But Beware The Vampire Load

Were it not for all this talk of his possible run for president, he might just be another impotent lame duck mayor no one paid attention to — one whose only power lay in encouraging people to save electricity:

He has a degree in electrical engineering, but even Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he was surprised to learn that portable chargers draw electricity when they’re plugged in and not in use.

“I always assumed that chargers for my BlackBerry, which I had plugged in at one end and there’s no BlackBerry [attached], wasn’t using any electricity,” the mayor said. “I was wrong.”

So the mayor recommended that New Yorkers unplug appliances and charging devices whenever practical, one of 10 suggestions that will be part of a multimillion-dollar multimedia campaign to create more environmental awareness in the city through small steps.