Category projects
Category engineering
Consistency is better than surge; or how to not burn out
I spent way too much time and effort working on this blog. I forgot consistency mattered over immediate output. I was burnt out. I put a too much effort writing and coding this website that it stopped being fun or interesting. Taking things easy is the way to go. Consistency...
The duct-tape and strings approach to software is unfairly maligned
The “duct-tape and strings” approach to building software prioritizes functionality and rapid iteration. That comes at the cost of design perfection and technical debt. It stresses the heck out of proponents of careful planning. But it’s a valid approach to real-world pressures and can lead to successful results.
How to prioritize profit while supporting innovation
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest ‘innovation’ fads. But it’s important to focus on aligning innovation with core business goals and customer needs. Doing so will protect teams from the innovation trap and achieve long-term success. A lot of this essay is inspired by Christen’s book ‘The Innovation...
Creating and leading high-trust engineering teams for success
If you’re starting a team, you want it to be a strong, cohesive group. One that trust all its members. I call such teams ‘high-trust’ teams. In this piece, I expand on what such a team might behave, and how you could go about creating one. A strong team with...
How to evaluate the right choice of technology for your team
Choosing the right tool or library for software projects can feel like navigating a minefield. This essay will offer a practical framework for evaluating competing technologies. You’ll be able to make better and informed choices that align with your project’s needs. There is no ‘perfect option’, so one must understand...
How my Fermentation Hobby Helps Me as a Software Engineer
For a software engineer, technical expertise is of course of the greatest importance. However, how they approach solving problems can significantly shape how they get their everyday tasks accomplished too. Through a hobby of mine I’ve discovered an unexpected wellspring of professional growth. Fermentation. This seemingly random hobby has become...
What's next for AI? My predictions for the next 10 years
Explainable AI, optical AI, analog AI, and meta-learning. I predict the culmination of optimizing massive generative models will result generative AI being turned into a commodity, and these four areas will be the next frontiers of innovation in machine learning.
Book Review: Learning to Learn and the Navigation of Moods by Gloria P. Flores
One can create a mindset highly open and receptive to learning quickly by managing one’s moods. That’s what learning researcher and psychologist Gloria Flores argues in her book Learning to Learn. She argues that only by modifying the less-productive (for learning) moods towards more productive ones, does learning get easier....
A tale of the treacherous task of Kubernetes upgrade
This is a tale of unmitigated blast radius in networking. I broke two of our developer environments the second day of joining the infrastructure squad. We discovered several potential issues with our workflow and engineering practices. Let me explain how that happened, and what we did to fix it. We’ll...
Don't hoard your engineering players, let them out in the field
Well-run organizations can fall into the trap of ‘hoarding’ their star engineers. They keep them ‘on the bench’, they don’t deploy them for risky, challenging projects. That’s an unnecessary inefficiency. As in sports, allowing your strongest players to go play in the field gives them practice. It also improves general...
Category software
People: what are they good for anyway?
Your technology is NOT your primary asset. Unless your company is in FAANG or your CEO’s world president, other teams are bigger assets. Your people and your networks are your true assets. An AI-driven world will make the ‘other teams’ even more important. It’s all about the people in the...
A tale of the treacherous task of Kubernetes upgrade
This is a tale of unmitigated blast radius in networking. I broke two of our developer environments the second day of joining the infrastructure squad. We discovered several potential issues with our workflow and engineering practices. Let me explain how that happened, and what we did to fix it. We’ll...
Don't hoard your engineering players, let them out in the field
Well-run organizations can fall into the trap of ‘hoarding’ their star engineers. They keep them ‘on the bench’, they don’t deploy them for risky, challenging projects. That’s an unnecessary inefficiency. As in sports, allowing your strongest players to go play in the field gives them practice. It also improves general...
Category leadership
The duct-tape and strings approach to software is unfairly maligned
The “duct-tape and strings” approach to building software prioritizes functionality and rapid iteration. That comes at the cost of design perfection and technical debt. It stresses the heck out of proponents of careful planning. But it’s a valid approach to real-world pressures and can lead to successful results.
Srini Pillay's Tinker Dabble Try: The Power of an Unfocused Mind, a book review
Planned “unfocused” activities can enhance your cognitive toolkit. So says Dr Srini Pillay In “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: The Power of an Unfocused Mind”. In the book Dr. Pillay challenges the idea that laser-sharp focus is the key to success.
How to prioritize profit while supporting innovation
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest ‘innovation’ fads. But it’s important to focus on aligning innovation with core business goals and customer needs. Doing so will protect teams from the innovation trap and achieve long-term success. A lot of this essay is inspired by Christen’s book ‘The Innovation...
