w33k in g33k: June 19, 2026

👎🏻 Adulting

• A Beautiful Mess: Roy Rogers Drink: “The Roy Rogers mocktail is a non-alcoholic mixed drink that tastes like a cherry coke.”
  • Cola – I used Coca-Cola since it’s classic and so delicious. You can also choose a sugar free or organic cola if you like.
  • Grenadine Syrup – You can buy grenadine syrup at many stores, and we also have an easy recipe to make your own grenadine (it’s a syrup made with pomegranate juice that is a bright red color).
  • Maraschino Cherry – A must! Use one or a few.
  • Ice Cubes Pebble or crushed ice is perfect if you have it.

🤖 Android

• How-To Geek: I finally found an open-source camera app that can match the Pixel camera
  • GitHub: eszdman / PhotonCamera: “Android Camera that uses Enhanced image processing”
• How-To Geek: 4 powerful free and open-source Android apps you definitely haven’t heard of
  1. Lotus: “Music player designed with Material You”
  2. PhotonCamera: “Open-source Android camera application focused on static photography”
  3. Aves Gallery: “Aves is a gallery and metadata explorer app, built for Android with Flutter.”
  4. Grit: “Unlock your potential with Grit: your go-to daily habit tracker and goal planner designed for real-life achievements. Start transforming your routines today.”

🖥️🍎 Apple

• Alfie CG: Getting untethered code execution on iOS 14.8: Obviously this is a bit old, but i was still curious to read about it.
  • “Using the CoreTrust bug (CVE-2022-26766) from Linus Henze, originally utilised by TrollStore 1.x, it is possible to get unsandboxed and untethered code execution on iOS 14. In this post, I will describe how I managed to achieve this on my iPad running iOS 14.8.”
• Alfie CG: A comprehensive write-up of the checkm8 BootROM exploit: As above, this is old, but i’m interested in reading about it.
• Alfie CG: A step-by-step guide to writing an iOS kernel exploit: For Fun ™
• Cult of Mac: How I tweaked my fitness app Reps & Sets using Apple’s latest tools
  • I wanted to read this because Graham mentioned vibe coding the app & wanted to see how it looked.
  • App Store for iPhone: Reps & Sets 26
• Macworld: This GitHub project saves your AirPort Time Capsule from the grave
  • GitHub: jamesyc / TimeCapsuleSMB: “Hacking the Apple Time Capsule to run modern Samba”
• Techlore: Permission Not Required: The Open Source iOS App that Makes the Invisible Visible (Loupe Review)
  • Techlore.TV: Permission Not Required: The Open Source App that Makes the Invisible Visible (Loupe Revie
  • App Store for iPhone: Loupe: What Apps Can See

🤖 Artificial Intelligence \ Large Language Models

• Medium: Pudding Entertainment: Running Local LLMs on Raspberry Pi 5 and Hailo AI HAT+ 2
  • I wanted to try & get my Raspberry Pi 5 with AI HAT 2 setup again to actually do something… so i was just looking for some setup guides.
  • I was also looking at an iOS app i had from a while back that i did have connected to a local Ollama server… GitHub: gluonfield / enchanted: “Enchanted is iOS and macOS app for chatting with private self hosted language models such as Llama2, Mistral or Vicuna using Ollama.”
  • Problem with the above app is it’s not taking the URL that works from a browser (although since I’m using the AI HAT, it says “hailo-ollama is running”, so I’m not sure if the app is expecting it to just be “ollama is running”) & that’s why it fails.

