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Learn · guides and projects

Step-by-step guides and projects for every level, from your first server to running AI at home, plus fixes for the problems you’ll meet along the way.

Built first, written second. We spend a lot of our time building, testing and learning, and we share what we find so you don’t have to start from scratch.

New to this?Start with the basics and the easy guides. Every step shows what you should see, so you know it worked.
Know your way around?Skip the basics and go straight to the projects and the more technical guides.
Growing every week.We’re a new site. Early guides focus on running things yourself and local AI, where our lab work happens. Built something? Share it with our templates and writing help.

What would you like to do?

Run my own dictation serverPrivate speech-to-text for LexVoca, on your own hardware.Guide Build a host serverFrom choosing a box to a server that looks after itself.Big project Run AI on my own computerPrivate chat, coding help, speech and images. No subscriptions.Big project Back up my files properlyBackups that run themselves, and proof you can get them back.Smaller project Self-host my everyday appsPasswords, photos and films on your own server.Coming soon Make work easierAdjustments, dictation and reading tools at work.Topic

Projects to build, in the right order.

Big projects take a weekend or two, in phases. Each phase is a handful of guides, and optional phases are marked.

Build a host serverFrom choosing a box to a server that looks after itself.
  1. 1Scope
  2. 2Review
  3. 3Install
  4. 4Configure
  5. 5Harden
  6. 6Monitor
  7. 7Maintain
Start the project →Build a local AI workstationPrivate chat, coding help, speech and images on your own hardware.
  1. 1Choose
  2. 2Set up
  3. 3Use
  4. 4Share the GPU
Start the project →Build a document workspaceFiles, shared editing and scanned paperwork, searchable on your own server.
  1. 1Plan
  2. 2Files
  3. 3Editing
  4. 4Diagrams
Start the project →

Good places to start.

Tested guides people come back to. Each shows how long it takes and how hard it is.

EasySet up a new Ubuntu server8 min · TestedEasySet up SSH key login on Ubuntu11 min · TestedEasyInstall Docker on Ubuntu8 min · TestedAdvancedRun a service with Docker Compose8 min · TestedEasyMonitor a home server8 min · TestedEasyRun a local AI model with Ollama10 min · TestedAdvancedSet up your own Whisper server for LexVoca14 min · ReviewedAdvancedBack up and restore files with restic12 min · Tested

See every guide

Work and everyday life.

Not everything is about servers. Practical help for getting work done your way.

Make work easier

Adjustments to ask for, and tools that help, from interview to your first 90 days.

Write a first draft by dictation

Speak tickets, emails and notes, then tidy the details in a second pass.

The ideas behind the guides

Models, tokens, GPUs and self-hosting, in plain words.

Useful links

Outside resources worth knowing, from support to adjustments.

Learn faster with the apps

Our apps fit right into the guides.

Free for Windows, and made to help while you build.

LexVocaDictate your notes and commands as you work. ClaraVocaHave a long guide read aloud while you follow along. ITSpectaSnip each step into a guide of your own.

Join in.

Built something? Questions, ideas and corrections are always welcome.

Write a guide

We’ll walk you through writing it up with our templates, and credit you.

Forum archive

Past community threads. Read-only for now.

Community guidelines

Be kind, be curious, keep private things private.

Pick a goal. Start building.

Browse all guides