[gt24]

Just a thread asking you to tell everybody what funky things you found to do with your laptop.

I have a Compaq Armada M700. Other than serving as an emergency computer when the PSU blew on my main rig, I made it into a media center one day...

The laptop has component video out and a headphones out. I really wanted to watch some video yet I didn't want to go to my main computer to do it, the TV was where I wanted it. I knew I could put video out to the TV (and I found some cables to do the trick) yet the sound off of the laptop is pretty bad. Once again, I went into the lovely cable box I have because I had a hunch... yep, I had a headphone jack to component plugs adaptor (I have no clue where I originally got that thing). So, with those pieces, I had sound and video to TV, and with a network cable as well as my laptop charger, I was all set. (edit : I also had a USB wireless mouse plugged in to give me a bit of control of the experience)

I had the laptop on a chair by the TV, all the cables set up (looked kinda freaky) and I tried to play video off of Winamp. The laptop is set up through the BIOS to mirror output the monitor to the TV when possible. That doesn't apparently apply to Winamp video. Yet, when I closed the laptop lid... bingo, the video went totally to TV. I had an awesome night! Not bad for an older laptop.

[Bios24]

I've got an old one I use for data logging on my car. It's a little on the slow/bulky side but it captures data just fine.

[ozzlo]

I've hacked my graphics drivers to give me 3840x2400 resolution so I could work on a spreadsheet, surf the web, watch a movie, and burn a cd at the same time...


I'm not going to tell how it works at 3840x2400... those that are curious need find out for themselves... lets just say it's the ultimate desktop (without the switching)...


http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=112610&



I've also used my laptop as a frisbee... but not this one... my old one that had accadental 4yr damage warranty.

"what do you mean you won't replace it? i ACCADENTALLY diden't catch it!!!!"

[LiveSideways]

I have an old PII HP laptop with a netgear Mimo card setup with the sole purpose of crashing/locking out student access points. We have a somewhat relaxed stance on them being that we advise against them but if you must have them it better be secure. They are on thier own vlan, but we have an apartment complex right behind the school so we get all sorts of wierd traffic on our network with open waps.

[Haste266]

look at pr0n!

[EvilT]

Originally Posted by Haste266

look at pr0n!

, hit it a couple times, throw it to the ground. all that good stuff

[shellshock]

hmmm, about the most crazy thing I do with mine is go wardriving with my friend. Internal wireless is not cutting it though, I need to get a nice omni antenna. haha

I also use it as a big mp3 player in my car. I just hook it into my audiosystem

[gt24]

Originally Posted by shellshock

hmmm, about the most crazy thing I do with mine is go wardriving with my friend. Internal wireless is not cutting it though, I need to get a nice omni antenna. haha

<snip>

I can envision a new car traveling game in the future... guess the number of access points detected and/or guess the number of access points still on factory settings.

[Sjaak]

Mine is quite small so one day i was playing age of empires 2 while standing in the bus on my way to school. People were looking as if i just reinvented sliced bread.

[EvilT]

Originally Posted by Sjaak

Mine is quite small so one day i was playing age of empires 2 while standing in the bus on my way to school. People were looking as if i just reinvented sliced bread.

lol

[corpsejockey]

protable xbox modding station
I also use it to trouble shoot lan's

[Albaholic]

I sleep next to mine and use it as an alarm clock.

[Tebore]

When my hands get cold I turn mine over and use it as a hands warmer.

Something I want to do as a gag tho is get a realllly loud porno, max the volume up and then sit on an airplane and watch it. I wonder how people would react in first class.

[ozzlo]

you'd prolly get booted off the airline because nobody would pay for the headphones for the inflight movie... or maybe they would


anyways... lets try to keep off of the porn subject and focous on overclocking...

[itshondo]

I just run mine in a dual boot setup, Windows XP and PCLinuxOS.

[ryanmartini]

Attaching 30 huge bottle rockets to it, then taping it to a skateboard =D

[Bbp]

Use it to process spreadsheets.


No, in all seriousness though, this may not quite fit under discussion topic but its a funky computer idea nontheless. My friend used to have this big-ass van. You know the kind I'm talking about. The van before the minvan. The full sized child molester vans. Anyway, we had this great idea to make his van into "The LanVan". We never did it because of money and resources issues, but it was still a great idea.

The van had 6 passenger seats. We wanted to turn 5 of the seats( all except the middle seat in the rear bench ) into computer stations. There would be LCD monitors embedded in the back of seats and tower slots/holsters next to each station. Power outlets would be accesible by each station. We figured we could generate enough electricity by adding as many alternators/batteries as it took . And of course, the hardest part which I'm not even sure would be possible was wireless internet. Maybe through some kind of satellite internet service, we wanted a wireless internet receiver in the van which would have been hooked up to a router to create the mobile 5-person LAN.

I think the LanVan is still a really cool idea and would be GREAT for road trips. The only part that I'm not sure is plausible would be the wireless internet. However, I know you could setup a 5-person LAN inside of a van if you generated enough electricity.

[gt24]

Originally Posted by Bbp

<snip>
I think the LanVan is still a really cool idea and would be GREAT for road trips. The only part that I'm not sure is plausible would be the wireless internet. However, I know you could setup a 5-person LAN inside of a van if you generated enough electricity.

I have seen satelight TV to vehicle before, with the dish on the roof. I REALLY doubt that it could be used with the vehicle in operaiton but it could be re-aimed when the vehicle parks. So, get satelight internet and the same idea works.

For the road I assume you would want LAN gameplay. On a PDA, I have played with other PDA players a strategy game over wireless, which was really the only option. With the van, you could avoid wireless and make a pretty nifty story. If laptops were used, it also would make construction easier (depending on what you wanted to do and how you wanted things arranged) and it would make power requirements easier I would think (there is cigarette lighter to laptop power converters, correct?).

[synthetic_fenix]

Originally Posted by itshondo

I just run mine in a dual boot setup, Windows XP and PCLinuxOS.

Same thing. Also have a Vista install on my external hard drive that is for my laptop

[gt24]

Originally Posted by synthetic_fenix

Same thing. Also have a Vista install on my external hard drive that is for my laptop

How do run an operating system off an external hard drive?

I thought to add another silly thing which is laptop related. I have a Logitech mouse for my laptop that is wireless and suppositely has a year battery life on standby. I also have an Logitech mouse for my desktop which has a charging cradle. I am usually pretty good at keeping that one charged, however like today sometimes I forget about it and get the lovely "low battery" warning. Thus, I charge it and use my laptop mouse (thank goodness for USB). I think I am using my laptop mouse more for my desktop than my laptop... who knew that I would be doing that.