🌎 Current Events

🎥📺 Entertainment

🎮 Games

• Kotaku: The Kingdom Hearts Games, Ranked From Worst To Best
• https://tinywind.io/
• Garrit’s Notes: Pac-Man, but you’re the ghost
  • Pac-Hunt: “you’re the ghost — corner Pac‑Man before he clears the maze”
• phoronix: ReactOS “Open-Source Windows” Reaches The Milestone Of Being Able To Run Half-Life
  • ReactOS: “Imagine running your favorite Windows applications and drivers in an open-source environment you can trust. That’s the mission of ReactOS!”
• XDA Developers: GoldenEye 007’s canceled Xbox 360 remaster is finally playable on PC thanks to a new recompilation
  • GitHub: SunJaycy / GoldenEye-Recomp: “A native PC recompilation of the Xbox 360 version of GoldenEye 007.”
  • I think there’s some drama around this because AI was used?
  • Tom’s Hardware: Cancelled Xbox 360 version of GoldenEye 007 gets recompiled for PC — ‘No emulator, the game runs as a real native executable,’ insists dev
• Hack A Day: Nintendo DS Port Of Super Mario 64 Released With Multiplayer Support
  • GitHub: TobiasFriedly/sm64-nds: “A Modification of the DSi port from Hydr8gon: https://github.com/Hydr8gon/sm64 Making it work on all NDS Models. Also added Multiplayer.”
  • GitHub: Hydr8gon / sm64: “This is a port of the Super Mario 64 decompilation project for the Nintendo DSi. It is the original N64 game, and not the DS remake. It features rendering and audio code written specifically for the hardware in order to achieve good performance. The DSi’s higher CPU speed and larger RAM are required, so original DS models are unsupported.”
  • GitHub: n64decomp / sm64: “A Super Mario 64 decompilation, brought to you by a bunch of clever folks.”
• I didn’t know the group who did the above with Super Mario 64 also decompiled other Nintendo 64 games:
  • GitHub: n64decomp / mk64: “A speedy Mario Kart 64 decompilation, brought to you by the cousin of a tame racing driver.”
  • GitHub: : “A decompilation of Banjo Kazooie. (MIRROR of https://gitlab.com/banjo.decomp/banjo-kazooie)"
  • GitHub: : “A decompilation of Goldeneye 007 brought to you by a bunch of clever folks. (MIRROR of https://gitlab.com/kholdfuzion/goldeneye_src)"
  • GitHub: : “A decompilation of Perfect Dark. (MIRROR of https://gitlab.com/ryandwyer/perfect-dark)"
  • GitHub: : “A decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask brought to you by a bunch of clever folks. This is an old repo, active development has moved to https://github.com/zeldaret/mm"
    • GitHub: : “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask”
  • GitHub: : “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks”
  • GitHub: : “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker”
  • GitHub: : “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch 1.5.0)”
  • GitHub: : “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/ss “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/mm “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/ph “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/tp “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/tmc “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (USA/JP/EU)”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/oot-vc: “Decompilation of the Wii Virtual Console Emulator for Ocarina of Time (JP)”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/af “Decompilation of Animal Forest”
    • “This is a work-in-progress decompilation project for the Nintendo 64 game Animal Forest, also known as どうぶつの森 (Doubutsu no Mori). There is a decompilation project for the GameCube versions (Animal Crossing, etc.) here.”
    • https://github.com/ACreTeam/ac-decomp: “Decompilation in progress of Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube.”
    • https://github.com/ACreTeam/afe-decomp: “Decompilation of Animal Forest e+ (JP)”
    • https://github.com/ACreTeam/forest: “PC Port of Animal Crossing”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/oot-gc: “Decompilation of the Gamecube Emulator for Ocarina of Time (JP-CE)”
  • https://github.com/zeldaret/oot3d: “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D”
  • https://github.com/n64decomp/oot: “A decompilation of Ocarina of Time: Master Quest (debug) brought to you by a bunch of clever folks. This is an old repo. Active development has moved to https://github.com/zeldaret/oot"
    • https://github.com/zeldaret/oot: “Decompilation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”

⚕️ Health

🏡 Home (Homelab \ Self-Hosted)

