March has been an exciting month for diving deeper into programming and planning some hardware projects. Here’s what I’ve been working on and what’s coming next.

Programming Challenges with CSES

I’ve been spending considerable time working through problems on the CSES Problem Set, and it’s been incredibly rewarding. For those unfamiliar, CSES is a collection of competitive programming problems that really test your algorithmic thinking.

Rediscovering C++

While I’ve used C++ in the past for console applications, tackling these algorithmic challenges has rekindled my appreciation for the language. There’s something satisfying about the performance and control that C++ offers when solving complex problems. The language forces you to think carefully about memory management and efficiency—skills that are invaluable in competitive programming.

What I’m Learning

The CSES problems cover a wide range of topics:

  • Dynamic Programming - Breaking down complex problems into simpler subproblems
  • Graph Algorithms - Exploring connections and pathfinding
  • Data Structures - Optimizing data access and manipulation
  • Mathematical Concepts - Number theory and combinatorics

Raspberry Pi Server Plans

I have a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (2GB) that’s been sitting idle for too long, and I’m finally ready to put it to good use. I’m considering several potential projects:

Media Server

Setting up a Plex or Jellyfin server to stream my media collection throughout the house. The Pi 4 should have enough power to handle transcoding for a few devices simultaneously.

Home Monitoring

Creating a monitoring system to keep track of:

  • Network device status
  • Temperature and humidity sensors
  • Home security camera feeds
  • System performance metrics

Development Server

Using it as a lightweight development environment for web projects and testing deployments before pushing to production.

Next Steps

I’m planning to document whatever path I choose for the Raspberry Pi project. Whether it ends up being a media server, monitoring system, or something else entirely, I’ll share the setup process, challenges, and solutions I discover along the way.

The combination of sharpening my programming skills with CSES and getting hands-on with hardware projects feels like the perfect balance of theoretical and practical learning.