SumGuy's Ramblings
The art of wasting time.
Docker, self-hosting, AI/LLM, Linux, and DevOps — explained by someone who learned the hard way. No fluff, no enterprise jargon, just practical stuff that actually works on real hardware.
Recent Posts
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Forgejo Actions: Self-Hosted GitHub-Style CI Without GitHub
Run GitHub Actions-compatible CI on your own Forgejo server with act_runner. Same YAML, your hardware, zero GitHub dependency.
10 min read -
LoRa Mesh Hardware Buying Guide
Which LoRa boards to buy for Meshtastic or MeshCore, why the antenna and mounting height matter more than the radio, and what to skip on your first order.
11 min read -
Self-Hosted Email Aliasing on Your Own Domain
Skip the full mail server nightmare entirely. Self-host SimpleLogin or addy.io for private email aliasing on your own domain, privacy wins, sanity preserved.
12 min read -
CryptPad vs EtherCalc: Privacy Collaboration
CryptPad brings end-to-end encrypted docs, sheets, and kanban. EtherCalc is a featherweight spreadsheet. Pick the right tool for your threat model and budget.
9 min read -
nftables in 2026: Stop Pretending iptables Will Live Forever
iptables is in soft retirement. Here's why the nft shim isn't a long-term plan and what direct nftables syntax actually buys you.
9 min read -
KV Cache Quantization: Free LLM Context, Almost
KV cache eats your VRAM at long context, not the weights. Q8/Q4 KV quantization in llama.cpp and vLLM cuts it 2-4x with almost no quality hit.
9 min read -
LoRa Mesh vs LoRaWAN vs Helium
LoRa, LoRaWAN, and Helium are not the same thing. What each one actually is, what it is good for, and why the Helium IoT network deflated the way it did.
11 min read -
NextDNS vs Self-Hosted: When SaaS Wins
NextDNS vs Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: an honest breakdown of when paying two dollars a month beats running and maintaining your own DNS server from home.
11 min read -
Self-Hosted CAPTCHA Alternatives in 2026
Ditch reCAPTCHA data harvesting for good. Here are the best self-hosted and privacy-respecting CAPTCHA alternatives for your home lab web apps in 2026.
10 min read -
Skopeo: Container Image Surgery Without a Daemon
Skopeo lets you copy, inspect, and sync container images between any registry without Docker. No daemon, no bloat, just clean image ops.
10 min read -
Meshtastic vs MeshCore in 2026
Meshtastic vs MeshCore: routing models, hop limits, who gets to repeat traffic, and which LoRa mesh firmware you should flash on your first radio in 2026.
12 min read -
DNS-over-HTTPS at Home: cloudflared vs dnscrypt-proxy
cloudflared vs dnscrypt-proxy for encrypted DNS at home, setup steps, threat model, Pi-hole integration, and which one actually fits your home lab setup.
9 min read
