A 90s-era AIM window with a message from XplaintriX which reads "Discord sucks, lol"

Here's how I host my own AIM server

Tired of Discord? Want to chat with your friends using that perfectly good Windows 98 machine? Well now you can spin up your own AIM server.

A dumbphone with a message from "Test Testperson" reading "Welcome to dumbphone summer"

I'm switching to a dumbphone this summer

Yes. Really. A dumbphone. All summer.

Writerdeck: FAQ

Folks have been asking me questions about my writerdeck setup. Here, I attempt to answer them.

A picture of a laptop with a tty screen running vim, the screen is filled with the words from a video script.

It's time to talk about my writerdeck

tldr: * I installed console-only Debian on an old laptop (no desktop OS at all) * I added some packages to make it work better for writing: * network-manager for connecting to hotspots while I'm away * kmscon for custom fonts and more than 16 colors in the tty * tmux

Living with GrapheneOS: FAQ

Over the last three years I've had a lot of folks ask me questions about using GrapheneOS. Let's answer them!

The four members of The Stop Bits sitting on a couch. Superimposed is the date "Feb 14, 2026" and the words "VCF SoCal // Orange, CA".

Upcoming performance + quick housekeeping note

I will be at VCF SoCal this Saturday, February 14, 2026, in Orange, CA, US!

Wait, veronicaexplains.net?

My website is now using Ghost instead of WordPress, and that means you can get me in your inbox. Everyone loves emails, right?

A YouTube thumbnail of my face and a bunch of streaming services crossed out. Superimposed over this is the word "comments!"

Responding to comments on "I stream nothing..."

Responding to comments from my latest video, which is about streaming platforms and how I (don't) use them.

A screenshot of a Handbrake window with the word "Handbrake!" superimposed over it.

How I use Handbrake in 2025

Here's how I'm currently setting up Handbrake to shrink down movies and TV shows in my collection.

The word "rsync!" superimposed over a tmux session with an rsync invocation in the bottom pane.

Everyday rsync

A blog post about using (and appreciating) rsync.

A terminal window showing the vgrename utility in action.

Fixing my own mistakes: renaming a volume group

Using vgrename to rename a volume group is a piece of cake. Here's an unnecessarily long blog post about it.

The words "45Drives Cockpit Modules!" superimposed over a web dashboard (the Cockpit window)

Installing helpful Cockpit modules from 45Drives

45Drives makes neat modules to help manage Linux servers. Including those you don't buy from 45Drives.

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