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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?"
One year-olds are vertically-challenged. Put the computer on a high shelf.
You could teach him not to touch your computer... Lot's of friends that have children and computer (or other things that kids need to be careful with) teach their kids not to mess with them. I recomend you to do the same.
Just a quick recommendation from someone with a little nephew. Avoid wireless mice and keyboards like the plague. Sooner or later, those mice and keyboards become intriging targets to play hide and seek with. It's all fun and games until they decide that hiding in their cereal is a good spot.
Get an iMac. It's got the form factor you want and you
can stop spending half your time keeping the system healthy
and running tired software from the '90s.
Sure you'll have to learn new things... but itn't that better than spending
time de-lousing another tired Windows box every week?
Your only regret will be that you hadn't done it sooner.
Teach him not to mess with Dad's stuff. I recommend a wide leather belt which makes a memorable sound when snapped. You'll probably only need to wack him with it lightly a few times; at that age, you can make a big production out of the punishment and he'll cry and feel awful without the belt even touching him. Then just leave it hanging up somewhere, and glare at it meaningfully when he's bad.
Or, you can just let him fuck over your whole life for 18 years, and his for his entire lifetime, which may well be unusually short if someone else puts an end to his nonsense later on.
With a 0-1.5 year old, 'up' often equals 'out of reach'. Besides, there's FAR too many interesting things near the floor that mum & dad don't want her to reach- why look any higher? So, your average computer desk should be fine. Make sure it's off when you're not around and it probably won't seem so interesting, for a while :)
All bets are off once they master climbing, though. That's where distraction comes in. Sacrifice that laptop to the gods by installing programs like flabbergasted. Give the tyke her own computer, so she'll be less interested in yours.
Caution: kids learn computers quickly with this method. My 7yo boy tried to social-engineer my Linux password the other day.
None of the hassles of computing, and his body will thank him for it. And don't forget, exercise promotes mental well-being too.
I like recumbent exersise bikes more than iMacs, so my suggestion is better.
Fuck the system? Nah, you might catch something.
Before each of my children were one year old, they were familiar with Jump-Start Teddy. Before they (each) were two, they were able to start the computer and get JST running so that they could sit in a favorite aunt/uncle/parent's lap. My oldest sister did not know how to turn that particular PC on, but my 11 month old son did it for her one day. (I had a link for JST to start as soon as that computer was on.)
Children are looking up to you as their role model. Just like putting on daddy's shoes to tromp around the kitchen, they want to do things their parents do. The sooner they understand what they are and aren't allowed to do on your computer, the sooner you will have respectable uptime on your home web server.
The last thing I want is for my children to follow me into the computer industry. But they each have a solid understanding of how a computer is used as a tool. They also have a healthy respect for electrical dangers.
Take LOTS of pictures when they are young!
"God is dead." - Frederik Nietzsche
You don't need anything fancy as far as your computer is concerned - what you need is a computer armoire. They need not take up any more floor space than a desk, and can hold (keep away from little fingers) so much more.
Everything - keyboard, mouse, monitor, and all the wires can be kept safely behind closed doors when not in use.
I dub thee... Sir Phobos, Knight of Mars, Beater of Ass.
Here are my suggestions for a very PC household:
1) make sure both parents work on alternate days. that way the youngster won't form any stereotypes.
2) if you have african-american friends, be sure not to ever refer to their skin color
3) when holidays come around, be sure to say "festive seasonal greetings" rather than "Merry Christmas" or any other specific religious holiday.
4) if you have any gay or lesbian friends, be sure to invite them over to play with the child so he or she doesn't make assumptions about gender
5) Remember, evolution is a THEORY, not FACT. See if you can come up with some of your own theories of life and teach them to your child so that he gets a well-rounded view. My favorite: life was created by a giant walrus.
6) make sure to watch network news every night, so that both sides of every issue are explored, even those where one side is universally accepted by most intelligent people
Oh wait.. did you mean a different PC?
