Sitting in a deserted newsroom this morning, it struck me that even when no one is around, the newsroom still hums - with the activity of idling computers, TVs in standby mode and crackling fluorescent bulbs.

It also hit me that no one ever turns off the power around here. In fact, I'll bet no one even knows where the light switches are.

While it is imperative that the newsroom works on an Uninterrupted Power Supply (so we can bring you the news even if a power station is set upon by terrorists), it also means we are unconsciously picking up an 'always-on' culture.

You know what I mean.

The PCs that are connected to the Net while you sleep so you can download gazillion-bytes of movies, music or software.

The MP3 players that ubiquitously peek out from ears, on the road, in the library and in bed.

The cellphones that are never turned off, because it is essential to be contactable any time of the day.

And the reach of technology is rapidly widening worldwide.

In India, for instance, the number of cellphone subscribers almost doubled last year, and is expected to hit 484 million by 2011.

In Singapore, some 80 per cent of homes have a computer. In just six years, this figure has risen by one-third, from about 60 per cent in 2000 to the current 2006 figure of 80 per cent.

Oh, about 40 per cent of all homes today also have two - or more - computers.

The growing penetration rate of gadgets (and the subsequent leech of power) is somewhat horrific, in terms of the demands they place on the Earth.

And because consumers keep demanding more feature-packed gadgets with longer battery life, these must also guzzle more electricity to keep up with the higher wattage needed.

Last week, Digital Life wrote about real-life ways to help users save money and save the Earth by choosing 'green' goods that use less power or reuse components.

That said, it seems like it will never be hip or cool to be a Captain Planet supporter of all things energy-saving or made from recycled bottle caps.

Besides, green was never quite a good colour for me.

But I have a few more extreme and, frankly way cooler, ways to save a bit of power.

If nothing, these may be good stories to tell at parties.

Share phones with someone else

What this means is to ditch your own phone or turn it off whenever you are anywhere with a landline or when you are with someone else.

Remember to tell everyone your schedule - so they can call the people you are hanging out with instead.

Your friends or family will usually be too polite to begrudge a few minutes on their phones, especially if you put up Mother Earth as your defence.

Sing to yourself on the bus instead of plugging in to your MP3 player

Memorising all those lyrics may actually fend off early onset of Alzheimer's disease.

If you are blessed with a good voice, not only will you garner compliments from the people around you, but you may also get to know more friends who ask you out for karaoke sessions.

Better yet, you may get discovered by a Simon Cowell-ish talent scout and make it big (don't forget to credit this column if you do).

Don't fret if you have a gravelly voice or are pitch-deaf. Singing will still work in your favour - you will be assured of a full bench seat on the bus to yourself.

Drop the Second Life and get a life

By this, I mean stop hanging out in chatrooms or instant messaging your friends. Get out and meet them instead.

Or, stop watching Web seminars and actually try to attend those lessons in school, or those meetings at work instead.

It may be useful to have the lecturer remember what you look like when he is awarding grades for the semester, or for your boss to recall who you are when he's handing out the promotions.

And if these ways don't convince you, well, just know that you've got to be less selfish to future generations.