I have a gaming laptop, but when playing at home I hook it up to a full-size monitor, keyboard, and mouse. By the time you include the power supplies, speakers, and cables, I end up needing a desk for it.
Floor space is a valuable commodity everywhere. You can squeeze a top-tier PC experience into a small space. Going vertical is the key. This wire-rack option is barley wider than the monitor. The upper shelf is great storage space that is large enough for a desktop PC. My laptop fits on the keyboard tray. This layout allows for a two-screen setup in a very narrow space.
Velco straps make a great cable management option on wire shelves.
If you prefer something that looks like more traditional furniture, the desk in a cabinet design is also an efficient use of space. Again, the keyboard tray will hold my laptop while a 32″ monitor fits in the top.
The cabinet units feature doors that close to hide everything. If you have a similar setup, be careful not to cause an overheating situation. I cut some holes in the cardboard backing and installed some cheap USB powered fans to exhaust the heat.
There are countless options besides these two. I’ve used small tables, and carts. I’ve hidden computers in the living room entertainment center and the kitchen island. Just remember to allow for plenty of air flow. Your cabinet cooling solution should move as much air as the computer system exhausts under heavy load. Without adequate airflow you lose some FPS and could possibly cause physical damage to your computer.
One of the features promised during the Windows 11 run-up was that it would be able to natively run Android applications. The Windows Subsystem for Android fulfills that promise. The WSA is officially out of preview.
Before you start installing the new feature there are some of those pesky requirements to contemplate. At the bare minimum you’ll need 8 gigs of RAM, an SSD storage device, and i-3 or Ryzen 3000 series CPU. However, like all things PC, the minimum specs will probably leave you unsatisfied with the performance. 16GB and an i-5 or Ryzen 5000 series will let Android apps run like they do on your phone or tablet.
I have an i-7, 16GB, an SSD, and discrete GPU in my laptop. I tested out several apps, they all ran fine. I was able to play War Robots, a 3-D mech warrior clone, without lagging or other issues. Even on-line matches worked well. It should be noted that not all apps are supported, and some will suffer from re-sizing issues depending on how they were coded.
If on-line shooters work in WSA, most other apps should too.
You should also be aware that the Amazon App store is the only supported option for installing apps at the moment. If you are so inclined, there are a few posts on-line that explain how to hack the system into running other famous app stores along with getting direct APK files to install and run.
Installing the Windows Subsystem for Android is a simple matter. Open the Windows App store and install the Amazon App store. Yes, I know that sounds weird but nonetheless it is correct. If you have issues, make sure that the virtualization features of your processor are enabled. These settings are accessed in the UEFI BIOS. Microsoft has published this handy document that has links to most manufacturers’ instructions. Typically, the options are enabled by default in my experience.
Installing the Amazon Appstore triggers the Windows Subsystem for Android installation.
I’ve already found the feature useful for testing Android apps and playing a few Android games. Outside of development and techs playing around, I’m not so sure the feature will catch on. The Amazon Appstore is missing some key apps. I had hoped to install the Microsoft Authenticator app for some end user documentation efforts but found that it isn’t available. If Microsoft can secure support for Google Play store the mass appeal will be stronger. It remains to be seen if that’s in the cards.
All of us are seated at large, round, wooden tables. The themed hotel conference room is framed by dark heavy beams and wooden floors that are so dark they seem to be burnt black. A paranormal pro paces the room, gives us advice, and a safety talk. He’s wearing jackboots, a military style coat, and a hardhat. I suddenly feel under dressed in my street shoes and leather jacket. We drove almost an hour to get to the Belvoir Winery and Inn and booked the tickets for our Ghost tour months in advance. There was no turning back.
The grounds are vast. Prepare to meet your weekly step goal in a single night.
The creepy old limestone and brick buildings we are visiting were originally constructed by the Oddfellows. A mysterious fraternity with an origin story that stretches back to the Roman Empire. Much like the well-known Masons, the group is recognized for their grand lodges, elaborate ceremonies, and odd reputation. Seemingly to prove the point, one of their member’s skeletal remains lies entumed in a glass coffin on the grounds. Be sure to pay your respects to George should you decide to visit.
The ambiance of the compound lent itself to the event quite nicely.
We hit the spooky night jackpot. A full moon hangs in a slightly hazy sky. The compound is far enough from town for it to be truly dark. The trees are missing most of their leaves. Oh, and just to bump the spooky up a notch it’s also that special see your breath cold outside.
What a night for ghost bunting.
The Winery has been visited by more than one paranormal investigation television show. It is also featured on podcasts, blogs, and several social media feeds. People that believe come to see proof. People that are skeptical come to debunk the very notion. I am here for date night. There are people from all walks of life at the event. From overhearing the conversation my wife is having with our table mates, it seems that some people make a full-time hobby out of ghost hunting. Apparently, there are several serious cash prizes for finding proof of the afterlife.
We were told that only a select few are ever invited to explore the cemetary.
The group that runs this event hosts at least one session per month and has the operation down pat. Each table of guests is escorted to one of the five haunted buildings by a professional paranormal investigator. They handout ghost hunting gear of various types along the way. EMF detectors, rim-pods, twist-lock flashlights, motion detectors, and curious little boxes they call K2s.
The K2 devices caught my tech guy attention as soon as I saw one. They’re about the size of a Rasbery Pie with two short antennae on the top and a small LCD touchscreen on the front. I immediately gave my wife the “get one of those” look. Once I got my hands on it, I set to work accessing it’s control menus.
Ghost hunting gear has gone hi-tech.
The little box had several spooky features. It ran a random word generator. According to the paranormal investigator, ghosts could use their “energy” to alter the word pattern into coherent speech. We were encouraged to shout questions to elicit a response. Ours said some really odd stuff throughout the evening, but it never made sense to me. There was also a ping-sweep function that looked like a small radar screen. Things that reflected its electro-magnetic signals were indicated as blips. A motion detector was also available.
As we entered each building, the guide deployed the gadgets while they told us about the history of the space. The grounds had served as a hospital, an asylum, and a shelter for the downtrodden souls of society. According to the paranormal guide, people that lived challenging lives are more likely to haunt a place after their passing. In some cases, we were told about named entities that were known to harass staff members and guests alike. During one of these stories, standing in what had served as the hospital’s morgue, the lights were turned out to enhance a seance. The various detection gear was triggered in the center of our circle. I used my phone to snap pictures of the dark spaces around us and one of them shows what looks like a person’s shadow. The thing is all members of our group where visible in the circle and I couldn’t see any light source powerful enough to cast a shadow near any of them.
The light and “shadow” were not visible to the naked eye.
The buildings were all crumbling, dark, cold, smelly, graffitti covered shells. Some of them seemed to be held up by nothing more than spite. If you’re reading this ahead of your own outing, I highly recommend wearing tough boots and a heavy outer jacket. There were nails, broken pieces of glass, sharp concrete edges, and all kinds of building rubble to negotiate in the dark. In certain places on the upper floors I could feel the structure giving way to my weight.
Some of the graffiti was eye catching to say the least.
We met some great people. The Oddfellows home was clearly a beautiful place in its day. Time has not been kind to it, but the new owners are renovating. The winery and inn frequently host weddings and serve as photography backdrops. We had a great time, check it out if you’re looking for something a little different to do in the KC area.
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