Next Project

So I built a MythTv box a couple. It was cool while it lasted (especially the emulator part), but it had a couple of problems:

• We don't watch that much TV to beign with, so the recording features, while impressive, were rarely used
• We mostly used the emulator part, and we don't need an entire Mythtv box to do that
• We now have a Wii, so the emulator saw less and less use with time (combined with the fact that the Wii has a virtual Console
• My roommates wanted to play Flight Simulator on the new 37' LCD we have as a TV, and that doesn't run on Linux
  

So it became a solution in search of a problem. The computer became little more than a media File server. We have since installed Windows XP on that machine and wipe the partition by error. (even if we planned for a NTFS partition at the start, it wasn't the first one created, and Windows didn't like that.) And I have little incentive to completely re-install the machine. It turned into a costly machine, but it was worth it as I learned a lot.

I have thus decided to invest my time into a new project. I'm still undecided as to which exact project I will do... I have a couple of ideas:

1. I could update my old school project. It was basically a proof-of-concept application to control any machine without installing anything on the server itself. It used SSH to connect to remote server, and used the command-line to issue command. (could be simulated on Windows using Pstool)
2. I also have another unfinished project about a simple security guide. Something my parents could read and understand what are the securities and privacy problems on the net, and plan accordingly. Of course, the problem is big and constantly moving, but the idea behind how and why, tend to stay the same. (The ideas behind virus and malware in general haven't changed in year. A security hole, whatever the type, still has the same kind of effect.)
3. The third idea I have for a project is making my own router. I'm not talking about taking some old computer and installing linux, or modifying a Linksys router, I'm talking about buying hardware like the Soekris net4801 motherboard and installing pfSense or M0n0wall. Really nice idea because since it's a full-fledge computer, I could make it do more than just Routing and firewalling
   

Of course, I could just spend more time with Eve-online and C&C:the first decade....