Blog – BIMBOTECH

going open source
May 16, 2025
about 5 years ago I decided to go open source. or rather, I got fed up with Apple. up until this point was a lifelong Apple fangirl. learned how to use a computer on a Macintosh at school. when the first Apple iMac was released they put them in my school library in all the different colors and I remember being so wowed that a computer could look that cool. my first ever laptop was a Dell but have had an Apple laptop since they came in white polycarbonate. had the iPhone since the first iPhone because I knew it would revolutionize cell phones and it did.
16 years and many iPhones, iPads, Macbooks and iMacs later, all my Apple products – laptop, pc, phone and tablet all became really slow and obsolete within a few years of buying them because they were not expandable. I was getting an iPhone every couple years and a new Macbook every 3 years. I’m one of those rare Apple customers because I write, live stream, edit video, design and program all on one machine – I really use my computer to the absolute limit.
after speed issues with my desktop Mac I basically found out I needed a $6000 Mac Pro to edit video and stream efficiently, and then apple made the mistake of asking for $300 for a Final Cut Pro software upgrade right around the same time. I decided it was insane to keep paying top dollar for electronics designed to become obsolete and set out looking for a solution. and like Goldilocks I tried them all until I found something just right for me.
first things first I set out to build my own desktop computer which I considered turning into a Hackintosh (a pc with Apple operating system on it), but after researching the process I decided against it. which of course leaves only two other options – Windows and Linux. I’ve always had a general disdain for Windows and was curious about Linux. while live streaming my pc build a twitch viewer recommended Garuda Linux, and I have not looked back since. in fact I loved it so much I bought a framework laptop and also installed Garuda Linux on it. once I found out how customizable my Linux OS was I went all out aesthetically and functionally and had a blast doing it – my machine is completely tailored to me in form and function.
going open source of course meant I had to replace and learn some programs. I replaced Final Cut Pro with Kdenlive and replaced Illustrator with Krita and GIMP. the amount of money I’m saving myself in the future by using free open source software (FOSS) is huge for me. freeing myself from the clutches of Apple’s built in obsolescence by getting a Framework computer was also a huge step – there aren’t many consumer computer companies that encourage people to install Linux or repair and upgrade their own machines.
recently while going through my old storage unit, I found my macbook air from 2018 and was surprised that when I booted her up, it was running windows. then I remembered that I was experimenting with dual booting MacOS and Windows but found that it was extremely slow to the point of being painful to use. I decided since this laptop is unusable anyway, might as well try to install Linux on it. so after a lot of research on installing Linux on my particular model of macbook air I gave it a try and successfully installed Ubuntu Linux and now the thing runs like new!
hot takes on ai
May 9, 2025
went mini viral the other week on Twitter after randomly expressing my annoyance at AI in the cadence of Dr. Seuss. no stranger to going mini viral, it happens to me on average of every 2-3 years over something that is completely normal and mundane to me. previously went mini viral for having both my (ex)husband + (ex)bf at my birthday party. oh and that time I accidentally slept through a date that the guy had to pay a $70 cancellation fee for. he asked me to pay him back the cancellation fee. this sparked a debate on twitter over whether I should pay him back or not, I of course did not.
AI is a buzz word, more than it is a credible technology at this point. the umbrella term is usually describing generative AI or language learning models or machine learning. AI is being used by startups to attract venture capital and brands are integrating AI for fear of looking old-fashioned, which is the worst thing you could be in tech, right?
One thing about AI that’s for certain is it’s incredibly resource intensive, the numbers out there say an AI query requires 10x more energy than a regular Google search. the tech overlords are opening data centers to keep up with this demand but one thing about AI thus far? it’s not profitable, they are losing money on AI. it seems so far the business model of AI is the following:
step 1. spend tremendous resources on AI so we look relevant and up to date
step 2. let people use extremely costly technology for free in hopes of mass adoption
step 3. ???
step 4. profit
my prediction is they think that AI will eventually become profitable once everyone can’t live without it and when that time comes they will recoup their losses by making all the free users pay. but even with a paid model, AI is STILL losing money, as per Sam Altman, owner of OpenAI:
if even paid AI is losing money because people are using it too much you essentially have a product that becomes less profitable the more people use it. it seems counter intuitive from a business standpoint to push mass adoption of a technology that becomes less profitable the more it’s used.
my biggest question is does AI know the meaningful difference between these sentences:
The bias is baked in (when a quality is inherent to a thing)
I baked the cake (the act of baking a cake)
I baked in the sun (the act of getting a tan)
I baked my face (a make up technique made popular by YouTube makeup gurus)
I’m baked man (a colloquialism for expressing that someone is high on cannabis)
if it didn’t, it probably will after this.
About The Writer
May 6, 2025
cc is a tragically millenial korean-american city girl on the verge of either a breakthrough or a breakdown. begrudging veteran of the internet. won’t identify as an influencer but definitely influential. currently in LA. previous resident of MIA, NYC, DEN, Seoul but grew up in New Jersey. writing credits include Vice Media, Galore Mag, Complex Media and Buzzfeed. at least one comedian has stolen my tweets for their stand-up. worked at a tech startup you never heard of that doesn’t matter. unaccredited but influential to the creation of the Onlyfans platform, previously known as FollowPlus. owned a couple of small businesses – a cannabis e-commerce delivery service and a korean beauty retailer to varying degrees of success and failure. this blog is an attempt to focus my adhd energy into a long term writing project. bear with me and bear witness.
men’s dating profile do’s and don’ts
May 5, 2025
DON’TS
-don’t be negative and start off stating what you don’t want, or even worse, being disparaging about the women you’ve encountered

