If you’re wondering who in world created this self-hosted blogging website for the world to see, you can learn more about the mastermind behind this entire operation here! (With no evil plans like world domination or any of that sort included.)

Hello there, Jan here (again). I created this blogging website to not only share my perspective and opinion on topics that interest me the most, but also further expand my skills and knowledge about self-hosting, computers, and technology in general. My interest in computers and technology began when I received a laptop sent by my mother at the age of eight, which at the time was a huge eye-opener for me, as someone who was rarely exposed to the digital world at the time. As many years passed by and having moved on from a laptop to a desktop, I slowly became tech literate to the point where I became the sole technician for my not-so tech literate family, assisting with tasks with varying complexity using phones, computers, and other devices that were deemed “technologically complex” by them to use or understand. However, I believe that everything that I’ve learned thus far still wasn’t enough as I would encounter roadblocks from time to time, hinting my limited knowledge. Thus, I decided to put my skills and knowledge to the test and expand upon them through my tech-centric hobbies and by creating various tech projects, which ultimately led to the creation of this website itself. I hope that with these endeavors I can continue to learn more about computers and anything tech related, and someday become tech literate enough to help other people navigate through the digital age.

If you haven’t gone through the whole website yet and you’re still looking for reasons why I decided to create and self-host a blogging website, another reason (apart from the ones I’ve told in the introductory paragraph above) why I started all this was to simply share my ever-growing interest in Japanese culture, anime and visual novels (VNs for short) in particular. You’ll be able to learn about this in more detail if you visit the MAPP page, but the TLDR (if you don’t like reading my long stories and rants) is that during the COVID pandemic, I finally surpassed my “moving on” phase from an emotionally and mentally taxing past that I never wanted to recall again. What helped me kept going forward and prevent myself from regressing were the anime that I’ve watched (on Crunchyroll at the time) and the visual novels that I’ve played later on. The stories, characters, and everything else in between that I’ve seen in both anime and visual novels were quite relatable for some, immersive for others, and/or left me emotionally awestruck for a few. CLANNAD, both an anime and visual novel by Key, is an excellent example for all three aspects and a tear-jerking masterpiece (I highly recommend that title for everyone). For me, anime and visual novels were the most effective way of forgetting about the sometimes harsh reality or simply relieving my emotional and mental fatigue I might’ve built-up at the end of each day. Besides this, watching anime and playing visual novels also led me to wonder what I can gain from doing either. From common and practical knowledge to those more philosophical, or simply learning more about Japanese culture if nothing else, both have subtly influenced how I live my life or approach different topics, scenarios, opinions, perspectives, and people. Even now, there’s always something new for me to learn and discover, and it’s all thanks to anime and visual novels. In time as I starting making more blog posts on my site, you’ll be able to see the culmination of what I’ve learned from those mediums, and hopefully with much more to share.

My Skills

• Technical Skills (which include but are not limited to):
  • Setting up devices on first boot (OOBE) such as phones, laptops, desktop computers, servers, etc.
  • Computer assembly/disassembly and preventative maintenance
  • Troubleshooting common issues on phones, laptops, desktop computers, servers, etc.
  • Installing, uninstalling, setting up, and updating apps, programs, and operating systems on phones, laptops, desktop computers, servers, etc.
  • Basic device optimization and diagnostics on phones, laptops, desktop computers, servers, etc.
  • Virus and malware monitoring and removal
  • Implementing and enforcing common cybersecurity practices
  • Data backup and recovery
• Tech Related Practical Skills (which include but are not limited to):
  • Using a mouse and keyboard, touch screens, and other HIDs
  • Using commonly used programs in the Microsoft Office suite (such as Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote)
  • Reading, writing, sending, and forwarding emails
  • Using common mouse and keyboard shortcuts
  • Multitasking on multiple apps/programs
  • Browsing the file system, managing files and folders
  • Saving, copying, deleting, attaching files, images, videos, etc.
  • Using printers in conjunction with word processors, PDF readers, etc.

My Hobbies

• Working on my self-hosted projects, like this blogging website
• Watching anime (particularly those in the romance, drama, and comedy genres)
• Playing Japanese visual novels (particularly those in the romance, drama, and comedy genres, either English localized or Japanese localized through a virtual machine)
• Playing RPGs on my Nintendo Switch and on emulators such as Citra, Yuzu, and Ryujinx
• Collecting, ripping, and backing up physical copies of anime (particularly limited/collector’s editions and rare or out of print copies) for Project ISOwned (PISO) and Project Rewritten
• Collecting and backing up physical/digital copies of Japanese visual novels (particularly limited/collector’s editions and rare or out of print copies) for Project Localized Otaku’s Trifecta (PLOT)
• Collecting anime-related or visual novel-related goodies and 1/7 scale figures
• Collecting Nintendo Switch games (particularly limited/collector’s editions)
• Reading tech news articles and watching tech videos or tutorials, either for education, entertainment, or troubleshooting
• Taking long scenic walks or riding my bike (to “touch grass”)

My Favorite…

• Self-Hosted Project: Project Onigiri (Jellyfin)
• Non Self-Hosted Project: PISO (Project ISOwned)
• Anime: CLANNAD & CLANNAD After Stories
• Anime Character: Nagisa Furukawa
• Visual Novels: Rewrite+ & Rewrite Harvest Festa
• Visual Novel Character: Kotori Kanbe
• RPGs on the Nintendo Switch: Zenoblade Chronicles (all games in series) & Fire Emblem (Fates & Three Houses)
• Color: Sky Blue
• Number: 69420
• Food: Chicken Shawarma on Rice

My Future Goals & Aspirations

• Become a network administrator
• Learn how to code and use a terminal fluently
• Learn about web design, CSS, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, and other coding languages
• Learn more about Linux and daily run a Linux distro on my computer or on a virtual machine
• Open Project ISOwned (PISO), Project Rewritten, and Project Localized Otaku’s Trifecta (PLOT) to the public, allowing donations and other contributions for both projects through a members-only program with exclusive perks
• Complete and publish Project Tempura

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