Dream System

[Demosthenes]

I have no idea why I posted this, but I got to thinking (a dangerous sport) and was planning out a new imaginary room into which I could escape from my dismal reality. Perhaps my ideas look more ridiculous on paper, or its electronic substitute. I figured this time it would be a TV / rec room (I got tired of planning out kitchens and dining rooms ). I will save all the boring details like foosball table. As for the style, I was always partial to neo-classical, but it would be kind of hard to work it in. So here it goes:

I figured I was tired of my monitor, even if it is 21". I dream expensive, so add one Samsung 50" plasma display on the wall. I would have dreamed three and put them in a panaromic display, but the frame between them would annoy me. Maybe I would have three and let each one have a different input or take channels from different receivers. As well as giving myself a lot of money, I upgraded myself in my dream so I could multitask better than any computer, too .

For a sound system, I went looking at Bose, and while their speakers are good, their home theater sets are lacking a bit. Since I do not have to dream about how to wire all this (that is my nightmare), I dreamed of a little box that take all the audio and video inputs from everything wirelessly and would do all the balancing and equalizing for me (hey, I can dream what I want ). So, I would have about four pairs of those direct/reflecting jewel cube speaker arrays spaced near the corners near plants or whatever. Added to those would be two of their center/surround sound sets. One would be near the TV. The ceiling would have a slight raise or step near the entrance opposite the displays and would have little cubby holes where would reside the other center channel / surround sound speaker set aimed at the couch. Also, near the display, would be an Acoustimass Subwoofer or two, just for good measure.

To take advantage of this sound system that most third world countries could not afford, I guess I would have a DVD/CD changer somewhere with one of those white noise CDs just to see what they are like. I could never buy in real life because they are so stupid. Maybe some ocean tides or forest calls. I would also need a VCR (probably just a VCP with no tuner since I would record digitally) just for well-roundedness. Do they make a VCR/DVD/CD changer? Oh, well, I can dream one up.

Sharing the plasma screens would be the heart of the system. No Intel or AMD 'inside', sorry. Current transistor technology is too slow. Probably something along the line of nano-, bio-, or quantum-computing. Probably a quantum computer if I can be biased, but whatever one works best in the future and can be upgraded. Can you imagine upgrading your light-speed, next-to-instantaneous, can-compute-pi-to-three-quadrillion-decimal-places-in-about-1-trillionth-of-the-time-it-takes-you-to-blink processor? I can. This home server would be hidden somewhere. But, by that time, it will probably be the size of a book, so it can sit on the crystal coffee table for now. The Qserver (Quantum server) would handle cableTV, satelliteTV, AM/FM radio, DVD, and computer audio / video feed. It could probably handle all household functions, such as security, heating, cooling, and would come with a function called "dog.walk()". Since everything would be wireless, you could sit on the couch with your Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse and type / scroll away.

If you actually read all this, then you are more bored than even I am. Suggestions and / or comments are welcome. You can make anything up, I do not and cannot judge people or their imaginations.

Respectfully,

Demosthenes

[Xayd]

/me shrugs..

http://store.sun.com/webconfig/Build...baseSelected=2

[DrZaius]

Can I come over and visit your room when you're done?

[Paul Victorey]

Out of curiosity, Demosthenes, you don't happy to be a certain highschool friend of mine, by chance? The nickname, the writing style, and the content all seem like something he'd say.

[Kubie]

If you're gonna dream, dream BIG!! Don't waste dreams on what everybody else has. Your dream room sounds great!!
Carl

[Demosthenes]

To Paul Victorey:

I would guess not. Of the little memories that remain from highschool, I do not recall there being any smart people and definitely no computer programmers, aside from a few wannabes (myself included among those). The nickname I chose out of history lessons. I like neo-classical and Greek stuff, and the name Demosthenes always stuck with me. I read it first in Gulliver's Travels, when Gulliver wished he had the skills of Demosthenes to relate what he saw to the reader. That is about the only sentence I remember from a book that I vaguely remember being a good read. As for the writing style: many people hate it. When I write real papers the sentences become very sculpted and artificial. I write like all those old writers of whom my teachers droned on about as if people actually cared. As for there being someone like me: I pity him and hope he is doing better than I. My outlook is too realistic (many call it pessimistic, but I beg to differ). Even I work at escaping my own philosophy. I try to be that uplifting and carefree person that everyone envies, a person who relies on gamblers luck, a sort of "Hawkeye" Pierce, if you would, who takes things in stride. Unfortunately, I end up being the Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhikers Guide.

