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The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

contemporary-home-computing.org

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Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#51

Post by Scramblejams »

munk-a wrote: post #49
ofrzeta wrote: post #39

There's nothing better than a huge display with high resolution, keyboard and mouse. The computer might be in a separate chassis or a laptop or whatever but a huge display and a mouse are indispensable.

Honestly, I personally love the aesthetic of big whirring fans and blinking lights. If you offered me an M1 MacBook Pro but it would be buried in a 7 foot tall cupboard plastered in lights and fans that occasionally, randomly, sounded like a jet engine taking off... I would be in heaven.

Some day I hope all of my home compute will be housed in something that looks like WOPR.

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#52

Post by ohazi »

asperous wrote: post #18

For the average person this might be kind true, however I can think of at least three places where desktop computers are very much cultural and symbolic: * “Gamers” or other enthusiasts with their battlestations [1] * Finace workstations with many monitors and Bloomberg terminals [2] * Potentially musician workstations as well [3] Any other niche ideas? [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations/ [2] https://images.…

Engineers who do mechanical CAD work using a specialized input device like a SpaceMouse [1] or similar.

[1] https://3dconnexion.com/uk/spacemouse/

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#54

Post by Threeve303 »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #17
beckingz wrote: post #2

This website is a blast from old web design. Nice!

I'm of mixed feelings on it. On the one hand, it sure is hard to read. On the other hand, in small doses I kind of enjoy it after the super sanitized corporate nothingness most of the web has become now. One glance at this page and there is zero doubt in my mind that it represents the genuine expression of an actual human without layers and layers of forced censorship and editing by some "platform." The web was never…

The correlation between creation and consumption based on the device form factor is something to consider. A desktop computer often provided a good balance between the two.

Now with the corporate web, perhaps it’s no accident consumption devices have become so widespread.

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#55

Post by mhh__ »

zten wrote: post #46
mkl95 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, it beats mid to high tier iMacs as well. Those things get clunky for no reason.

iMacs are usually laptops in all but name. To hit the same thinness with a giant heat-producing screen, most of the parts are their mobile equivalents. Edit: on slightly closer inspection, this isn't true for the 27" models!

Thank god for them being thin, I actually had to throw away my 2013 iMac because it was just unbearable reading my emails with x-ray vision and noticing just how thick it is.

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#56

Post by asdff »

asperous wrote: post #18

For the average person this might be kind true, however I can think of at least three places where desktop computers are very much cultural and symbolic: * “Gamers” or other enthusiasts with their battlestations [1] * Finace workstations with many monitors and Bloomberg terminals [2] * Potentially musician workstations as well [3] Any other niche ideas? [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations/ [2] https://images.…

These aren't cultural or symbolic uses, though. People who do these things need powerful chips and a cooling solution that allows them not to throttle under load. Most modern laptops are ultrabooks now with poorly designed cooling solutions (due to the thinness of the devices) that throttle under load and are unsuitable for these uses. Even M1 Macbooks have issues using multiple monitors.

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#57

Post by yupper32 »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #17
beckingz wrote: post #2

This website is a blast from old web design. Nice!

I'm of mixed feelings on it. On the one hand, it sure is hard to read. On the other hand, in small doses I kind of enjoy it after the super sanitized corporate nothingness most of the web has become now. One glance at this page and there is zero doubt in my mind that it represents the genuine expression of an actual human without layers and layers of forced censorship and editing by some "platform." The web was never…

> Cheap, simple, easy, fast

I mean, this page is not simple, easy, or fast to develop. Instead of just writing a simple article, the author had to source/create at least 2 dozen images with no value only to lay them out on the page in the middle of paragraphs, making the article as hard to read as they could muster.

Enjoy the nostalgia and break from modern clean websites, but anything else justifying the look of this page is just crazy. And connecting it to modern services and the downfall of the internet or whatever just sounds like you're trying to be edgy.

We are in a massively better place now than a decade or two ago as far as the internet being accessible to everyone, both on the publisher and consumer side, despite the hate for big corps.

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#58

Post by function_seven »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #44
bitwize wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When the M2 Mac Pro drops, the tables will turn: no PC will even nearly match it.

I don’t see how that is possible. Desktop PCs have almost unlimited space — cases can be measured in cubic feet. MacBooks are always space constrained because of their case size and weight minimizing, so there is an inherent disadvantage in the size of components like graphics boards. And a size disadvantage means fewer transistors and less cooling.

Parent is referring to Mac Pro (the desktop).

I blame Apple's product line branding for this confusion. I make the same mistake all the time.

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#59

Post by asdff »

munk-a wrote: post #49
ofrzeta wrote: post #39

There's nothing better than a huge display with high resolution, keyboard and mouse. The computer might be in a separate chassis or a laptop or whatever but a huge display and a mouse are indispensable.

Honestly, I personally love the aesthetic of big whirring fans and blinking lights. If you offered me an M1 MacBook Pro but it would be buried in a 7 foot tall cupboard plastered in lights and fans that occasionally, randomly, sounded like a jet engine taking off... I would be in heaven.

Stick the macbook in a mini fridge and reap the cooling benefits

Re: The home computer as a cultural object is physically vanishing (2007)

#60

Post by zozbot234 »

munk-a wrote: post #49
ofrzeta wrote: post #39

There's nothing better than a huge display with high resolution, keyboard and mouse. The computer might be in a separate chassis or a laptop or whatever but a huge display and a mouse are indispensable.

Honestly, I personally love the aesthetic of big whirring fans and blinking lights. If you offered me an M1 MacBook Pro but it would be buried in a 7 foot tall cupboard plastered in lights and fans that occasionally, randomly, sounded like a jet engine taking off... I would be in heaven.

> buried in a 7 foot tall cupboard plastered in lights and fans that occasionally, randomly, sounded like a jet engine taking off...

There might be a market for rackmountable hardware with the much-needed addition of proper RGB lighting (for improved performance).

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