would it even be done? Well, our auto industry is regulated and most consumers seem to enjoy this. What if your laptop had to last a minimum of 10 hours without a recharge and had to come with a 5 year warantee? What if they could only release one revision of a computer every other year? What if companies that strived towards this goal of environmental stewardship were subsidized in order to cover operating expenses and keep them competitive? What if companies were fined heavily for using toxic materials in their computers? What if people only bought computers that had a transparent environmentally friendly manufacturing process? Well, this all sounds fine and dandy (some of it is already being done) but the other side has a tale to tell. Government intervention can be stiffling, kill innovations, slow down the free market economy, and become corrupt quickly. These things would have to guarded for as well. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? It is my own personal opinion that corporations will not behave themselves if left to their own devices when it comes to the environment. They think short term profits, are responsible to petty/small shareholders, and that tends to lead to corner cutting and recklessness when it comes to the environment. Government and the people need to keep these entities in check. If it becomes fashionable (which it is) and can be marketed Capitlism can be bent to do good. Look at Apple. After enormous public pressure (and some from Greenpeace as well) they started making even better products (while still being guilty of every capitalistic flaw, especially perceived obsolescence. No one can blame them for that though in the current paradigm). When people vote with their money companies begin to listen. The problem is that they get real good about fooling us regular blokes with slogans, smoke, and mirrors. Do your research people!.....oh, and read my post on gadgets. That'll help too!