• How-To Geek: Tagging music for Jellyfin was a headache until I found this free open-source app: MusicBrainz Picard: “Picard is a cross-platform music tagger powered by the MusicBrainz database.”
• Make Use Of: 6 Docker containers/packages I install on every server before anything else
  1. Watchtower: “A solution for automating Docker container image updates”
  2. Caddy: “By default, Caddy automatically obtains and renews TLS certificates for all your sites.”
  3. Netdata: “Zero-config observability with an on-call AI partner. Per-second metrics that stay on-prem; Netdata AI investigates, explains root cause, and guides fixes in plain English.”
  4. Dozzle: “Real-time Docker logs, stats, and debugging — in your browser.”
  5. Vaultwarden: “Unofficial Bitwarden compatible server written in Rust, formerly known as bitwarden_rs”
  6. Portainer CE: “Operational control for Kubernetes, Docker, and Podman; without the specialist overhead.”
• How-To Geek: Home Assistant’s hidden AI image generator is way more useful than it sounds: “The reason that you may not have stumbled across the image generation in Home Assistant is that it’s part of a building block integration. The AI Task integration can’t be directly added to your Home Assistant instance like standard integrations; it’s a tool made available for other integrations to use.”
• How-To Geek: These are the 7 best Home Assistant custom integrations—according to the community
  1. Xiaomi MIoT and Xiaomi Gateway 3
     • GitHub: al-one / hass-xiaomi-miot: “Automatic integrate all Xiaomi devices to HomeAssistant via miot-spec, support Wi-Fi, BLE, ZigBee devices. 小米米家智能家居设备接入Hass集成”
     • GitHub: AlexxIT / XiaomiGateway3: “Home Assistant custom component for control Xiaomi Multimode Gateway (aka Gateway 3), Xiaomi Multimode Gateway 2, Aqara Hub E1 on default firmwares over LAN”
  2. LocalTuya: GitHub: rospogrigio / localtuya: “local handling for Tuya devices”
  3. Adaptive Lighting: GitHub: basnijholt / adaptive-lighting: “Adaptive Lighting custom component for Home Assistant”
  4. Sonoff LAN: GitHub: AlexxIT / SonoffLAN: “Control Sonoff Devices with eWeLink (original) firmware over LAN and/or Cloud from Home Assistant”
  5. SmartIR: “Using an IR blaster, you can use the SmartIR integration to send out the same commands that your remote would send, so you can turn on your AC or power off your TV directly from Home Assistant.”
  6. Alarmo: GitHub: nielsfaber / alarmo: “Easy to use alarm system integration for Home Assistant”
  7. WebRTC Camera: GitHub: AlexxIT / WebRTC: “Home Assistant custom component for real-time viewing of almost any camera stream using WebRTC and other technologies.”
  8. Alexa Media Player: “Alexa Media Player integrates them into Home Assistant as media players so that you can use them for things such as making announcements around your home or for audible notifications.”
• How-To Geek: Windows vs. Linux: Here’s which one is better for self-hosted apps
  • No surprise here… “Linux is practically designed to be a server”
  • “The self-hosting world is built around Linux”
  • “Even Docker on Windows runs Linux”
• How-To Geek: We ditched Google Photos, Plex, and Chrome for these polished open-source alternatives
  • Zen Browser: “Zen is packed with features that help you stay productive and focused. Browsers should be tools that help you get things done, not distractions that keep you from your work.”
  • Immich: “Self-hosted photo and video management solution. Easily back up, organize, and manage your photos on your own server. Immich helps you browse, search and organize your photos and videos with ease, without sacrificing your privacy.”
  • Jellyfin: “The Free Software Media System. Jellyfin is the volunteer-built media solution that puts you in control of your media. Stream to any device from your own server, with no strings attached. Your media, your server, your way.”
  • These were the three services i expected to be listed here.
• How-To Geek: I replaced these 3 subscriptions with a Raspberry Pi and never looked back
  • Joplin: “Joplin is an open source note-taking app. Capture your thoughts and securely access them from any device.”
    • I’ve been running Joplin for a while now & it has been great. I’m running my own “server” for syncing: Docker Hub: joplin / server
  • Navidrome: “Your Personal Streaming Service”
    • I just got Navidrome setup at home for fun. I mainly use Apple Music, but now I’ll have the option of Navidrome alongside Plex (ew) & Jellyfin =]
  • Vaultwarden: GitHub: dani-garcia / vaultwarden: “Unofficial Bitwarden compatible server written in Rust, formerly known as bitwarden_rs”
• Make Use Of: Pocket is gone but the free replacement I found does things Pocket never could

🖥️🔐 IT Security

• RogueSecurity: End-to-End Encrypted Chat that YOU Control: Hosting XMPP (Jabber) with Prosody
• Steen’s Burrow: Hacking on the reMarkable 2: “The reMarkable is a computer like any other, so I believe that since I bought it, I own it, and I should be able to run whatever software I want on it. On this front I have to give credit where it’s due. reMarkable the company could’ve easily locked the device down to get you to pay for its subscription and buy new iterations of the device when they end support for the old ones, but if you go into the Settings > Help > Copyright and licenses menu you’ll find a paragraph explaining that to comply with the GPLv3 the end user should be able to modify the software that’s running on the device, and below that a short explaination on how to SSH into the reMarkable as root.”
  • “At first glance the reMarkable has an active homebrew software ecosystem too. There’s a community-maintained wiki with guides on how to install toltec (a package manager) and developing software for the device. After I unpacked the tablet I was eager to get Toltec running and install some software, but…” Toltec only supports specific versions of the OS. But it looks like Vellum replaces it: “⚠️ Use Vellum instead ⚠️ It’s recommended to switch to using Vellum instead of using toltec at this point. Vellum supports the latest OS versions and is more actively maintained.”
  • reMarkable Guide
  • reMarkable Guide: Installing Software
• Make Use Of: I scanned my home network and found three devices I didn’t recognize — one was a security nightmare
  • Play Store: Fing - Network Tools
  • Fing Agent: “Fing Agent runs on Raspberry Pi, Docker, or Linux devices to give you continuous visibility into your home or office network - always in sync with your Fing Account.”
    • I’m seeing on the same page that it “Needs an active Fing subscription”… so sounds like i can’t just use it locally?
• The Hacker News: Junior Hacker Used Tailscale and OpenSSH to Keep Access After His C2 Went Offline: “Before his command-and-control server went dark, he installed OpenSSH and Tailscale on a victim’s machine, building a way back in that did not run through the C2 at all. When the Havoc server went offline the next day, his access did not. Eighteen days later, the C2 came back, his agents reconnected on their own, and he carried on.”
  • Cato Networks: Cato CTRL™ Threat Research: Operation Poisson – Analyzing a Cybercriminal’s Entire Operation: “Cato CTRL recently analyzed an operator’s command-and-control (C2) server’s entire 33 days operation, including the steps he took to preserve access after the takedown. 339 commands. Four French victims. Between March 30 and May 1, 2026, Cato CTRL studied every command issued by a French-speaking threat actor (“Poisson”) against one French automotive small business and four French individuals. With that insight, we can say with certainty, not as a prediction, that techniques like VPN-mesh-based-persistence are already in active use right now, and that taking down a C2 server is no longer sufficient for remediation.”
• ASEC: It looks like a normal resume, but the infection begins the moment it is opened.: “Malicious shortcut files disguised as resume files have recently been circulating, requiring corporate users to exercise caution. Threat actors name the files to resemble resume documents containing company names and job titles, and when executed, they display a legitimate decoy file alongside the malicious file to lower the user’s suspicion. The file then downloads additional malicious files and attempts to execute backdoor malware, establishing persistence through methods such as registering with the Task Scheduler, adding items to the Startup folder, and DLL side-loading. In particular, since document files disguised as resumes can be easily opened in a work environment, security personnel and employees must exercise caution when reviewing them. Let’s examine the key characteristics and countermeasures for malicious LNK files currently being distributed while disguised as resume files.”

