Mac
NAS vs USB Storage for a Mac: When Is the Network Box Worth It?
NAS vs USB storage for Mac: compare USB drives, DAS and NAS options for speed, cost, backups and multi-device access to find the right setup.
homelab
The Right Way to Start a Homelab (Why It's Not Proxmox)
New to homelabbing? Skip Proxmox and NAS on day one. Here's why an easy OS like ZimaOS on a cheap mini PC beats jumping straight into a full hypervisor.
budget
A Home Lab On A Budget: What I'd Actually Buy Right Now
Building a home lab on a budget in 2026? Skip the enterprise gear. A used business PC with the right RAM and storage gets you there for less.
smart home
How I Built a Smart Home in a Rental Without Drilling a Single Hole.
Fifteen years of smart-home upgrades in a 600-square-foot rental. no drilling, no rewiring, nothing a landlord could object to. Here's what worked, what I'd change, and where to start.
homelab
The Homelab Minimalism Trap: Less Gear, More Friction
I added a second server to make my homelab simpler. That sounds backwards — but fewer things don't always add up to a simpler system. Here's how I balance clutter against friction.
home server
Home Server Build: Don't Combine Proxmox and NAS
Why I run two Proxmox nodes and two separate NAS units instead of one all-in-one box — and the actual hardware specs behind that decision.
Tech
Home Server Mistakes I Made (So You Don't Have To)
Here are the three mistakes that got me there the hard way.
Matter
Matter Promised to Fix Smart Home Chaos. In My Setup, It Made Things Worse.
Matter promised one standard for every smart home device. After a year of failed pairings, I compare it to Zigbee's decade of reliability.
intentional living
The 3 Questions I Ask Before Buying Any New Tech
Most new tech doesn't earn its place. Here's the 3-question framework I use to decide what's worth buying — and what goes back.
digital minimalism
Digital Decluttering - My Subscriptions Audit
Digital Decluttering: Auditing Your Subscriptions (+ My Real Numbers)
proxmox
Proxmox at Home: Why I Run Two Servers in My Apartment
I run two servers in my apartment. I don't need two. Here's why I do it anyway — and what it costs to run them 24/7.
Mac setup
My Minimalist Mac Setup: M4 Mac Mini + Everything Connected to It
A 25-year IT vet's actual daily driver — M4 Mac Mini, one ultrawide, and a minimalist desk setup built for flexibility, not aesthetics.
storage
How I Manage 56TB of Storage Without Losing My Mind
Most people don't have a storage problem — they have an organization problem. Here's the file system I use.
backup
How I Back Up Everything: A Paranoid But Practical System
Cloud storage isn't a backup. Here's my full backup setup - as a minimum have two physical copies, always.
networking
Tailscale: Remote Access to Your Home Network Without Port Forwarding
Tailscale is my homelab's remote access tool — here's how it works and why it's better than port forwarding.
AI
AI in 2026 — My Honest Take
20+ years in IT, and AI is still the most misunderstood tool I've seen. My take on vibe coding, corporate layoffs, and why AI isn't as simple as it looks.
Homelab
My Minimalist Homelab (Part 2: The Software Stack)
The hardware is just the shell. Here's what's actually running inside — and why each piece earns its place.
Apartment
The Minimalist Smart Home: What I Actually Run
I've been a minimalist for 10 years. I'm also running three smart home hubs simultaneously. Here's how that happened, what I actually use, and why I've stopped trying to fix it.
Homelab
Synology DS923+ vs. Ugreen DXP4800 Pro: Which NAS Is Right for You?
The battle of the NAS devices I use in my minimal Homelab setup.
Smart home
Is Philips Hue Worth It? After 10 Years and $1,200, Here's My Answer
A decade of smart lighting, $1,200 spent, and every alternative tested. Here's my honest verdict.
Homelab
My Minimalist Homelab in a 650 sq ft Apartment
From the outside it looks like a plain white cabinet. Open the doors and you'll find two Proxmox servers, 48TB of storage, and a network that rivals most small offices.
Personal
Regrouping after 11 hard years in corporate IT
After more than a decade managing IT operations at the enterprise level, I was let go. What surprised me wasn't the anger — it was how quickly the clarity arrived.