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Episode 17: Pitchforks on Standby

What we cover Inovelli’s mmWave presence sensing switch, its built in room automation, and the importance of carefully tuned detection zones. Apple’s “Welcome Home” event recap: new HomeView smart display, the HomePod mini 2, Apple TV 4K, and the tradeoffs of a tightly controlled home ecosystem. Enshittification Watch: Schneider’s purchase of Shelly, Jasco’s purchase of Zooz, plus licensing changes at Bitwarden and Dockhand. Adam’s Starlink Mini for travel and backup internet, including its low cost standby option and the debate over satellite broadband’s role. First up, Geoff tells us about the Inovelli mmWave switch, which builds a presence sensor right into a smart switch. We get into how well it detects still people, the quirk of it seeing through drywall, and how to use a zone map to minimize unwanted detections. We also cover why a switch is often a poor place for a presence sensor, the steep price, and where a dedicated sensor may be a better buy. Next, the crew breaks down Apple’s smart home event. We talk about the new home display hub, its multi-user switching, and the baffling lack of third-party apps. We also look at the pricey new Apple TV 4K and debate whether HomePods hold up as a stereo or surround setup, with Stephen and Alex making strong cases against, and a side trip into Sonos networking woes. Then we head to Enshitification Watch. Geoff shares his worries about Schneider Electric’s purchase of Shelly and Jasco’s purchase of Zooz, backed by some painful camera-replacement pricing and a great Zooz support story. We also cover Bitwarden’s move to a commercial license for its released apps and Dockhand’s license changes, with a firm “pitchforks down, but keep them handy” verdict. Along the way, Alex runs into an uncannily human AI phone agent at an HVAC company. Finally, Adam explains why he bought a Starlink Mini for travel in an RV, with a $149 dish and a $10 per month standby plan making it tempting as an occasional connection or backup. The hosts discuss where satellite internet genuinely helps, from remote travel to outages that take down wired and cellular networks, while Geoff argues it should complement rather than replace reliable wired broadband. Tags: smart home, Home Assistant, Inovelli, mmWave, Apple, HomeView, smart speakers, Shelly, Zooz, Bitwarden, Dockhand, Starlink, broadband Links Presence sensing and smart switches Inovelli mmWave Visualizer - https://github.com/nickduvall921/mmwave_vis Inovelli mmWave Switches - https://inovelli.com/collections/smart-home/Presence Apple Smart Home Event Apple HomeView - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/ HomePod mini 2 - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-announces-the-next-generation-of-homepod-mini/ Apple TV 4K - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-unveils-the-new-apple-tv-4k/ Licensing and acquisitions Schneider Electric Buying Shelly - https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/schneider-agrees-takeover-bid-shelly-70-per-share-2026-09-24/ Jasco Buying Zooz - https://byjasco.com/pages/jasco-acquires-zooz Bitwarden published version update - https://community.bitwarden.com/t/published-version-update-in-app-stores/102750 Dockhand licensing changes - https://noted.lol/dockhand-license-changes/ Starlink Mini Starlink Mini price drop - https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/starlink-mini-drops-to-its-lowest-price-yet-at-just-149/ 45 Drives Creator Summit - https://www.45drives.com/creator-summit/#about

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Episode 16: Packing the Homelab

What we cover Alex drops the news: the house is under contract and the family is heading back to England in early November. So how is he going to keep up his homelab? Housekeeping and Home Assistant: holiday gaps ahead and Frenck's PR to fold HACS into core as a first-party plugin. First up, Stephen walks us through a day spent digitizing his company's logo for an embroidery machine, where every part of the file has to be told how to stitch. He explains the fight to get a fill that looks full and still has crisp edges, how thread direction changes the way light hits a 3D-looking design, and how feeding Claude the machine's manual helped him get this far. Next, Alex shares some big news: after 18 months of winding down his self-hosting setup, his house is under contract and the family is heading back to England in early November. He explains how he's using Hermes, Telegram voice notes, and an Obsidian Base to build a plain-text inventory of every box for UK customs and insurance. Geoff compares notes on Homebox, and the conversation turns to what self-hosting looks like when electricity costs double and the basement is gone. After that, some housekeeping. The next couple of months may bring longer gaps between episodes, and confirm the show isn't going anywhere. We also cover listener email about Geoff's episode naming, the Silo devs merging his PR, and the JetKVM team stopping by the YouTube comments. Finally, we turn to Home Assistant, where a pull request from Frenck would fold HACS into the core project as a first-party plugin. We talk about why so many installs already rely on HACS, what the new name implies, why the reply about the old "Store" name landed so well, and why paying community developers is sometimes the right call. We close with the unglamorous side of emigrating: batteries you can't ship, 110V standing desks, and amplifiers. Tags: home-assistant, hacs, moving-abroad, self-hosting, obsidian, hermes, homebox, inventory, proxmox, homelab Links Home Assistant Marketplace PR - https://github.com/home-assistant/core/pull/183502 HACS - https://github.com/hacs/integration Obsidian Bases - https://obsidian.md/help/bases Obsidian Headless Sync - https://github.com/obsidianmd/obsidian-headless Homebox - https://github.com/sysadminsmedia/homebox

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Episode 15: Docker Is Dead, Apparently

