The Bedroom Mac

@Toastie: I think its fine, if it distracts people then it distracts them. However, it would make it a lot easier to watch films in the bedroom, play music, watch YouTube videos. And then when you want to do something else productive, you can just turn it off and put it away.

tylerf

This thing is screaming for a touchscreen overlay. Being able to select/pause/stop media files by touhing the screen seems like it would be a pretty intuitive design.

@fredygamer: Me 2, same first thought. its 12:06 am on monday morning & thats a close minded thought I guess

rapid.fish

@joelena: Exactly, technology shouldn't be in the bedroom. It distracts from sleep and sex.

@dimatx: Exactly. Nobody is going to (A) try to do any actual work lying in bed looking up at a computer or (B) use a 5-year-old iBook for work. At least for me, it would be solely a nice way to watch TV or a movie before bed.

SoaringDisbelief

Kudos. Haha, I actually swiveled my tablet around so I could watch it like that while laying on the ground doing exercises.

I always wanted a TV mounted on my ceiling or such to make for easier watching as I doze off.

sneezecheese

@Toastie: Read sonicsurge's reply to the first comment ;-}

too many people complaining.

like it or not, it's a well done setup.

at least get a wireless keyboard... Otherwise its a sweet setup

@Micho: You could always use it for porn... *Cough* <_<

I like it. I don't think I'd do it personally in the bedroom though I totally understand using it as a media center (would be kind of neat to lay down and watch some media player visualizations to the music too). I do have a TV in there, but I like it being at least a bed length away otherwise I feel like it'd be encroaching between my wife and I.

I can see doing this in the kitchen though because you could really make it blend in with your cabinets and pop out the computer when necessary for music and recipes, assuming you can bend it 90 degrees rather than the 45 or so it seems to be at now.

And if nothing else, what a creative way to use a bunch of spare/broken parts and make something unique and useful.

I think it's a cool idea! Of course, it would probably fall on me, I'm just lucky that way, but I still love it--especially for streaming TV.

I'm impressed with the creativeness and think it came out looking great.

The only question I have is how hard/easy is it to type while laying in that position? Seems like I would be straining my neck typing.

Wow! A lot of negativity in here. You'd think some of you had personal grudge against the guy.. I think it's a great idea. Excellent design! I'm also wondering how the GPU was fixed with fire?!?!

Brian Jarvis

I think this is awesome!

@Toastie: You obviously haven't heard of Bing video search.

@mfusion: NOTHING will replace mirrors. Only people that have had mirrors would understand that ;)

SloYerRoll

I guess I'm one of few that thinks this is amazing. I've wanted to do this for years, and I see that I'm not alone in my imagination.

LorettaFapack

I do agree with using the bedroom only for sleeping and pounding events, but you can't deny that playing a good flying game or a FPS game while your body is lying down on bed must be one interesting or perhaps not experience.

ArJay

@SnickerHaHa: webcam, problem solved.... heh and it swivels, you'd get some interesting angles but i'm afraid i'd hit my head during, well, you know. but it is pretty convenient for extracurricular video

@[eztv.it] and now you know too

Does this mean I'll have to remove the ceiling mirrors above my bed?

What's with all the negative nellys in the comment thread?

Kudos to the maker of this project for reusing old computer parts to make something cool and interesting.

Greg.Rowler

I like what he did. But I'm on computers enough. The bedroom is sacred. No9t even a TV in there.

SloYerRoll

Never mind... I missed the explanation after a jump. Nicely done!

memoryinmotion

Nice cabinetry work. Is that egg-and-dart molding I see?

When one is unemployed, I'm not sure that inventing even more excuses to not get out of bed is a good idea.

But something like this would be handy to have for those times when one is so sick or injured that that sitting up for long periods of time is uncomfortable (and I seem to find new ways of putting myself in that state about once a year). There has been many a time I've tried to work while lying flat on my back on the couch, and it's not easy.

@memoryinmotion: Read the link I provided. The flaming can in a very very unconventional way of cheaply causing the enormously cheap and crappy solder job that Apple used on their G3 iBook GPUs to reflow and form a better connection.

Am I the only one wondering how he fixed a GPU issue with FIRE? I've done lots of work (albeit on PC ) laptops, and I can't think of an instance where I thought an open flame was in order!

memoryinmotion

I'm waiting for the headline... "Couple killed by falling Mac"... Nice try, but I'll stick with my living room TV.

Er3s

@fredygamer: Yup. My first thought was:

That's not "The Bedroom Mac", but "The Mac of Damocles".

@nizmocho: Toasie's point is that, in general, you'll sleep best if your bedroom is only used for sleeping (and certain, let's say "team exercises"). Video screens at bedtime are an especially big no-no.

Before condemning the end product, let's not forget that this was made of (essentially) junk laptops. Kind of brings the bar down on what you make of them when you get them for free!

Tinker on Nathan! I love "just because I can" stuff like this!

AF-Geek

@Toastie:
Well, he couldn't bring it around the house without it getting messed up. Besides, it's just an old iBook anyway, so it's not like he's losing a nice computer that he can use anywhere.

nizmocho

@Toastie: Technology in the bedroom isn't for the mind, if you know what I mean.

@SoaringDisbelief: That'd be sweet, YOu've actually tempted me to do something should Hulu be available in the EU (God damn you Hulu for blocking proxy's, as slow as they were at lest I could still see Family Guy)

Very intuitive design, kudos to the designer of this. Not my digg, but like everyone else has said, to each his own.

