I have a lot of tech in my house (modem, two routers, NAS, multifunctional printer, 17" screen, couple of mouses (depending on the mood/function), closet full of spare cables for this or that or something else) . But all the wires and machines are nicely out of sight. Only my laptop (yes, wireless) follows me around like a wandering puppy. I do love tech, but as you stated, I hate the rats nests.
The power-board behind the TV cabinet in my house looks like a licorice factory exploded, black wires going everywhere. Isn't it funny how electricity costs are going up (here in Australia, anyway) as we gather more and more tech that requires charging up or plugging in. And people hang crap on some guy in a Starbucks with a typewriter. Typewriters...small footprints.
It baffles me really why residential housing is still built with 1960's-style power consumption in mind. Why are they still installing 2-outlet wall sockets, with a max of maybe 4-6 outlets per room? Modern housing ought to be built with wall outlets in a horizontal strip of 8, with each socket 2 inches away from the next to allow for the width of wall wart transformers, plus an easily accessed pull in the wall for network cabling. I sort of wonder how much the rate of house fires has increased since everyone started using cheap Chinese power strips for everything and loading a single socket with more load than it was ever designed for.
Then again, maybe the world's housing contractors are secretly in league with us trying to encourage people to use more non-electric devices in the house?
Seems like the only improvement made to housing power needs since 1950 is the addition of grounding and the debatable improvement of GFCI breakers. (debatable because they seem to invariably be wired so that if your laundry room GFCI breaker pops, then the power to the non GFCI outlets on the other end of the house goes dead and you have to spend an hour popping every breaker in the house trying to find the one that needs to be reset.)
Yep, moving out from my dorm room today I had to deal with a similar rat's nest. Between a lamp, a fan, three power adapters (router, modem, laptop), a TV, electric pencil sharpener, PS2, fridge, and microwave, it took a good 15 minutes to just untangle everything!
I got so sick of seeing it, that I spent a day putting a conduit tube and stick-on loops to hold the cables in place along the back of a table leg, and under it.
I had the contractor install two sets of four outlets each in the wall that would be behind my desk when we added the office room. I don't think I have that much stuff -one computer, powered subwoofer, power main speakers,a pile of wall warts for the row of USB drives; and still I had to add a couple of those cheap power strips.
I have a lot of tech in my house (modem, two routers, NAS, multifunctional printer, 17" screen, couple of mouses (depending on the mood/function), closet full of spare cables for this or that or something else) . But all the wires and machines are nicely out of sight. Only my laptop (yes, wireless) follows me around like a wandering puppy. I do love tech, but as you stated, I hate the rats nests.
ReplyDeleteThe power-board behind the TV cabinet in my house looks like a licorice factory exploded, black wires going everywhere.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how electricity costs are going up (here in Australia, anyway) as we gather more and more tech that requires charging up or plugging in.
And people hang crap on some guy in a Starbucks with a typewriter.
Typewriters...small footprints.
Ha ha! I am looking at a mess like that under my desk right now.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we're noticing the negatives of digital devices, here is a horrific story in the NY Times about e-waste.
It baffles me really why residential housing is still built with 1960's-style power consumption in mind. Why are they still installing 2-outlet wall sockets, with a max of maybe 4-6 outlets per room? Modern housing ought to be built with wall outlets in a horizontal strip of 8, with each socket 2 inches away from the next to allow for the width of wall wart transformers, plus an easily accessed pull in the wall for network cabling. I sort of wonder how much the rate of house fires has increased since everyone started using cheap Chinese power strips for everything and loading a single socket with more load than it was ever designed for.
ReplyDeleteThen again, maybe the world's housing contractors are secretly in league with us trying to encourage people to use more non-electric devices in the house?
Seems like the only improvement made to housing power needs since 1950 is the addition of grounding and the debatable improvement of GFCI breakers. (debatable because they seem to invariably be wired so that if your laundry room GFCI breaker pops, then the power to the non GFCI outlets on the other end of the house goes dead and you have to spend an hour popping every breaker in the house trying to find the one that needs to be reset.)
Yep, moving out from my dorm room today I had to deal with a similar rat's nest. Between a lamp, a fan, three power adapters (router, modem, laptop), a TV, electric pencil sharpener, PS2, fridge, and microwave, it took a good 15 minutes to just untangle everything!
ReplyDeleteI got so sick of seeing it, that I spent a day putting a conduit tube and stick-on loops to hold the cables in place along the back of a table leg, and under it.
ReplyDeleteI had the contractor install two sets of four outlets each in the wall that would be behind my desk when we added the office room. I don't think I have that much stuff -one computer, powered subwoofer, power main speakers,a pile of wall warts for the row of USB drives; and still I had to add a couple of those cheap power strips.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah - there's the desk lamp, the phone wart - it goers on and on.
Delete