Boring one person at a time!
I am a husband, father, technology enthusiast and general tinkerer with a knack for saving money through technology. I write in a personal style with dry wit to connect with my readers and give you a chuckle from time to time.
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How to set up Frigate on unRaid with Reolink PoE cameras
Learn how I use Frigate on unRaid with Reolink PoE cameras to build a local, self-hosted NVR with AI object detection, Home Assistant integration and no mandatory cloud storage.
Setup Immich on unRaid. Self-hosting a Google Photos alternative
How did you get here? If you have been following along to my blog posts and have an unRaid server sitting in your basement, office, or wherever you've managed to hide the growing collection of hard drives that started as "just one little server," you might
Maple Maps, a Canadian alternative to the others
Maple Maps is a new Canadian navigation app built specifically for Canada, with Canadian business identification, bilingual support, live traffic and Canadian hosted data.
Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi, and why you should have two
Pi-hole is one of those wonderfully boring pieces of technology that you install once and then mostly forget about, until you look at how much advertising, tracking and other nonsense it has quietly blocked. In this post, I explain how I run Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi, why I keep it off unRaid.
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Remembering 9/11, and the power of friendship
Twenty-five years ago, I was starting my final co-op term in Ottawa when September 11 changed the world and changed my life. Today, I reflect on Canada's and Newfoundland's extraordinary response, the friendships that grew from tragedy, and 25 years of working to protect Canadians.
Setting up unRaid from a pile of hardware to a Canadian cloud
Thinking about building an unRaid server to begin your Canadian cloud journey? This beginner-friendly guide walks through everything from choosing your hardware and creating the unRaid USB to configuring storage, Docker, Community Applications, and backups.
Taking back my digital life: Building my own Canadian home cloud
Background I've spent a ridiculous amount of my life handing my digital life over to somebody else as most people have done over the years. Google has my photos and devices. Someone else has my files. Someone else has my movies. Someone else knows what websites I'
Vacation 2026 - Niagara Falls & Toronto
Day 1 - The Wallflowers in Ottawa Well, vacation 2026 is over as quick as it began, but what a great vacation it was. It started on August 20 where Jodi and I got to attend the opening night of the new Ottawa music venue, History Ottawa and see The Wallflowers.
Buying individual stocks vs Wealthsimple's Automated Investing Account
Ditch the spreadsheet trap. Discover how Wealthsimple's Automated Investing Account handles manual stock buying, rebalancing, and portfolio math for you.
How to Flush Your Gas Hot Water Tank and Replace the Anode Rod
Most homeowners don't think about their hot water tank until they wake up to a cold shower. The reality is that a little preventative maintenance can add years to the life of your water heater and help it run more efficiently. Two of the most important maintenance tasks
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