What we cover Silo: A new Go/Postgres media server that speaks the Jellyfin API, and it’s sUUupppper fast. Steam Frame: Valve's VR headset gets pricing, and we discuss who is buying one. QuickBytes: Portainer 3.0 goes enterprise, JetKVM Mini shocks us with it’s cheap price, Apple drops a foldable, and Immich 3.2 gets a memory lane. First up, Alex introduces us to Silo, a self-hosted media server built on Go and Postgres that is super fast. Silo arrives with a clean UI, multi-node transcode workers, native apps for every platform, and the real kicker: it speaks the Jellyfin API, so your existing clients work out of the box. We talk about the pros and cons to it’s approach and how it fits into the ecosystem (as well as some controversy over periods). Next, Valve finally put a price tag on the Steam Frame: $1,059 for 256GB and $1,299 for 1TB. That's cheaper than many expected given the RAMpocalypse, though reviewers note you'll spend more for some necessary accessory kits. Three of the four hosts are on the wait list. The conversation covers the impressive ARM architecture running Proton and FEX translation layers to play Windows games natively, the surprisingly thin standalone game library (Half-Life: Alyx is the headline title, from 2020), and the battery life concern of roughly 1.5 hours in Performance mode. Still, the hosts are betting on Valve's track record of iterating on hardware the way they did with the Steam Deck. Finally, the QuickBytes round hits four stories. Portainer 3.0 is going enterprise-only and pivoting hard to Kubernetes, leaving Docker fans wondering what comes next. JetKVM Mini brings matchbox-sized KVM-over-IP to the masses for just $33. Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, a $2,000 foldable with a 7.6-inch inner display and Apple Pencil support. And Immich 3.2 delivers the features Stephen's been waiting for: a dedicated memories page, improved search, and better handling of shared assets across platforms. Tags: silo, media server, self-hosting, jellyfin, steam frame, valve, vr headset, linux gaming, proton, arm, portainer, kubernetes, docker, jetkvm, kvm-over-ip, iphone duo, apple, foldable phone, immich, photo management, tailscale Links Silo Media Server - https://siloserver.org/ Steam Frame - https://store.steampowered.com/hardware/steamframe Portainer 3.0 Announcement - https://www.portainer.io/blog/portainer-3-0-is-coming JetKVM Mini - https://www.jetkvm.com/products/jetkvm-mini Immich Blog - https://immich.app/blog/v3.2.0-release

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Episode 14: You Will Own Nothing

What we cover Apple's new Mac Mini with M5 Pro and M6 chip, and the Mac Studio with M5 Ultra that can hit $18,000 (and is it worth that lofty price). The state of self-hosted music: PlexAmp goes free, Alex's Navidrome stack, whether Sonos is worth it, and the Apollo CAST-1 for whole-home audio. A roundup of favorite IP KVMs (JetKVM, GL.iNet Comet PoE, PiKVM, TinyPilot) versus built-in IPMI/iDRAC for remote server management. Sony's latest self-inflicted mess: an AB 2426 lawsuit over "you're only buying a license," and the bigger ownership-versus-licensing fight, the Don't Kill Games movement, and Valve's delisting approach. First up, Alex breaks down Apple's newly announced Mac Mini with its first M6 chip and the eye-wateringly expensive Mac Studio refresh and whether anyone actually wants or needs it. Next, we talk about PlexAmp finally going free for everyone, though no one is sure what actually changed under the hood. That leads Alex into a rundown of the self-hosted music stack he's been running instead. From there, the conversation turns to whole-home audio, with Geoff and Adam defending Sonos against Alex and Stephen's high-end audiophile skepticism, and Geoff introducing Apollo Automation's new $30 CAST-1 device, which uses ESPHome and SendSpin through Music Assistant to bring whole-home streaming to any speaker. After that, the crew compares favorite IP KVMs, including JetKVM, GL.iNet's Comet PoE, PiKVM, and TinyPilot, against built-in board management like iDRAC and IPMI for remotely managing servers and workstations. Then Geoff walks through Sony's latest self-inflicted mess: a lawsuit over California's AB 2426 disclosure law after Sony argued a "reasonable customer" should already know digital purchases are just licenses. That spirals into a broader debate about ownership versus licensing, the Don't Kill Games movement, Valve's more consumer-friendly delisting approach, and whether the pricey Steam Machine is worth the convenience tax. Alex also shares a fun open-source discovery of a remake of a beloved game, Theme Hospital. Plus a bonus post show where the gang argues over Steam Deck versus Switch portability, Stephen's fight to get Plex working in Game Mode on his Steam Machine, and cheap Chinese emulation handhelds like the R36S, Odin, and Aya Neo. Tags: Mac Mini, Mac Studio, Apple silicon, PlexAmp, Navidrome, self-hosted music, Sonos, home audio, Apollo Automation Cast 1, ESPHome, IP KVMs, JetKVM, IPMI, Sony, digital licensing, Steam Machine, CorsixTH, Theme Hospital, Steam Deck, retro handhelds. Links Self-Hosted Music & Home Audio PlexAmp - https://www.plex.tv/plexamp/ Navidrome - https://www.navidrome.org/ NaviBeat - https://navibeat.app/ AudioMuse-AI - https://github.com/NeptuneHub/AudioMuse-AI AudioMuse-AI Navidrome Plugin - https://github.com/NeptuneHub/AudioMuse-AI-NV-plugin ListenBrainz - https://listenbrainz.org/ Explo - https://github.com/LumePart/Explo Apollo CAST-1 - https://apolloautomation.com/products/cast-1-audio-casting-device Sendspin - https://www.sendspin-audio.com/ IP KVMs PiKVM - https://pikvm.com/ Sipeed NanoKVM - https://nanokvm.sipeed.com/ JetKVM - https://jetkvm.com/ JetKVM GitHub - https://github.com/jetkvm/kvm GL.iNet Comet - https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-comet/ Digital Ownership & Sony https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/playstation-gamers-sue-sony-over-what-buying-a-digital-game-really-means/ https://www.techdirt.com/2026/09/02/sony-tells-courts-any-reasonable-customer-knows-digital-purchases-are-actually-licenses/ https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/04/do-you-really-own-digital-items-you-paid/ https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-bpc/division-7/part-3/chapter-1/article-1/section-17500-6/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/sony-will-stop-making-physical-copies-of-playstation-games-in-2028/ https://kotaku.com/playstation-store-movies-digital-studio-canal-terminator-2000711013 Game Preservation CorsixTH — Open Source Theme Hospital - https://github.com/CorsixTH/CorsixTH RollerCoaster Tycoon: Wonderworks Announcement - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RollerCoaster_Tycoon_Wonderworks