-don’t complain about bots or onlyfans girls – they exist on dating apps, get over it. it’s negative and repetitive to complain about it. just silently weed them out like a good sport.
-don’t post pictures of kid(s). absolutely be honest about having kids, any man who hides his children is a big red flag. but understand the nuances. mentioning that you’re a father in your profile is fine, checking off the option for “has kids” is great, plastering your children’s face on Tinder is not.
-don’t plagiarize game. the use of recycled quotes that you found on a Reddit sub about online dating are an absolute no go. they are repetitive, obvious and so commonly used that she’s definitely already seen it twice.
DO’S
-do talk about yourself and the type of relationship you want. girls who are reading your profile aren’t there to read that you’re looking for someone “smart beautiful funny” they wanna find out if you are smart handsome funny
-do include recent pictures that are an accurate representation of what you look like irl. older men, stop posting 20 year old pictures, the pixel resolution is a dead giveaway that it’s a photo from the 90’s.

-do try to make the reader laugh or smile. avoid vulgar, rude, offensive jokes unless that’s the type of girl you’re trying to attract.

-do mention your work or career, if you don’t have any, reconsider dating. you should talk about your work just enough so that she knows you work but not so at length that it bores her.
Create Your Own Cloud
April 15, 2025
Ingredients
web domain (example: bratennui.com)
web server (example: linode)
terminal (comes prebuilt into all Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems)
nextcloud software (free to download)
Notes:
anytime you see bratennui.com in this tutorial replace it with your own domain
you can use a domain from any registrar and any web server you wish but for our example we are using a namecheap domain and a linode server
this process takes about 45 minutes to complete so make sure you have time and patience for installation
1. Point Domain To Server
in this example we are pointing a namecheap domain (bratennui.com) to the following linode name servers
ns1.linode.com
ns2.linode.com
ns3.linode.com
ns4.linode.com
ns5.linode.com
2. Create A Server
create a linode account (to use Linode’s free trial google “linode promo” and sign up through the sponsored link. it will require a card for sign up but you won’t be charged or billed for 60 days and you’ll receive a $100 site credit to use)
create linode
select region closest to you
choose os Ubuntu 24.04
pick linode plan (recommended minimum is shared CPU 2GB)
linode label – give linode a name
root password – something secure that you can remember because you will have to type it in later
skip all other options and click Create Linode
once your Linode has been created copy your public IP Address
3. Add your domain to the server
go to Domains
Create Domain
enter your domain
enter your email
choose Insert Default Records From My Linodes and choose the linode you created in previous step
4. Connect to the linode
connect to the server. open your Terminal and enter the command below. replace 123.456.789 with your Linode’s public IP address (you can paste by pressing control shift V)
ssh root@123.456.789
when prompted ‘Are you sure you want to continue connecting?’ type yes and hit enter
enter your root password you created with your linode. your password will not appear onscreen as you type it in, do not worry about that.
when successfully logged in you will see a Welcome to Ubuntu message and the typing prompt will say root@localhost (the example below says root@bimbotech)
5. Set domain name by editing hostname and hosts files
enter the code below into your terminal to open your hostname file. replace localhost with your domain and save the file (control X Y Enter)
nano /etc/hostname
edit the hosts file and add your domain and save the file
nano /etc/hosts
6. Prepare Server
install latest updates and security patches. hit enter when prompts come up.
sudo apt update && apt dist-upgrade
7. Install And Create Database
sudo apt install mariadb-server
for prompts answer:
Do you want to continue? Y
