It might be the long lines at the theater, the $4.00 for a small bag of popcorn, or the cutting-edge technology that's now so readily available to the home market. Whatever the reason, the home theater market today is booming like the soundtrack to Star Wars! Want proof? A Google search for home theater reveals over three million results. Yikes! It's simply undeniable: More and more people prefer watching their favorite movies, television shows, and videos from the comfort of their own sofas and couches. What's also undeniable is the inexperience of most people who choose to install or upgrade their home theaters. Until now, the knowledge, technique, and experiences of those who've encountered similar conditions to yours could only be accessed through laborious web searches, stacks of magazines, and water cooler conversations. Home Theater Hacks from O'Reilly is the perfect remedy for this group. A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Home Theater Hacks covers home theater installation from start to finish, purchase to experience. Just imagine: no frustrating trial-and-error process and better yet, no expensive appointments with installation experts. Home Theater Hacks prevents both by imparting down-and-dirty technique not found anywhere else. The book begins with a quick glossary of terms so you can speak the lingo when you go shopping, and then dives right into hush-hush, insider tricks. It's all covered where to find the right audio and video components, how to deal with speakers and wiring, understanding cable connectivity, mastering remote controls, how to fully grasp TiVo, and so much more. And to top it off, each of these insider tips is presented in a concise yet delightfully entertaining style. Bringing the Jurassic Park dinosaurs into your living room has never been so easy! A seasoned veteran with numerous O'Reilly titles under his belt, author Brett McLaughlin leaves no stone unturned in helping you customize your home theater experience to your own personal environment.

The popularity of wireless networking has grown exponentially over the past few years, despite a general downward trend in the telecommunications industry. More and more computers and users worldwide communicate via radio waves every day, cutting the tethers of the cabled network both at home and at work. Wireless technology changes not only the way we talk to our devices, but also what we ask them to do. With greater flexibility, broader range, and increased mobility, wireless networks let us live, work, and think differently. Wireless networks also open up a vast range of tasty new hack possibilities, from fine-tuning network frequencies to hot-rodding handhelds. The second edition of Wireless Hacks, co-authored by Rob Flickenger and Roger Weeks, brings readers more of the practical tips and tricks that made the first edition a runaway hit, selling nearly 30,000 copies. Completely revised and updated, this version includes over 30 brand new hacks, major overhauls of over 30 more, and timely adjustments and touchups to dozens of other hacks introduced in the first edition. From passive network scanning to aligning long-distance antennas, beefing up wireless network security, and beyond, Wireless Hacks answers real-life networking needs with direct solutions. Flickenger and Weeks both have extensive experience in systems and network administration, and share a passion for making wireless more broadly available. The authors include detailed coverage for important new changes in specifications and in hardware and software, and they delve deep into cellular and Bluetooth technologies. Whether you need your wireless network to extend to the edge of your desk, fit into your backpack, or cross county lines, the proven techniques in Wireless Hacks will show you how to get the coverage and functionality you're looking for.

Aimed at avid and/or highly skilled video gamers, 'Gaming Hacks' offers a guide to pushing the limits of video game software and hardware using the creative exploits of the gaming gurus.

A car PC or carputer is a car tricked-out with electronics for playing radio, music and DVD movies, connecting to the Internet, navigating and tracking with satellite, taking photos, and any electronic gadget a person wants in a car. All these devices are managed and controlled through a single screen or interface. The only place car PC enthusiasts can go for advice, tips and tools is a handful of hard-to-find Web sites--until now. Car PC Hacks is your guide into the car PC revolution. Packing MP3 players, handheld devices, computers and video-on-demand systems gives you a pile too heavy to carry. But add a car and put them together, you've got a powerful and mobile multimedia center requiring no lifting. The next time you give kids a lift, you won't hear, "Are we there yet?" Instead, expect "We're there already?" as they won't want to leave the car while playing video games from multiple consoles. Car PC Hacks is the first book available to introduce and entrench you into this hot new market. You can count on the book because it hails from O'Reilly, a trusted resource for technical books. Expect innovation, useful tools, and fun experiments that you've come to expect from O'Reilly's Hacks Series. Maybe you've hacked computers and gadgets, and now you're ready to take it to your car. If hacking is new and you would like to mix cars and computers, this book gets you started with its introduction to the basics of car electrical systems. Even when you're unclear on the difference between amps and watts, expect a clear explanation along with real-life examples to get on track. Whether you're venturing into car PC for the first time or an experienced hobbyist, hop in the book for a joy ride.

