You don't still use a screen saver, do you?

By Don Willmott , Forecast Earth Correspondent

I'm happy that at this stage in my career I often find myself writingarticles about energy-efficient ways to use computers, peripherals,gadgets, and consumer electronics. It makes me feel so, you know,virtuous.

Whenever I crank out a list of helpful hints, one of the first items Iinclude is this obvious but often overlooked gem of advice: Kill yourstupid screen saver. In the good old days of tube monitors, screensavers such as those unforgettable flying toasters were invented toprevent burn-in, a permanent shadow branded into the phosphors of yourmonitor by a static image of, say, a spreadsheet that you left on yourscreen all weekend.

Well, flat-screen LCD monitors don't burn in, so if you still haveflying toasters or an endlessly looping slide show of your adorableniece and nephew, you're behind the times. When you're not sitting infront of your monitor it should be off off off.

It warmed my heart to read at Green Daily that Telstra, the biggestphone company in Australia, has removed all the corporate screensavers from the 36,000 computers in its offices. What will happen? Thechange will cut tons of CO2, which they claim will be the equivalentof taking 140 cars off the road for a year. Good on ya, mate. FollowTelstra's example. Let your flying toasters crash and burn.

Don Willmott's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The NewYork Times Company.