Episode 59: Homelab Hardware Showdown: Rack Servers vs Workstations vs Mini Clusters

Bricks & Minifigs. Reckless Ben. And 130,000 license plate cameras that don't need a warrant to find out where you've been. This week we go down a rabbit hole that starts with a viral Lego lawsuit and ends with Flock Safety — the AI-powered license plate camera network now watching roads in nearly every state. We cover how the cameras actually work, the documented abuse cases (including a Mauldin, SC officer fired for running 166 unauthorized searches on an ex's vehicle), the security researcher who hacked one in under 30 seconds, and what Flock just changed about their data retention policy after the backlash. Also: a Unifi container migration that took down an entire Proxmox server, a home lab AI fishing app that met its match at a river with zero signal, and a decade-old Sonic Drive-In robbery story that turns out to be the perfect real-world case study for "would a camera have actually proven anything?" 0:00:00 – Cold open / why Bo doesn't have headphones 0:09:15 – Unifi's new podman container crashes an entire Proxmox host 0:16:30 – K3s, Rancher, and the trout-fishing app that needed cell service it didn't have 0:20:00 – The AI-generated support ticket that gave it away 0:21:00 – The Reckless Ben / Bricks & Minifigs Lego saga, explained 0:37:00 – How that story sets up the real topic: Flock Safety cameras 0:40:00 – How ALPR cameras actually work (it's not facial recognition) 0:44:30 – Documented abuse cases: officers tracking exes with zero oversight 0:47:56 – Benn Jordan's camera hack: Android, root access, and a USB port 0:53:32 – DeFlock.me and the 130,000-camera map 0:56:49 – Pushback, regulation, and "who watches the watchers" 1:01:37 – Flock's retention policy change: 30 days to 7 1:12:24 – The counter-proposal: put cameras on the cops too 1:14:04 – Bonus story: the Sonic robbery and why cameras wouldn't have helped 1:24:29 – Next week: expensive hard drives, and the next Home Lab episode 🔗 Sources & Further Reading DeFlock — crowdsourced ALPR camera map: https://deflock.org/ Benn Jordan, "We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY Flock Safety's official response to the retention policy change: https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock-guardrails-address-lpr-privacy-concerns-and-police-transparency AP News coverage of the retention policy change: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/13/amid-public-backlash-surveillance-tech-company-flock-announces/ (AP wire story) Mauldin, SC officer terminated for 166 unauthorized FLOCK searches on an ex's vehicle: https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/08/14/mauldin-officer-accused-using-flock-cameras-over-160-times-track-ex/ Bricks & Minifigs–Reckless Ben controversy overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricks_%26_Minifigs%E2%80%93Reckless_Ben_controversy Reckless Ben's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RecklessBen 💬 Got a comment we should read on air? Drop it below — we read every one. 📧 [email protected]

We're back after way too long. This episode we cover GNOME 50 "Tokyo" and what's actually worth caring about in the release, Wine 11's massive kernel-level rewrite and what it means for Linux gaming, and then we get into the Drama Zone — systemd quietly added a date-of-birth field, age verification laws are getting weird, the BookLore self-hosted e-book app imploded in spectacular fashion, and I gave Claude my entire purchase history and it confidently made up a company. Also I tried fly fishing and was terrible at it. 00:00 — We're back + fly fishing disaster 05:20 — GNOME 50 "Tokyo" overview 11:15 — Wine 11 kernel-level gaming rewrite 14:10 — Drama Zone: systemd date-of-birth & age verification 27:50 — BookLore meltdown 41:55 — Claude hallucinated a company 49:45 — CachyOS mini-review + next episode plans 📩 Submit your homelab: [email protected] 💬 Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/qbV6eqkA 🎥 Watch the vlog: https://youtu.be/E0297HU2zsk

This week on Crowbar Kernel Panic, we’re reviewing your homelab… while sick, sleep-deprived, and running on cough drops. Bo’s been fighting off a plague for two weeks, but we didn’t want to skip an episode — so we’re keeping it chill, catching up on community comments, and checking out an absolutely insane listener-submitted homelab from Levix that puts both of ours to shame. We also talk about hitting 400 subscribers (!!!), home server efficiency, Proxmox and TrueNAS setups, and Josh’s continuing saga of cursed motherboards and mysterious reboots. If you’ve got a homelab — big or small — send it in! We’d love to feature it on a future episode. 📩 Submit your homelab: [email protected] 💬 Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/qbV6eqkA 🎥 Watch the vlog: https://youtu.be/E0297HU2zsk Thanks for 400 subs, and for letting us hang out and be ridiculous every week. See you next episode — hopefully less sick, but just as sleep-deprived.

