Review
Never did I feel this reluctant to write up my impressions of a device. Chuwi is a China-based manufacturer of computers, primarily focused on smaller desktops (ie. the "NUC-like" category), along with laptops and tablets. Generally speaking they tend to focus more on affordable hardware rather than the highest-end or
Synology
After almost two years of having used a Synology DS920+ as my NAS and light home server for a few services, I thought it would be good to take a look back at how it had treated me these past two years. Those who may have read my first impressions
Linux
I spend most days sitting in front of my desk working, where I have a desktop computer with larger display. It's a great setup that helps me be productive. The past few months I have been thinking of finding a laptop to accompany my main setup, to allow me to
Homelab
Get ready to wait a lot..
Linux
Last week I finally purchased a webcam for online meetings, something I had been holding off on for quite some time. I was using a 12" MacBook for these up until now, but I wanted to get a webcam for my main computer as I sometimes need to look over
GPD
I have always had a soft spot for (near-)pocketable devices that –successfully or otherwise– punch above their weight. From the pre-smartphone Pocket PCs days, to the short-lived UPCs and UMPCs, there have always been companies trying to bravely attempt to pack a tremendous amount in an as small as
Music
I have been using an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge that came stock with the Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 "Genie" record player for about three or four years now. While it did well and certainly better than the heavily used second hand cartridge and needle I had before it, I was
Office
The time has come for me to add a third (and probably fourth — local deal permitting) monitor to my setup, as my dual monitor setup was becoming a proper limiting factor to my productivity. This is in large part due to the scope of the project I am working on,
Home
In our previous house we had a veranda area (think "inside but kind of outside") area that was perfect for plants, as it had direct sunlight on it all day long. While I wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of seconds there during the hottest part of summer,
Gaming
I wanted to try out the Wii Classic Controller for a while now, and earlier this week I was finally able to do so. The Classic Controller is a controller that you plug directly into the Wiimote, so while it's a wired controller, it wirelessly connects to your Wii (or
Gaming
These days I have come to appreciate older generation consoles and games more. I have always considered the Super Nintendo my favorite console, but there is so much more to explore and try, and it often feels hard to figure out where to even start. With so many great titles
Homelab
Several months ago I began a rather extensive homelab re-organization project, which I started documenting here on my blog as-well. Since it has been a while since I last posted an update, I wanted to gather more recent progress updates into one update post. Let's get to it. What started
Homelab
To help reduce noise I've been wanting to replace the stock fans (Yate Loon D40SM-12C) that come with the HCiPC Router with something more quiet. I had to wait until I was able to move some services I was running on my dev server before I could do so. Fortunately,
Homelab
Ever since acquiring the Dell R510 —which came with a PERC H700— it was my intention to replace it with an often-recommended H200. This particular card is popular because it can be found relatively affordably, and it can be flashed to so-called IT mode, which means the card passes all
Homelab
Over the next few posts I will be going in more detail into what I have been doing lately to re-organize my homelab. My purpose for the re-organization is to set the software up the "right" way, reduce clutter, and equally importantly, to reduce power consumption. Posts in this series
DIY
I've had a very basic soldering iron for years, and it served its purpose well enough. It was one of those "plug in and they go" type irons that lacked any settings, and its tip wasn't really replaceable either. After I recently started installing new batteries with proper holders a
