https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog Notes on photography, film, projects and code. en-GB https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/peertube-in-local-government-council-sessions-without-youtube https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/peertube-in-local-government-council-sessions-without-youtube Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT Since 2024 the Stary Sącz municipality has streamed its town council sessions on its own PeerTube server instead of YouTube. What this means for GDPR and the risk of takedowns, why federation is switched off, how many people watch and what kind of server it takes. https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/setting-up-a-minecraft-server-for-kids-a-nostalgic-look-back https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/setting-up-a-minecraft-server-for-kids-a-nostalgic-look-back Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT In 2019, I set up a Minecraft server for my son's class and saw through the chat how children interacted with each other. With the help of adult players, we turned it into a safe space to learn online behavior. The kids have grown up, but the servers are still running. https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/homelab-building-your-own-cloud-at-home https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/homelab-building-your-own-cloud-at-home Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT Email, photos, files, passwords, VPN, and home automation on my own servers instead of using the cloud giants' services. How I built a homelab in layers: network with VLANs, single entry through reverse proxy, containers, and nightly backups, and what I learned from it. https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/new-addition-to-the-workshop-two-trees-ttc450-pro-cnc-milling-machine https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/new-addition-to-the-workshop-two-trees-ttc450-pro-cnc-milling-machine Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:54:38 GMT A Two Trees TTC450 Pro CNC router has arrived in the workshop. Workspace of 460 x 460 x 80 mm, rigid aluminium construction, GRBL control, and assembly completed in one evening. I'll write about what the machine can do in its basic version with an 80W spindle, how the build quality measures up, and why it represents a real leap forward for my projects. https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/new-engine-for-this-website https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/new-engine-for-this-website Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:26:05 GMT Over the past few days, I've completely rebuilt the entire site from scratch: a new engine, my own server, and several new sections to explore. https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/me-and-the-malopolska-economics-festival https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/me-and-the-malopolska-economics-festival Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:51:12 GMT Today I had the great honor to present the perspective of a public institution in the era of artificial intelligence and machine learning. It was an important, inspiring, but also responsible experience https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/motorcycle https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/motorcycle Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:52:06 GMT It happened. This summer, I bought my first motorcycle. https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/our-son-our-pride-the-riflemans-oath-2025 https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/our-son-our-pride-the-riflemans-oath-2025 Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:21:51 GMT What a day! October 14th, 2025 will be etched in our memories forever. The solemn oath at the ‘Sybiraks’ school, 20 years of uniform class traditions… and amidst it all, our son, who just... https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/another-gallery-on-my-website https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/another-gallery-on-my-website Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:49:33 GMT A new gallery of photos from an exceptional place has appeared on my website - the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow. This is a space where history meets legend, and each plane tells its own story… https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/and-its-done-one-might-say-finally https://aleksander-kowal.pl/en/blog/and-its-done-one-might-say-finally Tue, 22 Jul 2025 18:11:11 GMT Welcome to my website.