Principles of Making

by Dineth Mendis

Author: dineth

  • 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…

  • Allow projects to have exploration time

    Allow projects to have exploration time

    We’ve been working on some terrific discovery stage projects in my team. We are all super pumped about it. Team has come up with some fresh ideas and a vision to execute on. However, we are very much seasoned in working within fixed structured, mature projects. Usually, we either work on small pieces or large…

  • How neural networks and LLMs work?

    How neural networks and LLMs work?

    If you are looking to dive into machine learning, how neural networks and LLMs work underneath, this is a really good YouTube course to watch. Really good chapters list: But what is a neural network? Gradient descent, how neural networks learn What is backpropagation really doing? Backpropagation calculus How large language models work, a visual…

  • Difficult job of focusing in a large organisation

    Difficult job of focusing in a large organisation

    It is time to work through our division operating plan for 2025. We’ve had many hours of discussions around which customers to focus on, volatility in the market, where we should build trust with customers and what kind of initiatives will amount to strong growth. I find it energising to spend time thinking about these.…

  • Peru

    Peru

    After a 4 year hiatus, we returned to doing slightly longer holidays. This time, we were in South America for the first time! Peru was a great adventure. We spent time in 3 regions of Peru that had very different climates and ecosystems.Open the post to see the pictures from our trip.

  • Investing to catchup vs leapfrog

    Investing to catchup vs leapfrog

    It helps to find your own path to success. Good read about investing on catchup vs investing to leapfrog. …if your competitor’s boat gets ahead of you at the starting line, the instinct is to chase it. To tack where it tacks on the same path. But if you do, you will always be behind,…

  • Can AI make art?

    Can AI make art?

    Fantastic article on The New Yorker on “Why AI Isn’t Going to Make Art“. Thought provoking and plenty of good threads to reflect on. Article dives into the need to make so many little decisions in order to create something of value. With a prompt, the amount of decisions made are minuscule. Even with code…

  • Strategy and focus

    Great quote from “Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters” by Richard Rumelt: “If the business is really successful, then there is usually a good strategic logic behind that success, be it hidden or not. But the truth is that many companies, especially large complex companies, don’t really have strategies. At the core,…