PC Setup for Small House with Child?

nzgeek asks: "I've been managing with a pokey Windows notebook for a couple of years now, and am desperate to get a decent PC for development and gaming. Problem is, our house is tiny and we have a 1-year-old entropy generator running amok. What's the best recommendation for getting a full-power desktop PC installed in our house? My ideal setup would be a mini-tower case hidden in a cupboard, with a remote LCD monitor, mouse, keyboard, and headphones. The keyboard and mouse can be done via bluetooth, and there is no problem with cable length for headphones. The major stumbling block is VGA connection for the monitor. Any suggestions on how to overcome this problem?"

Comments

Drill a hole in the cupboard?

[aralin]

So what is the problem with the cable? Just drill a hole, its just wood. Or better yet, buy one that already has a hole and maybe also rails for sliding the computer in and out. Computers are with us for a while, the furniture manufacturers managed to notice already, take advantage of that :)

Re:wireless monitor

[cybermancer]

Check out the Client-Pro All-In-One by MPC. I don't have one, but all the reviews I have read have been very positive. The whole PC is in the LCD, and it has wireless connectivity for network, keyboard and mouse. Ultra portable too.

It is basically laptop hardware in an LCD. You pay a little extra, but it has the smallest footprint you can find.

Re:Not sure about hardware, but I know the softwar

[bakes]

My daughter was happy with an old keyboard plugged into a cardboard box with a square drawn just inside the edge to make it look like a monitor. She pretended she was 'working on the computer just like Daddy'.

I had my computer, and she had hers.

We also kept the computers in another room and closed the door - by the time she could open the door herself she knew that she had been taught to leave the computers alone, unless we were there and had one of her games set up.

Re:Better yet

[cliffiecee]

Exactly.

It was quite a trip to see my then 3-year-old boy walk over to my computer, close my applications by clicking the close buttons(s), and then clicking on the icons to start his own games.

Even more fun: watching him arrange those magnet-letters on the 'fridge to 'QWERTYUIOP' etc.

Re:Better yet

[complete loony]

Hey, my son is about 18 months old, so I wrote him a program that changes the background colour of a full screen window on any input. Bash the keyboard, move the mouse around, click the buttons...

Only problem is, he likes it so much we can't use the computer without him thinking it's his turn.

Oh, and he can reach the keyboard and mouse from standing on the floor, so lock your terminal whenever you leave it unattended.

LiveCD for kids?

[TheLink]

Hey is there an equivalent of a Knoppix for little kids?

Don't want it super watered down, but something that doesn't involve too much typing would be good.

Wrong!

[sonamchauhan]

Re-read his post to see how flawed your deduction is. He called _himself_ a "little shit" when he was a brat.

I love my parents. I'm glad they punished me physically when I needed it.

Re:Simple Solution

[hoggoth]

> Money plus A-hole equals chicks..

I've tried this technique. For a couple of years I did get more "chicks" than ever. They were all stupid materialistic sluts (then again, at the time so was I). Don't get me wrong - it was a great experience and a lot of fun for a while. It was a good experience to have, and a great 'confidence' builder.
But it wears out.

After I stopped being an A-hole I managed to date some quality, challenging women who were my equals. Much less action but much more interesting.

Re: Simple Solution, which won't last

[Ashtead]

When the one-year old is approaching two, he or she will no longer be limited in altitude. Not as long as there are any moveable chairs or anything else around that they can attempt to climb up on. And what they cannot climb up to reach they will, sometimes successfully, attempt to pull down instead.

Only thing I can think of that might work is something along the lines of a floor-level locked cabinet containing the PC, the keys to which are in your pocket.

No Kidding

[marcus]

My Mom warned me about my kids based on her experience with me. She was so happy way back when my parents bought a new house with a nice back yard and a good fence so that she could leave me free to roam outside while she watched from the kitchen or whatever room in the house had a window facing the back yard...Then she spotted me sitting on top of the fence. I was still wearing diapers at the time.

She said that was the closest she'd ever come to soiling herself. :-)

Re:Better yet

[AlexisMachine]

Bzzzt. Wrong. but thank you for playing. The problem with this is that then you can get into a "power struggle" with the kids. Below a certain age, they just do not understand, as their brains are not developed enough to have any sort of self-control. Above 1 year you might be able to teach them, but they start crawling around 6 months, so that is 6 months of problems. Also, the less that you tell your kids "no", the fewer problems that you will have. It is good to give your kids dicipline, but only fight the fights that you HAVE to (don't run into the street, don't go anywhere with strangers, don't touch the stove, etc). A little preparation now will save you headaches in the future.

Preach on brother! I have a 15 month old daughter that finds my optical mouse irresistable. Teaching her not to touch it is not worth the battle. If it was something life threatening like the stove or a power outlet, that's another matter altogether.

I find that when you live in an 800 sq ft apartment, that barracading the computer in a corner where it can't be accessed is the best solution.