DIY

  • DIY,  Rant,  Technology

    Server Build 2.0 Part 4 – HomeAssistant and Security Cameras

    Now that we’ve setup our new server, created firewall rules, and created our VMs and Docker containers, it’s time for something new. HomeAssistant is a home automation platform. It’s highly modular and very actively developed. It’s opensource, and there are nerds all over the world contributing. Instead of being limited to devices that are “approved” to work with Alexa or Google Home or whatever Apple’s dumb version is called, you can get almost anything to work with HomeAssistant.

  • DIY,  Rant,  Technology

    Server Build 2.0 Part 2 – pfSense and HAProxy

    In the first segment of this new series, I gave you a quick rundown of the changes since my first home server 10 years ago. Now let’s get into the fun stuff. VLANs, reverse proxies, and firewall rules, oh my. Originally I had a Netgate SG1100 firewall. It worked fine, but eventually the hard drive failed. It was also underpowered for my new gigabit speeds. I could buy a new one, but what’s the point. I didn’t want to spend the crazy money for an enterprise level firewall. So I got a Beelink mini PC.

  • DIY,  Rant,  Technology

    Server Build 2.0 Part 1 – Updates

    Roughly 10 years ago, I wrote a series of articles walking you through the process of setting up a home server. Over time, my needs changed, as did the available technology, as well as my knowledge. So in the next few articles, I’ll be writing a follow up, but it’s really starting from scratch. This specific article is more of a catch up, that fills the gaps between then and now. This will seem like it all happened at once, but this really spans years. The old articles are still accurate. Installing a system is installing a system. I just learned how to do more and new things. All of…

  • DIY,  Life,  Rant

    My Neck Tie Presentation

    The other day, I was the featured speaker at the annual Bow Tie Club dinner at my job. I got to give a presentation on neck ties, as well as the crazy knots I usually wear. The event was not filmed, but I received a ton of positive feedback from those who attended, so I decided to share it. Since my site is text based, you won’t get the same feeling as if you were here, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it, too. The pictures are the slides from my presentation. Enjoy.

  • DIY,  Woodworking

    Collapsible Car Bed

    I have a tradition. Every year, I go camping along the coast from Washington State down to… however far I can get before I have to turn around and return home. Then Covid happened, and everyone’s plans got borked. This year, I was going to bring it back. Plus, now I have a dog, so it would be perfect. Just two cool dudes chilling on the beach. While camping isn’t expensive, I do have a TON of supplies. Getting everything setup, and in and out of the car, while managing a dog seemed like a lot of extra hassle. Then I found out about car camping, or stealth camping.

  • DIY,  Woodworking

    Catio

    I got Balerion when he was 12 weeks old. I wanted to be one of those cool people who walked their cats outside. It took a while, but it soon got to the point where Balerion considered himself an outdoors cat, and I was falsely imprisoning him. He constantly wanted to get out. He ripped a hole in my screen door to escape. He knocked the AC vent hose out of the way to escape. It was time to do something. A catio is basically a patio for cats. Get it? Since I rent an apartment, it couldn’t be permanent. I came up with a solution that would basically use…

  • DIY,  Life

    Coat of Arms

    A few years ago, I got a trademark for my logo. That’s cool and all, but it’s not really silly enough. I decided to make a coat of arms for myself. Plus, I’m not very good at vector images, so I like to do these dumb things periodically to refresh my memory. First, I needed an idea. I had thought about quartering the shield with different things that interested me. Books. Technology. Napping. Nothing really struck my inspiration bone.

  • DIY,  Painting

    Hydrodipped Skateboard

    A couple of years ago, I created a longboard. It was sexy. I’m still quite proud of how it turned out. If there were one downside, it would be that it was too dark. The stain made the wood grain in the already dark wood even harder to see. For this art project, I decided to go to the opposite side of the spectrum, and go for colorful.