14 藝文新聞 F E A T U R E S THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES Earth Day: too little, too late?

llen Mackey circles the paradise of drought- Los Angeles. running out of arable fertile land, of topsoil, we’re were in 40 years ago.” tolerant plants edging her model eco-home and But environmental action did not, necessarily, make running out of carrying capacity of our oceans. We’ve Rogers, of Earth Day Network, says it’s incumbent pauses before its electric meter, triumphant. for an entirely healthier environment. been losing species at an accelerated rate.” upon the environmental and corporate communities to E Its wheel is turning backward — her 36 Global warming, habitat loss and hunting put one In 1970, the Earth was home to 3.7 billion people; invest in green technology. rooftop solar panels injecting juice back into the city’s out of four mammals — including the Tasmanian devil today, there are 6.7 billion, an 80 percent increase. In “We all need to become political,” she said. “I power grid. — at risk of extinction by the end of this century, the same period, the US population grew from believe in volunteerism, but 99 percent of Earth Day is “I use so little electricity the DWP [Department according to a 2008 report by the International Union 205 million to 306 million, while California’s civic action, it’s public policy. It’s getting out there and of Water and Power] tells me I’m one of their worst for Conservation of Nature. population nearly telling other people in charge, ‘We’re not going to put customers,” said Mackey, 57, of Sun Valley, California. In addition, overfishing doubled to 40 million. up with it any more.’ “If every LA homeowner set up solar ... we could and acidification of the seas When the first Earth Day took Meanwhile, climate “Because of climate change, we don’t have the severely limit our use of electricity, reduce fossil fuels, threaten coral reefs and place in 1970, American change has boosted the luxury of sitting around anymore as citizens and waiting limit global warming and stop giving money to people marine species such as the average Earth temperature for something to happen.” who hate us.” Chinook salmon. Dead zones environmentalists had good by 0.7° C, enough to melt Back on April 22, 1970, the ecologist had joined now lurk off the West Coast. reason to feel guilty polar ice caps and raise the not a moment too soon 20 million Americans in a grass-roots call for “In many ways, things sea level 7.6cm. Mackey and her daughter, Alexia, weren’t about to environmental action they named Earth Day. They have gotten better, in Carbon dioxide, a wait before transforming their 1950s tract house into a were angry that acid rain fell in the East, rivers burned many ways, they’ve gotten greenhouse gas blamed model eco-home. in the Midwest, and Los Angeles choked beneath a worse,” said Ashwani by DANA BARTHOLOMEW for global warming, has Ellen Mackey was 19 when she demonstrated in the thick brown blanket of smog. Vasishth, professor of urban Ny times news service, Los Angeles increased 18 percent. The 1970 Earth Day in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Mackey joined a projected 1 billion people around planning at California State impact of climate change, “We didn’t know what to do,” she said. “So we the world yesterday for an Earth Day rally to safeguard University, Northridge, and according to federal picked up trash. We talked about whales. About clean Mother Earth. founder of the year-old environmental regulators, water. Clean air. Pollution. Healthy issues. Nearly 40 years after the first widespread call for Institute for Sustainability. ranges from drought to floods to more intense storms, “We wanted to change the world, to make a environmental protection helped spawn a tangle of While Southern California’s air is visibly cleaner, in addition to harming water resources, agriculture, difference. I guess I never grew up. I still believe that regulations against pollution, the air looks cleaner, with fewer extremely smoggy days, Vasishth said that wildlife and ecosystems. one person can make a difference — that I, and my the waters appear bluer and the roads seem to draw overall particulate levels have increased. “It’s the population, it’s killing us,” said Bill Patzert, daughter, can make a difference.” less litter. “What we call pollution is shifting,” he said. “How a research oceanographer at NASA’s Pasadena-based Mackey, now a senior ecologist for the Metropolitan But despite such gains — and a global we measure harm to the environment is changing. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who for a decade has Water District, has co-authored a book on Southern consciousness gone green — many scientists say the We’re better informed. We’re more aware of lectured on the dangers of climate change. “We’re California’s native plant gardens. She’s also a past planet is in jeopardy. Oceans are sick. Forests are our risks. worse off than we were before. president of the Theodore Payne Foundation of Sun clear-cut. And plant and animal species face extinction “If there’s one thing we “The bottom line is that, Valley and the Eco-Home Network of Silver Lake. from climate change and a critical loss of habitat. need to be concerned in spite of all the good When she bought her 1950s home 12 years ago, her “We all agree that we’re in much worse shape than about, it’s climate intentions of Earth first water and electricity bill was US$238. in 1970,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of the Earth change. We’re Day — and all the That was before she converted the 167m² house on a Day Network, the group that organized Earth Day. running out do-gooders like suburban cul-de-sac to an affordable-energy and water- “We’ve cleaned up the stuff we can see. But it’s the of water, me — we’ve conservation home. stuff we can’t see — particulates in the air, toxins, the we’re dug our- First came the US$17,000 solar energy system impact of persistent organic pollutants that turn male selves into — funded by a 70 percent rebate fish into female fish — that are more prevalent. a deeper from the Department of Water “We have a major battle ahead of us.” hole and Power. than Then came US$10,000 in ‘one person at a time’ we double-pane windows. Nearly Earth Day festivals in the San Fernando Valley at the US$1,700 in insulation in the weekend featured attractions from yogis to attic, walls and floor. And a host zero-emissions cars. of personal touches, including a But can individual contributions like recycled glass-and-granite countertop, curbside recycling, canvas shopping composite wood hot tub deck and bags or native plants help avert a a needlepoint that reads “Reduce pending environmental cataclysm? Reuse Repair Recycle.” “It takes one person at a time,” said Outside her home is an Stephanie Lallouz, producer of the Topanga extensive low-water garden that Earth Day Festival. “It’s an awakening.” includes native flowers like purple Flashback to 1970. sage interspersed with organic Protests against the Vietnam War spilled over to foods like tomatoes, blackberries outrage about industrial pollution: Oil that fouled and crook-neck squash. Santa Barbara beaches. Bald eagles threatened by Today, her highest utility bills are DDT. The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland again aflame. US$70 for two months of winter heat. In response, US Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed In summer, she employs a swamp cooler, Earth Day, the first nationwide environmental protest. but pays no power bill. When it’s 37.7° C A modern green movement was born. outside, it’s a temperate 23.8° C inside. “It sounds as if the land has gone mad, and in a “We have a planetary problem,” said Mackey, way some of it has — mad at man’s treatment of his standing next to a barrel used to catch rainwater. “We environment,” said Life magazine following the first need people to know they can do this, on their budget, service Earth Day event. news reducing their consumption of water and electricity. times The green-flag event helped launch the ny “It’ll make a difference, to the state, to the nation,

