http://consumerismcommentary.disqus.com/NoneenThu, 03 Jan 2008 13:59:24 -0000http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2008/01/01/eco-friendly-ball-for-new-years-eve/#comment-21310618<p>My dad (an electrical engineer) and I joked about how little energy this really saved since the ball is turned on for about 2 minutes per year. I'm all for saving energy, but here they focused all their attention on the one device that probably accounts for the least energy consumption in the whole show. I bet if you ran the numbers they would have saved a lot more by turning off one TV camera, or one of the huge signs in Times Square, or one of Hannah Montana's backup singers, or any number of things.</p>KevinThu, 03 Jan 2008 13:59:24 -0000http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2008/01/01/eco-friendly-ball-for-new-years-eve/#comment-21310617<p>I absolutely *loved* the 5 minute commercial break leading up to the ball dropping. The network brought the show back online exactly 2 minutes before the ball dropped.</p><p>Yes, it was 5 minutes, I timed it. Talk about maximizing revenue!</p>PatrickWed, 02 Jan 2008 09:39:23 -0000