Writing on self-hosted tools, data sovereignty, and community technology.
A roadmap for nonprofit leadership and boards on how to approach AI governance and usage policies.
Monitor UPS power status with PeaNUT on a Raspberry Pi, protecting servers and cold-chain equipment from outages while training volunteers in critical infrastructure care.
Assign static IP addresses to your Raspberry Pi servers and infrastructure, ensuring reliable remote access and stable services for volunteers working across multiple sites.
Turn sensor data into actionable dashboards using Grafana on a Raspberry Pi, giving facilities staff and garden managers real-time visibility without expensive monitoring subscriptions.
Host your organization's code, policies, and documentation on a self-managed Git server using a Raspberry Pi, eliminating dependency on GitHub and keeping intellectual property under your control.
Use ClamAV on a Raspberry Pi to safely scan donated computers and file shares, protecting your network and participants from malware without expensive endpoint licenses.
Single-board computer alternatives for when Raspberry Pi stock is scarce, ensuring your nonprofit projects survive supply shortages without breaking the budget.
When your web developer is a part-time volunteer, a broken donation form at 11 PM is a crisis. Jenkins on a Raspberry Pi gives your organization automated testing and deployment so fixes ship immediately — no cloud subscription required.
A practical guide to turning a $75 Raspberry Pi into a self-hosted web server, cutting recurring hosting costs and keeping donor and program data under your organization's control.
Block ads and trackers network-wide using a $35 Raspberry Pi, protecting vulnerable users and reducing bandwidth costs for community centers with shared internet.
A beginner-friendly guide to Ubuntu's Uncomplicated Firewall, teaching volunteers how to protect servers with simple commands instead of complex configuration files.
A nonprofit-focused guide to choosing a Raspberry Pi operating system, from general-purpose desktops to dedicated servers, matched to your team's skill level and mission needs.
Turn a Raspberry Pi into a private eBook and document library for literacy programs, letting you control access, eliminate subscription fees, and keep reading data off third-party servers.
If your intake team works in basements, rural clinics, or anywhere Wi-Fi is unreliable, these offline-first tools let staff collect data without losing a record — and sync automatically when connectivity returns.
I had been planning to build a full-sized replica of a Dalek prop from the original television series Doctor Who for over twenty years! Even more specifically, I really like the look of the Tom Bak...
The safest way through the coronavirus and any other outbreak is staying healthy and well-informed. Panic Sells, Calm Saves
A practical guide for nonprofit leaders and volunteer coordinators: what to do in the first 48 hours of a community emergency, how to communicate clearly under uncertainty, and how to support your people.
I awake in the labyrinth, no memory of who I am. All I know is that I must find the key to the portal that will take me to the next part of this endless maze. Stalking its passages, I find a rusty ...
How to back up and restore the Community Conduit inventory management system database using mysqldump — step-by-step export and import commands with safety notes.
Step-by-step guide to installing the Community Conduit inventory management system on a Raspberry Pi — LAMP stack setup, database configuration, file permissions, and network access.
An overview of the Community Conduit inventory management web app — what it does, who it’s for, and how to get started. Links to the full Pi setup and backup guides.
How to choose between wired and wireless connections for Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects — a practical comparison of i2c, RF, nRF24L01, Bluetooth, and WiFi for maker and org hardware builds.
When to reach for an Arduino versus a Raspberry Pi — a practical comparison covering cost, power draw, complexity, and real-world use cases for org and maker projects.
You value the project because you are able to customize and experience the process of its creation, both physically and mentally.
How to use a Raspberry Pi and USB camera for security monitoring, snapshots, or time-lapse — covering Motion (live streaming and motion detection) and fswebcam (scheduled still image capture).
A practical framework for volunteer tech leads: when to search, when to ask the community, and when to hire a professional — and how to do each effectively.
How to add triggered sound effects to an Arduino project using the WT588D audio module — wiring, loading sound files, and triggering playback with a PIR motion sensor or photocell.
A beginner's guide to three essential maker tools — hot glue gun, soldering iron, and heat-shrink tubing. What each one is for, when to use it, and practical tips before starting any hardware project.
A practical introduction to the FastLED library for addressable LEDs — what it is, how to install it in the Arduino IDE, wiring instructions, and a minimal working sketch to get your first LED strip running.
Build an interactive RGB LED lightshow with an Arduino Nano — respond to button presses and microphone input to create color and speed effects you can customize yourself.
Turn a dollar-store artificial flower into a solar-rechargeable flickering LED decoration — no expensive parts, no wall outlet required.
“How to restrict access to your Raspberry Pi web server — disabling unused remote access tools, locking down Apache directory permissions, and blocking unwanted IP addresses with a firewall.”
“How to read your Apache access logs to spot suspicious traffic on a Raspberry Pi web server — a practical introduction to monitoring who is accessing your server and filtering out noise.”