AI & Local Models
Run a Local Coding Model in VS Code with Ollama and Continue
Configure local coding models in VS Code with Ollama and Continue YAML, verify the backend, understand privacy limits, and compare tools honestly.
Hands-on writing about local AI models, the software built on them, and the machines you run it all on.
Operating Systems
i3 vs Sway: Tiling Window Managers for Developer Productivity
Set up i3 and Sway tiling window managers for a keyboard-first dev workflow. Practical guide to configuration, workspaces, and choosing X11 or Wayland.
Peripherals & Gadgets
Mechanical Keyboard Switch Break-In: Does It Actually Change the Feel?
A careful look at mechanical switch break-in, separating plausible wear from adaptation and showing how to run a blind, controlled home comparison.
AI & Local Models
Grounded Local PDF Q&A with Ollama, LangChain, and Chroma
Build local PDF Q&A with current LangChain packages, labeled source chunks, validated citation IDs, retrieval tests, and honest hallucination limits.
AI & Local Models
Local Speech-to-Text with Whisper: Faster-Whisper vs whisper.cpp for Dictation and Subtitles
Compare Faster-Whisper and whisper.cpp with current installation commands, built-in VAD options, hardware backends, and a repeatable audio test plan.
Self-Hosting
Build an Always-On Cloud Inference Server with Ollama: Cost and Security
Plan a private CPU-based Ollama server with current DigitalOcean pricing, realistic memory limits, SSH-tunneled access, and repeatable measurements.
Hardware
The SMR Drive Trap: Slow ZFS and How to Avoid It
Shingled magnetic recording drives can silently cripple ZFS pools with timeouts, faults, and multi-day resilvers. Here's how to spot and avoid them.
Self-Hosting
Self-Host Your Bookmarks with Linkwarden: Beat Link Rot
Deploy Linkwarden with Docker, preserve bookmarks as local archives, and back up its database, captures, and search data.
Homelab
NUT UPS Shutdowns: USB Passthrough & Graceful Script
Get your Proxmox host to shut down cleanly before the UPS battery dies. NUT config, USB passthrough, and a shutdown script that actually fires.
Self-Hosting
Build a Private Search Engine with SearXNG
Ditch tracking and ads by self-hosting SearXNG, a metasearch engine that aggregates results privately. Step-by-step guide for your homelab.
Homelab
Tailscale on Proxmox: Secure Access Without Open Ports
Ditch risky port forwarding. Use Tailscale's WireGuard mesh VPN on Proxmox to access your homelab securely from anywhere—no open ports required.
Homelab
WireGuard VPN: Routing, Kill Switches & DNS Leaks
Configure WireGuard routing, DNS handling, and IPv4 and IPv6 kill switches with practical firewall rules for a reliable full-tunnel VPN.
Software Development
Convert All Your Video Files to HEVC x265 (or Anything): Bash Scripting
Convert your entire video library to HEVC x265 with a bash script that recursively transcodes files. Learn Linux, ffmpeg, and hardware acceleration.