Perplexing Power

Hello reader!  Welcome to my Week 7 post.

When you are done with your computer at the end of the day, do you turn it off or leave that sucker running into the wee hours of the night?  Does it matter?  This weeks post will touch on some benefits for both and then I will give you my recommendation on what you should do.

Leaving it on.  If you leave your system on between uses, this can be used for other tasks.  System updates can be applied at scheduled times during the night when you are less likely to be using the system.  You can also schedule backups, virus scans, or disk defragmentation.  These tasks are necessary to keep your system running optimally, but doing them when you aren't actively using your system keeps you from interrupting your work.  Additionally, you can donate your unused computing power for the greater good.  The World Community Grid will use your computers power to assist their research a variety of problems, such as drugs to fight ebola or mapping cancer markers.  For a more comprehensive list, see the references below.

Turning it off.  Shutting your system down each night will do one thing really well...not use electricity!  If your system is in the same place as you or someone else sleeps, they will not be disturbed by any noises, such as the fan, while they are trying to sleep.  Also, your system does need a reboot occasionally anyway, so you are just helping along the process, but on a more daily basis.

As promised, here is my recommendation.  Turn it off...or leave it on.  Honestly, it depends on how often you use your system.  If you use it everyday for several hours, leave it on.  You won't have to wait for the start up.  If you rarely use it, turn it off after use, or donate your computing power.  The choice is yours, you have the power.

REFERENCES:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/should-you-turn-off-your-computer-at-night/
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/7-ways-to-donate-your-computers-unused-processing-power
https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Project_list
https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/discover.action
and just for fun, yet not related at all ;)
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-worst-board-games-ever-invented/