Notes on networks, code, and life

Networks, code, and life
as I see them.

I write about VPNs, networking, programming, and the tools I am learning—plus the occasional note about life and working on the internet.

Watch on YouTube
0147
Essays published
0231
Videos on YouTube
0362
Books read this year
041
Person trying, in public
Featured this weekLatest from me
Featured article cover image
Video + essay · 10:24
VPNNetworking

What a VPN actually changes — and what it doesn't

A VPN is useful, but it is not a magic privacy switch. Here is the part of the network it can protect, and the parts it cannot.

April 08, 2025 8 min read

Latest essays

Recently written.

Learning English in public, badly, on purpose
March 02, 20259 min read

Learning English in public, badly, on purpose

Why I keep my grammar mistakes on camera, and what my Arabic-speaking brain still gets wrong after a year.

A small case for deep, boring, undocumented work
February 18, 20256 min read

A small case for deep, boring, undocumented work

Not every hour needs to become content. Some hours are just for becoming.

What Atomic Habits gets right, and the one thing I had to unlearn
February 03, 202511 min read

What Atomic Habits gets right, and the one thing I had to unlearn

A grateful, honest review after living with the book for six months.

Comparison is a slow thief. Here's how I notice it now.
January 22, 20255 min read

Comparison is a slow thief. Here's how I notice it now.

Three small reframes I use when the internet makes me feel behind in my own life.

What I write about

Six quiet obsessions.

01
VPNs & privacy
12 essays
02
Networking
10 essays
03
Programming
16 essays
04
Self-hosting
7 essays
05
Tools & systems
9 essays
06
Life, occasionally
5 essays
Now

What I'm learning right now.

A small, honest page. It changes every two or three weeks. No polished screenshots here.

Last updated March 20
Reading
Deep Work — Cal Newport
Second pass. Underlining different lines this time.
Practicing
Writing 500 English words a day
37 days in. Most of it is bad. Some of it is mine.
Building
A weekly YouTube rhythm
One video. Every Sunday. For one year.