What's Next for Your High-Tech Home? 82
"A few years ago, there was a rush of innovation in household high-tech items for early adopter types. Hobbyists tinkered to get their PCs to act as DVD players, put their baby-cams on their private Web sites, and pieced together low-cost audio servers. But that rush seems to have largely evaporated, perhaps a victim of the .com bubble bursting. There are still lots of products coming out, but they're aimed squarely at late adopters who have yet to catch up with the latest stuff -- witness the huge number of PC media convergence products announced in the last six months, all of them with functionality that's been available in some form for years."
What gizmos? (Score:5, Funny)
Broken gizmos. Lots of them. Warrantee expired.
i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:2)
Funny, but still true... Those of us renting have to ask the landlord before we even put up new shelves, and daren't install broadband because it has a one year lock-in but the landlord could end our tenancy with two months' notice. Not much scope for funky gadgets here. :-(
But hey, keep the ideas coming. We can dream... :-)
Re:i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:1)
My cable modem is in the central hallway broom closet where the cable comes in. From there, my Linksys NAT box spits out a line to the home office/dining room where another 100Mbit switch handles our little fileserver, my desk (I plug in my Dell laptop when I get home), and my fiance's G3 Mac & Dell workstation. The Linksys box
Re:i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:2)
Yep, I'm in the UK. Here it's pretty standard for all of the big broadband ISPs offering ADSL to make you sign up for a "minimum one year" contract, to offset their expenses from connecting up a property and make up for all the upgrade work that's been performed on telephone exchanges to support ADSL. We have a weird, and often criticised, system where the infrastructure providers and ISPs are all tied up in one ta
Re:i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:2)
Re:i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:2)
That said, I've never had many landlords who really cared about minor things like shelves as long as you don't trash the wall (and if you do, fix it!)
But for those oppressive landlords (I had one for a couple years in college) the key is blackmail.
I had a landlord (those of you who've lived in Isla Vista near UCSB no doubt have heard of Ron Wolfe - what a prick). He tried to stiff us on 2 years security deposits. He runs
Re:i rent you insensitve clod ! (Score:2)
Yep, s'funny that. I had rotting stairs outside my place, too. Warned them about them for nearly 18 months. Then one day, one gave way under me. Seriously injured my back, several days off work, pain and no physical hobbies for weeks, you know the drill. Contacted my landlord's agents shortly after that, pointed out the injury, and said pretty bluntly that if they didn't fix it within a couple of weeks, I'd make arrangements to do it myself and send them a bill of unspecified size to cover everything. Stran
Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:2)
Re:Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:3, Interesting)
Speaking of which, being the incessent hacker, I'd like to optimize the heck out of my energy systems' costs.
For instance, it's 20 below zero outside, and my refrigerator is burning electricity to keep my food cold. It should be opening a vent instead.
Currently I'm burning propane (and supplemental wood) to heat the house, when I have acres of warm earth to tap (need a ground-source heat pump
Re:Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:2)
I think about this kind of stuff from time to time and I wonder about the cost/benefit ratio. Unless your energy source costs are really high, does the extra cost of time/equipment really pay for itself? I was introduced to the timer thermostat concept when I automated heating and air conditioning in my apartment years ago using an old Tandy Model 100 and some homebrew hardware. Same concept can be
Re:Brrrrrrrrr..... (Score:2)
Anyway, try improving your insulation before buying new heating. Our new house is 2x the size of the old one and the heating bill so far is running less than 1/2 what we're used to, just due to it being so much better insulated.
And invest in a digital timer thermostat. They usually pay for themselves within one heating season!
Or... (Score:2)
Music is big! (Score:2, Interesting)
I really want home automation for lights and heating. My wife actually put her foot down a
Re:Music is big! (Score:2)
What have you been using? I looked at the stuff at Home Depot, but they only had outdoor floodlights.
A wife... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A wife... (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:A wife... (Score:3, Insightful)
Damn, I love my wife!
Re:A wife... (Score:2)
You think that's a problem? Try having a g/f who comes home and tells you what techno wizardry you need, how her computer is more powerful than yours, etc... :o/
Re:A wife... (Score:1)
I wish (Score:4, Insightful)
My SO is going to be a year and a half into grad school two years from now. I'll be lucky if I can afford a coffee maker at that point.
AVL (APRS-like UI-View -or- just GpsDriive) (Score:2)
there have the ability to "track" me - either
my cel.phone (except, we're in Oz, where this
isn't [yet] possible) or (available today) by
APRS.
A quick look at a computer screen will answer
the questions like "Where are you?" & "How
soon will you be home?" better than I can,
at least while I'm driving...
