Moving in together? Merging your tech is the new relationship milestone. Learn why a network diagram might be the most romantic thing you create together.

My partner and I just finished the big move-in checklist.

Boxes unpacked? Mostly.
Furniture assembled? Yes, with only minor arguments.
First big grocery shop? Done.

But then we hit an item that wasn’t on any traditional checklist: merging our digital lives.

It’s a modern relationship milestone. It’s not just about deciding whose couch to keep anymore. It’s about deciding whose Wi-Fi router is better. It’s about connecting a mess of smart speakers, gaming consoles, work laptops, and streaming sticks into one, cohesive system that doesn’t crash every time someone microwaves popcorn.

I saw a beautiful example of this the other day. A couple, fresh from moving in together, was facing this exact challenge. They had two of everything. Two home labs, two collections of gadgets, two different ways of being online.

Instead of just plugging things in and hoping for the best, the girlfriend did something brilliant. She drew a network diagram.

More Than Just a Map for Your Wi-Fi

At first glance, a network diagram seems… well, nerdy. It’s a flowchart with boxes and lines showing how the modem connects to the router, which connects to the server, the work computer, the smart TV, and so on.

But it was more than just a technical drawing. It was a relationship document.

Think about it. Creating that diagram together meant they had to talk about everything.

• Needs and Priorities: He might need ultra-low latency for gaming. She might need a rock-solid connection for non-stop video calls. Who gets the hardwired ethernet port? Where does the router need to be placed to cover both the home office and the living room?
• Taking Inventory: It forced them to lay all their tech on the table. It’s the 21st-century version of combining your record collections. What do we keep? What do we get rid of? Do we really need three different streaming devices that all do the same thing?
• Creating a Shared Foundation: That diagram wasn’t just about connecting devices. It was a plan for their shared space. It was them, as a team, building the invisible infrastructure of their new home. It was a statement that this is no longer “my network” and “your network.” It’s “our network.”

This simple act of planning prevents a thousand tiny future arguments. No more, “Is the internet down or is it just your computer?” No more blaming each other when Netflix starts buffering. It’s all right there, on the map.

The New Language of Love?

We talk a lot about communication in relationships. But we rarely talk about what communication looks like when our lives are this entangled with technology.

Sometimes, love isn’t a grand, poetic gesture. Sometimes, it’s drawing a little box for your partner’s PlayStation 5 and making sure it has a clear, strong path to the internet. It’s about taking the time to understand their world and finding a way for it to fit with yours.

It’s an act of service. It’s a practical expression of care. It’s building something together.

So, if you’re moving in with someone, I’d add a new item to your to-do list, right between “buy a new shower curtain” and “figure out who takes out the trash.”

Sit down and map out your network.

You don’t need fancy software. A piece of paper and a pen will do just fine. Here’s what to talk about:

• The Main Connection: Where does the internet come into the house? Where will the modem and router live?
• The “Must-Haves”: What devices absolutely need the fastest, most stable connection? (Think work computers, gaming consoles).
• The Wireless Crew: What devices will run on Wi-Fi? (Phones, tablets, smart speakers).
• Shared Resources: Are you going to have a shared printer or a network-attached storage (NAS) drive for photos and files? Put it on the map.

It might feel a little silly at first. But what you’re really doing is practicing communication, planning, and compromise. You’re not just untangling cables; you’re untangling future frustrations.

That network diagram is more than just a map of your technology. It’s one of the first blueprints of the life you’re building together. And that’s a pretty romantic thing, if you ask me.

Discover the surprising hobby of a NASA astronaut and why he uses a home lab to back up priceless photos from the International Space Station.

You ever wonder what astronauts do in their downtime?

I always pictured them doing… well, astronaut things. Floating, running experiments, or maybe just staring out the window at our amazing planet. And sure, they do all that. But they also have hobbies. Real, down-to-earth hobbies.

I had one of those moments recently where two worlds I never thought would intersect suddenly collided. I met NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick. And after a few minutes of conversation, I learned about his hobby. It’s not woodworking or learning the guitar.

He’s into homelabbing.

For anyone not in the know, a “homelab” is basically a personal playground for tech enthusiasts. It’s where you run your own servers, manage your own network, and basically build a mini version of a corporate data center right in your own home. It’s a hobby for the seriously curious, the tinkerers, the people who want to know how the internet really works.

And an active NASA astronaut is one of them.

A Mission-Critical Backup

So, why is an astronaut running servers at home? It’s not just for fun. It’s for one of the coolest reasons I’ve ever heard.

He needs a reliable way to store and back up all the photos he took from the International Space Station.