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Episode 13: Amp Modelers Are Dead, Long Live Amp Modelers

What we cover Framework's refreshed 12-inch laptop, its aggressive $699 entry price, the RAM/storage tradeoffs, and Framework's surprisingly transparent Linux compatibility push. How to stay sane while working from home, including balancing the day job with passion projects when your office is also your house. Free and open-source guitar amp modeling software (Neural Amp Modeler) killing off expensive hardware modelers, plus a shoutout to the open-source Pi Pedal project. First up, Adam walks us through Framework's refreshed Laptop 12, which swaps the old 13th-gen Raptor Lake chips for Intel's efficiency-focused Core Series 3 Wildcat Lake processors. The entry-level prebuilt lands at an aggressive $699 with a Core 3, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe. The bigger story might be the connectivity upgrade, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back and two USB 3.2 on the front and the fact that 80% of first-gen Framework 12 buyers surveyed are running Linux. Stephen also talks about his experiences with the new Intel chips in a ThinkPad X1 Gen 14. Next, prompted by a question on our Discord, the trio gets into the real talk about work-from-home life and how to keep passion projects alive when your day job already lives in your spare room. Alex traces his own journey from a corner-of-the-bonus-room setup to a full attic studio, Stephen talks through sharing his garage office with his wife's embroidery business, and the group riffs on Adam's theory about the "death of the third space" and how COVID reshaped where and how we socialize. Finally, Alex and Stephen nerd out on guitar gear, specifically how free software like Neural Amp Modeler has effectively killed the need for thousand-dollar amp modeling hardware. We talk through impulse responses, why nobody can tell a modeled amp from the real thing in blind tests anymore, and Alex flags an open-source Raspberry Pi guitar pedal project called Pi Pedal for anyone wanting to build their own modeler rig without vendor lock-in. Tags: framework, framework-12, intel-core-series-3, wildcat-lake, linux-laptop, work-from-home, remote-work, third-spaces, neural-amp-modeler, nam, amp-modeling, guitar, pipedal, open-source-hardware, thinkpad, lenovo Links Framework Laptop 12: Framework Blog: Laptop 12 with Core Series 3 Framework Laptop 12 Product Page Fedora KDE on Framework 12 Pre-builts (GamingOnLinux) Neural Amp Modeler & Guitar: KTZ Blog: Amp Modelers Are Dead Neural Amp Modeler v2 Release Tone3000 — Free Amp Captures Pi Pedal — Open Source Guitar Pedal Linus Torvalds Guitar Pedal

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Episode 12: My Robot, My Rules

What we cover The FCC's move to restrict imports of foreign-made "advanced robotic devices," what it means for robot vacuums and mowers, and whether open firmware projects like Valetudo and Oomwoo can route around it. The Windows 11 GDID tracking story that surfaced through a Scattered Spider arrest, how Microsoft ties activity across services to a device identifier, and what it means for privacy on a Microsoft account. Alex's ESP32-based ADS-B plane tracker for his plane-obsessed kid, built by forking an open-source project and extending it with AI. Geoff walks through the FCC's new rule restricting imports of foreign-made "advanced robotic devices," which effectively targets Chinese-made robot vacuums and other similar products, including lawnmowers. Alex shares his experience running Valetudo on his Roborock vacuums, Adam questions the stated rationale behind the rule, and Geoff introduces Oomwoo, an upcoming open-source, 3D-printable robot vacuum project he's eyeing. The conversation turns personal when Geoff explains that his Mammotion Luba robotic mower lost its multipoint-turn feature, likely a liability response to an unfortunate injury, and Alex draws a parallel to how Tesla frames "supervised" self-driving to manage legal responsibility. We then dig into the Windows 11 GDID tracking story, which came to light through the arrest of an alleged Scattered Spider member. Stephen and Geoff trace how Microsoft associates a device identifier with a user's IP address and account activity, how that information can end up with law enforcement, and why the lack of any clear disclosure bothers them more than the tracking itself. From there, talk shifts to the Linux desktop's climb past 10% market share. Adam shares his new Steam Machine, destined for a Bazzite build, while Stephen details his switch to CachyOS after growing tired of being tracked by Windows. Finally, the show turns to AI-assisted side projects. Alex describes building an ESP32 plane tracker for his daughter by forking an open-source project and extending it with AI, sparking a broader discussion about what "vibe coding" means for hobbyists. Geoff reveals he built his own AI-coded, self-hosted CalDAV front end to replace part of Nextcloud, and Stephen reminds us all that AI-assisted development still requires understanding how to secure what you build. The crew closes out talking through File Browser's move to maintenance mode and the tangled lineage connecting OwnCloud, Nextcloud, and OpenCloud. Topics: USB-C testing, robot vacuums, robotic lawnmowers, FCC import restrictions, right to repair, Valetudo, open-source firmware, Windows 11 telemetry, privacy, Linux desktop adoption, Bazzite, CachyOS, AI-assisted coding, self-hosting, Nextcloud alternatives, OpenCloud. Links FCC Robot Order https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/robots-nsd.pdf https://www.theverge.com/policy/972312/us-robot-ban-sweep-up-chinese-vacuums https://github.com/Hypfer/Valetudo/ https://github.com/makerspet/oomwoo https://openmower.de/ Windows GDID https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/court-filing-reveals-windows-device-id.html https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/media/1450651/dl?inline ESP Radar https://github.com/ironicbadger/ESP32-Plane-Radar https://blog.ktz.me/esp32-plane-radar/ https://github.com/FuzzyMistborn/YourCAL