🐧 Linux

• machine0: “Persistent VMs from the CLI. Persistent NixOS & Ubuntu VMs, tools pre-installed. Dedicated CPU/RAM, static IPs & per-minute billing.”
• IT’S FOSS: Flipper One is a Pocket-sized Linux Cyberdeck
• How-To Geek: Ubuntu won’t save your old PC, but these 4 lightweight Linux distros will
  1. Puppy Linux: “Puppy Linux is a unique family of Linux distributions meant for the home-user computers. It was originally created by Barry Kauler in 2003.”
  2. antiX: “antiX is a fast, lightweight and easy to install systemd-free and elogind-free linux live CD distribution based on Debian Stable for Intel-AMD x86 compatible systems. antiX offers users the “antiX Magic” in an environment suitable for old and new computers. So don’t throw away that old computer yet!”
  3. Linux Lite: “Simple, Fast, and User-Friendly Linux. Linux Lite is a lightweight, user-friendly Linux distribution that brings the power of Linux to everyone. Perfect for older hardware and new users alike.”
  4. Bodhi Linux: “Bodhi Linux is an operating system designed for those who value inner clarity and personal empowerment. Installing Bodhi isn’t just about setting up an OS—it’s a commitment to a mindful approach that seamlessly integrates technology into a purposeful life. By choosing Bodhi, you become part of a community that values individuality, innovation, and a refusal to settle for the status quo. It’s more than just software—it’s a statement. Unlock your potential with secure, reliable open-source technology.”
• Steen’s Burrow: NixOps is easier than I thought: “TL;DR: if you have an underpowered machine or two in your house or a small server that you’re already managing using NixOS, and you find that running nixos-rebuild on it takes too long, you can easily keep your current configuration untouched and let a more beefy machine build it. Jump to the end of this post for a sample NixOps specification and instructions on how to use it.”
• Tymscar: Public Dotfiles, Private Secrets: My Nix OS Docker Workflow
  • GitHub: tymscar / dotfiles: “A collection of the dotfiles I use”
  • GitHub: ryantm / agenix: “age-encrypted secrets for NixOS and Home manager”
• Steen’s Burrow: My Immich setup feat. NixOS: “Setting up Immich on NixOS …is really easy. On the Lobste.rs thread of the announcement, Michael stapelberg commented that it’s as easy as adding this snippet to your NixOS config:”

```nix { services.immich = { enable = true; host = “photos.example.ts.net”; }; } ```

• How-To Geek: 6 distros that prove Linux is the future of desktop PCs
  1. CachyOS: " Performance-First Linux, Built on Arch. CachyOS ships every package optimized for your CPU - compiled with x86-64-v3/v4 and Zen4 instructions, LTO, and PGO - on top of a custom kernel with the tuned EEVDF scheduler. The result: a noticeably faster Arch Linux experience with the same rolling-release flexibility you expect.”
  2. Pop!_OS: “You’re in Control. Unleash your potential on a Linux operating system made to be productive and personal.”
  3. Fedora Silverblue: “The GNOME desktop experience you know and love in an atomic fashion.”
  4. Linux Mint: “Linux Mint is an operating system for desktop and laptop computers. It is designed to work ‘out of the box’ and comes fully equipped with the apps most people need.”
     • This is my usual go-to distribution.
  5. Debian
  6. Zorin OS: “Zorin OS is the alternative to Windows and macOS designed to make your computer faster, more powerful, secure, and privacy-respecting. All while staying familiar and simple to use.”
• IT’S FOSS: Raven Prism is a Linux Computer That Happens To Be A Pair of Glasses: “The Raven Resonance team has shared a tentative base price of $1,499. Full pricing and availability details will be confirmed at launch, and the device won’t require a wallet-draining subscription to function.”
  • “Warning” on the article: “This is not an open source project. We covered it because the operating system for this is based on Linux.”
  • Raven Computer
  • GitHub: RavenResonance / raven-framework

🎥📺 Media

• How-To Geek: Your Kindle could unlock thousands of free books: These are the best places to find them
  • BookBelow: Stuff Your Kindle Day 2026: “Discover amazing free books from your favorite genres! We host monthly events featuring free books from talented authors. Browse our calendar below to see all upcoming events and never miss a free book opportunity.”
  • BookBub: Stuff Your Kindle Day 2026: What You Need to Know: “Whether you’ve been following Stuff Your Kindle Day or are new to the book-loving event, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about Stuff Your Kindle Day 2026 — plus, sharing how to get free ebooks every day, all year long.”
    • June 1-2, 2026: Thrills, Suspense, and Dark Tales hosted by Book Below, offering thriller, suspense, and horror books. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • June 6-7, 2026: Possessively Paranormal, offering paranormal romance books. Find more info here.