Think about that for a second. These aren’t just holiday snaps. They are irreplaceable, once-in-a-lifetime images captured from a perspective most of us will never have. Losing them would be a tragedy. So, he doesn’t just dump them onto an external hard drive and hope for the best.

He’s doing it right. He told me he’s been learning about systems like TrueNAS and Proxmox—staples of the homelab community. He has two Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices at home. A NAS is just a dedicated box full of hard drives that connects to your home network. He uses one as his main storage and a second one as a complete backup. It’s a simple, robust strategy that ensures his priceless data is safe.

It just makes perfect sense. When your data is that important, you don’t mess around.

More Than Just JPEGs

Here’s where it gets even more interesting.

Most of the incredible images we see from NASA are high-resolution JPEGs. They’re beautiful, but they’re also compressed and processed. The digital equivalent of a developed photograph.

But Matthew is working to get more of the RAW photos shared with the public.

If you’re into photography, you know why this is a big deal. A RAW file is like the original film negative. It contains all the unprocessed data straight from the camera’s sensor. It gives photographers and scientists immense freedom to edit, process, and analyze the image without losing any quality.

Having access to RAW files from space would be huge. It would let anyone with the right software see exactly what the camera saw. You could pull out more detail from the shadows, adjust the colors to be scientifically accurate, and explore the universe in a much more authentic way. His push for this kind of data sharing shows he’s not just a space explorer, but a true advocate for open information.

One of Us

It turns out, this isn’t a new side of him. He’s the same astronaut who famously got to nerd out with Destin from the YouTube channel SmarterEveryDay, live from the ISS Cupola. He has a genuine passion for technology and for sharing that passion with the world.

Meeting him was a fantastic reminder that the people we see as heroes are often just curious, passionate people like us. They have personal projects, they worry about backing up their files, and they get excited about the same tech we do.

The only difference is, their “office” has a much, much better view. And their photo library is literally out of this world.

Are VPNs and complex firewalls always necessary for home servers? Exploring a balanced, practical approach to network security without the paranoia.

I was scrolling through some online forums the other day, and a question caught my eye. A software engineer with decades of experience basically asked: are we all getting a little too paranoid about home network security?

It’s a good question.

Spend enough time in homelab or self-hosting communities, and you’ll see a constant stream of advice telling you to lock everything down. Hide your IP address behind Cloudflare. Only access your services through a VPN or Tailscale. Set up fail2ban with rules so strict a fly couldn’t get in.

The general vibe is that if you expose a service directly to the internet, you’re just one zero-day vulnerability away from total disaster. But is that really the whole story?

The “Fort Knox” Approach to Home Security

First, let’s talk about why this advice exists. The core idea is that your home network is a much softer target than a professionally managed server in a data center. The logic goes something like this:

• You’re the IT department: Unlike a business, you don’t have a dedicated security team. You’re the one responsible for every update, every patch, and every firewall rule.
• Accidents happen: It’s easy to accidentally expose a sensitive dashboard or an old, unpatched service without realizing it. We’ve all done it.
• Automated attacks are relentless: The moment you open a port, automated bots from all over the world start knocking. They’re not targeting you specifically; they’re just scanning for any known vulnerability.

So, the common wisdom is to create a layered defense. A VPN, for example, acts like a secure, private tunnel into your network. No one on the outside can even see your services unless they’re on the VPN. It reduces your “attack surface,” as the security pros say.

It makes a lot of sense. It’s the safest route. But is it the only route?

A Different Perspective: Is It Overkill?

The engineer who asked the original question had a great point. He’s been deploying services online for his entire career and has rarely run into major security issues. He wondered why we treat our home servers with so much more paranoia than a public-facing web server.

His plan was simple: expose the standard web ports (80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS) and put them behind a solid reverse proxy like Caddy, which handles all the security certificates automatically. Then, use an authentication layer like Authentik to make sure only authorized users can access the services.

So, why should he bother with a VPN?

This is where the conversation gets interesting. For someone who understands the tech, this setup is actually pretty robust.

• A good reverse proxy is a strong front door. Tools like Caddy, Nginx, or Traefik are built to handle the wild west of the internet. They are hardened and constantly updated.
• Authentication is key. If every service requires a secure login before you can even see it, you’ve already blocked 99% of automated threats.
• It’s just more convenient. Let’s be honest. Connecting to a VPN every time you want to check a service on your phone is a hassle. Sometimes you just want a simple, secure URL that works.

The argument here is that if you have a well-configured, minimal setup, the risk is manageable. You aren’t exposing insecure protocols or forgotten, vulnerable applications. You’re just exposing a single, hardened entry point that then routes traffic internally.

So, What’s the Right Answer?