As a bonus, we can (either while I'm on the road
or after I am home) check the weather at the
place(s) we'd planned
Re:AVL (APRS-like UI-View -or- just GpsDriive) (Score:3, Funny)
Mini-ITX platform (Score:3, Interesting)
The Via Epia [viavpsd.com] boards are almost there but are just a little short of processor horsepower to handle DivX decoding (and other processor intensive operations). The rumours [epiacenter.com] are that there will be a 1.2Ghz Via C3 processor on a new core revision (C5P) out shortly. C3's provide roughly 50% of the horsepower of a similarly clocked P3 in the current core so at 1.2 Ghz (with some potential improvements in the new version core) you are almost at the level where you have a cool, quiet platform with enough horsepower to be a serious media-center PC.
Of course, Via are rumoured to have some very cool stuff on the horizon, included a possible dual-cpu [etmag.com] board and a new processor codenamed 'Esther' to be produced in IBM's fab.
Maybe this [via.com.tw] is what I am waiting for? So perhaps this is the year when digital convergence becomes a reality for the masses?
Re:Mini-ITX platform (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Mini-ITX platform (Score:1)
It's actually not very hard or expensive (I guess that's relative) to build a relatively quiet P4 or Athlon based system. Heatsink manufacturers are getting quite good at building thin-fin copper/aluminum heatsinks with big slow fans on them { 1 [dansdata.com] 2 [dansdata.com] 3 [dansdata.com]}. Or even without any fan at all [dansdata.com].
VIA now offers an EPIA board that takes a P4 or Celeron [ituner.com] (only up to 533MHz frontside bus though). At $185 (mobo only), it's a lot pricier than their C3 based solutions (which are IIRC $100-150 with proc included), but throw a
Re:Mini-ITX platform (Score:2)
The dual processor reference board also had two 100Mbps Ethernet ports, and a DVI video port.. I want one!
Well... how about... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Well... how about... (Score:2)
Low-tech (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Low-tech (Score:2)
Bagless vacuum: No substitute for the Dyson (Score:3, Interesting)
These are poor imitations of the REAL bagless vacuum, the almighty Dyson. [dyson.com] The first time I used mine, it pulled up two full bins of filth that my old Hoover had left in the carpet.
It filters out dirt by centrifugal motion in "cyclone" tubes. Unlike all other bagless vacs, there are no filters to replace. It has seals of approval from various allergy associations for its excellence in cleaning dust and other allergens out of t
Re:Low-tech (Score:3, Funny)
Spare cat, or spare vac?
Re:Low-tech (Score:2)
Nothing!! (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm trying to get technology away from my life - it's not bringing me joy.
For $3500 - I could buy a DLP Projector or Or I could go to France for a month - get fucking drunk on good wine, eat good food and attempt to have fun with the pretty french girls.
Guess which one I'll be thinking about on my death bed?
Re:Nothing!! (Score:2, Funny)
/obvious/ (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Nothing!! (Score:2, Funny)
Excellent!! You are NOT what you own. (Score:2)
Instead of buying the latest DVD/whatever player for $400, get a cheap used accoustic guitar for $50 and learn how to play it - much more fun/rewarding in the long run - bring it to the beach (chicks LOVE this, join a band, etc.
Don't let Madison avenue define who you are by what crap you own, you are much more than just that.
Re:Excellent!! You are NOT what you own. (Score:2)
Uh, everyone I know buys things because they will somehow improve their lives, not to show off. (Perhaps your friends are more shallow than mine, I don't know.)
I don't think it will impress anyone that my basement lights turn on when I go down the stairs. That's not why the lights are on a motion sensor. They are on a motion sensor because when I go to the basement with a load of laundry or a big box, it's a pain in the butt to put down the box,
I give (Score:1)
I'm guessing the redhead. Am I right?
An enterprise-grade printserver in the laundry rm. (Score:2)
I'm building a custom cart that will fit in the laundry room next to the dryer. I'll be pulling the old CAT5 tomorrow and mounting a printserver box next to it.
No more putting off big print jobs til I can take them in to work.
Re:An enterprise-grade printserver in the laundry (Score:2)
Pickup feeders are about 5 bucks, if the fuser unit goes that's about 75 from a rebuilder.
Re:An enterprise-grade printserver in the laundry (Score:2)
It may not be too bad, but I wouldn't like to think of all the paper getting stuck together because it got damp.
Drinks / Kitchen automation (Score:1)
MicroSoft Powered Stove (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:MicroSoft Powered Stove (Score:3, Funny)
You appear to be burning a pot of beans. Would you like assistance?
