On Home Media Servers

 I am ashamed to admit I am one of the most heinous of "guys": the "home media server guy". I've been this guy for over a year now, and it's only recently that it's started to bite me in the ass.

First, a bit of history. I started my Plex media server (ugh) in mid-2021. I have this desktop computer that I built when I was but a wean, and it had aged much too poorly to be of any real desktop computing use. The thing chugged along in performance, and the laptop that I had recently purchased made it look downright ancient. So, on a whim, I installed Plex on the desktop and started ripping DVDs. It was kind of the perfect storm - I had a sizable movie collection, had torrented a few TV shows, had started downloading MP3s, and was aching for a way to consume all of this on the go. So, I started a "home media server". It started small - just leaving Plex running on my desktop 24/7. But then, I unplugged the peripherals and set up a remote desktop software. After that, I transplanted it from my bedroom into the living room (don't worry, it's an exceedingly minor eyesore). Before you know it, I had it down to a science.

So here we are. Present day, present time. College is imminent, and the home media server has gotten to be much more of an issue. Obviously I can't bring it to my dorm - that's just not how the world works - but I don't trust my family enough to leave it with them. It would only be a matter of weeks before someone unplugs it, or bumps the power button with their toe, and then I'd have to face the humiliating endeavor of FaceTiming my little brother telling him to "plug that yellow wire there into the back of the modem". Maybe in a year or two, once I get a proper apartment, I'll pack everything up and it'll be A-OK. But until then, I'll just be hanging on a prayer.