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Episode 11: AI, Burnout, and Everything After

What we cover Linus Torvalds' apparent reversal from "AI is 90% hype" to supporting Sashiko for kernel patch review, his pointed stance against gatekeeping AI-assisted contributions, and the Software Freedom Conservancy's new AI guidelines that try to support, not force, and not shun any position on AI use. Three core team members stepping back amid AI-contribution friction and burnout, and the crew's debate over whether Jellyfin should focus on stable "plumbing" and let the community build bespoke clients, add user-requested features directly, or pursue a Nabu Casa-style funding model to sustain development. Geoff's first steps in deploying Hermes himself after last week’s episode, Alex's story of having Hermes diagnose a household voltage drop with TeslaMate and Home Assistant data, Hermes vs. Turnstone for deterministic workflows, and the limits of local LLMs for agentic tasks versus using frontier models to generate skill files for them. First up, we trace Linus Torvalds' apparent reversal on AI, from calling it "90% hype" in 2024 to now backing Sashiko, an agentic code review tool for kernel patches. We go into the Software Freedom Conservancy's new AI contribution guidelines, and debate whether their "don't force it, don't shun it" stance is a coherent policy or just a way to avoid picking a side. Geoff also shares how he's been using AI to build his own tools, including a vibe-coded podcast recording app and a custom Jellyfin client for offline, transcoded playback. Next, the crew unpacks a leadership shakeup at Jellyfin, where a desktop app developer left the org partly over pushback on his AI-assisted contributions, and two more core team members stepped back citing burnout and personal circumstances. We discuss whether Jellyfin's volunteer-only model is sustainable given the current flood of new users and AI-generated contributions, and debate whether the project should double down on stable "plumbing" and let the community build bespoke clients, or start shipping the features users have been asking for. Adam and Alex also make the case for a Nabu Casa-style funding model that could give Jellyfin the resources to avoid burning out its maintainers again. Finally, the panel dives deep into their real-world use of Hermes agents. Geoff walks through his Outline-connected research assistant and automated morning briefing, while Alex shares his experience of using Hermes to correlate TeslaMate and Home Assistant data to diagnose a voltage drop at his house. Adam contrasts Hermes with Turnstone, a more deterministic, judge-monitored framework built for software development, and the group closes out talking through why local LLMs still struggle with context and how frontier models can be used to help make local agents viable. Tags: Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds, Sashiko, Software Freedom Conservancy, open-source Jellyfin, self-hosting, home automation, Home Assistant, TeslaMate, Hermes agent, Turnstone, local LLMs, agentic AI. Links Linus and the Linux Kernel: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/07/linux-creator-linus-torvalds-puts-foot-down-on-anti-ai-comments/ https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/linus-torvalds-rebukes-anti-ai-stances-in-the-linux-kernel-code-review-process-says-linux-is-not-one-of-those-anti-ai-projects-creator-embraces-ai-as-just-a-tool-and-clearly-a-useful-one https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-Is-Not-Anti-AI https://sfconservancy.org/llm-gen-ai/llm-backed-generative-ai-recommendations.html Jellyfin Shakeup: https://www.reddit.com/r/jellyfin/comments/1v1murx/more_jellyfin_project_departures/ https://forum.jellyfin.org/t-project-leadership-changes https://github.com/andrewrabert/jellium-desktop/issues/109 https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin.org/pull/1947 https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin.org/pull/1943 Hermes: https://github.com/turnstonelabs/turnstone

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Episode 10: Self-Hosted Awesomeness