once that’s finished installing run the following command to do secure database installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation
for prompts answer:
current password for root (enter for none): PRESS ENTER. DO NOT ENTER ANY PASSWORD.
Switch to unix_socket authentication: n
Change the root password: Y
Set your new password and confirm the password (take note of this password you will need to use it later to log into your nextcloud. also note that when you enter your password nothing will appear on the screen and that is normal)
Remove anonymous users? Y
Disallow root login remotely? Y
Remove test database and access to it? Y
Reload privilege tables now? Y
when successfully installed you will get the message “Thanks for using MariaDB!”
next we create a database
sudo mariadb
CREATE DATABASE nextcloud;
next we create a password for our database user, replace mysecurepassword with your secure password
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'nextcloud'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'mysecurepassword';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit the database by hitting Control D
8. Install Software Dependencies
enter code below and accept installation by hitting Y or Enter
sudo apt install php php-apcu php-bcmath php-cli php-common php-curl php-gd php-gmp php-imagick php-intl php-mbstring php-mysql php-zip php-xml apache2 libmagickcore-6.q16-7-extra
9. Enable PHP modules
sudo phpenmod bcmath gmp imagick intl
10. Download and Install Nextcloud
wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.zip
next we download the unzip utility and unzip the nextcloud software we downloaded. unzipping latest.zip will create a cascade of code, don’t worry that’s normal.
sudo apt install unzip
unzip latest.zip
after unzipping is done we clean up the zip file, change the nextcloud name to your domain, add ownership and move the domain to an accessible directory
rm latest.zip
sudo chown www-data:www-data -R nextcloud/
sudo mv nextcloud /var/www/bratennui.com
11. Configuration
a. site configuration
edit the configuration file for your domain, it is always named yourdomain.conf
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/bratennui.com.conf
copy paste the code below into the file and replace bratennui.com with your domain.
<VirtualHost *:80> DocumentRoot "/var/www/bratennui.com" ServerName bratennui.com <Directory "/var/www/bratennui.com/"> Options MultiViews FollowSymlinks AllowOverride All Order allow,deny Allow from all </Directory> TransferLog /var/log/apache2/bratennui.com_access.log ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/bratennui.com_error.log </VirtualHost>
save and exit out of the file by hitting Control X, Y, Enter
b. PHP configuration
sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/apache2/php.ini
bring up search by hitting Control W and search for each item on the list below and replace the values with what is appropriate for your media storage needs then save the changes. do not forget to remove the ; at the beginning of each line you are editing!
memory_limit = 1024M upload_max_filesize = 1024M max_execution_time = 360 post_max_size = 512M date.timezone = America/Los_Angeles opcache.enable=1 opcache.interned_strings_buffer=16 opcache.max_accelerated_files=10000 opcache.memory_consumption=256 opacache.save_comments=1 opcache.revalidate_freq=1
12. setup apache
enable apache modules
sudo a2enmod dir env headers mime rewrite ssl
disable default apache page and enable your domain
sudo a2dissite 000-default
sudo a2ensite bratennui.com.conf
restart the apache server to apply changes
sudo systemctl restart apache2
check to make sure the apache server is running, once confirmed hit Q to return to the terminal
sudo systemctl status apache2
13. Install SSL
secure your nextcloud domain by adding an SSL certificate.
sudo apt install snapd
sudo snap install core; sudo snap refresh core
sudo snap install --classic certbot
sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot
sudo certbot --apache
enter your email
say Y to terms of service
say N to spam
choose domain by entering 1
an SSL certificate will be issued to secure your site
reboot server from terminal OR go back to linode and reboot your server so changes can take effect
14. log into nextcloud + Initial Setup

