Robert Newport

Robert Newport

Founder Xerxes Pi - rapidanalysis.com

About

Robert Newport is a computational and computer science researcher whose work sits at the intersection of advanced computing, medical technology, and deep-tech innovation, with growing relevance to brain cancer research. His background combines software engineering, applied data science, embedded systems, and hardware–software co-design, enabling him to translate complex theoretical ideas into practical research platforms.

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Meet Xerxes Pi, your inexpensive home lab blade server

Hi everyone, I m Rob, and I have a completely under-control, very reasonable addiction to small single board computers.

It all began in the 1990s when I worked as a student assistant in my university IT department. I didn t collect stamps or coins, I collected cables, mysterious adapters, and hard drives that clicked ominously but might still work. I d Frankenstein these parts together into creations best described as Franken-Seagate-RAID-esque, powered mostly by hope and zip ties. Despite my love of hardware chaos, I stayed loyal to software for a while.

Robert Newport

12d ago

Xerxes Pi home lab blade network server! - Cheap home lab Pi server runs power over ethernet and M.2

Xerxes Pi is designed as a practical edge server rather than a hobby board. It prioritises reliability, storage, and real-world deployment, with support for ARM software, standard operating systems, and headless operation. This makes it suitable for research, small business, and field use where stability, compatibility, and extensibility matters. Run it with one of many Raspberry Pi Compute compatible boards and many compatible M.2 devices.

What’s on your daily checklist (outside of work)?

We re usually very good at creating to-do lists for work.
But what about everything outside of work?

I ve started turning my personal habits into a checklist to build discipline and make these habits non-negotiable over time.

Here s mine:

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