Here's an interesting concept - based on the premise that we all often leave our computers on while they're doing nothing (and admit it, you do - remember when you said you were just going to grab a bite but ended up reading the paper, watching tv and deducing the meaning of life just so you could avoid doing that damn assignment?), the guys behind
localcooling.com have come up with an app that tweaks your Windows power settings so it'll put itself to sleep when it realises its being neglected.
Ok, we could do that anyway, we just can't be bothered. What makes localcooling cool is that it tells you how much energy you've saved. That's right, it fills that void that most people need for them to do something - instant gratification. I mean come on, don't you feel better that while you were procrastinating you managed to save a couple of kilowatts per hour's worth of energy? Even better, it translates that into realistic results, that is, the number of trees and gallons of oil you've saved. There's also an honour board on the site for the top savers!
So get to it people - let's make a change.
P.S. to my mates on my MSN list - I'm watching those of you who are always online but "Away"...