Everything started with a simple thought: “I’ll just set up Plex on my NAS.” Famous last words. Looking back now, I can’t help but laugh at my naivety. That innocent decision has spiraled into what can only be described as a full-blown obsession with self-hosting and digital independence.

The catalyst was frustration with streaming services. Remember when Netflix was the only game in town? Now we’re expected to juggle half a dozen subscriptions just to watch our favourite shows. Even then, content appears and disappears at the whim of corporate licensing deals. It’s maddening.

The tech world has been buzzing about DeepSeek lately, and watching the mainstream coverage unfold has been quite the experience. Walking past Federation Square yesterday, I overheard someone confidently explaining to their friend how they could run this “revolutionary Chinese AI” on their gaming laptop - and honestly, I had to resist the urge to jump into their conversation with a well-actually moment.

The surge of misinformation around DeepSeek is both fascinating and frustrating. Major news outlets are fumbling with basic facts, comparing DeepSeek to completely unrelated tech companies, and making claims that range from misleading to outright incorrect. It reminds me of the early days of cryptocurrency coverage, when every journalist suddenly became a blockchain expert overnight.

The other day, while updating my details at the local pharmacy, I witnessed something that made my inner tech worker cringe. The customer ahead of me recited their phone number in what can only be described as a freestyle jazz interpretation of numerical sequences. “Oh-four-triple-two-double-five-eight-nine…” They might as well have been reading out their grocery list.

Let’s be real here - there’s a proper way to format Australian mobile numbers, and it’s 4-3-3. That’s it. End of story. It’s not just about being pedantic (though I’ll admit there’s a bit of that); it’s about clear communication and reducing errors. Every mobile phone system, every web form, and every database is designed around this format. It’s not a coincidence.

Reading through various career change stories online today got me thinking about the incredible journeys people take when they decide to completely switch paths. From burnt-out healthcare workers to hospitality veterans, there’s a growing trend of professionals making bold moves into entirely different industries - and thriving.

The stories that caught my eye weren’t just about salary increases (though doubling or even tripling income certainly grabbed my attention). What really resonated was how many people described finding unexpected happiness in roles they’d never previously considered. Train drivers who left hospitality behind, nurses transitioning to medical sales, and event managers stepping into tech - each story painted a picture of people breaking free from their comfort zones.

The tech world is buzzing about ByteDance’s latest AI advancement - OmniHuman-1, which can generate eerily realistic human videos from a single image and audio input. While scrolling through the discussions online, my tech enthusiasm battled with a growing sense of unease about where this technology is taking us.

Remember when we could trust our eyes? Those days are rapidly becoming history. OmniHuman-1’s demonstrations show an unprecedented level of realism in synthetic video generation. The implications are both fascinating and terrifying. Sitting in my home office, watching these demos, I’m struck by how quickly we’re approaching a future where distinguishing reality from artificial content will be nearly impossible.

The news about California’s proposed bill requiring AI companies to remind kids that chatbots aren’t people caught my attention during my morning scroll through tech news. While it might seem obvious to many of us working in tech, the reality of human-AI interaction is becoming increasingly complex.

Working in DevOps, I interact with AI tools daily. They’re incredibly useful for code reviews, documentation, and automating repetitive tasks. But there’s a clear line between using these tools and viewing them as sentient beings. At least, that line is clear to me - but apparently not to everyone.

Scrolling through my feed this morning, I noticed something peculiar about the interactions on various social media platforms. The recent revelation that over 40% of Facebook posts are likely AI-generated didn’t shock me as much as it probably should have. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time.

Remember when social media was actually social? These days, it feels like I’m playing a bizarre game of “Spot the Human” whenever I open any social platform. Between the AI-generated content, automated responses, and sophisticated bots, genuine human interaction seems to be becoming a rare commodity in our digital town square.

The cost of living keeps climbing, but that doesn’t mean we need to stay cooped up at home counting our pennies. Recently, a vibrant online discussion caught my eye about free and affordable activities across Australia, and it reminded me just how lucky we are to have such incredible public spaces and cultural institutions at our doorstep.

The National Gallery of Victoria has been my sanctuary for years. There’s something magical about wandering through those water-wall doors and losing yourself in the permanent collections, all without spending a cent. The Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square particularly shines when it comes to Australian art, offering a profound connection to our cultural heritage that you just can’t get from a screen.

Standing at the beach this morning, watching three people get swept out by a rip current brought back memories of my teenage daughter’s first surf lesson. The instructor spent more time teaching about rip identification than actual surfing - and rightfully so.

The discussion I witnessed between beachgoers today highlighted a concerning statistic: while two-thirds of us think we can spot a rip current, only about a third actually can. That’s a dangerous confidence gap that puts lives at risk every summer.

Looking at the mesmerizing vacuum patterns someone shared online today brought back memories of my first apartment in Carlton. The carpet was this awful beige thing that showed every speck of dirt, but there was something oddly satisfying about seeing those perfect lines after a thorough vacuum.

The geometric patterns this cleaner created aren’t just lines - they’re a form of temporary art that speaks to our human desire for order and beauty in the mundane. The Art Deco-style patterns they’ve created through their vacuum strokes are genuinely impressive, transforming an everyday chore into something almost meditative.