The Crank ListContrarian tech, gaming, AI, and the occasional rabbit hole treated seriously. Not mainstream. Not apologetic.https://thecranklist.com/en-AUNo, we're not close to AGI. Stop saying we are.https://thecranklist.com/ai/ai-agi-hype-manifesto/https://thecranklist.com/ai/ai-agi-hype-manifesto/A take that will age badly or extraordinarily well. We're willing to bet on the latter.Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTAIagiai-hypecontrarianeditor@thecranklist.com (Vic Marsh)I built a homelab for less than a new iPhone. Here's every part.https://thecranklist.com/tech/homelab-build-2026/https://thecranklist.com/tech/homelab-build-2026/The parts list, the build log, the mistakes. Refurbished, repurposed, ridiculous.Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTTechhomelabbuildbudgeteditor@thecranklist.com (Finch Ormond)Steam Deck vs ROG Ally: one is still the right answer in 2026https://thecranklist.com/gaming/steam-deck-vs-rog-ally/https://thecranklist.com/gaming/steam-deck-vs-rog-ally/We tested both for three months. Not "it depends" — we pick one.Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTGaminghandheldgamingrevieweditor@thecranklist.com (Kip Larsen)Linux is a better daily driver than macOS in 2026 — here's the evidencehttps://thecranklist.com/tech/linux-daily-driver-contrarian/https://thecranklist.com/tech/linux-daily-driver-contrarian/Yes, really. No, we're not joking. Yes, we've used both for years.Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTTechlinuxmacoscontrarianeditor@thecranklist.com (Vic Marsh)The case for self-hosting everything: six months inhttps://thecranklist.com/tech/self-hosting-everything/https://thecranklist.com/tech/self-hosting-everything/We dropped every SaaS. Here's what we saved, what broke, and what we'd never go back on.Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTTechself-hostingfossprivacyeditor@thecranklist.com (Finch Ormond)The indie games quietly eating AAA's lunch in 2026https://thecranklist.com/gaming/indie-games-dominating-2026/https://thecranklist.com/gaming/indie-games-dominating-2026/Five titles from studios under 20 people that are outselling the blockbusters.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTGamingindie-gamesgaminglisteditor@thecranklist.com (Kip Larsen)How we cancelled every subscription and saved $4,200 last yearhttps://thecranklist.com/takes/subscription-fatigue-rebellion/https://thecranklist.com/takes/subscription-fatigue-rebellion/The audit, the replacements, the things we missed. Spoiler: we missed almost nothing.Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTTakessubscriptionsmoneyrebellioneditor@thecranklist.com (Vic Marsh)Framework Laptop 13: the only repairable laptop that's worth owninghttps://thecranklist.com/reviews/framework-laptop-13-review/https://thecranklist.com/reviews/framework-laptop-13-review/Twelve months of daily use, three upgrades, zero regrets. Here's the long-term verdict.Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTReviewslaptopframeworkrepairablerevieweditor@thecranklist.com (Finch Ormond)Proton Mail vs Tuta: we picked one after a year on bothhttps://thecranklist.com/reviews/proton-mail-vs-tutanota-2026/https://thecranklist.com/reviews/proton-mail-vs-tutanota-2026/Encrypted email is table stakes in 2026. These are the two that matter. Here's the one we kept.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTReviewsemailprivacyrevieweditor@thecranklist.com (Vic Marsh)