PCs in the Living Room?

mwebert asks: "OK. I figure a large number of my fellow Slashdot readers have encountered this same scenario, so please respond. Right now, we keep our Dell Inspiron notebook on the corner of our coffee table in the center of our living room, accessing our home wireless network, and allowing the user to see the TV and multitask their little heart out. (Yay, IMDB!) That said, sitting on the edge of the couch (or worse, the floor) is getting old fast. Of course, I could get a true desk, but I don't want it to face the wall or corner, and I don't want it to turn the decor of my living room into a dentist's office reception area. I'm looking for a handsome (yet unobtrusive and functional) rolling workstation, preferably with a shelf/drawer or two. I've checked out http://www.anthro.com/ - but their offerings look pretty utilitarian, don't they? Any other ideas?"

Comments

IKEA

[LostCauz]

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=11 533&langId=-1&parentCats=10121*10390

Boom.

Consider non-permanent

[bill_mcgonigle]

I've got a pretty small living room, so no room for the rolling cart. I just recently ordered a TableMate folding table which slides under the couch when it's not in use. Hasn't arrived yet, so no review here, but there are some user reviews on the linked page.

Um. Simple.

[Seumas]

I have a couple "buffet" tables (the long brown kind with the folding legs that you see in office buildings) from OfficeMax. You can get them for about $40 each. I stuck them in my living room in front of the widescreen television - about where most people would put their sofa (I dont' have a sofa or loveseat or recliner or anything).

Then, I put my chair in front of the desk.

Then... I do my computer stuff at the desk. And I can watch TV at the same time.

As far as decor.. who cares. Are you Martha Stewart? Unless you're a millionaire, your home is never going to look like anything more than a cheap regular-people home with matching IKEA products. Go for spare. Go for sparse. Go for utilitarian.

I don't care that most people think it's weird that I have no dining table or seating of any sort (other than an office chair). I have a TV and a desk in the living room, because I like it and I can do everything I want (except sleep) in the same room.

As for drawers... just drop $40 on one of those plastic rubbermaid shelving units on rollers that you can get at Staples or OfficeMax. Put it next to yoru $40 buffet tables. Now you not only have tons of storage, but you can move it if you need to.

Re:Um. Simple.

[Seumas]

Since about the time I decided I was going to go with "Utilitarian Male" decorative motif. :)

And yes, every female that ever enters the abode threatens to (re)decorate the place.

And no, I don't let 'em. :)

And yes - I'm single.
And yes - I get laid.
And yes - I like being single.
And yes - I like spending money on toys rather than dropping $5,000 on a decorative fucking lamp.

Re:Laptop

[PlasticMonkey]

Aww dude, you're gonna get flamed :-/ , brace yourself!
RTFA 'n' all that...

However why doesn't the guy place the laptop on his lap? Seems a hell of a lot easier than buying a rolling table solution to me and he should still be able to multitask.

The only reason I can think of him not wanting to place the laptop on his knees/legs/movement enablers is if he's worried about his penis getting burnt, in which case there are solutions available.

Re:Laptop

[Aeiri]

He said he's using a laptop/notebook computer.

Wow, I must be blind.

I don't see what the problem is, then. If it's a laptop, you don't have to sit on the edge of the couch, you can pick it up and put it in your lap! Hence, laptop...

All sorts of stuff.

[Halfbaked Plan]

I have a pile of Dell Optiplex mini-tower machines in the living room. The pile of Beige G3 Macintoshes has been moved to the second bedroom (storage room). There's also a dual Pentium 3 Proliant server (rackmount version, kitchen chair mounting method) in the living room.

Isn't this Slashdot? What's with 'living room decor' type questions? The important question is wether the living room should have a raised floor or not.

Simple

[clone22]

Just make a table out of fedex boxes, the cable spool of the new millennium.

Better coffee table

[Nutria]

At an "unfinished furniture" store, we (wife & I) found a coffee table where the "upper flat part" of the table is on spring-loaded hinges.

