Turning the lights on (and off) from your computer

I just bought a Telldus Technologies TellStick. It is a wireless USB-device that can be used for, e.g., turning on and off the light (if it is equipped with a suitable receiver).

The TellStick software is free, and it works under Linux. It even comes with a Java API, and a NetBeans project with some sample code. However, to get the Java binding to work, you have to install some strange libraries (rxtx).

You can controll any number of recievers using your TellStick.

Next time a program throws an exception, it will be able to turn on (or off) a lamp somewhere in the office...