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Pimping Out a New House
Jason Michael Perry writes "I just got pre-approved to buy some gutted property in New Orleans. A lot of the houses I'm looking at are blank canvases that need new wiring, new walls, new everything. I've always dreamed of a high-tech house that says my name when I walk in the door and now is my chance to get a close as I can with current technology. So I'm looking for ideas to pimp out a newly renovated house with all the best technology. If you had a blank canvas to start with, what would you do? Run CAT-5 or fiber optics? Build a closet for servers and A/V equipment? Build a 7.1 speaker system into the living room walls and ceilings? Install automated lights and intercom (with support for Apple equipment)? How about appliances, the kitchen, and other spots... what cool tech can I use there? My only rules and requirements are support for the four Macs I have in the house, and reasonable support for technology on the fringes."
Ask a professional! Here's the URL for 'Hubbell Automation Consulting'.
http://www.hubbell.biz/
Send an e-mail over to Jeremy, he will take your layout and create a fully Mac-based house. The systems he installs will allow one Mac-mini (or equivalent), to manage everything in your home. The lights will come on when it gets dark, some will come one at random when you're away, the system will water the garden when it gets dry, etc. etc. etc. You can go for better than CAT-5 cabling, and yes Apple will be adding new gizmo's sooner than you will be able to save the money to buy them all - but the smart money's on keeping things simple and adjustable. The house must be able to function even when the computer's are off - and this is where Hubbell's systems come into their own.