Re:MicroSoft Powered Stove (Score:1)
Zero gravity bedroom (Score:2)
Energy Mangement System (Score:1)
Annoying the neighbors (Score:2)
Other than that... mini-DV camer
Smurf tube... (Score:2)
Anyhow, the one thing I consistently regret in my current home is cabling a thing is a huge pain. I finally updated my home network with wireless, but no drivers when I'm running on the Linux side. I added a satellite dish, I had to do some nasty drilling / drywall patching. When I build, I'll be running a generous amount of empty low voltage conduit everywhere. You never know when you have
Re:Smurf tube... (Score:3, Interesting)
My "high-tech" home should include broadband internet as the first, most important thing. Next would be a KVM switch thad did something unusual--it would come with wireless adapters for the PCs that draw their transmitting power from the USB so that I
Re:Smurf tube... (Score:2)
Then when you need to re-wire something, just pop off the baseboards. Plus, if you want a jack to be in a particular spot, just pop off the baseboard, drill a hole, install a jack, wire it up, and pop it back on.
For the doorways, you could have removable thresholds. (Or whatever that piece is called that goes on the floor directly under a doorway.)
Re:Smurf tube... (Score:1)
A High-tech garage would be next.... (Score:2)
Re:A High-tech garage would be next.... (Score:2)
Just don't plan on driving that car in California [slashdot.org].
Automate your Christmas Lights! ;-) (Score:1)
Read all about the Christmas Lights [komar.org] which also includes an analysis of the Slashdot Effect on Christmas Lights. [komar.org]
What's Next for Your High-Tech Home? (Score:2)
Seriously, my next high tech move will be to build a RAID-5 array out of the 3 x 250 GB drives I got for Christmas. A few months ago I lost a 120 GB drive which had a bunch of stuff I didn't have backed up, so I'm making sure that this never happens again.
I still won't be protected from fire or theft, but drives die all the time, and as long as more than one doesn't die at once I'll be okay.
PS The fortune is currently "The most important thing is the thing most easily forgo
Re:What's Next for Your High-Tech Home? (Score:2)
I think backups to one single non real time drive are much better than a local raid 5. cause, when you accidently delete your media directory you'll run around quite livid wishing you had done a remote backup.
find a friend who also has linux and help each other by rsyncing your data to each other's apartments. can't beat it!
How about someone of the opposite sex (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How about someone of the opposite sex (Score:3, Insightful)
the following of the other.
SealBeater
Re:How about someone of the opposite sex (Score:2)
DVD (Score:2)
Some Serious Ideas (Score:3, Interesting)
1) Full climate management on a per-room basis. If it's too hot in a room the system turns up the AC, too cold it opens a radiator valve or turns on the underfloor heating, too bright it closes the blinds/drapes.
2) Intruder detection, link individual room alarms to cameras and record the pictures digitally.
3) Voice control of all functions. Imagine walking into a room and saying 'increase lights by fifty percent and it happens.
4) A home phone system combined with an intercom.
I started my tech career reading Circuit Cellar and that gave me lots of ideas (thanks Steve), if you ever find a collection of the Circuit Cellar books then snap them up because you will be prying mine from my cold dead fingers.
Ed Almos
Budapest, Hungary
Re:Some Serious Ideas (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree with that. One of the big issues is with control - all these gadgets need to be controlled, which means loads of remotes and/or geeky interfaces which other family members aren't happy with.
I want to have *controlled* access via the Web (so I can tell the heating to be on when I get home etc). But voice control would be great:
"Computer - switch television to BBC1 please"
"Co
Re:Some Serious Ideas (Score:2)
~Philly
Re:Some Serious Ideas (Score:2)
Re:Some Serious Ideas (Score:2)
The only problem, currently, is discerning your voice in a noisy room. Gated mic systems are the best bet, but you have to be relatively close to one for it to turn on.
Re:Some Serious Ideas (Score:1)
Re:Some Serious Ideas (Score:2)
I don't think I'd like that. I've always had Macintosh computers, and for a really long time they've had voice recognition. I can tell my Mac to do just about anything (except be inexpensive :) .
But I don't use it. It works fine, but I don't like talking to my computer. I don't know why.
Instead of voice recognition in the house, I'd like to have good controls. All the control pane
Re:This guy make false assertions (Score:2)
No, just his big contributors.
DVDless DVD Jukebox (Score:2)
I'll rip all my DVDs (a lot)stick them on the server, and then be able to play them back from any PC, or the TV without getting up or moving.
In addition, I'd like it to be able to easily serve other video such as Red versus Blue, etc easily.
I started on this, and was making progress, but had to loan out the machine for a 'quick' work project that has taken much longer than it should. At the time, the tri