What we cover Some of our favorite self-hosted apps! Stephen's Pick: Hermes for a self-hosted memory and orchestration layer that sits in front of Claude and ChatGPT (but is self-hosted), complete with Telegram integration (and other chat apps). Geoff's Picks: Frigate for machine-learning-powered NVR and object detection, and Healthchecks for catching silently failed cron jobs. Adam's Picks: Pangolin as a self-hosted alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels, and Pi-hole for whole-network ad blocking, with a detour into Technitium and NextDNS as alternatives. Alex's Picks (and honorable mentions): Karakeep (formerly Hoarder) for archiving links, and Paperless-ngx for document management, as well as Dawarich for location history and Termix for SSH/your other connection needs. In this episode, the BitFlip crew brings their favorite, must-run self-hosted apps, and to keep things interesting hometown favorites like Home Assistant, Plex, and Jellyfin explicitly off the table. Stephen walks through Hermes, a self-hosted layer that sits in front of Claude and ChatGPT and keeps context and memory persistent across conversations, regardless of which backend model is doing the work. He talks about linking it to Telegram for on-the-go note-taking, running it in its own VM and VLAN out of caution, and his early experiments with spinning up actual sub-agents for specialized tasks. Geoff shares his two picks: Frigate, a machine-learning-powered NVR that handles object detection for security cameras with hardware acceleration, and Healthchecks, a dead-simple way to catch cron jobs and backups that fail silently. Adam presses him on Frigate's acceleration options and some clever automation ideas, while Geoff explains how Healthchecks (paired with Runitor) has saved him from finding out about broken jobs the hard way. After that, Adam unpacks his own picks: Pangolin, which he describes as self-hosted Cloudflare Tunnels with built-in authentication and reverse proxy features, and Pi-hole for whole home ad blocking. That leads into a debate with Adam and Geoff about Pangolin's shift toward a business-backed license, and a side-by-side of Pi-hole, Technitium, and NextDNS for DNS filtering. Finally, Geoff relays a few of Alex's picks: Karakeep (formerly Hoarder) for archiving and tagging saved links and Paperless-ngx for scanning and organizing documents. Geoff also shares some honorable mentions of Dawarich for location history recording and tracking and Termix for SSH'ing on the go. Tags: self-hosted AI agents, Hermes, Frigate, NVR, object detection, Healthchecks, cron monitoring, Pangolin, Cloudflare Tunnels, Pi-hole, Technitium, NextDNS, Karakeep, Paperless-ngx, Dawarich, Termix Links Hermes: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/ https://github.com/nousresearch/hermes-agent Frigate: https://frigate.video https://github.com/blakeblackshear/frigate/ Healthchecks: https://healthchecks.io https://github.com/healthchecks/healthchecks Runitor - https://github.com/bdd/runitor Pangolin: https://pangolin.net/ https://github.com/fosrl/pangolin Pi-hole: https://pi-hole.net/ https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole Karakeep: https://karakeep.app/ https://github.com/karakeep-app/karakeep Paperless-NGX: https://docs.paperless-ngx.com/ https://github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx Dawarich: https://dawarich.app/ https://github.com/Freika/dawarich Termix: https://github.com/Termix-SSH/Termix

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Episode 9: What's the Matter Daddy?

What we cover The Steam Machine pricing reveal and whether $1,049 is fair, considering all the supply chain constraints, the 8GB VRAM on the GPU, and the "4K ready" marketing that nobody's buying. We also discuss SteamOS getting a broader "release" and whether it presents any advantages over Bazzite. Matter 1.6 and the joint Fabric spec — finally letting Google, Amazon, and Apple co-administer the same device network — plus the Open Home Foundation's "proxy all the things" push to pull legacy RF and IR devices into Home Assistant without new hardware. Alex's deep-dive review of 16 Jellyfin clients for tvOS: the contenders and not-so-good options, the criteria that separated them, and why AI-powered search has him genuinely excited. Also, we talk about Jellyfin's version 12 RC1 release and the under-the-hood performance improvements that are coming, as well as how Jellyfin June is going and whether we should take a look at Emby. First up, Valve finally put a price tag on the Steam Machine, and it landed at $1,049, which is higher than almost everyone was expecting. We go through the specs, the supply chain realities Valve was dealing with, the RAM lottery buyers might face, and the "4K ready" marketing claim that the benchmarks don't really support. We also talk about the quiet win: a gaming console shipping with Linux as its default OS. Geoff also flags the LTT Linux challenge wrap-up, where even Linus himself came away more sold on Linux than expected. Next, we cover the Matter 1.6 release, which finally allows multiple smart home ecosystems to co-administer the same device network rather than siloing everything behind individual hubs. Geoff unpacks what that actually means in practice, the difference between Matter over IP and Matter over Thread, and why the Open Home Foundation's parallel push to bring IR, RF, and Bluetooth devices into Home Assistant as first-class citizens matters just as much as the spec itself. The panel remains cautiously optimistic about Matter's long-term prospects, with the crew admitting they've been hearing "Matter is almost here" for years at this point. Finally, Alex brings his exhaustive tvOS Jellyfin client review to the table: 16 clients tested, four strong contenders, and one that's emerged as his clear favorite. We also touch on Jellyfin version 12 RC1, the one-way database migration you should snapshot before attempting, and the perennial Emby vs. Jellyfin debate, which the crew puts to bed pretty decisively. Tags: Steam Machine, Valve, SteamOS, Linux gaming, Bazzite, Matter 1.6, joint Fabric, Home Assistant, Open Home Foundation, Jellyfin, Jellyfin clients, tvOS, Neptune, Emby, Plex Links https://youtu.be/66QzlDewigE?si=ET1ZiWfcPIT7tFT9/ https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/06/valve-upgraded-the-steamos-installation-image-to-the-big-steamos-3-8-release/ https://steamdeckhq.com/news/valve-gives-green-light-to-install-steamos-on-desktop/ https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2026/06/23/the-matter-upgrade-youve-been-waiting-for/ https://www.openhomefoundation.org/blog/proxy-all-the-things-no-device-left-behind/ https://csa-iot.org/newsroom/matter-1-6-enables-more-intuitive-setup-multi-ecosystem-experiences-and-context-driven-control/ https://www.theverge.com/tech/896006/ikea-matter-thread-smart-home-problems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP9uoA6PX8U

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Episode 8: Just Install it on the Host