    • June 10-13, 2026: Fantastical Escape hosted by Indie Author Collective, offering fantasy books. Find more information here. *Kindle/Kobo users only.
    • June 15-16, 2026: Young Adult & Coming-of-Age Picks hosted by Book Below, offering young adult books. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • June 16-18, 2026: The Book Boombox hosted by Platinum Quill Publications, offering Black music-themed fiction books. Find more information here.
    • June 20-21, 2026: Indie Stuffed hosted by Indie Book Directory, offering books by indie authors in a variety of genres. Find more information here. *Kindle/Kobo users only.
    • June 26, 2026: Knot Your Love Language hosted by Arysn Quinn and Toxic Love Publishing, offering omegaverse romance books (i.e. paranormal romance books). Find more information here.
    • July 1-2, 2026: Romance Spotlight hosted by Book Below, offering romance books in a variety of subgenres. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • July 8-11, 2026: Something Strange hosted by Indie Author Collective, offering science fiction and dystopian books. Find more information here. *Kindle/Kobo users only.
    • July 8-11, 2026: Romance SYKD hosted by Indie Author Hive, offering romance books in a variety of subgenres. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • July 15-16, 2026: Nonfiction Growth & Real-Life Stories hosted by Book Below, offering biographies and memoirs, business and finance, history, nonfiction, and self-Improvement books. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • July 28, 2026: Romance Book Blast hosted by Romance Booklovers, offering romance books in a variety of subgenres. Find more information here.
    • August 1-2, 2026: Mystery and Crime Collection hosted by Book Below, offering mysteries and thrillers, women sleuths, British detectives, suspense, crime, and mystery books. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • August 5–8, 2026: Stuff Your E-Reader hosted by Indie Author Collective, offering books in a variety of subgenres. Find more information here. *Kindle/Kobo users only.
    • August 5-8, 2026: Buzzfest hosted by Indie Author Hive, offering books of all genres. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • August 15-16, 2026: Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds hosted by Book Below, offering fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal books. Find more information here. *Kindle users only.
    • August 2026 (TBD): Narratess Indie Sale, offering indie books in a variety of genres. Find more information here.
    • September 12, 2026: Queer Your Ereader hosted by Divination Hollow, offering books with LGBTQIA+ themes and characters. Find more information here.
  • Amazon Best Sellers
  • Libby: “Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more for free from your local library with Libby, the library reading app.”
  • Project Gutenberg: “Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for you to enjoy.”
• Lifehacker: 10 Shows and Movies Like ‘Disclosure Day’ You Should Watch Next
  1. []Nope (2022)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954984/): “The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling phenomenon.”
  2. The Vast of Night (2019): “One night in New Mexico, in the late 1950s, a switchboard operator and radio DJ start hearing a strange signal over a radio frequency.”
  3. Contact (1997): “Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.”
  4. The X-Files (1993 – 2018): “FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate unsolved unexplained cases known as X-Files.”
  5. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951): “An alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.”
  6. []Fire in the Sky (1993)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106912/): “An Arizona logger mysteriously disappears for five days in an alleged encounter with a flying saucer in 1975. His co-workers endure ridicule and contempt as they are wrongly accused of murder.”
  7. Roswell (1999 – 2002): “The lives of three young alien/human hybrids with extraordinary gifts in Roswell”
  8. Honeymoon (2014): “A newlywed couple finds their lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night.”
  9. The Boroughs (2026 — ): “In a seemingly picturesque retirement community, a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have - time.”
  10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977): “An Indiana electric lineman finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.”
