Where would you start? .. Tech-savvy but rusty, freshly wiped 2018 eraMacBook Pro

I'm interested and keep up with tech news and read a lot about homelab setups r/piracy and AI over the past few years, but haven't really used a personal computer outside work in a while. I just wiped my 2018era MacBook pro and I'm motivated to dive back in. But looking for this communtys input

My rough plan ish so far:
Firefox as default browser with uBlock Origin (I hate ads in general, so anything that kills them everywhere is a plus)

Get more security conscious in general

Learn Linux? (probably in a VM, my limited"research" says T2 chip makes running it directly a pain)

Start homelabbing, likely a media server and Pi-hole to start.

I've got a simple stremio/debrid setup rn for stream but any sailing the 7 suggestions are welcome.

I've learned about and paid attention to agenetic AI but have never implemented anything and would like to do so.

Develop a deeper understanding of GitHub and play with some of the repos etc

What would you add, change, or do first? Open to any suggestions, especially from people who started from a similar spot.

https://redd.it/1x78595
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