I would buy an LCD monitor and mount it to a wall somewhere in your house. Hook up the computer to it and use it to display photos, show the weather or other us

I would buy an LCD monitor and mount it to a wall somewhere in your house. Hook up the computer to it and use it to display photos, show the weather or other useful information. Over time you can add enhancements to it to better suit your needs, for example by turning the display into a touch screen, adding an IR remote, adding a mic+speakers and using skype to turn it into a video phone, etc.