What we cover The NVIDIA RTX Spark announcement at Computex and NVIDIA's plans to own both the data center and the desk, as well as the local LLM space in general. Alex's Perfect Media Server Part 3 video and whether Unraid or TrueNAS….or OpenMediaVault are potentially the better choice. Jellyfin June update, and why running Jellyfin, Navidrome, and AudioBookshelf as separate containers might be better than chasing a single holistic solution like Plex. First up, we cover NVIDIA's announcement at Computex of the NVIDIA RTX Spark; a laptop platform combining a Blackwell GPU with an ARM CPU and 128GB of unified memory. Adam walks us through the hardware, we debate the MacBook Pro parallels, and Alex lays out what he thinks the announcement really signals: NVIDIA wants to own the edge just as much as the cloud. That conversation spills into local AI for the enterprise, with Stephen explaining what it actually looks like to roll out AI tools in SMB environments, and Geoff puts on his lawyer hat (yet again) and shames Microsoft for their horribly complicated terms of service. Next, Alex tells us about the release of Version 3 of his Perfect Media Server Part 3 series video. We go into the core design choices (and why some viewers were upset about it). Adam makes the honest case that Unraid would have handled almost all of it without any CLI, and the panel hashes out the real question: is building the hard way still worth it when perfectly good managed alternatives exist? Finally, we do a discuss how Jellyfin June is going with Alex. We talk about what Jellyfin genuinely does well, where it still has rough edges, and how a stack of focused containers (Jellyfin for video, Navidrome for music, AudioBookshelf for audiobooks) might be a better answer than any single holistic platform. Topics: NVIDIA RTX Spark, Computex, Windows on ARM, local AI, LLMs, Microsoft Copilot, data privacy, Proxmox, MergerFS, SnapRAID, Unraid, TrueNAS, Docker, Ansible, Jellyfin, Navidrome, AudioBookshelf, Plex, Tailscale, self-hosted media Links Nvidia https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/nvidia-unveils-rtx-spark-superchip-at-computex-2026-new-platform-promises-to-turn-windows-into-an-agentic-ai-os-with-arm-cpu-blackwell-gpu-and-128gb-unified-memory Perfect Media Server 3.0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xLopzndVfU https://perfectmediaserver.com Jellyfin June Check-in https://perfectmediaserver.com/jellyfinjune/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYVyBfvOGaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNHvBo5xHEA https://github.com/pounat/absorb

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Episode 7: Perplexing 💩

What we cover We talk about Plex's recent pricing changes, what it means for the future of Plex, and our plans to try out Jellyfin during "Jellyfin June" Bitwarden recently very quietly changed CEOs, with the new CEO having a background in venture capitalism and private equity. We discuss what this means Geoff puts on his lawyer hat and updates us on the ongoing saga of Bambu Lab v. the open source community Coming to you live from Stephen's garage, it's episode 7! Well…most of us anyway. First on the docket, we talk about Plex raising the price on its Lifetime Pass for the second time in 2 years. Alex fills us in on his plans to migrate from Plex to Jellyfin, this time hopefully for good, and we discuss our experiences with Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin. More to come on this one as we enter what we're calling "Jellyfin June!" Please join us and share your experiences as we move through the month! Next up, we discuss the quiet leadership shakeup at Bitwarden: a new CEO and CFO have come in with backgrounds tied to private equity firms, raising concerns about the future of Bitwarden as an open source project and as a viable password manager. We discuss what we might do if Bitwarden goes the way of LastPass. Finally, Geoff puts on his lawyer hat to update us on the latest in the ongoing saga of Bambu versus the open source community. Specifically we talk about the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) stepping in, including taking steps to reverse engineer Bambu's proprietary network plugin and Geoff provides some insight into what is at play in this debate. Spoiler alert: it's complicated! Tags: Plex, Jellyfin, Jellyfin June, Open Source, Bitwarden, Private Equity, Enshittification, Bambu Lab, AGPLv3, Geoff's lawyer hat Links Plex https://www.plex.tv/blog/new-lifetime-plex-pass-pricing/ https://blog.ktz.me/the-enshittification-of-plex/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9ELRrIXVmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzFXwS8Abs https://techhub.social/@ironicbadger/116629327591673010 https://jellyfin.org/posts/state-of-the-fin-2026-05-24/ Bitwarden https://www.fastcompany.com/91542655/bitwarden-scrubs-always-free-and-inclusion-values-from-its-website-as-longtime-execs-step-down https://howmation.com/en_US/blog/article/bitwarden-2026-what-really-changes https://itsfoss.com/news/bitwarden-quiet-changes/ https://blog.ppb1701.com/the-quiet-renovation-at-bitwarden Bambu Lab https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab/blob/main/bambu_agpl.md https://sfconservancy.org/news/2026/may/18/bambu-studio-3d-printer-agpl-violation-response/ https://www.theverge.com/tech/931532/bambu-agpl-pawel-jarczak-open-source-threat-dmca-github

