A typical laptop computer of mine is 15 watts. Thus, my laptop uses 1 kw of electricity in over 600 hours. At the current electricity rate in Quebec, it is less than 10 cents per kw ( 5 cents to be exact). Thus the laptop, at most, costs 0.05 cents of electricity for two hours.

Luckily the newest laptops have long battery lives, and if you can handle having your screen settings dim, you can get a long life. I also bought 2 extra battery packs so that I can use my laptop for up to 12 hours with a bright screen. (I hate dim screens…rather be dropped of a horse in full gallop)

I still fly alot and my wife and I have just learned to adjust to the new protocal in airports around the world. Oh….useful tip….when you go to China don’t bring a power convertor from Radio Shack and assume you are safe. Buy a power convertor when you get to China. I blew up a good HP laptop with that blunder!!

BT

In todays world of security at airports I advise all of my employees to not use their laptops in the terminal because this makes them a possible target for a laptop thief. However in a business center it is pretty well regulated who can use them to business or first class travelers. I’ve been in a few airports without business centers and if you ask the people at the ticket counter if they have a safe area you can use a laptop - I’ve been offered use of an airport security office which also was a Sheriff substation, lost baggage office and a few less than private areas.

If you must absolutely use the common areas of an airport I’d do so between landings in the baggage claim area they always have outlets, the airport folks don’t mind if you ask to use them and they typically don’t have a lot of use between flights. Also in this area in most airports are the car rental companies they will let you use a outlet if you ask typically. Use the regular business traveler status to your advantage I almost always fly the same airline, use same rental car company, use the same hotel chains - I am sure this describes most of us. Before you yell at a security guard there are no no outlets ask the airline you hold a ticket worth hundreds of dollars for nicely if there is any place you can safely use you laptop which also cost hundreds of dollars but might contain hundreds of millions of dollars of secure business information.

I also advise all of my employees to use a laptop bag that doesn’t look like a laptop bag we buy generic back packs and purchase laptop inserts from targus that velcros into any bag.

I arrived a couple of hours early last week to Toronto’s Pearson Terminal One (YYZ). That’s when my (free) ride could handle it, but I figured I could use the extra time in the terminal to get caught up on a variety of tasks.

I was utterly gobsmacked to find out that one of the busiest terminals in North America offers no Internet access at all, save for those crazy standalone Bell terminals.

Vancouver’s YVR is not much better, with Wifi by Telus which I have yet to be able to log into despite multiple tries. The e-mail complaint that I subsequently sent them has remained unanswered.

I find the premise of this post kind of ridiculous. First of all, Quebec is a huge producer of hydroelectric power and our local electricity costs are rock-bottom dirt cheap. Second, airports are _huge_ power consumers — with those hundreds of banks of overhead lights, climate control for gigantic spaces, and all the whizbangers and bleepmakers that are necessary to get planes safely into and out of the sky. I can’t believe that 2-3 laptops at every gate going all day long would even be the remotest tiniest drop in the bucket.

I’m just not sure this post makes any sense whatsoever.

It’s created, and I’ve put an initial entry in for Montreal, which started this whole conversation. Feel free to contibute. I am not sure how PBWiki works for permissions, but no doubt if anyone who wants to contribute needs permission, I will find out quickly.