My new frontier

Franklyn · November 7, 2026, 7:40pm

AI Disclosure:

Frequent use of different models, I live in the Library of Alexandria now. Surely its not the Tower of Babel, perhaps I succeed my saving throw and escape the Beholder.

Background

Always paid attention to the evolution of tech but life decided I was destined for manual labor and middle management.

Overwhelmed not by hard work but the complexity and depth of tech industry. University or squabbling gatekeepers the source of knowledge, why waste the time and money?

Likely just nihilistic and lazy, self sabotaging my own growth, excitement and happiness.

Flowchart/Timeline of My October.

AI seems cool, and now I am a software engineer?

Learn how to use GitHub.
Start vibe coding a daily to do list app.
Start vibe coding a Asset Register and Preventive Maintenance app.
Nope, definitely not a software engineer. Start learning how to code.

Try running a model locally, seems like a great learning tool.

Need an agent, but seems powerful better put it in a VM, and remove all tools until I know what they do.
Learn how VM’s work.

Communicate with my model with my phone.

Learn about VPN Tunneling and tail-scale, seems unsafe to give it access to my network.
Can the agent access my phone? Investigate phone security.
I have no control over my phone!
Learn about the grapheneOS, separate user and google play sandboxes (so cool and very easy).
Learn what other hardware I paid for but don’t own, laptop, tablet, TV, robot vacuum, robot mower, router, modem!

Learn about network security.

Steal a Levnovo going to landfill. Buy 3xPCI nics.
Learn about Opnsense and VLAN.

Any assistance and warnings are welcome, trying to prevent a time consuming spiral fixing a tiny issue that results in me becoming a squabbling gatekeeper. Perhaps that is now my destiny and its to late to change course.

Goals and ongoing learning, Listed by current priority.

Change ISP.
Install and configure MY router.
Configure VLAN with my new switch and wireless access point.
Build and configure NAS/homserver to store training data and decades of media I obtained legally.
Take back control of my devices.
Have agent run isolated scheduled security checks on network.
Set up an old NVR with insecure firmware that is no longer supported and with 8 cameras.

Ongoing learning about network security.
Discovering how to use terminals and text editors.
Never ending journey into software and firmware architecture.

Franklyn · November 8, 2026, 8:26am

Day 1

(few edits, figuring out image posting)

Securing the front door.

Changed ISP to one that treats me like a client not a product. Turns out I cant replace my modem, its owned by the government. They can disconnect my service if I mess with it.
Stripped a Lenovo M720S added a old SSD forced the hardware into ITX case. Spend most of the day making the hardware fit in the workshop.
Cut and bend PCI NICs brackets to fit.
Cut opening for power cable and drilled new screw holes for PSU. Spray painted work with white gloss to avoid blunt angles.
Booted Opnsense, 30min troubleshooting to figure out drivers for NICs weren’t supported. Update the drivers. Not sure how long it took me to set up the WAN, LAN, opt1 and opt2. I recommend only having one NIC in at a time while configuring.

Learnt about DNS servers, packets, TCP & UDP, Hashes, digital signatures and the chain of trust. Basically security is only as strong as your lowest level and adding complexity on top can add additional risk vectors.
For example if you invite Jane to your house, then John shows up it fails a hash, but if Jane loses control to here socials and now John replaces her photos with his, he passes the hash. I call Jane and she says that’s not me, I wont let john in because he failed the ‘Key’ check. If John gets a hold of Jane’s phone he supersedes the hash anyway because he passes a digital signature check. I am now dead, suicide, two rounds in the head.