The Lowly Power Bar

Vampires of electricity.

That's one of the names for all the appliances we hold in standby mode, sucking power but doing nothing other than lying in wait, ready to serve us should be condescend to call upon them.

Mr. TV and his buddies, VCR and DVD. Computer. Rechargable vacuum cleaner. Stereo, CD player, telephone, these are the most obvious ones. Every teensy tiny clock radio or digital display in the place. Slurp, slurp, mmmm, mmmm.

Well, I have been rationing the little suckers with power bars. Seven with one blow - just like the valiant little tailor in the kids' story - I kill seven household machines with one flick of a switch, their pathetic probosci still pulling on the plug end, hoping for a wayward electron.

We need more power bars around here.