Modern Monticello
Digital
Turn an Old Computer Into Your Home Server
The one card everything else on this page depends on. An old laptop already sitting in a closet, a $10 USB drive, and an afternoon — that's the whole foundation.
Build a Home Media Server
Six streaming subscriptions to watch the same seven shows on repeat. An old laptop already sitting in a closet paid for the whole switch in under three weeks.
Block Every Ad on Your Network
One free tool, installed once on the server already running from the Foundation card, blocks ads and trackers for every device on the network at once — no per-browser extension, no per-device app.
Stop Paying for a VPN
Same server, one more free container — a private tunnel back into the home network from anywhere, replacing a monthly VPN subscription with something that actually connects to something worth reaching.
Own Your Passwords
The same free password-manager apps everyone already knows how to use, pointed at a server in the house instead of a company's cloud — and the one card in this series where backups matter more than anywhere else.
The Free Design Tools Behind Modern Monticello
Every line-art page, every build blueprint, every card on this site was made in software that costs nothing. Here's the hotkeys and vocabulary that make Inkscape, Krita, and FreeCAD actually click, not just the download links.
The Infrastructure Behind Modern Monticello
Git, GitHub, Vercel, Supabase, Docker, Tailscale, Ollama, Cloudflare — the plumbing that gets a build onto the internet and keeps it running, in plain language, not the jargon-first version most manuals lead with.
On the Drawing Board
Not built yet — real concepts, drafted ahead of the actual build the same way a few of the cards above were.
A Coffee Table That's Also an Arcade
A Pi-powered arcade table for family game night — hardware built right into the frame, plexiglass on top.
Coffee Table — Retro Emulator Layer
Same Batocera/RetroPie stack as the living-room TVs — one software stack to maintain, not a second system.
Coffee Table — Board & Party Game Layer
Digital board games and Jackbox-style party games, sharing the same hardware as the retro layer.
Coffee Table — Ambient Display Mode
Off game mode, the table becomes another node on the picture-frame network instead of a black screen.
Property Drone — Entry Build
A DJI Mini-class drone for property overflight — under 250g sidesteps the FAA Part 107 requirement for personal use.
Drone — Crop-Health Step-Up
A near-infrared/NDVI camera add-on for real plant-stress detection, not just aerial photos.
Backpack-Charged Drone — Wanderer Integration
The flagship endgame build: a drone that charges off the same DeWalt battery ecosystem as The Wanderer.
Tool & Equipment Tracking — Core Shop System
NFC/QR scan-out and scan-in across shop, truck, and job sites — the same in/out ledger logic as the pantry and closet trackers.
Trust-Based Tool Lending Network
Extends the shop tool tracker into a community lending ledger, limited to trusted partners — not a public marketplace.
LoRa Livestock & Pet Tracking Tags
Collar/ear tags riding the same radio as the Fire Tower mesh — once the mesh exists, tracking becomes nearly free.
Cellular Uplink for the Cyberdeck
An LTE HAT gives the mobile rig its own independent path back to Lambert Brain — not solely dependent on WiFi.
Fire Tower — What It Actually Is
An individually-built personal tower on your own property — nobody owns the network, and no one has to coordinate it.
Fire Tower Meshtastic Node — Build Spec
A solar-powered repeater mounted at height — elevation extends mesh range more than raw transmit power does.
Decentralized Regional Mesh
As more people build their own Fire Towers, the network grows organically — no institutional buy-in required.
Shop Buddy — Mobile Ammo Can AI Unit
A dedicated Buddy interface for the shop, housed in an ammo can with a Yes Man-styled smiley face.
Truck Buddy — Mobile AI Assistant Box
A mid-tier mobile compute box for the truck — more capable than Shop Buddy, still short of Deep Buddy.
PAL — In-Room Build for the Kids
A room-based PAL node with a screen and a face, ideally built with the kids rather than just for them.
Uncle Zak as Buddy's Build-Walkthrough Voice
The established Uncle Zak persona becomes Buddy's in-character voice for walking someone through a build.
Pantry Brain — Food Inventory Tracking
Scan-in tracking of pantry, fridge, and root-cellar stock via Grocy — what's on hand, what's low, what's expiring.
Closet Brain — Wardrobe & Wear Tracker
Photo-logged wardrobe tracking that surfaces unworn items as sell candidates for Trader Thrifter.
The "Punch Above Weight" Pattern
One expensive shared resource, built once and streamed out to cheap endpoints — the same logic as Deep Buddy, applied to gaming.
TV Tier 1 — Baseline
A cheap mini PC or Pi 5 on every TV in the house, running retro emulation and Jellyfin.
TV Tier 2 — Dedicated Gaming Rig
One real gaming PC, streamed out to every Tier 1 box on demand — the one box worth spending real money on.
Smart Mirror — Morning Setup
A two-way mirror over a monitor showing calendar, weather, and news while getting ready — plus NPR audio.
Smart Mirror — Voice-Accessible Buddy Persona
A personal AI persona, voice-accessible through the mirror — hands-free while getting ready.