I haven’t written about anything except video games lately, so I thought I’d launch into a couple of projects I was planning for this spring/summer. The requisites are pretty simple: cost little or no money. Be as creative as humanly possible. Make something interesting in the end.
These projects are all theoretical, but can be done fairly quickly and for some of them, Nora can help!
First project: finish my second (old) PC. I moved my primary PC to the basement where it will likely permanently reside. The office is too small to run that PC, as it gets too hot – nauseatingly hot. This is a pretty simple project, but it has ramifications down the line. By doing this, I can setup a dedicated PC for Nora and install Qimo, a distro for toddlers. She’s taken great interest in using the PC, not to bang on but actually move the mouse and find letters on the keyboard.
Second project: Figure out how to connect a laptop to the living room TV. This project will require figuring out how to dump the VGA output to component. I’ll have to do a bit soldering but the cost is fairly minimal – about $10 in parts from Radio Shack, and I may have enough parts to drop that to $5. I’m thinking of enlisting either the Dell laptop or my Compaq evo for this job.
Why do this? Well, I used that dell laptop I chronicled in the projects blog as basically a jukebox. It’s worked out so incredibly well that I want something like that upstairs.
Third project: install LCD in xB, install additional dome light in the xB, and move existing dome light. I’ve decided that I’m not trading the xB under any circumstances. It’s much too reliable to do so, it’s great on gas mileage and car payments are incredibly small (two figures). That being said, I’ll install the LCD but not the DVD player. My ipod can output video, and I plan to install a dedicated jack for audio and video. This solves the problem for the LCDs up front, too, since the person in the front seat can watch videos from the ipod. I doubt we’ll ever use the xB for car trips longer than drives Philly ever again, so I’m not investing as much time into this particular venture.
Fourth project: car alarm in the xB. And possibly the 5.
Fifth project: remove old speakers from MB, move them into the xB. All these years, and I couldn’t bring myself to install the MB Quarts in the xB.
Sixth project: vegetable oil pc. Yes, you read that correctly. I think Nora would have a ton of fun with this one.
Seventh project: car amp/power supply/speaker rig. I have a ton of speakers, woofers, and a subwoofer laying around doing nothing. I also have two old amps. Theoretically, I can solder multiple power supplies in parallel (diode isolated of course) and run everything off of an amp. The setup would be monstrously loud.
Eighth project: assuming #7 fails, I’ll try making a portable amp with ipod dock. Seven has many reasons to fail, and it’s mostly an excuse for me to clear out a bunch of old power supplies.
Ninth project: organic garden. This ties into Lisa’s mommy blog entry. I need to start digging shortly (possibly this weekend).
Tenth project: all the yard work. But does that project ever end?
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The project blog went dormant over the winter but the projects didn’t. I keep meaning to write an entry. With M&M’s help, we cleared out our backyard and reclaimed a lot of space, and hopefully we’ll be able to blast the other end and make a ton of space for Nora to enjoy.
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One Comment
Vegetable oil PC? Explain, please.
And for what it’s worth, the xB payment is three figures, but just barely.