That's *So* Last Millennium...
This concept has been around for forty years that I personally know of; probably even longer. Back then, however, the machines were a it more entertaining, as a skeletal hand would creep out and *pull* the switch to turn the device off.
I suppose that when enough people forget about something, it gets "reinvented" and is considered new by a new generation. I await the (re)discovery of the Slinky, the Frisbee (previously known as the "Pluto Platter"), and the Hula Hoop.
Paris Hilton, because El Reg doesn't do IT, but they do Paris...