go to your domain and you should now have a nextcloud welcome setup screen
fill out the following details
New admin account name – whatever you want it to be in this example it’s cc
New admin password – whatever you want your nextcloud login password to be
Data folder – leave this field alone it is already prefilled
Database account – nextcloud
Database password – enter the password you created in Step 7
Database name – nextcloud
Database host – localhost
click Install
Install recommended apps or skip. up to you.
15. Voila! you should now have your brand new nextcloud dashboard
16. Securing your Nextcloud
protect your config.php file because it contains sensitive information like your password
```
sudo chmod 660 /var/www/bratennui.com/config/config.php	

sudo chown root:www-data /var/www/bratennui.com/config/config.php
```
Bonus: Troubleshooting
Administration Settings Page Errors
edit the config.php file and add the following for scheduled maintenance, default phone setting and memory caching for speed.
```
sudo nano /var/www/bratennnui.com/config/config.php
```
```
'memcache.local' => '\OC\Memcache\APCu',
'default_phone_region' => 'US',
'maintenance_window_start' => 1,
```
```
sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/mods-available/apcu.ini
```
in the apcu.ini file add this line and save
```
apc.enable_cli=1
```
run the following commands then refresh your administration settings page and some of the errors should be gone
```
sudo chmod +x /var/www/bratennnui.com/occ
sudo /var/www/bratennui.com/occ db:add-missing-indices
```
Tech I’m Excited About In 2025
April 6, 2025
I know it’s only April but I can confidently say this is the only tech drop this year that I care about. I’ve been a huge fan of Framework computers since I got one a couple years ago. when I heard a company was specializing in modular, repairable, upgradable laptops I was super interested, but once I got my hands on my Framework 13 laptop and built one myself I was completely sold on how quality the entire laptop is from inside out. Now Framework is dropping the Framework 12 laptop and it looks amazing! it’s a 12.2 inch touchscreen convertible laptop. It can go from a notebook to a tablet, comes with a stylus, and also comes in really cute colors. I’m stoked that a serious quality computer company is making pink computers. I’m sure the pre-orders will fly but I will try to get my hands on one for review.
Billionaire Personality Types
March 19, 2025
Many entrepreneurs want to create a cult of personality, but what are the billionaire personality types?
The “Relatable” One – Warren Buffett
“I’m just like you” they say as an assistant brings out a simple breakfast on a silver platter. Believes they’re in touch with the people even if their toilet warms itself. Known for frugal habits despite exorbitant wealth. Drives a practical car, lives in a practical house and does quirky things to save money.
The Rebel – Richard Branson
Some founders want to live more like rockstars than suits. Rubbing shoulders with actual rockstars, walking red carpets, chasing adrenaline pumping activities and adventures are all on this founder’s list of regular activities.
The Black Sheep Heir – Alice Walton
While many founders take pride in being self made, this trust fund baby will always be overshadowed by their inherited wealth. More interested in their artistic and philanthropic endeavors than in the family business, even their own family members consider them overindulgent, just like their childhoods
The Lunatic – John McAfee
Eccentricity isn’t the word here, neither is quirky. The vibe here is… unhinged. Think out of control cult leader trying to get you to drink the kool-aid. Personal life and antics outweigh their impact on business. Behavior ranges from strange to downright dangerous.
The Supervillain – Jeff Bezos
Like the evil billionaire bad guys you find in comics. On the business end, there’s more than questionable labor practices and a ruthless profit motive. Just as ruthless in their personal life.
The Try Hard – Elon Musk
The one that wanted to be considered cool all their adolescent life and finally is and it shows. Living out their adolescent fantasies alongside their success, pulling the perpetually embarrassing publicity stunt in an attempt to look bad ass.
Building A Custom Laptop
