Projects and the basics

[alasdair2000]

I'm in a house where very little has been set up and what there is has been done badly. I was starting to build a list of basic equipment and then remembered the first question that is always asked here. "What are you going to use it for?"

My project list, so far:
Build a gaming, net browsing HTPC
Install DD-WRT on my router(s)
Wire the house properly (cable, phone, network, not power)
Build a server for back-office use
Build a desktop for myself (heavy gaming)
Build a desktop for my wife (last on the list since she has something that works)

Uses:
The HTPC will be in the living room so quiet is important. I'll have a small second screen by the sofa so that we can lookup directions, weather and recipes. And it could double as the second screen for two-player games. We'll probably run emulators on either Ubuntu or Windows.
The server will be in the basement where we can put a DVD burner, printer/scanner...basically declutter the desktops physically and in software.
Haven't decided where I'm going to put my desktop. I don't even have a desk and chair yet.

[Google]