Self-hosting basics: what it means and whether it’s for you
Self-hosting is when you run an app or service yourself instead of paying a hosted provider. Your data lives on hardware you control, and you access it over your home network (and sometimes the internet).
It sounds hardcore, but it doesn’t have to be. Self-hosting can be as small as one app on a spare computer, or as big as a home lab with monitoring and battery backup.
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Setting up Pi-hole for home network ad blocking
Pi-hole is one of those rare “set it once, enjoy it every day” home network upgrades. Instead of installing ad blockers on every browser and every phone, you put one small device on your network and tell everything to ask it for DNS.
In this guide you’ll set up Pi-hole, point your network at it, and avoid the handful of common foot-guns like DNS settings that silently bypass it.
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What happens when you deny an app permission?
When you tap “Don’t Allow” on an app permission request, something straightforward happens: that app can no longer access the specific resource you blocked. But the details matter, because apps respond to denied permissions in different ways—some gracefully and others not so much.
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What happens when you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash?
Dragging a file to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (macOS) feels like “deleting,” but it’s more like moving something to a holding area. When you empty it, the tone changes. Your computer warns you this is permanent.
So what actually happens behind the scenes when you empty the Trash?
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What happens when you turn off location services for an app?
Your phone knows where you are, constantly. It uses GPS, cell tower triangulation, and Wi-Fi signals to figure out your location with impressive accuracy. Every app you install gets the chance to ask for this information. But what actually happens when you say “no” to location access, or when you go into your phone’s settings and toggle it off for a specific app? The answer isn’t just “the app can’t see where you are.” It’s more interesting and more important for your privacy than that.
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