Darren Ma
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Darren Ma

Darren Ma
Setting up the storage my homelab needed

Homelab

Setting up the storage my homelab needed

I thought setting up the SER5 meant installing Docker and running services. Then 400 GB of family photos made me take storage and backups more seriously.

09 Oct 2026
The first time I changed my home network, I took down the internet

Homelab

The first time I changed my home network, I took down the internet

My ISP router kept slowing down the house. Replacing it with a second-hand Xiaomi and OpenWrt gave me a more stable network, after one stressful evening offline.

24 Sep 2026
The two reasons I built a homelab

Homelab

The two reasons I built a homelab

I had been interested in having a homelab for years, but hardware is not cheap and I had never found a reason strong enough to commit to it. Then I had two.

09 Sep 2026
What made Linux stick

Linux

What made Linux stick

Gaming kept sending me back to Windows. After almost twenty years of trying Linux, Bazzite finally removed the reason to leave.

25 Aug 2026
AI did not teach me to cook. It removed the friction

Cooking

AI did not teach me to cook. It removed the friction

How I use AI to adapt recipes, build weekly shopping lists, and remove enough planning friction to cook for my family three times a week.

07 Aug 2026
If the context is clear, the prompt can be simple

AI

If the context is clear, the prompt can be simple

I thought better prompts were the answer. The real problem was that my AI assistant could not see enough of the system.

24 Jul 2026
When VS Code belongs in the Distrobox

Linux

When VS Code belongs in the Distrobox

A broken Codex extension sent me through VS Code, Distrobox, and Flatpak before I realised the editor belonged inside the container.

17 Jul 2026
I thought I needed to build a content application

AI

I thought I needed to build a content application

I expected to build a TypeScript content factory. One AI interview later, I had a file-based system and a real Rooibos Italia post without writing an application.

13 Jul 2026
I only wanted to sync a few recipes

Homelab

I only wanted to sync a few recipes

I spent three days avoiding a $5 app before realising my existing homelab could sync Obsidian between Bazzite and iPhone.

06 Jul 2026

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