March 11, 2025
4 hour livestream where I build a custom framework laptop and install garuda linux on it.
Beyonce Uses WordPress
March 11, 2025
WordPress gets a bad rep. people naturally associate wordpress with being outdated because as the OG of blogs it’s been around forever – everyone remembers trying wordpress or some form of blogging in the 2000’s and not being impressed with the experience, then along came social media/micro blogging in the form of facebook so a lot of people left behind more DIY forms of self hosted blogging like wordpress. as someone who tried wordpress in 2004 and rediscovered wordpress 20 years later into its development, I’m glad I did.
ok quick pause. if you know zero about wordpress and here for Beyonce (totally understandable, I too am here for Beyonce), here’s a quick important primer on what makes WordPress dope and how this relates to Beyonce. first off WordPress is *open source* – this mean the code is freely available for anyone to use or develop and build on. the very huge upside of a 22 year old open source software ecosystem is there has been a TON of development, so many functions and features for wordpress exist that you can pretty much build anything you want with it. to bring the point home, Beyonce.com runs on WordPress – and dare I say if it’s good enough for Beyonce chances are it’s good enough for you.
Keep Up With Astrology Quickly
March 3, 2025
here’s a quick and handy way to add an astrology calendar to your smart phone. this has definitely raised my awareness of what’s going on with the planets on a day to day basis. it’s a super simple and quick process so I recommend to to everyone who is interested in astrology and the planets. all you do is copy the calendar links below, go into your phone calendar, add a new calendar, subscribe to a calendar and input the link.
get your astrology calendars
canton becker astrology calendar
transit calendar
add a new calendar + subscribe
in your phone’s calendar app add a new calendar
choose subscribe to a calendar
input the calendar links from above
bonus tip! add the calendar widget to your phone’s home screen
Beginner’s Guide To Streaming
March 2, 2025
always start small with whatever you have on hand, then build on it as you grow your audience and earnings. these days streaming sites often have app compatibility so you can stream from your smartphone, tablet or laptop super easily. if you plan to make streaming a long term part of your income though it’s wise to get the proper equipment and slowly make upgrades when your budget allows. do not be deterred by this list thinking you need all of these things to start – you can start with what you have. streaming is a journey. you will learn, you will improve, refine and evolve. just have fun with it.
building your setup
there’s an infinite number of ways you can setup your stream so do you. no single setup fits everyone’s space, needs, equipment. Work with whatever you got right now and evolve and upgrade as you go along, you can stream from your smartphone, tablet, laptop to start with. I started with a laptop on a nightstand, no mic and just a wifi connection – my stream quality was terrible but I kept improving largely with the help of my audience who gave me good feedback and pointers. I’ve upgraded & changed a ton of things about my setup. the nightstand is now an L shaped desk, the laptop is now a custom built PC with two monitors, I have a microphone, more comfortable chair, the list of upgrades I made is endless. the whole point of streaming is it’s a journey, what you start with is not what you will end up with, and very often what you end up with is ever evolving. embrace the changing nature of your setup as you get experienced.
lighting lighting lighting!
no matter how expensive your camera is, if the lighting is bad the camera can’t save you, so even before you get a fancy camera, get some lighting. I use a dimmable LED studio light, small ring light & turn on the ceiling lights in my apartment. 
camera
I recommend a webcam, something in 4K resolution. photography enthusiasts that already have a digital camera are ahead of the curve. I’ve been using a Logitech Brio webcam for 8 years with no complaints. although I would like to upgrade to a real full frame camera one day for better video quality, but I am honestly intimidated by learning how to use one. this is probably the one area of my stream I have not upgraded or changed at all.
