Cygan Labs
Practical computing for real life.
A practical home for self-hosting, systems, AI, useful tools, projects, and media-server fixes, written for people who want technology to be understandable and useful.
Start with what you need
Cygan Labs is organized by practical lanes. Pick the area closest to what you are trying to understand, fix, or build.
Projects
Public builds, utilities, experiments, and infrastructure pieces, including DriftLoom, SimpleQR, ShittyQR, Plex Requests, CyberChef, and more.
Self-Hosting
Field-guide pages for getting started, maintenance, remote access, backups, media stacks, monitoring, and sensible defaults.
Tools
Small workbench utilities like Link Cleaner, Markdown Cleaner, Heading Outline Checker, SimpleQR, ShittyQR, and hosted helpers that solve one clear problem at a time.
Fast starts: Link Cleaner, Markdown Cleaner, and Heading Outline Checker.
AI & Agents
Grounded writing on AI tools, schools and organizations, agent systems, permissions, local AI, and workflow reality checks.
Systems & Ops
Reliability, monitoring, access boundaries, operations judgment, and the habits that keep systems understandable over time.
Plex Help
Blurry video, buffering, remote streaming, quality settings, and device-specific Plex fixes for common playback problems.
Device guides: Chromecast, Samsung TV, Android TV / Google TV, and Roku.
Latest writing
- July 31 Won’t Make Every Device Repairable OvernightThe EU right-to-repair deadline creates real leverage, but not a universal repair promise. Four checks determine what a consumer can actually demand.
- Build a Digital Inheritance Map Before Your Family Needs ItLegacy contacts, inactivity plans, and password-manager recovery do different jobs. Build a digital inheritance map that tells trusted people what to preserve, transfer, close, or keep running.
- Don’t Put a Swollen Battery in the Junk DrawerA swollen phone, laptop, or battery pack does not belong in a junk drawer or curbside bin. Here is how to distinguish an emergency from a stable handoff and find the right destination.