Windows only: WakeupOnStandBy, a free automation and timing tool for Windows systems, can be put to seriously helpful use by anyone who regularly puts their computer to sleep/suspend or hibernate for a quicker start instead of shutting down. The utility lets you set a schedule for waking up your system, having it run whatever apps or system processes you want upon waking, but also controlling how those things run. Whatever your power-up or shutdown needs are, WakeupOnStandBy can accomodate—have your laptop wake up and play a certain MP3 every morning as a backup alarm clock, have it sleep at 7 p.m. every day when you're done with work, but only if you're actually idle, and so on. WakeUpOnStandBy is a free download for Windows systems only; if you're a fan, tell us your most productive/clever uses in the comments.


WakeupOnStandBy [Dennis Babkin via gHacks]