02 / MEDIA + INFRASTRUCTURE
RixFlix / The Lab
One old Windows PC. One collection of DVDs. One rather large rabbit hole.
RixFlix began when Rick wanted to rip DVDs to a hard drive and play them on the living-room TV. A third-generation Core i5 Windows computer became the first Plex server. It worked—and that was enough to start an obsession.
Today, RixFlix lives in a much bigger Unraid-based homelab, surrounded by mirrored storage, networking equipment, a custom OPNsense firewall, and 10-gigabit fiber connections. The server and its media library are private; the ongoing process of building them is what this site is about.
STATUS: In personal use · Not a public streaming service
03 / THE SHOWPIECE
The Beast / Gaming PC
Some people hide their computers under their desks. Rick mounted his on the wall.
The Beast is an open-frame, custom wall-mounted desktop built to be as enjoyable to look at as it is to use. The machine sports Intel Core i9 power, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, glowing liquid-cooling hardware, and a whole lot of deliberate visual flair.
It's part performance machine, part art project, and entirely consistent with a lifelong habit of upgrading things simply because they can be upgraded.
STATUS: Built and in use · Still subject to the occasional idea
04 / PRIVATE PHOTO STORAGE
RixSnaps / Photo Vault
Personal photos and videos deserve more than another monthly subscription.
RixSnaps is Rick's Immich-based photo and video library, hosted on RixHomeLab hardware. Secure HTTPS access for personal use is working, and the project continues with backup testing, safeguards, and planning for a possible future pilot.
There are no public customer accounts or paid storage plans available today. If that changes, the site will say so clearly—after the security, capacity, and backup work is ready.
STATUS: Personal use / testing · No public signups
05 / WHAT'S NEXT
RixAI / Future Experiments
An experimental AI assistant that lives close to home? Now there's a wonderfully unnecessary idea.
Rick has been researching dedicated GPU hardware and local language models, with the long-term goal of adding private AI experiments to RixHomeLab. The hardware decisions and software plans are still evolving. This is a future project, not an available service.
STATUS: On the drawing board · No public service
06 / WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Wake Up Call / Entertainment
Before the computers, there was music. And a very strong belief that speakers could always be bigger.
As DJ Rick, the guy behind the rack also runs Wake Up Call Entertainment. It's a different creative outlet for the same lifelong interests: music, electronics, putting on a show, and making technology do exactly what he needs it to do.
In the official RixHomeLab founder portrait, Rick wears a suit. In the unofficial version, he wears a lab coat and holds a suspiciously glowing flask. Both sides seem accurate enough.
STATUS: A real entertainment business · Not a RixHomeLab hosting service
07 / THE GALLERY
Proof of overengineering.
Four favorite images from the lab. Tap or click to enlarge them.
AND THE EXPERIMENTS CONTINUE
Because "done" is relative.
See the story behind the builds, or head back to the RixHomeLab front page.