As electronic gadgets have evolved and multiplied, the typical wall power outlet has remained a stubbornly primitive and occasionally elusive beast. Power strips can help, but most get too crowded too quickly — especially when you have more than one of those bulky AC adapters looking for a home. That's why we love the E-rope: a 2006 IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) winner that does for the power strip what minibars did for drinking. Just put together as many of the modular E-rope sockets as you need for a particular outlet, plugging away to create anything from a small power nub to a full-on socket king snake. The plugs rotate 180° in case you want your custom power strips bend around corners. The E-rope can even lighten up your power bill, since twisting them 90° will cut off the electricity (it's said that 10% of power in a home is used by electronics in standby mode). You can't buy the E-rope sockets yet, but we hope designers Chul Min Kang and Sung Hun Lim's IDEA-winning idea gets a manufacturer soon — if only so we can stare at those cool blue lights.
— Peter Pachal

Business Week, via I Spy