The gadget that constantly judges you

Swedish company Manodo, has developed a gadget you install at home to, as Gizmodo puts it, "tell you everything you'll ever want to know (and maybe some things you don't) about the resources you're consuming," thereby making you "OCD" about your energy habits.

As EcoGeek describes it,

The device gives household residents all the facts about how much and what is being used, right down to the number of pounds of CO₂ emissions from your last bath. Imagine having Al Gore living in your house reminding you each time you forget to turn off the lights. The intent is to keep residents aware of how much resources are being consumed through daily activities... and maybe guilt them into changing their ways. The monitor also provides current information like the weather and when the next tram is scheduled to arrive at the nearest stop. Now being tested in the hallways of 15 apartments, the Manodo project isn't all about negative feedback. When good green levels in the apartment are reached, a green smiley face appears on the display.

TreeHugger calls it "the Big Brother of energy saving," and Ubergizmo says it "pulverizes your brain with facts about just how much power... your home currently sips."

I'm a sucker for useful information, and if constant feedback could help me change my habits in ways that would save me money, I wouldn't complain.

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