I was in the same situation when I had my first son. When he was about 14 months old and was starting to explore as humans tend to do at that age. I decided that the best way for him to not mess up the computer was to show him how to use it correctly instead. It was the software, Jumpstart Toddler that actually began my son's introduction to using the computer. To avoid messing up my settings, I created a separate acount for him. I then taught him that it was ok to play with the computer only when Daddy or Mommy was around. He quickly learned to use the mouse and keyboard by playing around with it.
Forward 6 years later, and he now helps his 2nd grade teacher teach the other kids during his computer class (although he tells me that they use Mac's).
I think having a "yes" environment, instead of a "no" environment fosters discovery and learning. (Just my 2 cents.)
"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?" --Yoda {whips out green light saber}
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 :)
If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
I do a reasonable amount of gaming on my IBM T30 all the time. When i wnt it secure, I can lock it away easily too.
Pretty Pictures!
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.
"Anything is possible with enough programmers, time and pizza." (Substitute caffeine for time as needed.)
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.
Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
Or the iMac G5 from Apple, which is pretty much the exact same thing. Doesn't run on a battery, though, I don't know if this MPC machine does...
Comment of the year
It isn't a troll ? I guess you had bad scores at text explanations at schools, heh ;) ?
Question: How can I refrain my child from messing with my computer ?
Answer: Buy a mac, and you won't have to deal with 10 years old software. You'll have to relearn a new things blah blah you'll ask yourself why you didn't do it sooner...
The question is not i'm bored with my current OS, what could I try next ? It's how can I physically lock a computer to be sure the 1 year old kid won't hurt himself with it, or hurt the computer. Explain where a mac would even remotly help more that any computer with that... It's not like the one year old kid is gonna surf porn and root the box with spywares It's not really a troll, but as offtopic as a post can possibly be...
Am I the only one that read this?!? I have a one and two year old. I find that moving the power and reset buttons to INSIDE the case help. All cables are hidden away behind the computer, and clamped to the computer desk. To keep them away from the computer in general, I have given them THEIR OWN to play with. It's the most amazing thing to watch your kids play on the computer. My 2 year old has known for at least 6 months how to open and close applications, even successfully NAVIGATE the start menu all the way to the paint program. My 1 year old can only do minimal so far, opening and closing random applications and such. Works great, try it. Stop trying to keep them away from computers; give them one they CAN play with! Cheers.
coming to find those letters on the CPU...
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Given the tendancies of my own 13-month-old chaos machine, you ma want to reconsider the wireless keyboard and mouse. They're more magnetic to little ones than shiny objects. Especially if you're seen using them. Your best bet is a desk with some sort of roll-down top or closed doors, like a hutch, so that everythign can be close and latched. Then you don't have to worry about the cords for the monitor.
Oh, and keep power cords off the floor. They don't get shocked easy, but they like to press the switches on the power strips and UPSes.
Consider getting one of those electric fence devices used to keep little dogs in the yard: They use low amps, high volts and junior will understand the concept of "stay away" with the very first lesson.
These can also be effective on door knobs when wired correctly (keep wifey out!) but should be used on toilet bowl flush handles with much caution unless a man slaughter charge isn't a concern.
Other devices can be useful for keeping pesky children in line whilst teaching them the concept of survival but you should check the laws in your area as some certain methods and devices are frowned upon.
Cheers!
Everything in the Universe sucks: It's the law!
My nephew learned that he could get what he wanted from the fridge by opening the freezer compartment first, pulling out its draws one -by-one and using them as stairs so he could reach his goal. His age at the time? Barely more than two years old.
Don't ever assume that because they can't reach it from the ground that they can't reach it at all. Kids aren't stupid and they learn damn fast.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
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.
Simply place it in a cage that only you have the keys to. When you want to use the PC, unlock the cage, go in, lock the cage.
Problem solved.
You could always substitute 'cage' for 'room'.
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.
seriously, the way to do it is this:
* a shuttle small form factor PC. put unit in cupboard.
* an LCD vesa-mounted to the wall with cables cable tied out of the way
* a cheap wireless kb/mouse (forget bluetooth, it's overkill)
* nothing else.
this is the answer. any other suggestions are just plain wrong.
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.
SIGBUS @ NO-07.308
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.
Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.
- W. Wriston, former Citibank CEO