How to get rid of cable and watch TV online
Every once in a while on Facebook or Twitter, I see a plea for help to get rid of cable and start watching TV shows and movies online. I have been doing this for about three years and wouldn’t go back. Here’s how I make it work with a laptop and a little organization.
The creepiest computer mouse you’ll see today, guaranteed
What do computers, mice, and spiders have in common? Apparently they all come together to make the creepiest office mate you’ve ever purchased.
We live in the future: my new touchscreen media center (+ video demo!)
We recently ran a story about getting rid of your TV, but today I’m going to talk about going the other way: after a decade of not having a screen in our living room, I finally decided I was sick of watching movies on a laptop. This is the story of how we got a TV, but how it’s a crazy futuristic touchscreen media center that cost less than many widescreen TVs.
Spring clean your computer in 6 steps
Spring might be a ways off (especially in the Southern Hemisphere) but any time is good for a clean-up — for your computer as well as your home. This advice is for Windows XP, Vista or 7 (sorry Mac/Linux users but I wouldn’t know where to start!) and should be super-easy for anyone to follow.
Plugged in peeps: what parent OR kid-friendly apps do you love?
I’m a little worried about letting my toddler have free rein with my iDevices, but it’s still something that happens from time to time. I’ve done my fair share of app research, and a lot of my offline friends often ask me for advice about apps for themselves or their kids.
This steampunk master bath/time machine has a toilet AND a shower
Bruce Rosenbaum, creator of Offbeat Home’s favorite steampunk home, recently came up with this Steampunk Time Machine Antique Master Bathroom Computer Workstation, to be included in Steampunk: Form and Function: An Exhibition of Innovation, Invention and Gadgetry, an exhibit hosted by the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Do you share passwords with your partner?
What’s your computer security look like at home? How much do you and your partner merge lives electronically? Do you share the same email address? Do you know her voicemail PIN? What’s too much to expect?
New in reader photos: an encouraging garden plaque, a tidy rock garden, and a link to an Alice in Wonderland-themed eatery
Come with me this Monday and tiptoe through the Offbeat Home Flickr Group to enjoy uploads from our readers. Uncommon ’60s doorknobs, a classy-as-fuck dinner party, and a too-cute fabric tenty playhouse await.