All of us were there: if you suddenly the display is dim, you are looking at a video or running a slide deck. Or you leave the computer for an extended period of time and return to find it locked out or in standby mode.

What causes this to happen? Because no Browser Mouse Mover or keyboard activity has been recorded by Windows, its power-saving settings take effect.

You could fiddle with Windows' power settings and force the system to avoid screen-dimming, standby, and other power-saving modes, but that's a pain. And if you don't remember to undo those changes, your laptop's battery life will suffer as a result.

Furthermore, some companies don't allow employees to change the power-saving settings on their computers, so you might be stuck with, say, a 30-minute time-out. If only you could pay someone to jiggle the mouse every few minutes!

Instead, how about a software solution? Windows may not be intelligent enough to detect when a movie is playing or a projector is connected, but at least two utilities will simulate the actions required to keep the operating system alert and active: Caffeine and Mouse Jiggler are two of my favorite things.