| ...that the sudden jolt of electricity when you first turn it on is quite harmful to the computer. Others would say that's hooey. I would say that I'm just too lazy to wait for it to come up when I get a hankering to check my email, so that's my excuse. The other benefit is I avoid boot-up problems, because I never have to boot it up. But I don't know of any special benefits, although wasting electricity isn't much of a concern. A computer isn't going to cause much of a spike at all in your power bill. If you're concerned about hackers, disconnect your modem if you've got one, or release your IP address when you're away if you're on a high-speed connection. A surge protector will eliminate lightning concerns, and fans don't wear out for many years, whether they're on all the time or not. | 
