What's Next for Your High-Tech Home?

koreth asks: "You have the remote-controlled lighting. Your kitchen has speakers in the ceiling and a control panel to play your MP3s, your bedroom is wired for gigabit Ethernet, and you already record HDTV on your computer and watch it on a front-projection screen. You even have a robot to do your vacuuming. So now what? Is has all the nifty stuff been done already, or are there still some nifty homebrew projects out there? What's next on your list of high-tech home improvements? What have you had to cobble together yourself, because nobody sells it in a package yet? What gizmos and conveniences do you expect your home will have in a year or two?"

"A few years ago, there was a rush of innovation in household high-tech items for early adopter types. Hobbyists tinkered to get their PCs to act as DVD players, put their baby-cams on their private Web sites, and pieced together low-cost audio servers. But that rush seems to have largely evaporated, perhaps a victim of the .com bubble bursting. There are still lots of products coming out, but they're aimed squarely at late adopters who have yet to catch up with the latest stuff -- witness the huge number of PC media convergence products announced in the last six months, all of them with functionality that's been available in some form for years."

Brrrrrrrrr.....

[eyeball]

I don't know about the rest of the /. world, but it's really cold today in the US Northeast, and all I can think about is getting a new super home heating system.

I wish

[elemental23]

What gizmos and conveniences do you expect your home will have in a year or two?

My SO is going to be a year and a half into grad school two years from now. I'll be lucky if I can afford a coffee maker at that point.

Low-tech

[SW6]

My high-tech home could use a working hoover, a comfortable sofa, and some cats would be nice. Much more useful than another toy that breaks after six months, and definitely more conducive to a pleasant environment.

Nothing!!

[zulux]

I'm trying to get technology away from my life - it's not bringing me joy.

For $3500 - I could buy a DLP Projector or Or I could go to France for a month - get fucking drunk on good wine, eat good food and attempt to have fun with the pretty french girls.

Guess which one I'll be thinking about on my death bed?

MicroSoft Powered Stove

[Bruha]

I saw on WinCE device that would control your stove and other devices in your house and even your computer. I'm sorry but I'll be damned before I let MS anything controll my house in that manner. What happens to me when a virus hits my pc and turns everything on the stove on catching whatever may be on or in it on fire not to mention the danger to my kids if they didnt know the stove had been turned on.

Re:A wife...

[DAldredge]

You married the wrong woman then.

Damn, I love my wife!

How about someone of the opposite sex

[GrandCow]

In my experience, the majority of people that have all these devices aside from the ludicrously wealthy are also sadly single.

Re:How about someone of the opposite sex

[SealBeater]

sadly single or just single? The state of being the one doesn't necessitate
the following of the other.

SealBeater