A $10 OpenStick - a silent, passively cooled device with four 1 GHz ARM cores, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, Wi-Fi, and a 4G modem - can serve as a capable starter homelab despite its modest specifications. Installing the system takes some effort, but Debian provides familiar tools such as systemd and Podman. The central appeal is getting a quiet, low-power home server at very low cost, provided services are chosen with memory use in mind.
The setup runs a mix of lightweight tools: CastSponsorSkip skips YouTube sponsorships on Google Cast devices; AdGuard Home blocks unwanted DNS requests, with about 60% of queries blocked; and Zeroclaw provides a Telegram-connected AI assistant for checking the server, using roughly 3 MB of idle memory. Cloudflare Tunnel exposes services without opening ports, while Beszel monitors system health and sends alerts. Dozzle simplifies container-log viewing, Gatus checks whether services are reachable, Fusion handles RSS feeds, Shiori manages and archives bookmarks, and Diun reports available container updates. The services generally use only a few to a few dozen megabytes each. The author favors these focused, lightweight alternatives over heavier Kubernetes monitoring and AI setups, while noting tradeoffs such as trust in a third-party tunnel and the need to limit AdGuard’s blocklists on the device.
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Kirlian photography records high-voltage corona discharges on film, usually by placing an object on film over a metal electrode. The guide explains how to build simple equipment and make exposures using sheet film or a transparent discharge plate. (imagesco.com)
![My $2k Chinese Electric Truck: 5 Years Later [video]](https://hntoday.pixelshot.io/screenshots/20261108/bae0b79c468441b1_tn.jpeg)
The video revisits a $2,000 Chinese electric truck five years after its purchase. The provided page contains no details about how the truck performed. (youtube.com)
The Commodore PET was an early personal computer introduced in 1977. It helped bring computing into homes and schools. (commodore.ca)
Ira Velinsky was Commodore’s industrial designer, responsible for shaping the look of its computers. The page lists him among the people who contributed to Commodore’s history. (commodore.ca)
MeccanicOS is a keyboard-driven NixOS distribution designed to run from USB or install with full-disk encryption. It includes offline apps and drivers, a command bar, reproducible atomic upgrades, and optional local AI tools. (meccanicos.com)
Thieves stole six pallets of Nvidia hardware worth $11.4 million from a shipment traveling from Oakland to Fort Worth; police have announced no arrests. The shipment’s contents remain undisclosed, as investigators look into a theft amid repeated robberies targeting valuable Nvidia cargo. (techpowerup.com)
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