Author: Mohammad Islam
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Breaking Down Islamic Mortgages: The Math Behind Halal Financing
I’ve had the same conversation at least a dozen times with Muslim friends who are trying to buy their first home: “Bro, I want to avoid riba, but I don’t understand how Islamic mortgages work. Isn’t the rent just interest with a different name?” Every. Single. Time. And honestly? I got it. The whole thing…
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Taking Baby Steps in AI and Generative Models
Today, I dipped my toes into the vast ocean of AI – specifically diffusion models. And let’s just say, I barely stayed afloat. My journey started with high hopes, trying to install and run black-forest-labs/FLUX.1-dev on my Mac mini. It ended with me questioning all my life choices (okay, maybe just my installation skills). But…
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Gearing New Mac for Python and AI Development
In my last post, I walked through setting up my new Mac Mini M4 for a modern, efficient, and zenful development experience. Now, let’s take it a step further by equipping your Mac with the essential Python prerequisites for AI-related work. As always, we’ll stick to XDG standards where possible, ensuring a clean and organized…
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New Mac Setup for the Ultimate Zenful Developer Experience
Starting fresh can be transformative, especially when it comes to setting up a brand-new Mac. In 2025, I’ve embarked on a journey to create the ultimate development environment that’s modern, efficient, and aligned with my goal of achieving a zenful experience as a software developer. This setup isn’t just about tools; it’s about crafting a…
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How to Set up a Web Server for Multiple Sites at Just $7/Month
Over the past few years, I’ve focused on reducing my living expenses, including the costs associated with running my websites. After streamlining and cutting down on various services like Amazon AWS, DigitalOcean, and Laravel Forge, I decided to return to a more cost-effective approach. I’ve opted for a DIY VPS server with minimal configuration to…
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Low Power IoT Network using Arduino and Long-Range LoRa
In continuation of my work with the nRF24 IoT Sensor Network, I decided to test a couple of RFM95 (LoRa) modules I had in my lab. This time, instead of using the MySensors library, I opted for a more lightweight library called RadioHead for Arduino. The objective was to evaluate the range of these LoRa…
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IoT Sensor Network using Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and nRF24L01+
After a month of development, I’m excited to share that I’ve built an ultra-low-cost, ultra-fast DIY IoT sensor network using Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and nRF24L01+. I initially tested the ESP8266 with its WiFi radio on, but it proved to be inefficient in terms of power consumption. So, I set out to find a better solution.…
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ESP8266 Low Power Engineering for Optimizing Battery Efficiency
One of the biggest advantages of the ESP8266 is its popularity within the open-source community and its low price. However, for battery-powered IoT applications, ESP8266 low power performance is a concern. The WiFi radio consumes at least 70mA while active. Additionally, the ESP8266 takes 6 to 10 seconds to boot and connect to a WiFi…
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ESP8266 IoT Projects for Building Affordable Solutions with Arduino
If you’re diving into the world of Internet of Things (IoT) projects, the ESP8266 is an excellent choice for cost-effective and versatile experimentation. Indeed, ESP8266 IoT projects are popular due to their low cost, ease of use, and robust functionality. Therefore, in this blog post, I’ll guide you on how to make the most of…
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DIY Arduino Tiny – Build a Dirt Cheap Version for Just 50 Cents
Not everyone requires a full-fledged microcontroller board like the Arduino Uno or Raspberry Pi for their simple projects. These boards typically range from $15 to $100, depending on your budget. However, if you’re working on a small project that only needs a few I/O pins, there’s no need to blow your entire coffee budget. Instead,…