kits · reading lists · tools
Everything you need for a nerdy project. One page, every part.
Not another top-10. Each kit is a complete, opinionated buy-list for one goal: running a local LLM, building a homelab, your first mechanical keyboard. Pick a tier, drop what you own, see the rough budget. Plus the books notable people actually recommended, with sources.
Start with a goal, not a product
Three tiers each. Uncheck what you already own and the budget updates.
Run a local LLM at home
From a $800 Mac mini to a 512GB Mac Studio: the hardware that actually fits the model you want.
Homelab starter kit
A sub-20 W mini PC running Proxmox, a NAS for the data, and a UPS so a power blip never eats your drives.
Your first custom mechanical keyboard
No soldering. A hot-swap kit, switches and keycaps you chose, and the three tools worth owning.
Ergonomic developer desk
Monitor at eye height, a chair that fits, a desk that lets you stand. Buy those first; cheap out on the rest until it bugs you.
Privacy & self-hosting hardware
Travel router, two security keys, an encrypted stick, a Pi-hole. Each one quietly closes a door.
Raspberry Pi & electronics bench
A Pi 5 that doesn't throttle or brown out, a Pico for the bare-metal stuff, and the iron and meter that outlast every project.
Books recommended by people worth copying
Every title traces back to a primary source: the person's own site, a letter, a talk. No vibes, no hearsay.
Bill Gates
Microsoft co-founder, Gates Notes
The books Bill Gates recommended on Gates Notes in his 2024 and 2025 holiday and summer lists, each with the original post.
Charlie Munger
Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman (1924–2023)
The books Charlie Munger recommended in Poor Charlie's Almanack and at Berkshire Hathaway and Daily Journal meetings, with sources.
Naval Ravikant
AngelList founder, investor
The books Naval Ravikant recommends in the Almanack of Naval Ravikant's reading list, with his own one-line reasons.
Patrick Collison
Stripe co-founder and CEO
Books Patrick Collison flags as particularly great on his personal bookshelf page, several of which Stripe Press later republished.
Paul Graham
Y Combinator co-founder, essayist
Books Paul Graham has recommended in his essays and on X, each linked to the essay or post where he said it.
Jeff Bezos
Amazon founder
The books Jeff Bezos assigned to Amazon's executives and named as favorites, from Brad Stone's reporting and Bezos' own interviews.
Curated by a human. Ranked by you.
One goal per kit
We start from what you want to do, then list every part, in order, with the reason each one is there.
Honest tiers, honest budgets
Budget, Recommended, No-compromise. Totals are our estimates, not Amazon prices, and say so.
The agent learns from clicks
A multi-armed bandit reorders kits and finder answers from anonymous click counts. No cookies, no accounts, no profile of you.
Read the method and who is behind this, or suggest a kit.
Picked for you
From a $800 Mac mini to a 512GB Mac Studio: the hardware that actually fits the model you want.
A sub-20 W mini PC running Proxmox, a NAS for the data, and a UPS so a power blip never eats your drives.
No soldering. A hot-swap kit, switches and keycaps you chose, and the three tools worth owning.
Monitor at eye height, a chair that fits, a desk that lets you stand. Buy those first; cheap out on the rest until it bugs you.