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My electric bill is out of control. Sure, I’ve got like three computers, eight DVD players*, two wireless network points, a TiVo, and a stereo all on all the time, not to mention that loose 220V cable that just sits in a pool of water in the kitchen, throwing sparks. But tipping the 100$ threshold for this month’s bill was the breaking point, and so I’m now committed to getting full-on geeky and quantifying my power use.

To this end, I’ve ordered a cheap 30$ “Kill-A-Watt” unit from the friendly folks at ThinkGeek. This box measures and computes cost over time for each appliance you plug into it. I may not be able to do anything about it (you’ll pry my MPEG-4 file server from my cold, dead hands!), but at least I’ll know what power-hungry gizmo to shake my tiny fist at.

~jeff

*No exaggeration. At last check, I had eight various devices that would play DVDs. God Bless America!