Starting at $499, the diminutive Mac mini-2.5 inches tall, 6.5 inches wide, and 2.9 pounds-is expected to become Apple's bestselling computer, with projected shipments of 100,000 units a month This book offers several projects-some easy, some more challenging-to help people tweak, modify, and transform a Mac mini Modest modifications include creating a Mac mini home theater, an appliance controller, and a travel kit; other more complex (but very cool!) mods require wielding a soldering iron Offers detailed, illustrated step-by-step instructions-including how to open the Mac mini, keep track of pieces, and avoid damage-that enable even novice tinkerers to complete the projects

"If I had this book 10 years ago, the FBI would never have found me!" -- Kevin Mitnick This book has something for everyone---from the beginner hobbyist with no electronics or coding experience to the self-proclaimed "gadget geek." Take an ordinary piece of equipment and turn it into a personal work of art. Build upon an existing idea to create something better. Have fun while voiding your warranty! Some of the hardware hacks in this book include: * Don't toss your iPod away when the battery dies! Don't pay Apple the $99 to replace it! Install a new iPod battery yourself without Apple's "help"* An Apple a day! Modify a standard Apple USB Mouse into a glowing UFO Mouse or build a FireWire terabyte hard drive and custom case* Have you played Atari today? Create an arcade-style Atari 5200 paddle controller for your favorite retro videogames or transform the Atari 2600 joystick into one that can be used by left-handed players* Modern game systems, too! Hack your PlayStation 2 to boot code from the memory card or modify your PlayStation 2 for homebrew game development* Videophiles unite! Design, build, and configure your own Windows- or Linux-based Home Theater PC* Ride the airwaves! Modify a wireless PCMCIA NIC to include an external antenna connector or load Linux onto your Access Point* Stick it to The Man! Remove the proprietary barcode encoding from your CueCat and turn it into a regular barcode reader* Hack your Palm! Upgrade the available RAM on your Palm m505 from 8MB to 16MB· Includes hacks of today's most popular gaming systems like Xbox and PS/2.· Teaches readers to unlock the full entertainment potential of their desktop PC.· Frees iMac owners to enhance the features they love and get rid of the ones they hate.

Discover the hundreds of practical Do-It-Yourself home improvement and household hacks to simplify everyday life. Tired of spending your free time managing your home? Looking for ways to streamline your chores while saving time and money? In Home Hacks you’ll find clever DIY tips and tricks to do just that. Whether you are looking to organize your space, find simpler ways to clean including natural cleaning solutions, create systems to keep things tidy, keep your clothes in tip-top shape, or know which hooks are best for wall hangings, here you’ll find the smartest hacks to everyday problems. Try these hundreds of easy, quick, and efficient techniques to start implementing right away. From using a blow dryer to make dusting a breeze to whipping up an under-the-bed storage unit with items you already have, there are ideas for every need. Discover the best hacks for key areas of the life, such as: Kitchen advice from the heart of the home to simplify and enjoy meals. Organization tips for the home, computer, office and even you. Clear the clutter with advice to tidy every room in the house. Cleaning know-how to make the whole house sparkle using products from your cupboards. Home decorating ideas offer best choices from paint colors to inexpensive updates. Take care of what you wear including closet tips, stain removal, and clothes and shoe care. Additional, sometimes surprising, hacks are peppered throughout the pages with Easy Fix, Save Time, Save Money, Insider Tips, and Expert Advise quick-tips boxes. Finally learn the clever ways to tackle the chaos and get your house in order!