Dispensationalism Makes Sense to an Engineer
Why a framework-minded IT veteran finds dispensational theology to be the most logical way to read the Bible — and why the early church fathers saw it long before Darby and Scofield.
MICHALFERBER.ME
Blog posts and practical notes from a builder who likes working software.
Long-form writing about projects, infrastructure, and decisions behind the work. michalferber.me always points directly to the post list.
Posts
From Church Walls to Spiritual Freedom
My journey through decades of organized religion — Baptist, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God — through broken marriages, a mental health crisis, and ultimately finding God outside the institution.
Pet Peeves, Part 2: The Concrete Labyrinth
Parking lots are purgatory. The spaces are too small, the arrows are suggestions, and there's always a shopping cart in the only open spot.
Pet Peeves, Part 1: The Speakerphone Plague
A deeply personal grievance about the people who hold their phone like a digital taco and broadcast their entire lives in public spaces.
A Pragmatic Guide to Buying Gold, Silver, and Strategic Minerals
A practical breakdown of buying precious metals and strategic minerals — from physical bullion to rare earth ETFs — with dealer recommendations, storage tips, and common mistakes to avoid.
Automating Docker Compose Updates: A Simple Shell Script for Homelab Management
Managing multiple Docker Compose services can be tedious. Here's how I automated the update process with a single shell script that handles all my containers intelligently.
Setting Up Ubuntu Server VMs in Proxmox VE with QEMU Guest Agent
A complete guide to creating Ubuntu Server virtual machines in Proxmox VE with full QEMU Guest Agent integration for seamless management and monitoring.
Network-Wide Ad Blocking with Pi-hole: Setup Guide and Why I Choose It Over AdGuard Home
A comprehensive guide to setting up Pi-hole for network-wide ad blocking, including installation on Raspberry Pi and Proxmox LXC, plus a comparison with AdGuard Home and why Pi-hole is my preferred choice for homelab environments.
Why Nginx Proxy Manager is My Go-To Reverse Proxy Solution
How Nginx Proxy Manager replaced manual NGINX config management in my homelab — with built-in Let's Encrypt, a clean web UI, and a battle-tested ops guide.
Wasabi: The Unknown S3 Storage Hero at an Incredible Price
Why I switched from AWS S3 to Wasabi for homelab backups — with a pricing breakdown, migration guide, and comparison with Backblaze B2.
Flight Tracking from My Backyard: Running an ADS-B Feeder on a Raspberry Pi
How I turned a Raspberry Pi and a cheap SDR dongle into a flight tracking station — feeding three networks, getting free premium subscriptions, and spotting military aircraft near my home.
Mogul, Renegade, and Rawhide: The History of Secret Service Code Names
A fun look at the tradition of Secret Service code names — how they started, how they're chosen, and the full list for the current 47th administration.
Donetick: A Lightweight Self-Hosted Task Manager for Your Homelab
How I set up Donetick — a self-hosted chore and task manager — on Docker with SQLite, SSE realtime updates, and API automation.
Learning Rust: My Approach as a 30-Year IT Veteran
Ubuntu is quietly rewriting the core of the OS in Rust. I don't need to become a Rust developer — I need to read it, tweak it, and build a couple of CLI tools. Here's the plan.
Raspberry Pi for Kids: A Homeschool Curriculum
A 30-week zero-to-hero Pi 400 curriculum for an 8-year-old homeschooler. From mouse practice to GPIO to Python — progressing at the speed of the kid, not a classroom.
My Python Learning Plan
A 5-week plan to go from reading Python to writing small, useful programs — structured for someone who already knows other languages and doesn't need hand-holding.
Building a Personal Digital Library with Booklore and OPDS
How I set up a self-hosted ebook server with Booklore, Wasabi storage, and OPDS synchronization across macOS and Android devices
Completing Your TrueNAS Setup: Backups, HTTPS, and Hardening
Complete your TrueNAS setup with automated backups, HTTPS, and security hardening for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Managing My Raspberry Pi 4 Home Server: A Practical Operations Guide
A comprehensive guide to managing Docker containers, systemd services, and rclone cloud mounts on a Raspberry Pi 4 home server
Michal's rsync Cheat Sheet: Reliable Backups & Sync
My go-to tool for implementing the 3-2-1 backup strategy
Michal's Podman Cheat Sheet: A Docker Alternative for My Homelab
Complete Podman cheat sheet and tutorial for 2026. Learn Podman commands, Docker alternatives, and container management for homelab and Linux servers. Includes rootless containers, pod management, and Docker Compose compatibility.
Building a Redundant Unbound DNS Setup in My Home Lab
Build a redundant Unbound DNS setup on Raspberry Pi with automated config sync, security hardening, and health monitoring.
Responsive Web Design Best Practices in 2025
Responsive design in 2025: content-based breakpoints, fluid layouts, optimized images (AVIF/WebP), SVG, and when to use a CDN versus self-hosting.
VisionPay: AI-Powered Payments
Concept design for an AI-powered payment system using Raspberry Pi 5, Hailo AI module, camera, and blockchain integration.
The Dawn of a Digital Age: AOL & Dial-Up
A look back at AOL’s dial-up legacy, its rivals, and why 56k internet survived decades past broadband—until its final goodbye in 2025.