• Rick’s Blog: Banned Book Library: “A long while back I had an idea to hack a WiFi smart light bulb to do something more useful to me. Actually, I had a few different ideas of things to do with them. One of these ideas was to modify the device to have an open WiFi access point and a web server hosting banned books. The idea was that if you lived somewhere that banned books you thought were important, you could theoretically stick a digital copy of the book on one of these light bulbs. Then you could go install it somewhere in your community. As long as the light bulb is switched on, then anyone in the vicinity can still access the banned material assuming they have an electronic device with WiFi. Since the device is a light bulb, it would be difficult to detect and likely to go unnoticed. A cyberpunk digital dead drop. These devices are also fairly inexpensive, so leaving them around town as is hopefully not very cost prohibitive.”
  • Library, by Ben Brown

🗣️ Social Networking

• Engadget: Open-source Discord alternatives: What Stoat and Element actually fix
  • Stoat: “Stoat is the open-source group chat app for friends and communities that works the way you always wished it would”
  • Element: “Sovereign, interoperable and secure communications, built on the Matrix open standard.”
• Mat Duggan: Boy I was wrong about the Fediverse

🖥️🪟 Windows

❔ Miscellaneous

• How-To Geek: I ditched Google Photos for these 3 open-source apps—and I’m never going back
  1. ReFra: “ReFra is a modern, open-source media gallery for Android built with Jetpack Compose. It refracts how you browse, organize, and experience your photos and videos — with AI-powered categories, panorama viewing, motion photo playback, video casting, and a fully customizable Material 3 interface.”
  2. Fossify: “Browse your memories without any interruptions with this photo and video gallery”
  3. Aves Library: “Aves is a gallery and metadata explorer app, built for Android with Flutter.”
• Make Use Of: My Obsidian notes are now a live website — one free plugin set it up in under an hour: “Obsidian Digital Garden is a free alternative to Obsidian Publish”
  • Obsidian Digital Garden: “Publish your notes to a digital garden for others to enjoy. Convert your Obsidian vault into a customizable digital garden website. Publish only notes marked dg-publish: true, keep private notes local, and share Markdown content, embedded media (images, PDFs, Excalidraw), backlinks, graphs, live search, and themeable styling.”
• Make Use Of: [The 7 Best Obsidian Plugins I Can’t Live Without(https://www.makeuseof.com/best-obsidian-plugins/)
  1. Dataview: “Dataview is a live index and query engine over your personal knowledge base. You can add metadata to your notes and query them with the Dataview Query Language to list, filter, sort or group your data. Dataview keeps your queries always up to date and makes data aggregation a breeze.”
  2. Calendar: “Simple calendar widget for Obsidian.”
  3. Tasks:
  4. Kanban: “Create markdown-backed Kanban boards in Obsidian.”
  5. Outliner: “Work with your lists like in Workflowy or RoamResearch”
  6. Advanced Tables: “Improved table navigation, formatting, and manipulation in Obsidian.md”
  7. Recent Files: “Display a list of most recently opened files”
• Preposter.us: Xteink X4 Research
  • INKY
  • CircuitPython on the XTEINK X4
• Preposter.us: SyncThing -> rsync: “I’ve used SyncThing for many years, and for the most part I’ve been happy. I use it to synchronize the contents of directories between various machines of my own, and (occasionally) to share directories with others (although this often doesn’t work out).”
  • rsync: “rsync is an open source utility that provides fast incremental file transfer.”
  • rsync.net: “Cloud Storage for Offsite Backup. We give you an empty UNIX filesystem to access with any SSH tool”
  • App Store for iPhone: PhotoBackup - Backup photos & videos via rsync
• KickStarter: KeyMobi : The Purest Magnetic QWERTY Keyboard for Your Phone
  • I really should stop looking at things on KickStarter \ IndieGoGo, etc, because of the “scam” \ vaporware things, but i saw someone post about this in the Clicks.tech Discord channel & it looked interesting.
• Make Use Of: If you’re still using cd to navigate your terminal, you’re doing it wrong
  • GitHub: jeetdsouza / zoxide: “A smarter cd command. Supports all major shells.”
  • crates.io: zoxide
• How-To Geek: I created my own “Internet Archive” for $0, and it only took 30 minutes
  • ArchiveBox: “ArchiveBox saves websites, bookmarks, RSS feeds, social posts, media, source code, and research material in durable files like HTML, PDF, PNG, TXT, JSON, WARC, MP4, and SQLite.”
• Make Use Of: I never have to ask “is it me or the internet?” thanks to this $10 build
• Make Use Of: I tried these 6 open-source apps out of curiosity, and now I won’t uninstall them
  1. Image Toolbox (Android): GitHub: T8RIN / ImageToolbox: “🖼️ Image Toolbox is a powerful app for advanced image manipulation. It offers dozens of features, from basic tools like crop and draw to filters, OCR, and a wide range of image processing options”
