Built-in Kitchen Computer?

shaun_gordon asks: "As a long-time geek and first-time home buyer, my wife are planning on a complete kitchen remodel. As part of the remodel, I want to put a computer into the kitchen to use for looking up recipes, controling the stereo, watching movies, etc. My only requirements are that it be Internet connected. My wife's requirements are that it be hidden. I am currently thinking of a flat screen that would fold down from under a cabinet and a keyboard in a drawer that pulls out. Has anyone had any experience installing something like this? Any recomendations on building or buying the integrated display? Anything else that I should consider?" Those looking into doing something like this may find a laptop with an 802.11-based wireless network adapter a better, and possibly cheaper, alternative for this kind of feature. Webpads might be another viable alternative, assuming they ever hit the consumer market at a worthwhile price. What suggestions might you have?

Comments

Who needs a screen and keyboard?

[trentfoley]

Conceal a mic and speakers and mount a video camera that has a big round lens that glows red in the center. Then you can just ask questions to the air and have a recorded voice say, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave. You have only one egg and you are out of milk."

Married Geek warning.

[pruneau]

"As a long-time geek and first-time home buyer, my wife are planning on a complete kitchen remodel. As part of the remodel, I want to put a computer into the kitchen to use for looking up recipes, controling the stereo, watching movies, etc. My only requirements are that it be Internet connected. My wife's requirements are that it be hidden."

Non-geek traduction:

_They_ just bought a new house.

Beeing geek _he_ wants to put a computer inside the kitchen, too (beside the living room, the toilets and the bedchambers). He's trying to make us believe that the recipe part is important, but what he really wants is watching movies.

Beeing female, _she_ wants to organize the kitchen to her liking, and just do not give a damn about the computer: note the "hidden" requirement.

Marketing conclusion: your primary problem here is not technical. What you are into is WR (Wife Relationship), because the thing better have to be:

• Usefull
• Not in anybody way
• Resistant to wet/greasy/small fingers
• Rember that wifes tend generate small, noisy and smelly things too ! They usually are called childrens, and will break everything you put in their path (including themself).

Technical conclusion: everything short of an armored version of this won't do. Equip it with a disposable keyboard, screen and mouse. Oh, and you'd better tailor the software you put there to please her, or that machine won't last long. A kitchen is indeed not a computer-friendly environmment !

Not for recipes

[cybermace5]

The primary use of this computer will probably not be organizing recipies. It's one of those markets that look like they should be there...but aren't. Products have been offered time and again with little success.

Once you get past this, you'll have a lot more fun. The real value will be the non-kitchen related activities, as you mention, watching movies for example. You can do a lot make having a computer in the kitchen useful and expandable.

1) Include a cheap webcam and microphone. By building this in now, you won't have difficulty adding it when you want to do videoconferencing over the home network ("Honey, come out of the Server Dungeon, dinner's ready!)

2) Do everything you can to make it accessible to someone with a quarter-inch-thick layer of raw hamburger, bread crumbs, and egg clinging to their fingers. This is the biggest challenge. Either you invent a contactless way of typing and mousing, or find typing and pointing devices that can be easily cleaned. Touch-screen is out. I've seen too many monitors smeared with pizza and fried chicken grease, and that was just in an office. Touchpad devices do work if a thin layer of material is between the surface and the user's finger; you could use a piece of thin, tough white plastic (less than 1/16th inch) and seal it into one side of the keyboard tray. If it's waterproof, it can be wiped with a soapy rag like the rest of the kitchen.

3) Include a TV-and-radio-tuner capable video card. You've just knocked out two devices that you might one day want to have in the kitchen.

A few good ideas for using (and perhaps selling) the computer: Webcam in baby's room allows Mom to cook dinner and keep an eye on the kid. Grandma's also watching, and Mom is getting some input over AOL-IM on that favorite dish you keep asking for. The radio's on, or maybe MP3s are streaming from your server. And, just maybe, the computer holds a database of recipies.

I'm starting to envy you. Must...buy...house...make kitchen computer...