I bought a lamp for my computer desk on a whim the other day, but when I got home, I realized that I had no where to plug it in. In braving the morass of cords behind my desk, I thought back to an F. Paul Wilson novel I read in which the protagonist discovers a working broadcast power station somewhere
in upstate New York.
But, it got me thinking. Here's the idea: Tesla demonstrated that he could light a bulb by creating a "a powerful, rapidly alternating electrostatic field."
Bear with the quotes for a moment -- to do this, he "...suspend a sheet of metal a distance from the ceiling on insulating cords and connect it to one terminal of the induction coil, the other terminal being preferably connected to the ground. Or else I suspend two sheets . . . each sheet being connected with one of the terminals of the coil, and their size being carefully determined. An exhausted tube may then be carried in the hand anywhere between the sheets or placed anywhere, even a certain distance beyond them; it remains always luminous." (quote from Wikipedia)
I propose a small scale system that could attach to the back of a desk. One plate (or sheet) extending from the top, and one plate on the floor. Power consuming appliances/devices are installed with the appropriate receiving equipment, say, a small antenna, and voila, no more power cords/strips.