The average home now has dozens of networked devices, from computers to smart devices and streaming boxes. Each of these comes with different considerations about how they use the network, and that's an issue if they're all on the same IP range. Those smart home devices should really be kept away from the rest of your network. Streaming devices send tons of broadcast chatter out, and that's before getting into IP security cameras and other devices you may have set up. But there's a simple solution, using virtual LANs aka VLANs.

I love the idea of self-hosting all my apps and services. Not being reliant on commercial cloud services is a dream. The idea of cutting out big tech, taking back control and running my own slice of the internet from my own server excites me. It smells of freedom. No subscriptions or being tied to terms and conditions, or being at the back and call of a third party service's uptimes. All that sounds incredible, but it isn't how it always pans out. When you're running a self-hosted stack, you're the IT guy, you're the support and you're the maintenance. Updates break things, usually at the worst possible time, services become unreliable, and you're spending more time fixing things than enjoying them. I've tried enough self-hosted apps to know that some are simply not worth the effort to me and maybe to you. These are the four self-hosted services that I regret trying to rely on the most.

You don't need expensive, complicated networking equipment to create a compelling home local area network (LAN). So long as your router and all other connected hardware work together and you have no issues running everything required, you're good to go. But should you wish to dabble in virtual LAN (VLAN) and other more advanced features, I highly recommend considering a managed switch.

Proxmox has many features that I appreciate, but its FOSS nature and thriving community might just be my favorites. Thanks to a talented community of tinkerers, Proxmox has a massive number of script repositories that not only make it easy to use the virtualization platform, but also add certain functionalities to it. There’s the Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts repo for easy to use templates, PVE mods for real-time temperature monitoring, and Ultimate Updater for simpler VM and LXC updates.

Who doesn't like a free game? They're quick to install (usually), they're short and sweet, and, well, they don't cost a penny. If that isn't reason enough to at least try out a free game, I wouldn't know what is. In my own experience, I've found that in this department, platformers do the best work. Whether they are 2D or 3D platformers, free-to-play games flourish with tight controls and clever design instead of big budgets.

What's cooler than an FPS with a solid movement system? Trick question, there is nothing. If an FPS lets you jump around the arena and parkour to your heart's content, it usually gets a pretty high rating from me. There's a good reason why I fell in love with Titanfall 2, and it wasn't just because of the mechs.

Sorry folks, but this one's my bad. I made a wish that Windows had a way to monitor network speeds, so you can tell if your network traffic is slow or not. However, I had no idea that my wish was passed onto a monkey's paw, which instantly curled and added a stipulation to what I wanted.

There is a connection between people that were kids during the 90s and dinosaurs. Whether it was because everyone back then watched the first Jurassic Park film or any of the Land Before Time animated features, people love things with dinosaurs in them. This is why many different video games released over the years have included or featured dinosaurs somehow. One way or another, dinosaurs had a presence in games that made a significant impact. It was a time when dinosaurs truly ruled entertainment with an iron jaw.

It’s been a few years since Netflix confirmed that Liam Hemsworth would be taking over as Geralt of Rivia in the live-action Witcher series. And while we caught a brief glimpse of him in action last year, the first proper clip from season 4 of the show reveals just how Hemsworth will be inhabiting the role — including his take on Geralt’s signature growling voice.In addition to giving us a better look at Geralt, Netflix also confirmed that The Witcher’s newest season is coming out pretty soon: it will start streaming on October 30th. The show’s end is in sight, as Netflix previously confirmed that it will conclude with season 5. Here’s the official setup for the next season:After the Continent-altering events of season 3, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies. As their paths diverge, and their goals sharpen, they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good…The Witcher originally debuted in 2019 with Henry Cavill as Geralt, and his time on the show wrapped up in disappointing fashion in 2023. But Netflix has been trying hard to turn the franchise into something bigger than a single series, with spinoffs like an animated film and a live-action prequel with Michelle Yeoh. Meanwhile, developer CD Projekt Red has a fourth Witcher game in the works, this time with Ciri in the lead role.

The ESP32 is an incredibly versatile chip that comes in all kinds of forms and devices. From smart "Now Playing"-style displays to security systems, it can do a whole lot. For those with a supported display, you can even turn it into a Flipper Zero-competitor of sorts thanks to Marauder. However, I decided to build my own Wi-Fi scanner and honeypot using a regular ESP32-S3 and a Python server on my computer.

There's an entire world of automation out there for those looking to take their home lab a step further, or for fledgling business owners wanting to make their processes more efficient. On one side, n8n is a highly extensible, source-available, node-based workflow engine with a huge catalog and thriving community. On the other, Tines is a security-first orchestration platform built around HTTP-native "stories," auditability, and enterprise controls that security and IT teams tend to care about.

So, there are two really good apps for getting around Windows 11's system requirements and installing it on anything you want: Rufus and Flyoobe. The former is best for creating a USB stick with Windows 11 on it and installing it on multiple devices, and it even got a dark mode setting recently. Meanwhile, Flyoobe (previously Flyby11) is better for getting Windows 11 on one device, and then customizing your install afterward. It's why the app adopted the name "Flyoobe" because it's more focused on the "out-of-box experience" (OOBE).