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Episode 6: Bambu-zled

What we cover Breaking down the recent controversy involving Bambu Lab and an OrcaSlicer fork, and the ramifications Bambu's actions. The CopyFail and DirtyFrag kernel vulnerabilities and the merits of responsible disclosure in an era when AI can discover vulnerabilities faster than they can be patched. Adam shares his experience at a fully off-grid compound in California and the crew draws parallels between off-grid living and self-hosting. First up, a fired-up Geoff provides details on the recent kerfuffle between Bambu Lab and the open source community. We also go into some of the background of how this is not Bambu's first such controversy. We discuss what exactly the developer of the open source fork of OrcaSlicer did, Bambu's completely off-the-mark handling of the situation, and the open source world's fierce backlash in response. Next, we talk about the CopyFail (CVE-2026-31431) and DirtyFrag (CVE-2026-43284/43500) Linux kernel privilege escalation vulnerabilities that were recently discovered in part by AI. That discussion leads to a more general discussion about the responsible disclosure model in a world where vulnerabilities are being found and reverse-engineered faster than ever. Finally, Adam chats with us about his experience at an off-grid, solar-powered compound in California. We discuss the parallels between off-grid living and self-hosting software and owning your own infrastructure, and whether HomeAssistant is up to the task of managing critical off-grid systems. Topics: 3D printing, Bambu Lab, OrcaSlicer, open-source licensing, Linux kernel CVEs, AI security research, responsible disclosure, off-grid living, self-hosting, HomeAssistant. Links Bambu/OrcaSlicer: https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab https://blog.bambulab.com/setting-the-record-straight-on-cloud-access-and-community/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIbpQtoz6hs https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2026/bambu-lab-abusing-open-source-social-contract/ https://gamersnexus.net/fk-you-bambu-lab CopyFail/Dirty Frag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_Fail https://blog.mozilla.org/en/privacy-security/ai-security-zero-day-vulnerabilities/ https://hacks.mozilla.org/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-hardening-firefox/ https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/linux-bitten-by-second-severe-vulnerability-in-as-many-weeks/ https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/linux-kernel-dirty-frag-lpe-exploit.html https://tailscale.com/events-webinars/toronto-tech-week-tailscale-meetup

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Episode 5: Framework Makes the Dreamwork

What we cover Breaking down the big Framework announcement and who is upgrading. Alex watched a rocket launch! Kasm and Proxmox announce an official partnership for on-demand self-hosted VDI. Is the Steam Controller's pricing a mistake or a shrewd decision by Valve? Quick Bytes: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Racoon" https://linuxconfig.org/ubuntu-26-04-release-date-and-new-features-in-resolute-raccoon Fedora 44 release https://rsvp.fedoraproject.org/releases/f44/ Bitwarden CLI Build Pipeline Compromised https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/bitwarden-cli-compromised-in-ongoing.html Cal.com goes closed source https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1smangt/calcom_uses_fears_of_ai_against_security_as_an/ Framework had a big announcement week. The crew breaks down the new Framework 13 Pro, including its milled-aluminum unibody chassis, Panther Lake and Ryzen AI 300 processor options, LPCAMM2 memory, a touchscreen display, and Ubuntu certification out of the box. We'll talk about whose already bought one, who might buy one, who is torn, and who is staying put. The Framework 16 also gets attention for its new OcuLink eGPU expansion port and we also talk about the Framework Keyboard. From there the panel unpacks Kasm's official Proxmox partnership and its new Autoscaler, which lets self-hosted VDI sessions spin up on demand instead of sitting idle all day. Stephen shares real-world context from his MSP clients who are already asking for exactly this kind of hosted desktop solution, and the crew debates the over-provisioning math when you're running VDI on finite infrastructure. The Steam Controller's return at $100 rounds out the main topics, with a dig into its TMR analog sticks, haptic touchpads, and magnetic charging puck — and whether Valve was thinking strategically in pricing the Steam Controller with the (hopefully) upcoming release of the Steam Machine. Topics: Framework, Framework 13 Pro, Framework 16, OcuLink, eGPU, SpaceX Falcon Heavy, Kasm, Proxmox, VDI, Steam, Steam Controller, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, Fedora 42, Bitwarden CLI Links https://www.phoronix.com/news/Framework-Laptop-13-Pro https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/04/framework-laptop-13-pro-is-selling-out-with-the-linux-version-beating-windows/ Framework Fan Control: https://ozturkkl.github.io/framework-control/ https://www.proxmox.com/en/about/company-details/press-releases/kasm-en https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/45479024/view/508485755865137686 https://www.theverge.com/games/918610/valve-steam-controller-review

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Episode 4: Who Let the Magic Smoke Out?

What we cover Alex's overnight homelab failure and the dangers of a single point of failure High availability vs. disaster recovery: how much redundancy does a homelab actually need? Bambu X2D, Snapmaker U1, and whether Prusa can still compete (or has closed source won?) Power banks in 2025: travel companions, UPS replacements, and why the screen matters We kick off the episode with Alex sharing a cautionary tale about his MinisForum MS01 PC dying unexpectedly, taking down his Home Assistant, DNS (this time it wasn't DNS, we swear!), and reverse proxy along with it — sparking a broader conversation about the line between home lab and home production. We discuss strategies for high availability versus simpler disaster recovery, the value of keeping smart home automations additive rather than replacing physical controls, and the discipline required to maintain proper separation between prod and test environments. We also talk about 3D printing, covering the newly announced Bambu X2D and its surprisingly aggressive $899 price point when compared to the pricing of the Snapmaker U1, the ongoing tension between Bambu's closed ecosystem and open-source alternatives like Prusa, and a brief tangent on legislation around 3D-printed firearms. We wrap up with a quick discussion on high-capacity power banks, particularly their usefulness for travel and potential as UPS replacements during power outages. Topics: homelab, Home Assistant, high-availability, disaster recovery, Proxmox, self-hosting, 3d-printing bambu lab, snapmaker, prusa, power banks, minisforum Links https://techhub.social/@ironicbadger/116404039086155625 https://bambulab.com/en-us/x2d https://www.snapmaker.com/snapmaker-u1 Anker Nano Power Bank, 10,000mAh: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Charger-Compatible-MacBook/dp/B0C9CJKCH3

