Sunday, March 08, 2009

The Coming-of-Age of the Living Room Computer

The "entertainment center" in my living room is a Mac Mini hooked up to an LCD TV, with a couple of nice computer speakers. I don't have cable or even an antenna; I grew tired of regular television years ago. Everything I want to watch is either online or available through Netflix.

I certainly enjoy sitting back for a couple hours watching a good movie, but I'm also intrigued by the many other possibilities posed by a computer in the living room. This is part of the inspiration behind Gimme Shiny, and this is why I'm enjoying Boxee. These are just single points in a broad spectrum yet to be explored, strange new experiences that are part game, part TV, part screensaver, part web, but also new unto themselves. I'll continue playing in this area, and I'm looking forward to seeing what others come up with!