Dark computer screens and TV screens take up less energy than bright ones. The color black, in particular, saves a lot of energy. If thousands of computer screens and TV screens went black during broadcasting, an appreciable amount of energy would be conserved. Companies wishing to seem "green" could take advantage of this fact by having ad campaigns based around it. For example, a TV commercial could be run featuring nothing but 30 seconds of blackness, with a voiceover explaining the environmental impact of the ad campaign. An equally effective strategy would be for companies to place black banner ads on websites. The ads could have explanations in small text, and eventually, once the campaign becomes well-known, the text could even be forgone altogether. Saving energy is great PR for any company wishing to sell a product.
-- DrWorm, Jun 29 2010

Blackle http://www.blackle.com/
Concept in action: a black google search engine. [DrWorm, Jun 29 2010]

Perhaps the concept could be extended to an option which displays a black screen with a timer in the corner to let you know how long until the commercials are over. Even less energy is consumed if there is no sound. This would enable the making of tea, hanging out of washing and other domestic tasks to be fitted in to one's viewing.
-- Twizz, Jun 29 2010


[+] what if it was really dark green?
-- xandram, Jun 29 2010


Sure. You could put a big eggplant in the middle.
-- DrWorm, Jun 29 2010



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