What happens when you push a system past what it’s supposed to do. Notes on Linux, Windows, gaming, self-hosting, and programming — written from actually doing it, not from a press release.
A 'Random Video' Button for the Omarchy Bar
A bar popup that plays a random video inline with a Reroll button — and the YouTube split-stream problem that turned out to be the actual hard part.
A Software KVM for Hyprland, Since Synergy/Barrier Won't Work
Why Synergy, Barrier, Input Leap, and Deskflow all fail on Hyprland, and the Rust daemon I built instead — reimplementing PowerToys’ Mouse Without Borders wire protocol against Hyprland’s own wlroots input protocols.
Building a Camera Bar Widget for Omarchy (Reolink + Google Nest)
A snapshot pill in the Omarchy bar that switches between however many cameras you’ve got, with a popup UI to add or remove them — no config file editing, no fixed camera count.
API Versioning Strategies That Actually Work in Production
Every API eventually needs to change in a way that breaks someone. The question isn’t whether to version — it’s which strategy you can actually maintain two years in.
Gaming on Linux in 2026: What Proton Actually Handles and What Still Needs Work
Proton has made Linux gaming genuinely viable, not just theoretically possible. Here’s the honest state of it: what to check before buying a game, and the tools that actually matter.
Laravel to Craft CMS: What Actually Transfers, and What Doesn't
Both are PHP, both are opinionated, and that’s about where the similarity stops being useful. Here’s what a Laravel developer’s instincts get right and wrong on a first Craft CMS project.
Reverse Proxy with Caddy: The Only Config You Need for HTTPS
Once you’re running more than one self-hosted app, a reverse proxy stops being optional. Caddy gets you there with a config file short enough to read in ten seconds.
Systemd Services Explained: Writing Your Own Unit File
Every guide shows you a unit file to copy. Here’s what each line actually does, tested live, including the one gotcha that trips up nearly every first attempt at a user service.
WSL2 Setup Guide: A Real Linux Environment on Windows Without Dual-Booting
You don’t need to dual-boot or run a VM to get a genuine Linux environment on Windows. Here’s what WSL2 actually gets you, and the handful of things worth configuring on day one.
Best Self-Hosted Apps to Run on a Home Server in 2026
A shortlist of self-hosted apps that are actually worth the maintenance burden, organized by what problem they solve.