It’s a reference from an old comic

https://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/images/steverumsby/2004/09/20/1b2.JPG

As for Linux stuff grab something small and low powered (raspberry pi etc) and start installing some distros! The possibilities are really endless. Setup a network wide ad blocker, start your own IPTV server, you can setup a networked radio receiver, WireGuard for VPNs. Immerse yourself and figure out what you find interesting.

My advice would be install any free virtualization software (virtualbox comes to mind) and create some linux VMs, dick around with them. No need to upgrade anything unless you’re using some ancient potato with more than 10 years