Good intentions

I ran across a well-intentioned blog entry tonight about saving energy. This person was reacting to a European government hassling people for leaving on electrical appliances that go into a standby mode, and therefore are using energy even when you are not actively using them. Computer equipment, and dvd players are examples. This was my comment on his post:

There is more to conservation than energy consumption. Electronics for example. If you leave your computer on, in standby or sleep mode, it may last twice as long as it would if you turn it on and off every night. Heating up and cooling down, (turning on and turning off) are major factors in the eventual death of electronic components. So... the question is, which is more wasteful? Cutting the life of your computer in half, or using a very small amount of electricity to keep it on and warm all night? I don't know the answer, but its a question that needs to be asked. When the government tells us we have to turn things off to save energy, I would seriously question whether any actual studies have been done to consider the collateral damage. But, they can proudly say that they are passing laws to save the environment, and consequently should be re-elected.

So many good intentions get wasted on plans that are not well thought out. This seems to be especially true when it comes to government. Good intentions and wisdom do not necessarily walk hand in hand.

I am tired. Enough profundity for now.

that's a joke.