My first projects don't always turn out as planned. But that's okay, you know? Because the first time is always a learning experience. It's all about getting accustomed to the situation, figuring out how to accomplish tasks, and laying a foundation for future endeavors. And I remind myself that those early projects are essential, as a way to "fail forward" and keep improving. And I love them for it.

The Steam Autumn Sale is coming to an end, so now is the time to pick up those deals you've been thinking about. If you're still looking for a good discount to pull the trigger on, how about grabbing a horror game to get into the October spirit?

During the State of Play presentation for September 2025, Insomniac Game finally gave everyone an official first look at their upcoming Wolverine game. What was very clear from the start was that this would be different from what fans have come to expect from the studio, given their Spider-Man titles were wildly successful. For many people who love Marvel Comics, Wolverine is a character that comes with a lot of grit and tense action, often filled with a bloody aftermath. At the same time, the man with the retractable claws, Logan, also has times when he crosses paths with a variety of characters within the Marvel universe. Whether in conversation or combat, these encounters are what help make his stories so interesting for fans.

If you've started on your home lab journey by heavily reading subreddits and networking forums, you probably have a vision of ex-enterprise hardware in a rack that stretches from floor to ceiling. Which is cool, and gives the desired visual effect, but it's not the only way to do things. And for those starting out, it might not even be the best way, as the hidden costs of self-hosting mount up fast.

When I think of extremely frugal yet fully functional, feature-packed distros, MX Linux and AntiX come to mind as strong contenders. MX Linux offers multiple desktop environment variants, while AntiX adheres to its philosophy of being extremely resource-conservative. Additionally, MX Linux has a distribution for best, medium, and lightweight use cases. However, if you've used MX Fluxbox, the version optimized for older systems, it looks exactly like AntiX, which can create confusion. The resemblance is due to MX Linux borrowing multiple elements from AntiX, and both are derived from Debian, which raises doubts.

Creating regular backups of your essential files goes a long way in ensuring your devices remain in tip-top form, regardless of whether you’re a casual user or a hardcore tinkering veteran with multiple projects under your belt. While there are certain self-hosted services that can accomplish this task on Windows and Linux, the macOS ecosystem is blessed with a dedicated snapshot utility called Time Machine.

A good Chromebook can sometimes be hard to find. Many ChromeOS devices are too underpowered to really do much beyond browse the web and manage your email, or they suffer from poor build quality, dim displays, or uncomfortable keyboards. But that's not the case with the new Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514.

Acer designed the Predator Helios 18 AI with high-performance gaming in mind, from components to aesthetics to upgrade options. Not only is the Helios 18 AI a powerful, hefty desktop replacement laptop, it's got all the RGB lights you could ask for, with extra NVMe SSD and RAM slots for additional upgrades, plus swappable WASD keys, and a memory thermal pad replacement kit. Boasting the powerhouse combination of an Intel Core Ultra 200HX CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series GPU, the Helios 18 AI is the high-end Predator laptop you've been waiting for. With a Pantone-verified, 18-inch mini-LED display, space for up to 192GB of RAM and 6TB of SSD storage, it's a complete package.

For years, I treated my home lab like a necessary chore – a collection of services running on command line interfaces that required constant SSH logins just to check logs or reboot a container. I knew the power of Docker, but managing multiple environments across different hardware was often a confusing, time-consuming mess.

File Explorer is one of the oldest parts of Windows, and you can tell. Microsoft has added tabs and refreshed the icons, but the core experience still needs work. For example, the layout looks rigid, and everyday actions like batch renaming need third-party help to be more complete. File Explorer also feels flat to look at, with almost no way to change its appearance. Small pain points like these might not seem like much on their own, but they stack up when you use the app every single day.

Of all the exciting things about getting a new internet connection, the router is probably the least thrilling. It's the beige box of networking, the unglamorous gatekeeper to the digital world. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is aware of this. They make setup and maintenance incredibly simple. Most providers offer or bundle a router with your new connection. If you agree, a technician shows up, plugs it in, and hands you a small card with a Wi-Fi password that resembles a cat walking across a keyboard. The accompanying documentation, and often the technicians themselves, strongly imply that this piece of hardware is a non-negotiable part of the deal.

Microsoft caused a lot of outrage this week, dropping a huge piece of news that it would be raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $30/month. With that price increase, Microsoft is also beefing up its service as well, but that doesn't mean the price increase doesn't hurt any less.