@fauxtrot: Lazy? What's wrong with being lazy when watching a movie or a tv episode before going to bed? If this was a replacement for a home office, you may have had a point, but I think this is more of a leisure computer.

This is kind of ridiculous. This might just be me, but you have to be really lazy to lie in bed (not even sit) and use your computer for a good amount of time. And if you just use it for a few minutes, then I don't think that warrants putting a whole computer over your bed. But yeah-- to each his own, I guess.

fauxtrot

I can see how someone (perhaps even myself) would like this. It might be nice to be able to lie (actually lie down) in bed and watch Hulu or a movie or something.

SoaringDisbelief

if i was under that i would keep thinking it would fall on me.

Why would you want a computer in your bedroom if you have what appears to be a multi-room house? Technology and the bedroom just don't go together in my mind.

@Micho: Yeah I don't think I would use this either. It's a very nice set up though!

To each his own :)

SJRNWT

If it just was a PC it would've been awesome, but in its current state? no thanks.

NickBomb

Sorry... nope, not for me. I'm fine with reading with my notebook on my lap. Thanks for sharing, though.

Micho

I guess there hasn't been any ladies in that bed for a while now....

He must not be married (or gay).

nortexoid

I am a firm believer that a bedroom is for sleeping.

Though the idea is creative, you would not catch me doing anything near that.

Hucko

I'm another lo-tech bedroom dweller; my bedroom is strictly for analog activities!

awesome project, way to go

Logan Lindquist

@Zkdog: lol thanks for the laughs

ArJay

Most of the negativity in here seems to be about the location of the screen (i.e. in the bedroom), not the project itself. What is the point of posting just to announce why personal lifestyle preferences make this project uninteresting to you? It's like commenting on a cake recipe just to point out that you don't eat white flour or sugar, therefore you would never make this cake.

The value of this project is in the technology used to create it, whether the screen is hovering above a bed or above a highly ergonomic office space. The cabinet itself is very attractive -- could be perfect for use in a kitchen (to look at cake recipes, of course). Well done!

abhowell

Nice, very impressd to see someone in an actual livng home, not shot with a DSLR and retouched to make it look unlived in, and whilst i love the comfort look, the practicality is a bit difficult to see?

@Natnie: Yeah, I'm just a different mindset, I just like keeping things separated into specific locations.

...He took a box of four iBooks home in a semi-disassembled state and forgot about them.

Maybe that's why he "found himself unemployed a few months later." ;)

atomicrabbit

@Dylan Boom Photography:
I agree. It's clever and for those who could lay in bed and find it comfortable it's a great design, but not for me. I'd feel very enclosed.

tinpot

I prefer the no tv / computer rule in bed. Bed is for sleeping, and other bedroom related activities.

cc82

@ArJay: <3 that description. Now I have to figure out how to use the phrase "pounding events" in a conversation today.

Zkdog

@Toastie: For me,
1) I'm a night person and I do my college work in the computer room, it would be ALOT more convenient, comfortable, and save time if I could do all my work from bed.

2) I usually leave my computer on while I asleep to have it either: download large files, defragment, let a game sit while my RPG character keeps my Shop open, and in case one of my distant friends needs to talk. It would be nice to wake up, have a quick look at my computer, check my schedule -and then- get out of bed.

3) I can spend time with Amber watching crazy random vids on the interwebs from the comfort of bed, as opposed to hard chairs.

4) You can never have too much technology.

@Toastie: Perhaps to run one of your streaming webcams? That's part of the reason I have one in my bedroom.

In general, tech in the bedroom is a bad idea if you do have trouble sleeping. If you have the luxury of having dedicated rooms, then it helps you focus to associate certain activities (sleeping, working, etc) with certain areas of the house.

That said, I like having my Netbook in the bedroom, and in fact store it there. Sometimes it is more comfortable watching a TV program or film in bed, especially if I've got a cold, and I don't want to have a TV in the bedroom. Other times I want to read a book on .pdf, or I'm waiting for a last minute email. A friend slipped a disc in her back, and while she was at home flat on her back the notebook on her bed was her lifeline. So I can see multiple arguments *for* having a computer in one's bedroom as well as arguments against it.

I would argue that the advantage of having a regular note- or net-book available in the bedroom is that it enables me to meet my needs as flexibly as possible. I can watch TV, surf, or read if I want to, but I can then shut the computer away and not have a screen when I want to sleep -- or I can not open the computer at all and use the room solely for sleeping when I need that. the flexibility issue for me argues against having a dedicated installation above my head. I don't like having a permanent screen (tv or other) int he bedroom, and I would worry that it would fall on me. It looks great for watching films if you've got to be flat on your back, though, or if you need your bedroom to be multipurpose (this would be great, with headphones, for someone in a dorm who slept on a lower bunk), or if you don't have issues with a bedroom screen.

Andrea Winkler

@SloYerRoll: My bedroom is sacred BECAUSE of all the technology I have in here.

Natnie

@Toastie: I have a computer in my bedroom - where I spend all day working, mind you - and have absolutely no trouble sleeping.

Natnie

@hagane_no: I agree! Of course I'm using a 5 year old P4 as my bedroom computer, and wish I had the time and ingenuity to come up with something better than getting my neck stuck in one position as I lay on my right side to watch Hulu, Fancast, a DVD, or just chat with friends and family peppered throughout the US.

But then again, if you suffer from sleep problems, the first thing a doc will tell you is to get everything out of the bedroom that doesn't have to do with sleep - so a TV/Computer could be an issue.

But not everyone has sleep issues.

memoryinmotion

Looks like a nice way to get a computer in the face

serak