To DrZaius:

I have not dreamed up doors, yet. So, technically, the door is always open. Feel free to imagine something new.

To Carlgif:

Somewhere along the line when I entered college, one of the papers I signed somehow also signed away my imagination, among other things; namely my social life, personal life, and, most importantly, my financial life. This sounds incredulous, but I have had serious problems trying to lose myself in an imaginary trapping. I am too grounded in reality. And, when I do lose myself, it is because it is so much like my existing dismal reality that it is not worth getting lost in. Also, I lost my ability to dream expensively. If I could think of something more exciting to do with sound, then I would. I was thinking about having the walls, floor, and ceiling resonate at different frequencies, but was not sure what substance I could dream of to make this happen and still have it child-proof (I still like to color on the walls ). If ever I go crazy, I hope I can think of insane stuff like Hitchhiker's Guide insane stuff, ie infinite improbability drives, bistromathematics, etc.

To Xayd:

Whenever I do build a home, hopefully, I am honestly thinking of having something along the line of a powerful server doing many of these things. By then, when I get the money (probably near the year 2097 when the stocks will rocket skyhigh, at least in my dreams), it will be cheap. But I believe a fully "wired" and digital house would be the way to go. I could be wrong, but I would need to talk to an Architect and Electrical Engineer, and a Computer Engineer before I ever did this.

Respectfully,

Demosthenes

[troysvihl]

For a sound system, I went looking at Bose, and while their speakers are good, their home theater sets are lacking a bit.

Uggh! Stay far away from Bose. Their speakers are overpriced pieces of crap.

Since I do not have to dream about how to wire all this (that is my nightmare), I dreamed of a little box that take all the audio and video inputs from everything wirelessly and would do all the balancing and equalizing for me (hey, I can dream what I want ).

You don't have to dream, it's quite a reality. In fact, you can hire a company to install it all for you. (I've seen model dens that I would be happy to die in, and I was quoted a price of about 120k for the value of the room. sigh. someday i will own it.)

So, I would have about four pairs of those direct/reflecting jewel cube speaker arrays spaced near the corners near plants or whatever. Added to those would be two of their center/surround sound sets.

Replace these with piezioelectric speakers. (they run about 10k each for the really good ones.)

To take advantage of this sound system that most third world countries could not afford, I guess I would have a DVD/CD changer somewhere with one of those white noise CDs just to see what they are like. I could never buy in real life because they are so stupid. Maybe some ocean tides or forest calls. I would also need a VCR (probably just a VCP with no tuner since I would record digitally) just for well-roundedness.

Do they make a VCR/DVD/CD changer?

Yes, but when you build a kick-ass entertainment room, the key is to use seperate components for everything. That leaves it highly upgradeable.

[Demosthenes]

Well, short of having the walls resonate and going to an even more expensive professional theater sound system, I think Bose is very good. They are overpriced, but my 3 piece acoustamass has served me very well and sounds excellent. Those little speakers are amazing, in my opinion. But, I agree, they are grotesquely overpriced. I just used Bose, because it is a name brand and I could model my dreams after their products. It was only meant as a reference with no attachment to quality.

As for hiring someone, I used to shadow architects and such because I wanted to be one, but I am artistically inept, so, I went to computers. I got a little taste for how much they have to put up with and how overworked and underappreciated they are, which is probably another reason for the career change. Though I would not want to die in those dens, persay, I probably would when they showed me the price. This is a dream, so why would I hire an imaginary company to install my imaginary sound system? Kind of ironic, is it not? In real life, I would wire it myself. I do not hire people to do what I am capable of doing or learning, unless it is cost-effective (in english words: I am cheap).

As for isolating devices for upgrading: the beauty of my dream room is that along with software updates, all circuitry is reprogrammable also, sort of like a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). So, everything can download hardware updates off the networks.

I am surprised no one has commented on the Quantum computer, yet. What are peoples' views on alternative computing? Do you think we will ever reach nano computing?

Respectfully,

Demosthenes

[Charliey]

I think we will develop other kinds of computing. I dont know if theyre gonna be the same types that we think we'll design, but they could be.

If history has taught us anything, its that the future is unpredicatable, although it has shown us that we will most likely develop better technology then what we have now.