This Old Nerd

So you’ve managed to settle down, but how’s your tech life? In the first episode of “This Old Nerd,” your host guides you through setting up a wired network in your home. Programming note: this is a sneak peek of this show. Regular weekly episodes start in second week of September.

Last week, we built a gigabit Ethernet network. This week, we’re putting all our pictures, music, and movies on a server and accessing everything through front end software all over the network.

This week we’re taking our home theater and duplicating it using a combination of technologies. This episode is also useful if you just want to create a long run of HDMI. Visit our store to find all the products we used to make this project work.

So you’re getting older and you need to stay in shape. However, certain exercises can be very boring. Today’s episode shows you how to install an entertainment center in your home gym. We cover mounting a monitor to a wall, work arounds for connecting devices, building your brain power and more.

Today, we try to say goodbye to cable television using a simple combo of Hulu, an HTPC, and an over-the-air antenna. How did it go? Not according to plan. Expect another attempt at an over-the-top solution soon.

Almost every computer and a lot of phones can do video calls. The problem is that the vast majority of people don’t know how to make their video calls look great. Today, we’ll show you the basics when it comes to creating great-looking (and great sounding) video chats. If you’re interested in just making video, this ep will definitely help you, too.

Got a voice plan, data plan, texting plan, and a tethering plan? Getting overcharged with cell phone bills? Forget that. We’re going data only which means huge savings in your wallet. Don’t worry – you’ll still be able to make and receive calls and texts. How? Watch the episode.

So you built a media server that has all your content. Today, we cover how to access your server using front-ends for Mac OS X. Windows users, don’t miss this episode because we also talk about the cross-platform Boxee.

Today we’re covering how to access your media server using Windows front-end software. We check out MediaPortal, XBMC (formerly known as “Xbox Media Center”), and Microsoft’s own Windows Media Center.

You built your media server and now you want to access it in your living room? Do you buy another computer? Nope. Try a set-top box instead. In this episode, we look at three different set-top box solutions to access your media server.