Vibrational Medicine: Healing with Frequencies
Explore how specific sound frequencies may aid in wellness, paired with a DIY Raspberry Pi tone generator and free downloadable tools.
DIY Raspberry Pi Frequency Tone Generator
Build a low-cost, standalone frequency generator using a Raspberry Pi for exploring vibrational medicine, bioresonance, or sound therapy.
Psalm 82:6 — I said, You are gods
A deep dive into Psalm 82:6, exploring the names of God, Christ Consciousness, and what it means to be made in His image.
The First 90 Days of Sudden Wealth: A Humanitarian’s Guide
A 90-day framework for navigating sudden wealth with wisdom, privacy, and stewardship.
DIY Raspberry Pi Pico Weather Station
Learn how to build a Raspberry Pi Pico weather station to measure temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, with real-time display or web output.
DIY Raspberry Pi HQ Camera Build with Pi Zero WH
Build a portable Raspberry Pi HQ Camera setup with live display, battery power, and customizable software.
DIY Raspberry Pi Pico Environmental Monitor
Build an environmental monitoring system with a Raspberry Pi Pico to measure temperature, humidity, pressure, air quality, and more.
DIY Raspberry Pi Pico W Web Server
Learn how to host a simple web page from your Raspberry Pi Pico W using MicroPython and Wi-Fi.
My Programming Journey Began With BASIC
How a TLDR Web Dev article sparked a trip down memory lane to where my programming journey began—with BASIC.
The Hidden History of the Strawman
An alternate history exploring the idea of the Strawman, a legal fiction that turned individuals into collateral, and the awakening that followed.
How To Install And Use Net Tools In Ubuntu
Install and use the classic net-tools package on Ubuntu to get commands like ifconfig, netstat, route, and more.
U.S. Geoengineering Projects — What’s Active and What’s Hidden?
A breakdown of known U.S.-based geoengineering projects, including public research, proposed field tests, and the possibility of classified programs.
Install and Automate Ookla Speedtest CLI on Ubuntu
Using the Ookla Speedtest CLI to perform speedtest
How to Set a Static IP on Ubuntu (Netplan) with DNS Failover
Using the Ubuntu (Netplan) to manage your ip address
Teeth Reflexology: The Sacred Map in Your Mouth
Exploring the ancient connections between your teeth, organs, emotions, and ancestral memory through the lens of reflexology.
How to Remove and Exclude .DS_Store Files on macOS with Git
Learn how to remove and exclude .DS_Store files from Git on macOS to keep your repository clean. Step-by-step guide!
Configure mDNS for Hostname Resolution on Ubuntu
Configure Ubuntu for mDNS to ping/SSH using hostname.local (e.g., yourservername.local). Install Avahi, set hostname, and enable SSH discovery.
Custom Linux Welcome Message Guide
This guide walks you through setting up a personalized welcome message that appears when you log into your terminal or connect via SSH.
The Names of God: Jehovah, Yeshua, and Their Meaning
A study of the names of God in Scripture, their meanings, and how they reveal His character — with a focus on Jehovah and Yeshua.
Free Tools I Use Regularly
A curated list of free tools and services I use daily, shaped by over 30 years of IT experience and a passion for open-source software.
My Favorite VS Code Extensions
A comprehensive list of my favorite VS Code extensions grouped by category, with links, descriptions, and examples of how to use them.
King James Bible: Political Influence and Missing Books
How the King James Bible shaped culture, its missing books, and the politics behind its creation
How to Build a Raspberry Pi Camera for Seamless WebRTC Streaming
Using the Pi Zero 2 W and the Camera Module 3
The Lord's Prayer
The Aramaic Prayer of Jesus (Original transliteration and translation from the Peshitta (Syriac-Aramaic)
Difference between religion and spirituality
Or at least my take on it.
Hello World!
Everyone has to have one of these right?
MailerLite Certified Expert
Certified MailerLite Expert helping businesses boost engagement, drive sales, and maximize ROI through targeted, effective email marketing campaigns.
Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate
MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams.
The new Admin On-Demand feature in the Mosyle MDM
A How To Guide.
Mosyle Certified Admin
This certificate deems the recipient competent and skilled in Mosyle Business MDM. He has completed certification and become a Mosyle Certified Admin.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) certification is designed to provide foundational knowledge about cloud concepts, core Azure services, security, privacy, compliance, and Azure pricing and support.
30-day Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge
The AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator exam evaluates your skills in administering Azure environments and implementing core solutions on the Azure platform.
SSCA® 'Elite' SIP training and SIP Certification
The SSCA® SIP training program has been the defacto certification for SIP students around the world since its inception in 2008.
September 2 – Part 1
A personal story
Stars We Lost in 2019
Year in review
Vesta Alert Notification System
South Carolina ARC GIS conference
Milestone Certified Integration Technician (MCIT)
Milestone Integration Technicians install and configure moderately complex XProtect VMS installations with camera counts of 100-500 cameras.
Enhancing healthcare with use of emergency notifications
A case study on McLeod Health emergency notification
How emergency notification is used for healthcare.
A case study on McLeod Health emergency notification
An open letter to Christians everywhere (including me)
From the heart
It’s all about Effective, Efficient Communication
That’s Just the Bottom Line
Integrating Emergency Alerts for Better ROI
Speaking at Disaster Recovery Journal | Spring World 2010