  2. ShareX (Windows): “Screen capture, file sharing and productivity tool”
  3. LibreTube (Android): “An alternative frontend for YouTube, for Android.”
  4. Thunderbird (Android/Windows): “Free Your Inbox. Meet Thunderbird, the email and productivity app that maximizes your freedoms.”
  5. Flow Launcher (Windows): “Quick File Search & App Launcher for Windows”
  6. Seal: GitHub: JunkFood02 / Seal: “🦭 Video/Audio Downloader for Android, based on yt-dlp”
• How-To Geek: I stopped paying for creator apps after finding these 4 open-source tools
  • OBS Studio: “Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming.”
  • Kdenlive: “Kdenlive is the acronym for KDE Non-Linear Video Editor. It works on Linux, Windows, macOS, and BSD.”
  • Audacity: “The world’s most popular app to record and edit audio”
  • HandBrake: “HandBrake is a open-source tool, built by volunteers, for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.”
• Someone in the Exploiteers Discord server was mentioning using the Weather.gov API for some things, so i started to play around with it a bit, just for fun. Maybe I’ll see if i can leverage it for something.
  • National Weather Service: API Web Service

selh.st: Self-Host Weekly (19 June 2026), by Ethan Sholly.

• Fluxer: [Mobile clients and Fluxer v2]https://fluxer.app/blog/mobile-clients-and-fluxer-v2): GitHub: fluxerapp / flutter_client: “Official Fluxer Mobile client built on the Flutter framework.”
  • Fluxer: How I built Fluxer, a Discord-like chat app: “Fluxer is a free and open source instant messaging and VoIP chat app built for friends, groups, and communities.”
  • Fluxer Documentation: Get Started
  • GitHub: fluxerapp / fluxer: “A free and open source instant messaging and VoIP chat app built for friends, groups, and communities.”
• Rick’s Blog: Banned Book Library: I might have saved this above, but figured i’d save it again because it was interesting.
  • “I think the idea hosting banned books specifically came to me after having read Ben Brown’s short story [Library](https://benbrown.com/library/). It’s been a while since I read it, but if I recall there are characters in the story who maintain a “library” which acts as a digital archive of creative works, owners manuals, 3d models, etc. Things that others might find useful or interesting that you wouldn’t want to lose should they be somehow wiped from the Internet. That’s only a part of the story and it was a fun read. You should go read it!”
• AP News: Fox to buy streaming pioneer Roku in a $22 billion deal: Not that i have or can even remember using Roku, but will definitely not even be looking at it if Fox owns it.
• Andre Klein: Your EPUB Is Fine. Kobo Disagrees. Blame Adobe
  • Photopea: “Unlock your creativity with the best free photo editor. Transform your photos with professional-grade tools in a free online photo editor that works right in your browser. No downloads, no hassle.”
  • “I dug into this matter and found out that Kobo uses RMSDK, “Reader Mobile Software Development Kit”, Adobe’s proprietary ebook rendering engine.”
  • “RMSDK is the guts of Adobe Digital Editions (that bloated pinnacle of software that is 80% about DRM, 20% about the reading experience), the engine on various Kobo devices and older Sony/Nook devices. Originally built around 2010 (!) for EPUB2, it was lightly updated for EPUB3 but never modernized.”
• GitHub: LumePart / Explo: “Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” for self-hosted music systems”
  • “Explo bridges the gap between music discovery and self-hosted music systems. Its main function is to act as a self-hosted alternative to Spotify’s Discover Weekly, automating music discovery based on your listening history. Explo uses the ListenBrainz recommendation engine to retrieve personalized tracks and automatically imports them into your music library.”
• GitHub: carlnewton / habitat: “Habitat is a free and open source self-hosted social platform for local communities”
  • Web Site: Habitat: “A Platform for Local Communities”
  • Maybe something to see about running locally?
• GitHub: homarr-labs / homarr: “A modern and easy to use dashboard. 40+ integrations. 20K+ icons built in. Authentication out of the box. No YAML, drag and drop configuration.”
  • v1.65.0
  • Web Site: Homarr: “A simple, yet powerful dashboard for your server. A sleek, modern dashboard that puts all of your apps and services at your fingertips. Control everything in one convenient location. Seamlessly integrates with the apps you’ve added, providing you with valuable information.”
  • I ran this for a short time, but with a new update, i always like to come back to platforms to see if i want to run them again.
