[rescue] Prices... Amazing

[Peter Corlett]

Nathan Raymond <nate at portents.com> wrote:
[...]
> But nobody has made a reasoned case why all electrical energy going
> into a given computer system is necessarily converted entirely to
> only infrared radiation.

What other radiation do you propose?

Resistance through semiconductor junctions and other components, and
friction in hard disk bearings and fans generates heat. This probably
accounts for most of the energy.

Spikes from switching transistors generates a small amount of RF.
Light is just high-frequency RF. This radiation will be absorbed by
surrounding matter and turn into heat.

Sound: similar to RF, it gets absorbed and raises the temperature.

> Spouting a mindless phrase like "laws of thermodynamics" does not
> equal thoughtful reasoning or make a case for anything other than
> intellectual laziness.

I'd say that you don't understand the laws of thermodynamics if you
can dismiss them so readily. *All* energy in a closed system
eventually turns into waste heat.

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