computer
books can be written on the subject of building computers to use for streaming but the basic gist is, the beefier your computer the more it can handle. if you’re gaming and streaming at the same time for example, you’re going to need a computer with a robust graphics card. I started with a macbook, eventually got a mac desktop and now I have a PC I built myself that runs Linux
monitor
monitor space becomes important when you realize the amount of programs and windows you have to have open in order to have a fully functioning stream with all the bells and whistles. I started with just 1 laptop screen but now I have 2 monitors on dual swivel mounts.
microphone & headphones
a lot of equipment in the realm of mics and headphones exist so pick your price range and stick to it. webcams will have a built in mic but it’s important to get a dedicated microphone for audio quality. I used a Yeti Blue Microphone for years because it came so highly recommended by the internet but I found it to be large, heavy and cumbersome. honestly any mic is better than no mic. I eventually got a heart shaped microphone by Kawaii purely bc of the aesthetics but there are lots of professional studio quality mics available too. for headphones I have a pair of wired airplane headphones for plugging into my mic to do sound check, but for the rest of the time I use Razer Hello Kitty headphones or Airpod Pros.
wired internet connection
a long ethernet cable will be your best friend. can a stream run on wireless internet? sure. but the quality will be super subpar. fiber optic internet allows me to run 6 streams simultaneously without any lag or quality issues 
comfortable seating
there are lots of gaming chairs out there but I personally find them aesthetically displeasing so I searched for executive chairs instead and landed on an executive office chair from Serta – super comfortable even for very long streams. sometimes I sit on a 3 piece sectional couch that is also very comfortable and roomy
upgrades that make streaming life easier
the right tripod/mount/stand for lighting, camera, microphone can improve things so much. I prefer a wireless touchpad instead of a mouse bc it’s more user friendly for me while streaming from soft seating like a couch or bed.
aesthetics
before worrying about decor, make sure your setting is clean. a clean setup goes a long way. after that just do as much as you can within your means and with what you have. decorate in a way that reflects your personality & sense of style.
software
software setup is very involved and requires its own tutorial but this is the basics. setting up your broadcasting software can be intimidating and overwhelming so just take it step by step. think of it as you’re creating a live tv show and need to plug all the different elements of your broadcast into your broadcasting software. you need to add the microphone for audio, camera for video, and any other visual elements you want on your stream. the most commonly used program for streaming i called OBS, which stands for Open Source Broadcasting software. I highly recommend it bc it’s free and has robust expandable features.
How To Edit Video In Final Cut Pro
March 1, 2025

Ingredients

Notes:

1. Point Domain To Server

2. Create A Server

3. Add your domain to the server

4. Connect to the linode

5. Set domain name by editing hostname and hosts files

6. Prepare Server

7. Install And Create Database

8. Install Software Dependencies

9. Enable PHP modules

10. Download and Install Nextcloud

11. Configuration

a. site configuration

b. PHP configuration

12. setup apache

13. Install SSL

14. log into nextcloud + Initial Setup

15. Voila! you should now have your brand new nextcloud dashboard

16. Securing your Nextcloud

Bonus: Troubleshooting

Administration Settings Page Errors

get your astrology calendars

add a new calendar + subscribe

bonus tip! add the calendar widget to your phone’s home screen

building your setup

lighting lighting lighting!

camera

computer

monitor

microphone & headphones

wired internet connection

comfortable seating

upgrades that make streaming life easier

aesthetics

software