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Episode 3: How to lose friends and alienate people

What we cover Getting to know Stephen and his MSP business The sad saga of the fall of MinIO MXroute/SimpeLogin and self-hosting email Quick Hits: Snapraid v14 release, now with a GUI! Jellyfin 10.11.7 release, patch immediately to address 4 major CVE's Opt out of Microsoft/GitHub training CoPilot on your data Trivy (popular CI/CD vulnerability scanner) compromised See also Dockhand release notes FCC Bans Commercial Routers in US In Episode 3, Adam is on vacation (or something like that), but Alex, Geoff and Stephen are here to close out our "meet the hosts" segment as we talk to Stephen about his tech origin story — from disassembling the family PC as a kid to enterprise storage work and eventually founding his own MSP. Then we dig into MinIO's troubled relationship with the open source community, how it affected two of the hosts directly, and whether alternatives like Garage and SeaweedFS are worth exploring for home lab S3 storage. Next, Geoff walks us through his email journey — from Gmail to ProtonMail to FastMail to MXRoute — and how a newly discovered API in MXRoute let him ditch his SimpleLogin subscription entirely. We also get into email aliasing, privacy, and why self-hosting email is a hill none of us are willing to die on. We close out with our new Quick Hits segment: SnapRaid 14 ships with a GUI, a critical Jellyfin security patch, GitHub Copilot training opt-out, the Trivy/Dockhand compromise, and the FCC's controversial router ruling. Topics: MSP, Minio, S3 object storage, Garage, SeaweedFS, MXroute, email, SimpleLogin, Snapraid, Jellyfin, GitHub, Trivy, FCC, routers Links Replace GitHub with This - Tailscale YouTube https://blog.fuzzymistborn.com/restic-server-over-minio/ https://garagehq.deuxfleurs.fr/ https://github.com/seaweedfs/seaweedfs https://blog.fuzzymistborn.com/mxroute-email-aliases/ https://mxroute.com https://simplelogin.io https://mxroutespammer.com/ https://gitlab.com/tomhello56/mxroute-alias-manager https://github.com/bfpimentel/bitwarden-mxroute

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Episode 2: From Video Games to Unraid

What we cover A trip down memory lane with Adam IEMs and Geoff's terrible hearing Nvidia Shield v. Apple TV showdown Booklore implosion and rebirth as Grimmory In this episode of BitFlip, Alex, Adam, Geoff, and Stephen talk through Adam’s tech journey from old game consoles and early PC gaming to enterprise storage, FreeNAS, iXsystems, and now Unraid. It is a fun look at how childhood hobbies can turn into a career in infrastructure and support. The crew also dives into the strange and expensive world of in ear monitors, the growing frustration with the Nvidia Shield, and why good home media hardware still feels harder than it should be. There is plenty of nostalgia here too, with side trips into old Linux distros, XBMC, and the joys of tinkering. To close out the show, the hosts unpack the latest self hosted community drama around Booklore, open source ownership, forks, and what happens when trust breaks down between a maintainer and their users. It is a mix of practical tech, opinion, and the kind of conversation that happens when a few infrastructure nerds get together. Topics: gaming, retro gaming, linux, unraid, zfs, headphones, IEMs, audio equipment, Nvidia Shield, Apple TV, Booklore, Grimmory, drama Links https://florisse.nl/shield-debloat/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/inside-nvidias-10-year-effort-to-make-the-shield-tv-the-most-updated-android-device-ever/ https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1rs275q/psa_think_hard_before_you_deploy_booklore/ https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1rvmnru/what_happened_to_booklore/ https://github.com/grimmory-tools/grimmory

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Episode 1: Let's do this, then.

What we cover MacBook Neo /r/selfhosted new Friday rule Huntarr fiasco The right way to run Proxmox, LXCs, and docker does not exist Vibeslop and AI existential crisis Welcome to the first episode of the BitFlip Show, a new podcast about self-hosting, Linux, homelabs, and open source technology. Host Alex (formerly of the Self-Hosted podcast and now at Tailscale) is joined by Adam Morales from Lime Technology (Unraid), Stephen (an MSP operator running real-world infrastructure), and Geoff, a lawyer-by-day and passionate Linux homelabber. In this episode, the panel introduces the show, shares how they each got into computing, and dives into Geoff’s journey from building an HTPC NAS to running a fully Linux-powered homelab with Proxmox, Docker, and automation. The conversation also explores some of the most interesting debates in the self-hosting community right now: running Docker on Proxmox, homelab best practices vs pragmatism, the new MacBook Neo announcement, and the rise of AI “vibe coding.” The hosts break down the recent Huntarr controversy in the self-hosted ecosystem and discuss the risks of AI-generated code, open-source responsibility, and what the future might look like for developers and homelab enthusiasts. If you're interested in homelabs, Docker, Proxmox, self-hosting apps, Linux infrastructure, and the future of open source, this show is for you. Subscribe for new episodes every two weeks as the BitFlip team explores the tools, debates, and ideas shaping the modern self-hosting community. Topics: self-hosting, Linux, homelab, Proxmox, Docker, open source, Unraid, Home Assistant, AI coding, vibe coding, Huntarr controversy, MacBook Neo. Links https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1rckopd/huntarr_your_passwords_and_your_entire_arr_stacks/ https://www.apple.com/macbook-neo/

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A new beginning.

BitFlip is almost live. This is a short teaser ahead of the full show launch on Friday, March 6, 2026.