Welcome back to Crowbar Kernel Panic! 🚀 In this episode, we dive into the three main “lanes” of homelab hardware and help you decide which one makes sense for your space, budget, and goals: Lane 1: Refurb Enterprise Rack — the loud, hot, datacenter monster 🏢 Lane 2: Workstation Builds — the “Goldilocks” option for power and sanity ⚖️ Lane 3: Low-Power Mini Clusters — silent bookshelf datacenters 📚 We compare cost, noise, power draw, expandability, and real-world use cases. Plus, we talk through subscriber comments, Kubernetes setups, and share some personal homelab stories (including when things go hilariously wrong). If you’re thinking about building your own homelab, or just want to hear about the trade-offs, this episode is for you. 👉 Join the Discord for discussion and advice: https://discord.gg/Nx6HgaAuZ3 👉 Follow along with the GitHub configs: https://github.com/bomccoy/homelab-proxmox-k3s

In this episode of Crowbar Kernel Panic, Bo and Josh break down the Top 5 homelab projects that aren’t just fun — they actually build real skills that can help you land (and grow in) an IT or DevOps career. We cover: How networking projects like Pi-hole, Unbound, and OpenSense teach fundamentals you’ll use in every IT job. Why virtualization with Proxmox and VMware is the gateway to enterprise-level skills. The power of containers with Docker and Podman (and why they’re unavoidable). Why Kubernetes is worth learning at home, even if it feels overkill. The often-forgotten importance of backups and disaster recovery — with real stories of failure and recovery. This isn’t just tinkering — these are the homelab projects that can set you apart in interviews and build confidence for real-world IT challenges. 👉 Which homelab project taught you the most (or burned you the hardest)? Tell us in the comments!

What happens when two Linux nerds invite AI as a guest on their podcast? In this episode, Bo and Josh kick things off with some Capture the Flag war stories and home lab adventures before welcoming ChatGPT onto the show for a one-of-a-kind conversation. Together, they dive into AI ethics, open-source, digital privacy, and even ask a few ridiculous rapid-fire questions. Whether you’re here for cybersecurity banter, retro tech nostalgia, or the future of AI, this episode has something for you. 🚀 Stay Connected: YouTube: https://youtu.be/3R1rYNJw1_Q Send us an email at [email protected] Join us on Discord. https://discord.gg/Nx6HgaAuZ3

In this episode of Crowbar Kernel Panic, we dive headfirst into the Stop Killing Games initiative — a global pushback from gamers, preservationists, and developers against the increasing trend of publishers shutting down games, removing them from stores, or making them unplayable even after purchase. From Ubisoft delisting The Crew to the short lifespans of live-service games like Rumbleverse and Knockout City, we explore the big question: Do you really own a game once you’ve paid for it? We break down: The origins of the Stop Killing Games movement High-profile shutdowns and delistings What happens to single-player games with always-online DRM Publisher ethics: Should they patch games to work offline before decommissioning? Legal and moral questions around cracking and emulation The role of the modding community and emulators in digital preservation How platforms like Steam, GOG, and Epic compare in this landscape Why indie developers and players alike should care about this trend Along the way, we share our personal takes on digital ownership, recall games we lost to shutdowns, and ask if we’re headed toward a future where even single-player experiences come with an expiration date. To close the show, Bo gives a quick update on his ongoing Godot card game project, ShadowLight — a solo dungeon-crawler inspired by dark fantasy themes, with a twist on time, memory, and resource management. If you care about preserving games, owning what you buy, or just want to hear what it’s like to build a game from scratch while the industry melts down around you — this episode’s for you. 🚀 Stay Connected: YouTube: https://youtu.be/3R1rYNJw1_Q Send us an email at [email protected] Join us on Discord. https://discord.gg/Nx6HgaAuZ3 Music from this episode "Bit Quest" and "Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of CKP, our plans got absolutely wrecked — but in the best way possible! We dive headfirst into the surprise announcement and release of Oblivion Remastered. From our nostalgic memories of the original release to first impressions of the remaster’s visuals, performance, and subtle changes, we cover it all. Plus, we go off the rails brainstorming how to use AI (specifically ChatGPT) to transform everything — from meal planning and workouts to fishing trips and even podcast show notes. We also joke about existential crises, AI accountability shock collars, and why nostalgia lighting is so important. If you love Elder Scrolls, tech experiments, or just chaotic good energy, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. — 🎮 Topics: Oblivion Remastered impressions The impact of surprise releases Using ChatGPT as a life coach Nostalgia vs realism in remakes Steam Deck performance thoughts 🔥 Stay tuned for next episode: Top 5 PlayStation Era Games!

