Depending on the type of user you are, you might have never come across enterprise-grade components. I've been using pre-built and custom machines for over two decades, but still haven't felt the need to dabble in enterprise hardware. That said, enthusiasts and home lab users have a lot to gain from picking older enterprise components compared to modern consumer-grade hardware.

Sometimes, a 3D printer bed is just too small, no matter how big they are. They're usually the right size when doing smaller prints, but when it's time to make something bigger, you usually need to break it up into segments and stick them together once you're done printing.

When Google first unveiled NotebookLM, I will admit, I was skeptical. I thought it would be another note-taking app with a few bells and whistles, but nothing groundbreaking. After all, I have used countless similar tools over the years, and most of them have fallen short of the hype. But when Google announced NotebookLM mobile apps, I decided to give it a genuine shot.

Before there was Steam, there was MS-DOS. A chunky, no-nonsense platform that ran some of the most unforgettable games of all time — games that shaped not just genres, but the entire medium.

Modern digital security relies heavily on encryption algorithms grounded in difficult math problems, which is the backbone of what’s known as public-key infrastructure (PKI). From securing websites to protecting messaging apps, PKI allows two strangers online (or a client and a server) to establish secret keys and verify identities without having met. This is achieved through asymmetric cryptography (public/private key pairs) that current computers find infeasible to break. For example, algorithms like RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) underpin much of today's secure internet traffic, but the advent of quantum computing threatens to upend these protections.

Home Assistant is a fantastic software package that basically hands you complete control of your smart home. With support for limitless integrations, most software can just work in a way that you can tangibly improve your life. With the advent of Large Language Models (LLMs), too, the possibilities when it comes to processing data points into something useful are endless. That's why I combined an LLM with my Home Assistant, and it's made a lot of things possible, including dynamic notifications.

The Nintendo GameCube is one of the most beloved home consoles. Its library of games is filled with first-party and third-party classics that people love to revisit. To many Nintendo fans, the GameCube has some of the best modern-day titles the company has ever produced. But while many GameCube games are popular among players who grew up with the console, there are a few elusive titles that have become very rare. Retro game collectors are constantly looking for these gems that are considered valuable parts of the GameCube legacy. They're just not easy to obtain like most other GameCube games.

Setting up my home lab was one of the best projects I have undertaken, and I'm very happy to have this computer at home that can store all my documents, photos, and even media so that I can consume it at any time without relying on the internet or expensive cloud services.

If you spend time talking to most Linux enthusiasts, you'll get plenty of reasons why they use a particular flavor of the operating system. They'll tell you why it's better on the side of open-source software, without having their data sold for advertising purposes, and how wonderful alternatives to paid apps exist if you'd only look. I'm not going to tell you those things because, while they're not wrong, they're not my reasons for using Linux.

I've never solved a Rubik's Cube. The last time I had one, I didn't know about all the logic and reasoning involved. I just sort of twisted the segments around until I got bored and put the cube down again. Maybe if one crossed my path again, I'd actually put in the effort to solve one.

A redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID) is a collection of physical drives pooled together using virtualization technology to create one or more logical units for the purpose of storing data. Unlike a drive or two inside your desktop or laptop PC, a RAID consists of two or more drives combined to create storage pools that vary in size, with redundancy built into the array. Should one (or more, depending on the RAID) drive fail, the RAID should be able to recover from it without losing data, but there are some myths surrounding RAID that you may believe.

I’ve been a Docker enthusiast for ages. It’s easy to use, has a solid collection of images, and boasts a sleek ecosystem comprising add-ons, desktop apps, and a decent orchestration platform. But a few weeks ago, I began using Podman as my primary container runtime, and it’s a decision I don’t regret. After all, Podman is a lot more secure than Docker, supports systemd automation, and can run containers inside pods.