Creating and leading high-trust engineering teams for success
If you’re starting a team, you want it to be a strong, cohesive group. One that trust all its members. I call such teams ‘high-trust’ teams. In this piece, I expand on what such a team might behave, and how you could go about creating one. A strong team with...
A blogger's plea (and a proposal) to Google: bring back Blogger!
This essay proposes a plan for revitalization of Google Blogger. I argue for a premium subscription model, trendy features powered by Gemini AI , and a focus on actual user needs, not perceived ones. This is a high-level summary of a much detailed documentation I’m working on.
Book review of David Epstein’s Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
Author David Epstein argues that individuals who embrace diverse experiences and develop a broader range of skills outperform specialists in complex and unpredictable environments. The conclusion flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that values early specialization and deliberate practice in a single domain. Epstein’s central thesis in his...
Book Review: Learning to Learn and the Navigation of Moods by Gloria P. Flores
One can create a mindset highly open and receptive to learning quickly by managing one’s moods. That’s what learning researcher and psychologist Gloria Flores argues in her book Learning to Learn. She argues that only by modifying the less-productive (for learning) moods towards more productive ones, does learning get easier....
Don't hoard your engineering players, let them out in the field
Well-run organizations can fall into the trap of ‘hoarding’ their star engineers. They keep them ‘on the bench’, they don’t deploy them for risky, challenging projects. That’s an unnecessary inefficiency. As in sports, allowing your strongest players to go play in the field gives them practice. It also improves general...
Category cloudformation
A tale of the treacherous task of Kubernetes upgrade
This is a tale of unmitigated blast radius in networking. I broke two of our developer environments the second day of joining the infrastructure squad. We discovered several potential issues with our workflow and engineering practices. Let me explain how that happened, and what we did to fix it. We’ll...
Category terraform
Category infrastructure
The story of what it took to setup NVIDIA GPU drivers and time-slicing in our GPU EKS cluster
I spent six months working on a work project that I thought would take two weeks. This essay narrates the adventure in implementing GPU time slicing on our EKS kubernetes cluster. It began as a seemingly straightforward task – installing the gpu-operator. The work morphed into a long-lasting exploration that...
Software infrastructure and databases workshop for interns and new engineers
This is the syllabus I originally designed to train Hack.diversity fellows for a 8-week workship (1 hour weekly classes, 2 hours of expected assignment load) to help them perform well on their internship/co-op interviews. I’ve worked on this with the engineer I mentor with the organization, and will be proposing...
A tale of the treacherous task of Kubernetes upgrade
This is a tale of unmitigated blast radius in networking. I broke two of our developer environments the second day of joining the infrastructure squad. We discovered several potential issues with our workflow and engineering practices. Let me explain how that happened, and what we did to fix it. We’ll...
Category kubernetes
The story of what it took to setup NVIDIA GPU drivers and time-slicing in our GPU EKS cluster
I spent six months working on a work project that I thought would take two weeks. This essay narrates the adventure in implementing GPU time slicing on our EKS kubernetes cluster. It began as a seemingly straightforward task – installing the gpu-operator. The work morphed into a long-lasting exploration that...
A tale of the treacherous task of Kubernetes upgrade
This is a tale of unmitigated blast radius in networking. I broke two of our developer environments the second day of joining the infrastructure squad. We discovered several potential issues with our workflow and engineering practices. Let me explain how that happened, and what we did to fix it. We’ll...
Category teamwork
Category styles
Category learning
Book Review: Learning to Learn and the Navigation of Moods by Gloria P. Flores
One can create a mindset highly open and receptive to learning quickly by managing one’s moods. That’s what learning researcher and psychologist Gloria Flores argues in her book Learning to Learn. She argues that only by modifying the less-productive (for learning) moods towards more productive ones, does learning get easier....
Category skill
Book Review: Learning to Learn and the Navigation of Moods by Gloria P. Flores
One can create a mindset highly open and receptive to learning quickly by managing one’s moods. That’s what learning researcher and psychologist Gloria Flores argues in her book Learning to Learn. She argues that only by modifying the less-productive (for learning) moods towards more productive ones, does learning get easier....
Category book-review
Srini Pillay's Tinker Dabble Try: The Power of an Unfocused Mind, a book review
Planned “unfocused” activities can enhance your cognitive toolkit. So says Dr Srini Pillay In “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: The Power of an Unfocused Mind”. In the book Dr. Pillay challenges the idea that laser-sharp focus is the key to success.
Book review of David Epstein’s Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
Author David Epstein argues that individuals who embrace diverse experiences and develop a broader range of skills outperform specialists in complex and unpredictable environments. The conclusion flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that values early specialization and deliberate practice in a single domain. Epstein’s central thesis in his...