• GitHub: kuvasz-uptime / kuvasz: “Kuvasz (pronounce as [ˈkuvɒs]) is an open-source uptime and SSL monitoring service, with multiple notification channels, status pages, IAC support via YAML, Prometheus integration, a complete REST API and many more!”
  • Web Site: Kuvasz Uptime: “Welcome to Kuvasz [ˈkuvɒs], an open-source, self-hosted uptime & SSL monitoring service with status pages, webhooks, an MCP server and IAC support!”
• GitHub: mastodon / mastodon: “Your self-hosted, globally interconnected microblogging community”
  • v4.6.0
  • I don’t host my own instance, but like to kep track of what’s changed.
• GitHub: MbinOrg / mbin: “Mbin: a federated content aggregator, voting, discussion and microblogging platform”
  • v1.10.0
  • Web Site: Mbin: “Mbin is a decentralized content aggregator, voting, discussion and microblogging platform running on the fediverse network. It can communicate with many other ActivityPub services, including Kbin, Mastodon, Lemmy, Pleroma, Peertube. The initiative aims to promote a free and open internet.”
• GitHub: AtalayaLabs / OxiCloud: “☁️ Ultra-fast, secure & lightweight self-hosted cloud storage — your files, photos, calendars & contacts, all in one place. Built in Rust.”
  • Web Site: OxiCloud: “Files, calendar & contacts — blazingly fast, written in Rust”
• GitHub: ommapp / romm: “A beautiful, powerful, self-hosted rom manager and player.”
  • Web Site: The RomM Project: “Your beautiful, powerful, self-hosted rom manager. Scan, enrich, and browse your game collection with a clean and responsive interface. With support for multiple platforms, various naming schemes and custom tags, RomM is a must-have for anyone who plays on emulators. "
• GitHub: THEKROLL-LTD / Fathometer: “Self-hosted CVE triage for your root servers: Trivy scans, LLM-judged exploitability, only the findings that matter.”
• GitHub: rzuasti / oott: “Easy to setup and use network device discovery and alert system”
  • Since i wasn’t able to get Pi.Alert working & WatchYourLAN wasn’t really doing much for me.
• GitHub: akhil-rana / qbitdebrid: “qBitdebrid allows you to use qBittorrent to directly download files from your debrid provider using the power of webseed”
  • Troy Point: Best Debrid Services List for 2026 (Full Comparison Guide)
• Quartermaster: “Your media stack, on your phone. Credentials never leave it. A native iOS controller for Radarr, Sonarr, SABnzbd, Jellyseerr and Jellyfin — in one app. Pure client: no backend, no analytics, no accounts. Quartermaster talks only to the servers you run.”
• GitHub: degoog-org / degoog: “Search engine aggregator with a comprehensive plugin/extension system”
  • Degoog Documentation
• GitHub: Nystik-gh / ignis: “Run Obsidian as a self-hosted web app. Not remote desktop, an actual web app.”
  • I don’t use Obsidian too often, but maybe i’ll try this out.
• GitHub: 11ty / buildawesome: “A simpler site generator. Transforms a directory of templates (of varying types) into HTML.”
  • Web Site: Eleventy: “Eleventy is a simpler static site generator”
• Invidious (nadeko.net): My HomeLab Monitoring Rules // feat. Checkmk
  • Invidious (chocolatemoo53.com: My HomeLab Monitoring Rules // feat. Checkmk
  • YouTube: My HomeLab Monitoring Rules // feat. Checkmk
• Invidious (nadeko.net): Your Homelab Is a Mess… Fix It Like This
  • Invidious (chocolatemoo53.com: Your Homelab Is a Mess… Fix It Like This
  • YouTube: Your Homelab Is a Mess… Fix It Like This
• AFFiNE: “Write, Draw, Plan, All at Once. With AI. AFFiNE is a workspace with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases. Get more things done, your creativity isn’t monotone.”
• Dawarich: “Your Timeline, Forever. Google killed browser Timeline and is limiting data retention. Import your entire location history into Dawarich in minutes — private, encrypted, yours. No ads. No data selling.”
• Faved: “Organize bookmarks the way your brain actually works. A bookmark manager that combines powerful tagging, instant search, and a clean interface that doesn’t break as your library grows.”
• Postiz: “Run your social media on autopilot with AI agents. Plan, generate, and schedule posts automatically to 30+ social media networks — then review and edit everything in a visual calendar. Use any agent: OpenClaw / Hermes / Claude / ChatGPT / Codex / Cursor”
• Servers@Home: “Your trusted resource for building, managing, and optimizing home labs, NAS systems, and self-hosted solutions. Join our community of homelab enthusiasts!”
• tirreno: “Open-source security framework. Understand, monitor, and protect your product from threats, fraud, and abuse.”
• uncloud: " Multi-node Docker Compose for production. Deploy web apps across cloud servers or your own hardware without cluster-management overhead. Uncloud links your Docker hosts into a secure WireGuard network and gives you cross-host communication, zero-downtime deploys, and HTTPS out of the box.”