Thus, if you are sitting at the edge of the sofa, you lift up the top of the table, and it pivots up to you.

Very handy.

White Trash Coffee Table

[Anne_Nonymous]

Y'all need a white trash coffee table, boy. Whoo-hoo! You c'n get 'em in a variety of styles an' prices, an' they look plum elegant in most any doublewide.

living room PCs

[mabu]

Interesting topic.

I am the bane of my family because I tend to build systems in the living room, with the intent of moving them elsewhere in the house, but they end up staying in the living room much longer than originally planned. In the past I made efforts to accomodate a PC into the main home entertainment area. I got a large monitor from government surplus that doubled as a computer/tv monitor and I could switch back and forth from the PC to the TV, but that didn't satisfy the need to run both. I've thought about a coffee table that might have a monitor buried underneath a glass top -- that sounds kind of cool, but I think the angle you'd have to arch your neck to see the monitor might cause some strain. So I end up with a monitor or a laptop on the coffee table. What I've done is put wheels on my coffee table so I can roll it close to the sofa if I want to mess with the PC while laying back, or sit on the floor at the foot of the sofa and work the tv and the computer. That has proven to be the most versatile setup for me so far.

This is easy

[LBt1st]

Just get rid of the TV. Problem solved :)

Coolpad and a Lap

[JPyObjC Dude]

If you don't mind using a touchpad, I strongly suggest getting a coolpad and just lap your laptop.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=P A241U

The Coolpad is probably the best money I have spent on a product for my laptop usage. By positioning differently for different conditions. ie. laying down in bed, leaning on steering wheel while parked, or just on a desk).

JsD

laptop cart

[Vacendak]

I use my laptop in my living room just like you. My wife bought me this for Xmas and it works great for me. http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/S taplesProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051 &langId=-1&productId=101575&cmArea=SEARCH

a 'keyboard' stand

[Alrescha]

I use one of these:

http://www.thehumansolution.com/45170.html

Which is a Balt Key-Rite keyboard stand. It's more than roomy enough for a large laptop.

A.

Re:Laptop

[yuri benjamin]

How about placing one of those breakfast-in-bed trays or dinner-at-the-TV trays on his lap, and putting the notebook/laptop on that?

Lap Desk

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, I used to use a laptop on the couch and in bed a bit and found that a "lapdesk" worked really well. They are cheap, protect you from burns, and (can be) quite comfortable.

Here are some ideas of what I am referring to:
http://www.organize-everything.com/lapdesks.html
http://www.organize-everything.com/laptraywhite.ht ml

One note: The ones that have sides are more comfortable since they rest on the couch/bed and don't even touch you lap (depending on your size of course...)

The one I had (from Bed, Bath, and Beyond IIRC) was wooden, pleasant looking, and had a surface that would raise/tilt which made it great for reading books also.

Hope this helps.

Re:Laptop

[Aeiri]

I have a Dell Inspiron notebook just like him (I'm posting from it right now), and placing the laptop in my lap does no such thing. Am I the only one here that understands the concept of "lap"? "Lap" does not mean "groin", it means "the top part of your legs".

If anything, the only part of me that gets warmed up is a little above the knees, nowhere near my happy sacks.

Update from original poster...

[mwebert]

Well, the Ikea stuff is only "just okay" in my book; they are pretty vanilla. Also, limited room for external HDs, speakers, etc. Also, I'm dedicated to using my laptop on a surface. My awfully-toasty Inspiron 8500 would leave me hairless (let alone sterile). So here's what I'm considering:

1) Target has a $99 desk option:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=2-3/qid=11 24060528/ref=sr_2_3/602-7908088-6117466?_encoding= UTF8&asin=B0000YJ0GG

2) ...and a $39 (on sale) chair option:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=2-2/qid=11 24060602/ref=sr_2_2/602-7908088-6117466?_encoding= UTF8&asin=B0006Z42GW

I'll keep you posted. Maybe pics.

Thanks to all of you who took this thread seriously.