Book Review: Learning to Learn and the Navigation of Moods by Gloria P. Flores
One can create a mindset highly open and receptive to learning quickly by managing one’s moods. That’s what learning researcher and psychologist Gloria Flores argues in her book Learning to Learn. She argues that only by modifying the less-productive (for learning) moods towards more productive ones, does learning get easier....
Category ai
Effort is for Winners, or why I'm removing ai-generated content
I’m removing AI-generated slop-illustrations from the blog. In this brave new world of genAI, intentionality and process matter more than ever. When everybody can cheat, the exam answers are worthless. What you test for is the process. This feels familiar.
LLM's will be the next spellcheck assistant, not the next robotic overlords!
I’ve changed my opinion on genAI and LLM’s a few times now. As technology, politics, and economics around these technologies change, my beliefs have evolved. In this essay I propose that generative AI will be mostly a collaborative revolution. Generative models can magnify human abilities and make collaboration easier. We...
What's next for AI? My predictions for the next 10 years
Explainable AI, optical AI, analog AI, and meta-learning. I predict the culmination of optimizing massive generative models will result generative AI being turned into a commodity, and these four areas will be the next frontiers of innovation in machine learning.
The risk of production, customer-facing LLM's let lose
Readers of technology-adjacent news might remember the recent case where a Canadian passenger, Jake Moffatt, sued Air Canada after its online chatbot misinformed him about bereavement fares, costing him hundreds of dollars? Air Canada ended up losing the case, and now must stand by the commitment made by its AI...
Category llm
Software infrastructure and databases workshop for interns and new engineers
This is the syllabus I originally designed to train Hack.diversity fellows for a 8-week workship (1 hour weekly classes, 2 hours of expected assignment load) to help them perform well on their internship/co-op interviews. I’ve worked on this with the engineer I mentor with the organization, and will be proposing...
LLM's will be the next spellcheck assistant, not the next robotic overlords!
I’ve changed my opinion on genAI and LLM’s a few times now. As technology, politics, and economics around these technologies change, my beliefs have evolved. In this essay I propose that generative AI will be mostly a collaborative revolution. Generative models can magnify human abilities and make collaboration easier. We...
What's next for AI? My predictions for the next 10 years
Explainable AI, optical AI, analog AI, and meta-learning. I predict the culmination of optimizing massive generative models will result generative AI being turned into a commodity, and these four areas will be the next frontiers of innovation in machine learning.
The risk of production, customer-facing LLM's let lose
Readers of technology-adjacent news might remember the recent case where a Canadian passenger, Jake Moffatt, sued Air Canada after its online chatbot misinformed him about bereavement fares, costing him hundreds of dollars? Air Canada ended up losing the case, and now must stand by the commitment made by its AI...
Category collaboration
Software infrastructure and databases workshop for interns and new engineers
This is the syllabus I originally designed to train Hack.diversity fellows for a 8-week workship (1 hour weekly classes, 2 hours of expected assignment load) to help them perform well on their internship/co-op interviews. I’ve worked on this with the engineer I mentor with the organization, and will be proposing...
How to evaluate the right choice of technology for your team
Choosing the right tool or library for software projects can feel like navigating a minefield. This essay will offer a practical framework for evaluating competing technologies. You’ll be able to make better and informed choices that align with your project’s needs. There is no ‘perfect option’, so one must understand...
LLM's will be the next spellcheck assistant, not the next robotic overlords!
I’ve changed my opinion on genAI and LLM’s a few times now. As technology, politics, and economics around these technologies change, my beliefs have evolved. In this essay I propose that generative AI will be mostly a collaborative revolution. Generative models can magnify human abilities and make collaboration easier. We...
The risk of production, customer-facing LLM's let lose
Readers of technology-adjacent news might remember the recent case where a Canadian passenger, Jake Moffatt, sued Air Canada after its online chatbot misinformed him about bereavement fares, costing him hundreds of dollars? Air Canada ended up losing the case, and now must stand by the commitment made by its AI...
Category blogger
A blogger's plea (and a proposal) to Google: bring back Blogger!
This essay proposes a plan for revitalization of Google Blogger. I argue for a premium subscription model, trendy features powered by Gemini AI , and a focus on actual user needs, not perceived ones. This is a high-level summary of a much detailed documentation I’m working on.
Category product
A blogger's plea (and a proposal) to Google: bring back Blogger!
This essay proposes a plan for revitalization of Google Blogger. I argue for a premium subscription model, trendy features powered by Gemini AI , and a focus on actual user needs, not perceived ones. This is a high-level summary of a much detailed documentation I’m working on.
