For the longest time I have been using two janky CRT monitors. My “huge” 19″ CRT monitor was totally awesome and a cheap $450 back when I bought it. I think small LCD monitors were still over $1000 back then. Last week I finally upgraded my monitors. I got two 22″ LCD monitors for less than my old 19″ CRT cost me.

Here is my old desktop.

And here is the new desktop.

That’s where I spend 90% of my free time. What does your desk look like?

I have been working on cleaning up the mess of cables underneath my desk the last couple of weeks. I eliminated two computers, both of them were pretty old. One was my emulator box that I used to when I wanted to re-live my childhood. It had all of my old console games on it. Those will be moving to my main Windows machine. The other computer that I got rid of was my Ubuntu system. I inherited my wife old laptop, and that has become my new Ubuntu system. Since I am down to two desktops, I also eliminated my KVM switch. I got a super small Apple bluetooth keyboard and a wireless mouse for my Mac. They sit on top of my desk, but can be moved out of the way if I don’t need them. My other keyboard and mouse sit on my keyboard try. So I eliminated two computers and a bunch of cables, but I still have four computers sitting at my desk, but two are laptops now.

To further clean of the cabling, I moved the routers, NAS, and cable modem to the closet. I just had to drill a whole in the wall and run the cables through our crawl space. I stapled some of those foam pipe insulators to the studs and ran the cables though them. It worked awesome, and looks super clean.

I should have taken some before pictures. It still looks like a lot of cables, but it’s way cleaner that it use to be.

I am going to try and build a Windows Home Server with some of the leftover parts, and I will eventually take a bunch to recycling. I still have the very first computer I built sitting in my closet. I am kinda attached to it, but a 350 MHz Pentium II isn’t really worth a thing.

Soon I will be upgrading my two CRT monitors. I am eyeing some 22″ LCDs on Newegg. Once I get them, my old janky setup should be totally awesome.

Normally I am not a pack rat, but when it come to computer parts I kinda am. I have four computer cases fill with miscellaneous junk and three old monitors in my closet right now.

My wife’s desktop PC and laptop are both getting a little old. She always ends up getting my hand-me-down computers. I am happy with my current computers, so I just bought her a new laptop. She figured she could replace both of her computers with a laptop.

So that means I am going to inherit two more computers. I currently have five computers at my desk. Is that too many? I think I will turn her old PC into a Windows Home Server, which will go into the closet, and I think I will run Ubuntu on her old laptop. I have always wanted a Linux based laptop. I always seem to find a use for my old computers. I think I have only gotten rid of three of my really old computers. Yeah, I need help.