Environmental Protection Agency and passage of the Illustration: all the way to the polar bears ... You have to believe Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. you can make a change. Since then, the smog alert has largely vanished from “Or you’d give up.”

[ te c h n o l o g y ] Understanding ’s new technologies

What are the differences between Intel’s i7, Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, and is it worth shelling out for a computer with the latest chip?

by Jay Dougherty dpa, Washington

Intel’s technology leads the way when it comes to cores can go into a zero-power mode when it’s not to those who use them, however, extreme capacity as digital video recorders. A specific set PC hardware today. Unfortunately, the company is being used, thus lowering power requirements of processors offer an “unlocked” multiplier, which of technologies — include dual or quad core chips, also good at confusing consumers with its myriad the chip and the system as a whole. allows enthusiasts to overclock the chips — or push high definition audio, and certain Intel chipsets brand names and labels. There’s the i7, Viiv, a Right now the i7 is a desktop-only chip, but you them beyond their rated speeds — by adjusting — combine to make a PC worthy of the Viiv logo. range of “extreme” processors, as well as the Core can expect Intel to leverage the power-saving fea- timings in the computer’s BIOS, or setup program. Viiv is a marketing initiative that’s on the way 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad. What does it all mean? tures of the i7 in an upcoming notebook . Extreme chips also command an extreme out, however. Part of the reason is that many PCs Read on for some answers. In terms of price, the i7 does command about price premium over other chips in the same sold today fully meet the specifications that used a 30 percent premium over previous-generation product family. For example, the 2 to be required for Viiv certification. If you have a Q: What’s new about the Intel i7 chip, and is it chips, but entire system prices of machines built Extreme QX9770, which runs each of its four device that supposedly requires a Viiv-ready PC worth paying extra for a computer that has one? around an i7 are roughly in line with mid- to high- cores at 3.2 GHz and boasts 12 MB of , and your computer is fairly new, try it with your A: The Core i7, as Intel calls it, is the name of end systems that used previous-generation chips. retails for close to US$1,500 — just for the computer anyway. It will probably work. Intel’s new flagship processor. It succeeds the Core Are i7 systems worth a price premium? In a chip. Given the rapid pace of change, and 2 line of processors, which will be phased out. word, yes. All other things being equal, i7 systems obsolescence, in the technology industry, the Q: I’m interested in purchasing a new . Is Core i7 processors are all quad-core chips, perform at least 30 percent faster than computers price premium of extreme processors makes there a difference between dual core processors meaning that each unit has four processing equipped with similarly clocked Core 2 Quad Kazumasa Yoshida, president of Intel Japan, holds a Core 2 Quad them a questionable value for most people. and Core 2 Duo processors? cores. Among the many new features of the chips. And with an i7 system, you’ll have some during a news conference in Tokyo. photo: Bloomberg A: There can be. Intel’s initial dual core processors chips are support for high-seed DDR3 memory; measure of defense against rapid obsolescence. Q: What exactly is Intel Viiv? I have a digital video were called Core Duo. That brand name gave a new QuickPath Interconnect interface, which The new chips use a different socket than the of Intel’s desktop processors lines — Core 2 Duo, recorder that needs a PC with Intel Viiv to utilize way to a new generation of chips dubbed Core 2, replaces the front side interface of previous older Core 2 Quad processors do, so processor Core 2 Quad, and Core i7 — that are geared toward a feature. which come in two varieties: Core 2 Duo and Core generations; and “turbo boost” technology, which upgrades down the road with an i7 computer are hardware enthusiasts. Accordingly, the “extreme” A: Viiv is the brand name that Intel chose to 2 Quad. The Core 2 Duo is a dual-core processor, is a type of built-in overclocking functionality not out of the question. chips maximize what a processor in each line can describe a combination of technologies that, and the Core 2 Quad is a quad-core unit. The “Core that allows the chips to run faster than their rated do. They offer more on-board memory, or cache, together, are designed to allow consumers to 2,” then, has no relation to the number of cores on speed during times of heavy processing. Q: What’s the difference between Intel’s Extreme than other processors in the same line, and they work more efficiently with multimedia, including the chips; rather, you can look at it as the brand The i7 chips also boast some impressive chips and its standard Quad Core chips? communicate with the rest of the computer’s high-definition video. Thus, Viiv is geared toward that denotes the second generation of multi-core power-saving features, as well. Each of the four A: The “extreme” moniker applies to chips in each components at top speed. Perhaps most importantly media center PCs or units that can serve in some processors from Intel.