So this is not actually my house. It’s my worst nightmare:

Cable guy decorations

But that’s what happens when you stop pruning. Coaxial cable is an invasive species in North America. It grows on nearby objects by means of climbing, twisting, and changing cable TV providers.

This is my house, 3 weeks ago:

2014-04-05 16.14.28

Not quite as far along, I know, but still annoying for a couple of reasons. First, the presence of cables on the outside of the building. Due to overhead utility service, we have to live with some of these, but certainly not all. Second, the cable TV outlet is located in the living room by means of a hole drilled straight through the exterior wall. Not only is this hole unsealed, leading to huge heat losses, but it forces us to locate annoying infrastructure (cable modem, router) in the middle of the living room:

2014-04-05 10.26.47

There is a better way.