energy

Work

ECOBOT Tracks Your Carbon Footprint

3:30AM Lisa Hoover | Mac: Wondering what kind of impact your power and fuel consumption have on the environment? ECOBOT helps you figure it out. More »
Work

Power Efficiency Reports Tune Up Windows 7’s Energy Use

1:00AM Kevin Purdy | There’s a handy battery-preserving, energy-saving tool in Windows 7, but it’s nowhere near the shiny graphics or slick taskbar. Online Tech Tips shows us how to audit our computers’ energy efficiency using a simple command-line tool. More »
Work

SetPower Schedules Your Computer’s Power Management

2:00AM Adam Pash | Windows only: Windows ships with some solid power management options, but it misses the mark on one issue: Most of us need different energy-saving schemes at different times of the day. SetPower adjusts your power management settings on a user-specified schedule. More »
Fix

The Buzz Vs The Bulge Chart Compares Caffeine To Calories

11:05PM Kevin Purdy | Does a small Frappuccino give you enough caffeine to be worth the calories? How long would you have to run to work off an iced latte? David McCandless’ beautiful chart puts all your caffeine concerns in perspective. More »
Fix

Convert A Chest Freezer Into A Super-Efficient Refrigerator

6:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Refrigerators are, despite advances in their design, terribly inefficient. Every time you open the door, the cold air comes cascading right out onto the floor. Chest freezers don’t suffer from this draft effect, and can be converted into super-efficient refrigerators. More »
Work

MonitorES Updates, Pauses Any Media Player When You Lock Your PC

2:00AM The How-To Geek | Windows only: Tiny, portable utility MonitorES not only turns off the monitor when you lock your PC, it also pauses almost any media player and even sets your Google and Yahoo IM status to away. More »
Work

MonitorES Pauses Media, Turns Off Monitor When You Lock Your PC

2:00AM The How-To Geek | Windows only: Tiny utility MonitorES pauses your media player, turns off your monitor and sets Google Talk to away whenever you lock your PC. More »
Fix

Build A Greener Charging Station

1:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Most device chargers aren’t particularly energy efficient. The bulky black boxes slowly suck energy even when you’re not charging, but this novel charging station ends that waste. More »
Fix

Blow Your Nose, And Other Ways To Score A Quick Energy Boost

7:00AM Adam Pash | You may have started out the work day with energy to spare, but suddenly it’s hump day and you’re probably feeling a tad less inspired. Hit the refresh button with these quick tips. More »
Fix

Hidden Windows 7 Tool Troubleshoots Sleep Mode Problems

2:00AM The How-To Geek | Windows only: Ever wonder why your laptop’s battery seems to die too quickly? The Windows Help blog points out a hidden command-line switch that generates a report with loads of helpful troubleshooting information. More »