So much for that "OFF" button.

The Times is running a story on the power hogs in our homes and businesses (and at times one and the same), namely those appliances and devices that consume alarming amounts of power even when they're supposedly off or in low-power mode.

After poking around with his new Kill A Watt EZ energy meter, author Larry Magid was shocked to find out how much power his dormant electronics were consuming.

The more devices I checked, the worse it got. My TiVo digital video recorder was sucking down about 30 watts when it was not playing or recording a show. A Comcast digital cable set-top box made by Motorola that I tested was drawing about 40 watts. My DVD player was drawing 26 watts while idle, and my audio system — which I rarely turned off — was using 47 watts. This was in addition to the numerous power adapters and chargers, each drawing 1 or 2 watts, not to mention several other devices sipping energy to keep clocks running or to be ready to turn on at the push of a button.

He also offers tips on getting Windows XP's and Vista's wonky advanced power options to work as advertised.

Sure, it's old news to the enlightened but hurray for MSM nonetheless.