diff --git a/helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix b/helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix
index 53cfd635..16971eba 100644
--- a/helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix
+++ b/helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # system is e.g. x86_64-linux
 # gui is "gnome", or null
-{ pkgs, system, gui }: {
+{ lib, pkgs, system, gui, extraPackages ? [] }: {
   home.stateVersion = "21.11";
   home.username = "colin";
   home.homeDirectory = "/home/colin";
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
     '';
   };
 
-  dconf.settings = if gui == "gnome" then {
+  dconf.settings = lib.mkIf (gui == "gnome") {
     # control alt-tab behavior
     "org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings" = {
       switch-applications = [ "<Super>Tab" ];
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@
       sleep-inactive-ac-type = "nothing";
       sleep-inactive-battery-timeout = 5400;  # seconds
     };
-  } else null;
+  };
 
-  programs.firefox = if gui != null then {
+  programs.firefox = lib.mkIf (gui != null) {
     enable = true;
     # empty profile required to allow extensions below
     profiles.default = {
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
       pkgs.nur.repos.rycee.firefox-addons.sponsorblock
       pkgs.nur.repos.rycee.firefox-addons.ublock-origin
     ];
-  } else null;
+  };
 
   home.packages = [
     pkgs.btrfs-progs
@@ -90,7 +90,6 @@
     pkgs.lm_sensors  # for sensors-detect
     pkgs.lsof
     pkgs.pciutils
-    pkgs.matrix-synapse
     pkgs.mix2nix
     pkgs.netcat
     pkgs.nixUnstable
@@ -122,5 +121,6 @@
   ++ (if system == "x86_64-linux" then [
     # x86_64 only
     pkgs.discord
-  ] else []);
+  ] else [])
+  ++ extraPackages;
 }
diff --git a/machines/desko/default.nix b/machines/desko/default.nix
index 785fcdb1..4831e98f 100644
--- a/machines/desko/default.nix
+++ b/machines/desko/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ home-manager, config, pkgs, ... }:
+{ home-manager, config, pkgs, lib, ... }:
 {
   imports = [
     ./../common/home-manager.nix
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
   ];
 
   home-manager.users.colin = import ./../../helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix {
-    inherit pkgs; system = "x86_64-linux"; gui = "gnome";
+    inherit pkgs lib;
+    system = "x86_64-linux";
+    gui = "gnome";
   };
 }
diff --git a/machines/lappy/default.nix b/machines/lappy/default.nix
index 785fcdb1..4831e98f 100644
--- a/machines/lappy/default.nix
+++ b/machines/lappy/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ home-manager, config, pkgs, ... }:
+{ home-manager, config, pkgs, lib, ... }:
 {
   imports = [
     ./../common/home-manager.nix
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
   ];
 
   home-manager.users.colin = import ./../../helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix {
-    inherit pkgs; system = "x86_64-linux"; gui = "gnome";
+    inherit pkgs lib;
+    system = "x86_64-linux";
+    gui = "gnome";
   };
 }
diff --git a/machines/uninsane/colin.nix b/machines/uninsane/colin.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index e91d7f09..00000000
--- a/machines/uninsane/colin.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,91 +0,0 @@
-# docs:
-#   https://rycee.gitlab.io/home-manager/
-#   man home-configuration.nix
-
-{ config, pkgs, ... }:
-{
-
-  home.stateVersion = "21.11";
-  home.username = "colin";
-  home.homeDirectory = "/home/colin";
-  programs.home-manager.enable = true;
-  programs.zsh.enable = true;
-  programs.git = {
-    enable = true;
-    userName = "colin";
-    userEmail = "colin@uninsane.org";
-  };
-
-  programs.vim = {
-    enable = true;
-    extraConfig = ''
-      " wtf vim project: NOBODY LIKES MOUSE FOR VISUAL MODE
-      set mouse-=a
-      " copy/paste to system clipboard
-      set clipboard=unnamedplus
-      " <tab> completion menu settings
-      set wildmenu
-      set wildmode=longest,list,full
-      " highlight all matching searches (using / and ?)
-      set hlsearch
-      " allow backspace to delete empty lines in insert mode
-      set backspace=indent,eol,start
-      " built-in syntax highlighting
-      syntax enable
-      " show line/col number in bottom right
-      set ruler
-      " highlight trailing space & related syntax errors (does this work?)
-      let c_space_errors=1
-      let python_space_errors=1
-    '';
-  };
-
-  home.packages = [
-    pkgs.btrfs-progs
-    pkgs.gnumake
-    pkgs.dig
-    pkgs.duplicity
-    pkgs.fatresize
-    pkgs.fd
-    pkgs.file
-    pkgs.gptfdisk
-    pkgs.hdparm
-    pkgs.htop
-    pkgs.iftop
-    pkgs.iotop
-    pkgs.iptables
-    pkgs.jq
-    pkgs.killall
-    pkgs.lm_sensors  # for sensors-detect
-    pkgs.lsof
-    pkgs.pciutils
-    pkgs.mix2nix
-    pkgs.netcat
-    pkgs.nixUnstable
-    # pkgs.nettools
-    pkgs.nmap
-    pkgs.parted
-    pkgs.powertop
-    pkgs.python3
-    pkgs.ripgrep
-    pkgs.smartmontools
-    pkgs.snapper
-    pkgs.socat
-    pkgs.sudo
-    pkgs.telnet
-    pkgs.usbutils
-    pkgs.vulnix
-    pkgs.wireguard
-    pkgs.zola
-
-    pkgs.matrix-synapse
-
-    # graphical
-    # pkgs.clinfo
-    # pkgs.discord
-    # pkgs.element-desktop
-    # pkgs.gnome.dconf-editor
-    # pkgs.mesa-demos
-    # pkgs.tdesktop
-  ];
-}
diff --git a/machines/uninsane/default.nix b/machines/uninsane/default.nix
index 87f2ad42..2ebbaf31 100644
--- a/machines/uninsane/default.nix
+++ b/machines/uninsane/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ ... }:
+{ pkgs, lib, ... }:
 
 {
   imports = [
@@ -19,7 +19,12 @@
     ./services/transmission.nix
   ];
 
-  home-manager.users.colin.imports = [ ./colin.nix ];
+  home-manager.users.colin = import ../../helpers/home-manager-gen-colin.nix {
+    inherit pkgs lib;
+    system = "aarch64-linux";
+    gui = null;
+    extraPackages = [ pkgs.matrix-synapse ];
+  };
 
   # This value determines the NixOS release from which the default
   # settings for stateful data, like file locations and database versions