Our internet goes out periodically, so having everything local is really nice. I set up DNS on my router, so my TLS certs work fine without hitting the internet.
I wish someone would’ve taught me how to rip blurays. It wasn’t a big deal, but everything online made it sound super sketchy flashing firmware onto a Bluray drive.
I’m honestly not sure. I’m in CS and am really into Linux, so I honestly don’t know what would be helpful. I guess start small and get one thing working at a time. There’s a ton of resources online for all kinds of skill levels, and as long as you do one thing at a time, you should eventually see success.