Welcome back to Crowbar Kernel Panic, your favorite tech, gaming, and Linux podcast! This episode is live on YouTube and will be available on iTunes and other podcast platforms. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment to support the show! In This Episode: 🔥 How Fast Can You Build a PC? – Kicking things off with a discussion on PC building speed and efficiency. https://www.pcworld.com/article/2605289/the-winner-of-newegg-pc-building-race-finished-in-under-5-minutes.html ⚔️ WoW Classic Guild Disaster – A personal story about a guild gone wrong. What should I do next? 🎉 New Year, New CKP! – We're going live every episode and expanding our discussions to more general tech topics while keeping our Linux nerd roots! Could this finally be the year we dive deep into game development? Tech & Gaming Topics: 🖥️ Josh’s New GPU & Frame Generation – Thoughts on the AMD 7800XT and frame generation improvements. 💰 AMD 9070XT Price Leaks – What do the latest rumors tell us about AMD’s upcoming GPU pricing? https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/us-retailer-lists-rx-9070-and-rx-9070-xt-starting-at-usd649-and-usd749-march-6-launch-date-confirmed 💀 RTX 5090 Dying After Driver Installation?! – Recent reports suggest driver issues might be killing RTX 5090 & 5080 cards. We break down the news. (Source: PCWorld) https://www.pcworld.com/article/2597674/rtx-5090-and-5080-cards-are-dying-likely-due-to-recent-driver-update.html 00:00:00 - When was the last time we went live? 00:03:22 - Focusrite audio issues 00:04:55 - How fast can you build a PC 00:11:35 - Show intro (should we stream to Twitch?) 00:14:20 - What browser should Bo use? 00:16:19 - Wow Classic guild disaster 00:28:00 - CKP plans for 2025 00:41:00 - New GPU and GPU prices are wild 00:59:00 - Speculation on the GPU market 01:06:00 - Bo buying his first GPU 01:10:00 - GPUs are a speculative market now 01:12:20 - AI both helps and hurts the GPU market 01:16:00 - Nvidia driver update bricks 50 series GPUs 01:20:00 - Episode outro Let us know your thoughts in the comments! What’s your dream PC build speed? Have you had WoW Classic guild drama? Are you excited about upcoming GPUs? Drop your opinions below! 🔗 Join the Conversation: 💬 Discord: 📧 Email Us: [email protected] 🔔 Like, Subscribe & Hit the Notification Bell for More!

Steam Replay 2024: Our Year in Gaming & New Intel GPUs! Join us as we reflect on our gaming experiences throughout 2024 with Steam Replay. We're diving into the top games we've played, our gaming habits, and the challenges faced, including our experiment with different Linux operating systems and desktop environments like Hyperland and KDE Plasma. We also uncover the latest buzz in tech with Intel's new ARC B580 GPUs, comparing their performance and value. Plus, discover our thoughts on ButterFS vs ext4, favorite terminal emulators, and the endless quest for the perfect web browser. Is Intel about to change the graphics card game? Find out in this packed episode!