I think the reason for the conflicting advice comes down to two things: experience and risk.

Is it possible that much of the hyper-cautious security advice is aimed at beginners? Absolutely. When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to misconfigure something or not fully grasp the risks. Recommending a VPN-only setup is a safe, one-size-fits-all solution that prevents a lot of common mistakes.

But if you know what you’re doing—if you understand how to properly configure a reverse proxy, keep your software updated, and manage user authentication—then exposing a couple of ports directly isn’t necessarily reckless. It’s a calculated risk.

You’re trading a little bit of theoretical security for a lot of practical convenience.

For me, it’s about finding a balance. I use a VPN for sensitive things like my router’s admin page or my file server. But for less critical services that I want to access easily, I’m comfortable putting them behind a reverse proxy with strong authentication.

The fear of being hacked is real, but maybe we don’t need to build a fortress when a solid, locked door will do. What matters is that you understand the lock.

Discover how to turn an awkward, unused nook in your house into a functional and discreet closet server. A guide to finding the perfect spot for your DIY tech.

Every house has one. You know what I’m talking about. That weird, useless space.

Maybe it’s a shallow closet that can’t even fit a proper hanger. Maybe it’s that high-up ledge in the hallway you can’t reach without a ladder. For me, it was a strange, boxy alcove above my coat closet, a relic of some long-forgotten architectural choice. For years, I just ignored it. It was a dust collector. A nothing-space.

Until one day, I was looking at it and a thought just popped into my head: What if I put something important there?

It turns out, these forgotten corners are often the perfect place for a small home server.

Wait, Why Would I Even Want a Home Server?

I get it. The word “server” sounds intimidating. It conjures up images of giant, humming machines in a cold, dark room. But it doesn’t have to be like that. A home server can be as simple as a single, tiny computer.

Think of it as the brain for your home. It’s a central hub for all your digital stuff. And once you have one, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.

Here are a few things it can do, without getting too technical:

• Your Personal Netflix: You can store all your movies and TV shows and stream them to any device in your house. No more relying on streaming services to keep your favorite film in their library.
• A Private Cloud: Instead of paying for Dropbox or Google Drive, you can create your own. It’s perfect for backing up your family photos, important documents, and computer files automatically.
• A Smarter Smart Home: If you have smart lights, plugs, or sensors, a server can tie them all together. This gives you more control and privacy than relying on big tech companies.
• A Sandbox for Learning: Maybe you just want to tinker. A home server is an amazing place to learn about networking, coding, or just how computers really work.

The best part is that you can tuck it away somewhere completely out of sight. And that brings me back to that awkward little nook.

Finding Your Server’s New Home

The idea really clicked when I saw how someone online had used a similar space. They took a spot most people would ignore and planned to put a small server rack in it. It was brilliant.

Suddenly, I started seeing potential everywhere. That forgotten space isn’t useless; it’s an opportunity. It’s discreet, it’s out of the way, and it turns dead space into a functional part of your home.

So, take a walk around your house. I bet you have a spot just like it.

Look for:
* The top shelf of a closet
* The space under the stairs
* A strangely deep kitchen cabinet
* An unused corner in the basement or garage

You’re looking for a place that’s out of the main flow of traffic. A spot that nobody would miss.

A Few Things to Think About First

Before you start running cables, there are a few practical things to consider. Putting a computer in a tiny, enclosed space requires a little planning.

1. Airflow is Key
Servers, even small ones, generate heat. You can’t just toss a computer in a sealed box and expect it to be happy. You’ll need some way for cool air to get in and warm air to get out. This could be as simple as drilling some vent holes or installing a tiny, quiet USB fan you can buy for a few dollars.

2. You’ll Need Power
This one’s obvious, but you need a power outlet nearby. If there isn’t one, you might need to think about running an extension cord or hiring an electrician for a cleaner installation.

3. What About Noise?
Some hardware can be noisy. While many modern, small devices are nearly silent, it’s still a good idea to choose a location where a little bit of fan hum won’t bother anyone, especially at night. A hallway closet is usually better than your bedroom closet.

4. Can You Reach It?
You won’t need to access it every day, but you will need to get to it for setup and occasional maintenance. Make sure the spot isn’t so clever that you can’t physically reach it when you need to.

The solution to keeping it all neat is often a small, wall-mounted rack. These are just simple metal frames that let you organize your gear vertically. It keeps things tidy, helps with airflow, and makes your little project look surprisingly professional.

So next time you walk past that odd, forgotten corner of your home, give it a second look. It might not be useless space after all. It might just be the perfect home for your next project.

Struggling to find a compact enclosure for your mini PC cluster? Explore clever, space-saving solutions beyond server racks and 3D printing for your homelab.

