Things I build, break, fix, and write about

22 April 2026
Configuration management prevents home lab drift

Cheap kit only stays cheap if the software side stays disciplined. A home lab software stack turns into a mess the moment settings live in web forms and half the logic sits in your head, which is a rubbish place for infrastructure to live.

22 April 2026
Security Advisory – 20 Apr 2026

Daily security advisory summary for 20 Apr 2026

21 April 2026
Privacy-first car telemetry: monitoring EV charging over

I took a glossy EV launch page and turned the useful bits into a Home Assistant MQTT car charging dashboard, then spent most of the time fighting the...

21 April 2026
Security Advisory – 19 Apr 2026

Daily security advisory summary for 19 Apr 2026

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9 December 2025
Using HTML comments to hide sensitive notes in Proxmox

Use Proxmox Notes HTML Comments to hide short-term secrets from the rendered Notes panel. You will still see them in the editor and configuration. Treat comments as a convenience; rotate or move your...

8 December 2025
Creating Let's Encrypt certificates with Sophos firewall

Troubleshoot Lets Encrypt certificate failures on a Sophos firewall. You confirm DNS A records, port 80 reachability and that the ACME HTTP-01 token URL returns HTTP 200. Use dig and curl to test the...

8 December 2025
Blink Outdoor 4 Camera + 2 more Amazon tech bargains

Discover the Blink Outdoor 4 camera and two more Amazon tech deals this week.

8 December 2025
Controlling camera access on MacOS devices

Learn how to securely grant USB camera access on a Mac for four specific users. Explore user permissions, camera settings, and effective management strategies.

7 December 2025
Using Safe Mode to remove Sophos Tamper Protection

Remove Sophos Tamper Protection offline using Safe Mode when your device cannot check in. You get clear checks, commands and remediation steps. Reboot to Safe Mode, stop Sophos services, remove files...

7 December 2025
Weekly Tech Digest | 07 Dec 2025

Stay updated with the latest in tech! This digest covers AI ethics, auto industry shifts, and the impact of politics on technology, exploring today's pressing issues.

7 December 2025
Best practices for Sophos XGS HA cluster configurations

I’ll walk through how I configure Peer Administration on a Sophos XGS HA cluster so you can avoid the usual gotchas. This guide uses a practical, example-led approach. I cover network assessment, peer...

6 December 2025
Addressing Microsoft login session reuse in Sophos Connect

Discover how to configure Sophos Connect to enforce login prompts for SSO users, preventing authentication failures and ensuring smooth third-party access.

5 December 2025
Using n8n snapshots for reliable backups

n8n backup patterns: Use CLI exports, database dumps and VM snapshots for layered protection. Automate daily exports and weekly snapshots, keep one offsite copy, and encrypt credential backups. Test...

5 December 2025
Choosing Reliable Self-Hosted Accounting Software for UK Self-Employed

Discover the essentials of choosing reliable self-hosted accounting software for UK self-employed individuals, ensuring data control and efficient financial management.