Category: General

Goodbye NextDNS, Hello Control D : My New DNS Service

Goodbye NextDNS, Hello Control D : My New DNS Service

This article discusses my recent migration from NextDNS, a popular ad and malware filtering DNS service, to Control D. Several years ago, I transitioned from Pi-hole, a local network-based ad and malware tracker, to NextDNS due to its enhanced functionality. However, NextDNS failed to keep pace with the industry. Its...

My Dream Desk Setup (2024 Edition)

My Dream Desk Setup (2024 Edition)

For the last couple of years I've written detail posts on my dream home office setup. Now that 2024 is almost here, it's time for an update! If you want some inspiration for your own home office, look no further! I've included products links (non-affiliate) for nearly everything in my...

Designing your own Custom Under Desk Mounting Bracket

Designing your own Custom Under Desk Mounting Bracket

For the last couple of years I've done a yearly My Dream Desk Setup post, where I go into great detail about my home office setup. One way that I've kept the desktop so clean is by mounting key peripherals under my desk using custom offset mounting brackets. This post...

Ubuntu Kernel Upgrades: The Easy Button

Ubuntu Kernel Upgrades: The Easy Button

Sometimes when running Ubuntu you need to use a different kernel than comes with the default installation. Only upgrade the kernel if you have a specific reason, such as needing a new driver or CPU support. But if you are an advanced user and know exactly what kernel you need,...

My Stream Deck Productivity Setup (2023 Edition)

My Stream Deck Productivity Setup (2023 Edition)

A couple of years ago I got the Elgato Stream Deck XL. For those of you not familiar with the Stream Deck XL, it is a "macro" controller of sorts where each button is a LCD screen that you can fully customize in terms of both image and functionality. It...

My Dream Desk Setup (2023 Edition)

My Dream Desk Setup (2023 Edition)

Introduction I've been working at home for over 8 years, so the pandemic didn't really change a lot for me in terms of where I work. In late 2021 and early 2022 I did a major redecoration of my home office and shared a blog post about that experience. Now...

NOTICE: RSS Feed URL Changing (Action Needed)

NOTICE: RSS Feed URL Changing (Action Needed)

Action needed: If you are a RSS subscriber to this blog, the URL is changing. For a long time I've used Feedblitz as a feed manager, but their utility has passed. I've started an immediate transition back to the standard Wordpress RSS URL of:https://www.derekseaman.com/feedPlease update your favorite RSS reader with...

My Dream Desk Setup (2022 Edition)

My Dream Desk Setup (2022 Edition)

Introduction I've been a remote worker for the last 7 years, and during that time my office setup has evolved. So when COVID hit, nothing changed for me in terms of my work environment. However, what has changed for me is my at-home desk setup. Over the past few months...

Home Automation: Hubitat Hub SMTP/SMS Notifications

Home Automation: Hubitat Hub SMTP/SMS Notifications

For a couple of years now I've been using the Hubitat Elevation C7 home automation hub. I was doing some tweaking this weekend, and I wanted to setup SMTP and SMS notification channels. I had been using Twilio for SMS, but it wasn't a free service. And I also wanted...

How-to: NextDNS + OPNsense Firewall

How-to: NextDNS + OPNsense Firewall

Recently I've been re-doing my home network, and I'm now using the OPNsense firewall, replacing my Ubiquiti EdgeRouter 12 with a more robust solution. For OPNsense I selected the PROTECTLI FW6D platform, which has 6 ports and an Intel i5-8250U CPU. I've also been running Pi-Hole on my network for...

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