So, you did it. You finally pulled the trigger on a few of those sleek, powerful mini PCs. Maybe you got a great deal, or maybe you, like me, just had that itch to build something new and dive deeper into the homelab world. You’ve got these little boxes of potential—a Proxmox cluster in the making—ready to replace your old, noisy desktop tower.

It feels great, right? The hardware is sitting there, gleaming on your desk. But then comes the question that stops the project in its tracks: Where do you actually put them?

This was exactly where I found myself recently. I had three shiny new Minisforum PCs, but my “office” is a converted pantry. Space is a luxury I don’t have. I needed a way to stack or organize them that wasn’t a giant, space-hogging server rack. And I don’t own a 3D printer, so printing a custom mount was out.

I figured finding a simple case or stand would be easy. I was wrong. The search for the perfect, compact, non-rack enclosure for a mini PC cluster is surprisingly tough.

The Problem: Finding a Home for Your Homelab

Most of the solutions out there seem to fall into two camps: massive rackmounts or custom 3D-printed brackets.

Rackmounts are fantastic if you have a dedicated server closet or a basement with plenty of room. But for those of us working out of a small corner, a 10-inch rack, let alone a full-sized one, just isn’t practical. It’s overkill and eats up precious desk or shelf space.

The 3D printing community has come up with some brilliant designs, and if you have a printer, you’re golden. But for the rest of us, it feels like being left out of a club. You can see the perfect solution on Thingiverse, but you have no way to make it.

So, what’s the alternative? How do you create a clean, organized, and space-efficient mini PC cluster without a rack or a 3D printer?

Thinking Outside the (Server) Box

After a lot of digging, I realized I needed to get creative. The perfect off-the-shelf product might not exist, but there are plenty of clever workarounds and niche vendors who can help.

Here’s what I found.

1. Vertical Stands and Desk Organizers

This is the simplest and often cheapest solution. Instead of laying the mini PCs flat and stacking them (which can be bad for airflow), stand them on their sides.

• Laptop Stands: A simple vertical laptop stand can often hold two or even three mini PCs snugly. Look for the adjustable kind that lets you set the width of the slots. It keeps them upright, separated for good airflow, and minimizes their footprint.
• Metal File Sorters: Hear me out. A sturdy, metal mesh file sorter or letter organizer from an office supply store can work wonders. They are designed to hold heavy files, have built-in dividers, and offer fantastic ventilation. They’re cheap, easy to find, and surprisingly effective. I saw one person using a bamboo dish rack—it looked great and did the job perfectly.

The key is to measure your mini PCs and check the dimensions of the organizer. As long as it’s stable and allows air to move, you’re good to go.

2. Specialized Etsy and Small Vendor Mounts

While mainstream sites might let you down, there’s a whole world of small businesses and individual makers who cater specifically to the homelab crowd. Etsy is a goldmine for this stuff.

Many sellers on Etsy offer 3D printing services. You can find a design you like on a site like Thingiverse, and have an Etsy seller print and ship it to you. This gives you the customization of 3D printing without needing to own the hardware.

There are also vendors who have designed their own mounting systems. I’ve seen small, laser-cut acrylic stands and metal brackets designed specifically for popular mini PC models from brands like Minisforum, Beelink, and Intel NUC. These are often made by fellow enthusiasts who ran into the same problem you are. A quick search for “[Your Mini PC Model] stand” or “NUC cluster mount” on Etsy or Tindie might just reveal the perfect product.

3. The DIY (No 3D Printer) Approach

If you’re even slightly handy, you can build something custom without any complex tools.

• Wood or Acrylic: A small plank of wood and a few dowels can become a simple, effective vertical rack. Drill holes for the dowels, and you have a custom-sized rack that holds your PCs perfectly spaced for airflow. You can do the same with a sheet of acrylic for a more modern, transparent look.
• Pegboard: A small pegboard mounted to the wall or even just propped up on your desk is incredibly versatile. You can use standard pegboard hooks and shelves to create a modular mounting system for your mini PCs, power bricks, and cables. It’s a great way to go vertical and keep your desk clear.

My Final Setup

In the end, I found a seller on Etsy who made a simple, elegant acrylic stand designed to hold three Minisforum PCs vertically. It cost a little more than a metal file sorter, but it was custom-made for my exact models and looks fantastic in my tiny pantry office. It keeps the PCs secure, airflow is great, and the footprint is smaller than a single textbook.

The journey to find it was a bit frustrating, but it taught me that for homelabbers, sometimes the best solution isn’t the most obvious one. It’s about looking in the right places and thinking a little differently. Your perfect mini-cluster home is out there—it just might not be in a server rack.