THE KIT
Uses
The hardware and software behind the experiments. Kept intentionally general — this is a field journal, not a shopping list. Any affiliate links, if ever added, will be disclosed inline.
Compute
- WorkstationLinux desktop for development, builds, and local inference experiments.
- Raspberry Pi fleetA handful of Pi 4/5 boards running observability, DNS, and edge services.
- Mini PC nodeLow-power always-on host for containers and background jobs.
Software & tooling
- EditorA modern code editor with an AI pair-programming setup.
- RuntimeNode.js and container tooling for reproducible builds.
- ObservabilityA lightweight metrics + logging stack sized to the hardware it watches.
Network
- Segmented LANVLAN-separated trust zones for lab, IoT, and trusted devices.
- Managed switchingEnough managed capability to experiment without over-engineering.
Gaming
- Primary rigWhere the debugging stops and the frame times begin.
- HandheldFor testing how far efficient hardware has actually come.