I actually started with RPi’s. The first one, a used Pi 4b, is dedicated only to HomeAssistant. I don’t tinker with it anymore because it does what I want and I don’t want unexpected downtime when I have to use the bathroom or use the lights in my room.

I bought a used Pi5 with the intention of upgrading later. In life I am quite minimal and find a joy in using what little tools and material I have to create something new. That seems to hold true to technology and scripting too. The RPi5 with an old USB3 HDD is actually way more power than I can currently use and can imagine using for a long time. The extra room to work is convenient though.

I’ll have a look into some of the places you suggested, those seem like the places to draw good inspiration from, thank you.