The New Homesteaders

The second installment of TNH news. Are we losing the ability to think deeply as AI becomes more involved in everyday life? In this episode, Akseli and Liam discuss the EU AI Act, social scoring, surveillance, biometric data, brain-mapping technology, deepfakes, AI-generated content, and the growing dependence on proprietary platforms. They also look at what this means for education, privacy, copy...

**The New Homesteaders** – First Finnish episode! How much data are Finnish schools actually giving to Google and Microsoft? In this eye-opening discussion, Akseli and teacher Vesku break down the reality of school-issued devices, privacy rights, and long-term consequences for children. **Main Topics:** - School Chromebooks & Microsoft laptops – who really owns the data? - Why parents and chil...

Smart homes are supposed to make life easier… but most people screw it up right from the start. In this episode, Liam and Akseli break down the most common (and expensive) mistakes people make when building their first private smart home — including Liam’s own painful beginner errors. Topics Covered: • Why Wi-Fi bulbs are usually a terrible idea • Zigbee vs Wi-Fi vs Matter – which one should you a...

Is your digital life just another crop for Zuckerberg's profit farm? Akseli and Liam slice into the age-old analogy of sharecropping to reveal how social media turns us into unpaid laborers feeding AI giants—without even noticing. Spoiler: Facebook isn’t just making you a product, it’s farming your data, family photos, and attention, all while Zuckerberg’s pulling the profit like a royal landowner...

Why You Should Trust NO ONE With Your Data in 2026 | Zero Knowledge & Zero Trust Explained In this episode of The New Homesteaders, Liam and Akseli break down Zero-Knowledge architecture — the only real way to protect your privacy when big tech and governments are harvesting everything. From WhatsApp backups and Google reading your old emails to mandatory facial recognition cameras in new cars...

In this episode of The New Homesteaders , Akseli and Liam dive into the hidden world of data brokers and how your personal information is being bought and sold. Discover the impact on your insurance, privacy, and even your daily life. It's a wake-up call for anyone seeking digital independence in a world where 'free' is just a myth. Join the conversation and rethink what “privacy” truly means in t...

In this episode of The New Homesteaders, we continue our painful but rewarding journey into building a privacy-focused smart home. After battling Matter devices in the last episode, we tackle our first Thread device — the Aqara W100 Climate Sensor — along with firmware flashing, Zigbee/Thread multi-pan issues, and a stubborn Thread Border Router. Expect lots of troubleshooting, Graphene OS drama (...

The conversation covers the setup and configuration of various devices and systems, including Proxmox, Home Assistant, and TailScale. It also includes unboxing and discussing smart home devices. The hosts explore topics related to network configuration, security, and privacy. The conversation covers the setup and configuration of Home Assistant, Tailscale, and Proxmox, as well as the challenges an...

The conversation covers the process of setting up a new homestead, using Ventoy for bootable USB, checking hash and security measures, desktop environment preferences, ejecting USB and security concerns, BIOS configuration challenges, benefits of Ventoy for multiple ISOs, hardware specifications, Proxmox installation, selecting hard disk, and IP address configuration, and setting host name and dom...

Apologies. The New Homesteaders is having technical difficulties. We will be back next week :)

In this episode, Akseli and Liam discuss privacy and security measures for internet browsing, including browser settings, search engines, browser fingerprinting, password management, and two-factor authentication. They also touch on the future of password authentication and the use of YubiKey for enhanced security. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to privacy and security, inc...

The conversation covers the topics of Android app verification, side loading, unified attestation, and California's age verification laws. It delves into the impact on custom ROMs, Graphene OS, and the open-source community. The discussion also highlights the challenges faced by users and developers in the context of app distribution and security. The conversation covers a range of topics includin...

Ever wonder if you're just squatting on someone else's server, paying rent to Big Tech overlords for "your" data? Liam and Akseli trade sharp banter about flipping the script: ditching the cloud rental life for a proper DIY homestead in the digital wilds. This episode is your no-BS guide to Nextcloud — the open-source beast that laughs in the face of Google Drive, OneDrive, and their surveillance...

This episode is a discussion about custom Android ROMs and why people are increasingly interested in them for privacy and security reasons. We talk a bit about the history of custom Android operating systems and how that community developed over time. A big part of the conversation focuses on GrapheneOS — what makes it different, why some people consider it one of the most secure Android-based sys...

The conversation delves into the world of open source smart home technology, emphasizing local control, automation, security, and privacy. It explores the setup, monitoring, and management of a smart home, focusing on energy efficiency, safety, convenience, and security measures. Takeaways Open source smart home ecosystem Local control and automation Security and privacy in smart home technology C...