Remote power switch project

The MAKE: Blog has an interesting post that points to a project for building a remote power switch controlled by a Linux system. A switch like this (available for server rooms but costing quite a bit) can be used to power things up only when necessary, thus saving money on your electricity bill from the power drain when a device is idle.

This seems like a nice little building block for home automation. You could have several of them to control lights, your entertainment systems or any other vampire device that draws power when idle.