My Homelab and My Passions - Discover My World

Hello everyone! Today, I want to talk about my passions that shape my days outside of work. I am a true technology enthusiast, and my homelab is where I thrive the most. But before diving into this captivating digital world, let me introduce my other hobbies/passions that make me a versatile and multi-passionate person.

When I’m not immersed in my homelab, I enjoy practicing various sports activities. I have practiced martial arts such as karate, jiu-jitsu, and judo. These sports have helped me push my limits and feel in harmony with my body and mind. The same goes for gymnastics (yes, I did gymnastics for many years). However, recently, I decided to take a break from martial arts to explore another aspect: weight training/fitness. This new experience allows me to diversify my workouts and discover new methods to maintain and improve my physical fitness.

I also love outdoor sports activities. Skiing, snowboarding, and hiking are among my favorites for enjoying the mountains and winter pleasures. During the warmer seasons, I enjoy longboarding, gliding smoothly on roads, or heading to different spots to practice longboard dancing/freestyle. I have a project that is particularly close to my heart: itemboards.ch. As part of this project, we (Benj and I) design and create longboards, then go out and test them. It’s a true passion project that combines my love for longboarding with my desire to create unique experiences. Although… this project doesn’t really make us money… Let’s say we do our best not to (completely) lose money. 😅

Photo credits: Benjamin Régis (pixthit.ch) & Michael Muggli (michaelmuggli.ch) and Kévin Bigler (kevinbigler.ch)

Beyond sports, I love diving into a good book, especially fantasy and fiction novels. Reading is an escape, a source of inspiration and knowledge. There’s nothing like a great fantasy novel to transport me into magical and thrilling adventures.

But that’s not all! I have another great passion: my adorable cats. Spending time with them is pure joy. Their comforting presence and playful antics help me relax after a busy day.

Video games are also a big part of my life, though I don’t always have as much time to play as I’d like. Whenever a new Pokémon game is released on Nintendo Switch, I can’t resist diving into its captivating world. Similarly, whenever a new World of Warcraft expansion or a major Dofus update is available, I’m ready to explore new virtual landscapes and embark on epic adventures.

Additionally, I recently discovered role-playing games through Chroniques Oubliées, and I was immediately hooked! It’s an incredible experience where imagination comes to life. I’m currently trying my hand at being a Game Master (GM) and gathering a small group of players. If any readers are GMs looking for a player, I’d love to reincarnate my Gnome Forge-Sorcerer named Jackpot!

Now, back to my homelab, this tech space that fascinates me! In my digital sanctuary, I embark on various projects ranging from networking and virtualization to automation and even development. For instance, I have a single-host ESXi hypervisor running a full Windows Server environment, including Active Directory, RDS, and other essential services. This setup allows me to create and manage a complete testing environment for my Windows projects.

Additionally, I have a physical server running Unraid OS, utilizing KVM virtualization to host different operating systems. I also set up numerous Docker containers on this server to run various services and applications in an isolated and efficient manner.

For storage, I have QNAP and Synology NAS devices that I carefully configure to ensure data security and accessibility. These NAS devices play a crucial role in my homelab, enabling file sharing, data backups, and centralized project management.

Regarding networking, I primarily use Ubiquiti products, including routers, switches, and access points, forming the backbone of my home network.

Automation is another passion in my homelab—I love creating scripts to automate repetitive tasks, saving time and optimizing processes wherever possible.

As an amateur Pythonista, I enjoy using Python to explore its possibilities through small projects. I also use PowerShell for specific tasks. For web development, I create websites with WordPress and occasionally make minor customizations in CSS and PHP to meet my needs.

Finally, I’m also a Raspberry Pi enthusiast, deploying various projects and bots primarily using Python. One of my Raspberry Pis currently runs the Swiss IT Tech News Telegram bot: https://t.me/SwissITNews, which I coded.

Update 2024: The bot now runs in a Docker container.

The source code is available here: https://github.com/AlexIn-Tech/Swiss-IT-Tech-News

My homelab is a true innovation lab where I can unleash my technological creativity. It’s an evolving space that grows with my discoveries and interests. Every day, I strive to improve and find new solutions to tackle ever-more exciting challenges.

So, now you know a part* of my passions: technology through my homelab, various sports including board sports, reading that allows me to escape, my adorable cats that brighten my days, video games, and the fascinating world of role-playing games.

I hope this presentation has given you a better idea of who I am.

See you soon on alexin.tech!

I specified “a part” because my life consists of both temporary and long-term passions. As a multi-passionate person, I may dive deep into a topic for three months before moving on (which happens most of the time), while I also have a few long-lasting passions that I tried to illustrate in this article.