Principles of Making

by Dineth Mendis

Author: dineth

  • Turkey

    Turkey

    2 weeks in Istanbul and Cappadocia

  • Don’t build platforms and products at the same time

    Don’t build platforms and products at the same time

    Building a platform alongside a product is hard. It is even harder when it is done for a brand new product. It requires a deep level of understanding of what a customer is looking for. Creators must imagine a system that will enable that with flexibility for pivots. Early iterations set the pace for creating…

  • Chatlog: why can’t we make big, bold, innovative ideas work in an enterprise?

    Chatlog: why can’t we make big, bold, innovative ideas work in an enterprise?

    Chat with friends: exploring the challenges big tech companies face in making bold, innovative decisions due to structural inertia and revenue protection. It contrasts this with the agility of startups and founder-led companies that embrace risk and experimentation.

  • Eric Schmidt never disappoints

    Talks of big ideas and where AI is going.

  • Bali

    Bali

    Pictures from my Bali trip

  • Design in HTML/CSS

    Design in HTML/CSS

    Friend of mine was mentioning how some companies are looking to dump Figma in favour of Replit. It reminded me of this old blog post from the (now retired) Signal vs Noise by Basecamp.

  • Strategy vs Planning

    Good video on the differences.

  • Writing software at an enterprise require different architecture tradeoffs

    Writing software at an enterprise require different architecture tradeoffs

    This post delves into balancing autonomy and consistency, why duplication isn’t always bad, and how simplicity can outshine forced uniformity. It offers practical principles for creating systems that adapt and thrive in complex environments.

  • Bluesky seems cool

    I gave up on most things “social media” years ago, resorting to just messaging friends. However, I was fascinated by the idea of Bluesky. AT Protocol seems very interesting. So does its idea of applying composable moderation and selecting an algorithm to augment your personal experience instead of deciding a one-size-first-all approach. Perhaps the best…

  • I moved to WordPress

    I moved to WordPress

    I’ve been writing a blog since I’ve been in high-school. At first, it was fun to make websites and be part of the Internet (this was pre-Facebook). I was in love with my monochromatic colour palettes. The posts… well, they were the voice of my teenage brain — scattered and overly sassy. I continued to…