060811_techparty_cover.jpgSummer is upon us and there's nothing like a great party to get the good times rolling. We throw out several ideas for fun parties revolving around your home and tech, so get your friends together and get your party on!

060811_techparty_movienight.jpgHost a Movie Showing - Indoors or Out

Show off the fantastic picture quality of your spiffy new 1080p big screen TV or projector and Bluray with movie night. With home theater technology getting better and cheaper while home videos are released quickly after short theatrical runs there's no reason to go to the movie theater anymore. Invite your friends over to share a movie experience in your home, where you can enjoy more than stale popcorn and nachos. You can even pause when you have to use the restroom after downing your mega-sized Coke.

You don't have to limit yourself to the great indoors. Watching movies (or playing video games) outdoors can be done on the cheap and easy. Whether you rent/own a portable screen or go old-school and project against a hung sheet or aluminum siding, the experience is something entirely different. Try a horror movie at night in the dark and the scares are intensified by nature's night-time creepy sounds. Was that noise from the movie or something stirring in the woods behind you?!

060811_techparty_karaoke.jpgHost a Karaoke Party

No need to find a Karaoke Bar and wait your turn while some stranger slaughters My Way on the mic. With a microphone or two plugged into your computer, home theater, or sound system you can host your own home version of American Idol. There's no longer a need to own a large collection of Laser Discs with model wannabes strutting around in bikinis (although as an Asian teen growing up in the LD Karaoke era that wasn't so bad). Simply pull up YouTube in yor web browser and search for your favorite songs, adding "karaoke" to your search. It's unbelievable how many songs and variations are out there, and it's all free for you!

060811_techparty_gaming.jpgHost a Video Game / LAN Party

Break out the controllers and host a video game party. Mix it up with traditional group games like Mario Kart or Smash Brothers as well as Rock Band jamming sessions. Work up a sweat and laugh at the physical hijinx as you an your friends jump and dance and play along with Kinect, Wii, or Move.

With powerful laptops mixed with fast internet and WiFi connections it's easier than ever before to host LAN parties. Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), shoot-em ups, versus or competitive games are much more fun when everyone's in the same room. It's like (admittedly geek) college all over again, except there are no huge desktops, CRT monitors, and long ethernet cables to lug around anymore. We still can't believe some of us actually carried those behemoths around.

052511_boardgames_family.jpgHost Game Night: Playground, Trivia, and Board Games

Many of our favorite games are now available in video game format, bringing Game Night into the 21st century. Our favorite TV games shows often have video game versions, or even regular TV shows and movies have games based around them. Mainstay games such as Jenga gets dressed up with Donkey Kong, with many fun variations of old classics that we know and love.

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020111_tf_dinnerparty.jpgAdd a healthy serving of delectables and cocktails and the fun will keep on flowing! :)