Category review
Category fermentation
How my Fermentation Hobby Helps Me as a Software Engineer
For a software engineer, technical expertise is of course of the greatest importance. However, how they approach solving problems can significantly shape how they get their everyday tasks accomplished too. Through a hobby of mine I’ve discovered an unexpected wellspring of professional growth. Fermentation. This seemingly random hobby has become...
Category hobbies
How my Fermentation Hobby Helps Me as a Software Engineer
For a software engineer, technical expertise is of course of the greatest importance. However, how they approach solving problems can significantly shape how they get their everyday tasks accomplished too. Through a hobby of mine I’ve discovered an unexpected wellspring of professional growth. Fermentation. This seemingly random hobby has become...
Category tooling
How to evaluate the right choice of technology for your team
Choosing the right tool or library for software projects can feel like navigating a minefield. This essay will offer a practical framework for evaluating competing technologies. You’ll be able to make better and informed choices that align with your project’s needs. There is no ‘perfect option’, so one must understand...
Category architecture
The duct-tape and strings approach to software is unfairly maligned
The “duct-tape and strings” approach to building software prioritizes functionality and rapid iteration. That comes at the cost of design perfection and technical debt. It stresses the heck out of proponents of careful planning. But it’s a valid approach to real-world pressures and can lead to successful results.
How to prioritize profit while supporting innovation
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest ‘innovation’ fads. But it’s important to focus on aligning innovation with core business goals and customer needs. Doing so will protect teams from the innovation trap and achieve long-term success. A lot of this essay is inspired by Christen’s book ‘The Innovation...
Creating and leading high-trust engineering teams for success
If you’re starting a team, you want it to be a strong, cohesive group. One that trust all its members. I call such teams ‘high-trust’ teams. In this piece, I expand on what such a team might behave, and how you could go about creating one. A strong team with...
Category trust
Creating and leading high-trust engineering teams for success
If you’re starting a team, you want it to be a strong, cohesive group. One that trust all its members. I call such teams ‘high-trust’ teams. In this piece, I expand on what such a team might behave, and how you could go about creating one. A strong team with...
Category workshop
Software infrastructure and databases workshop for interns and new engineers
This is the syllabus I originally designed to train Hack.diversity fellows for a 8-week workship (1 hour weekly classes, 2 hours of expected assignment load) to help them perform well on their internship/co-op interviews. I’ve worked on this with the engineer I mentor with the organization, and will be proposing...
Category innovation
How to prioritize profit while supporting innovation
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest ‘innovation’ fads. But it’s important to focus on aligning innovation with core business goals and customer needs. Doing so will protect teams from the innovation trap and achieve long-term success. A lot of this essay is inspired by Christen’s book ‘The Innovation...
Category data-science
The story of what it took to setup NVIDIA GPU drivers and time-slicing in our GPU EKS cluster
I spent six months working on a work project that I thought would take two weeks. This essay narrates the adventure in implementing GPU time slicing on our EKS kubernetes cluster. It began as a seemingly straightforward task – installing the gpu-operator. The work morphed into a long-lasting exploration that...
Category tutorial
Category creativity
Srini Pillay's Tinker Dabble Try: The Power of an Unfocused Mind, a book review
Planned “unfocused” activities can enhance your cognitive toolkit. So says Dr Srini Pillay In “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: The Power of an Unfocused Mind”. In the book Dr. Pillay challenges the idea that laser-sharp focus is the key to success.
Category rewrite
Category blogging
Consistency is better than surge; or how to not burn out
I spent way too much time and effort working on this blog. I forgot consistency mattered over immediate output. I was burnt out. I put a too much effort writing and coding this website that it stopped being fun or interesting. Taking things easy is the way to go. Consistency...
Category burnout
Consistency is better than surge; or how to not burn out
I spent way too much time and effort working on this blog. I forgot consistency mattered over immediate output. I was burnt out. I put a too much effort writing and coding this website that it stopped being fun or interesting. Taking things easy is the way to go. Consistency...
Category inspiration
Category writing
Category people
People: what are they good for anyway?
Your technology is NOT your primary asset. Unless your company is in FAANG or your CEO’s world president, other teams are bigger assets. Your people and your networks are your true assets. An AI-driven world will make the ‘other teams’ even more important. It’s all about the people in the...
Category assets
People: what are they good for anyway?
Your technology is NOT your primary asset. Unless your company is in FAANG or your CEO’s world president, other teams are bigger assets. Your people and your networks are your true assets. An AI-driven world will make the ‘other teams’ even more important. It’s all about the people in the...
Category genai
Effort is for Winners, or why I'm removing ai-generated content
I’m removing AI-generated slop-illustrations from the blog. In this brave new world of genAI, intentionality and process matter more than ever. When everybody can cheat, the exam answers are worthless. What you test for is the process. This feels familiar.
Category art
