Blogs and Emails
The Internet messed up two concepts.
Candost's Blog
Hunting timeless insights into humans and software and helping others on the way.
Latest posts
Timelapse of the Universe Video
How to humble yourself
On the Changing Role of Software Engineers
Establishing an ownership mindset is more important than before. The only difference is that now it's feasible.
Critique: AI Can’t Care
One of the best frames for thinking about AI.
How to Truly Disagree and Commit
Always commit to yourself and find a way to commit to whatever comes at you, even though you disagree
On Strategic Thinking
What people mean by 'you need to think more strategically.
Managers Returning to 'Coding' with AI
Managers going back to coding for various reasons. I'm trying to find which group I belong to.
Learning Domain-Driven Design Part I: Strategic Design
Chapter notes from Learning Domain-Driven Design Part I: Strategic Design
What is true friendship for you?
A true friend is the one who randomly calls or rings your doorbell.
Ignorance in investing
I wish I learned how to invest before I had 10€ to save.
AI code review fights between Claude Code and Devin
Claude Code develops, opens a pull request Devin reviews and adds comment. Claude addresses comments. Devin reviews again and adds new comments, then Claude addresses, then Devin...
Humans are cyborgs
I read a text written by AI in a book. I mean, the AI is kinda right when it says humans are cyborgs already.
Who has the knowledge? Me? Or the LLM?
Learning from a single AI prompt that cost $35.
Wild Times with Claude
Building a personal blog cms app with Claude Code
An Ode to Things That Do One Thing Well
It's pure joy to use products that do one job and do it well.
Learning. Again. And Again.
Not only learning how to use AI, but also how a team works going forward.
Living with one rule for a better life
It's not 'do less' or 'earn more money.'
OSTEP: Chapters 1-4
Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces, Chapters 1-4
Overcoming Content Overload
In the dopamine economy fed by infinite content, our relationship with content turned to mindless consumption. The profits from getting attention bred the arms race of dopamine-inducing weapons disguised as comfort delivered through sloppy content. However, this comfort became costly. The engagement with the content decreased, causing cognitive overload, resulting in one way relationship based on…
The Obstacle Is The Way—Book Review, Summary and Notes
A short book focused on overcoming obstacles with Stoic principles.
Offline gets back but online is still here
Recently, Ava wrote this post . I've been thinking about something similar for a while. Here are my added thoughts (read Ava’s post first for the complete picture). The personalities we build always have masks, either in real life or online. AI didn’t change it; it made it easier. I think the trust was always problematic when it comes to authenticity. Maybe someone like Ava tries to be as…
Product still shouldn't be left to (only) product managers
I wrote this post in May 2022. Now using AI is common, I stand by it more than ever. Product shouldn't be left to product managers. Reply via email | Reply via Mastodon | Comment
Why don't you get the compensation increase you think you deserve?
The context you might be missing can lead to a wrong perception.
Uncertainty and fear can be eliminated by training
Most strong emotions, such as fear, are caused by uncertainty and the unknown. Once trained, managing these emotions becomes simple (not easy). Training takes effort and time. Yet the steady one always heads to the chaos, knowing what to expect and finding an easier way out. Acknowledging emotions (rather than eliminating them) and controlling them are ways to view obstacles differently. Related…
Perception Shapes Our Reality
How the world is a matter of perception . The way to achieving what we want lies on how we look at what's in front of us. A small success may blind us or display the truth with full-blown reality; a tiny problem might cause unnecessarily swirling emotions or shows a new way to resolve—all matter of perception. An obstacle on our way can be a detriment or an advantage; it's us who defines it.…
Three Simple Questions to Collect Feedback
Three simple questions to collect feedback when you don't know what to ask: What should X (I, he/she/they) start doing? Why? What should X (I, he/she/they) stop doing? Why? What should X (I, he/she/they) continue doing? Why? Be aware that you're pushing the responsibility for thinking to the person receiving the questions. If you don't know which specific topic you want to gather feedback on, you…
Not Learning from Software Failures
Most of the incidents have mitigation actions and follow-up fixes applied to the system. They focus on addressing the root cause . Do these actions mean the organization/team/systems had learned from the issue? No. If the root cause is addressed and a few more tests are added to ensure the system won't fail for the same reason in the future, the team has improved, but is still missing crucial…
Don't trust people's judgments in conflicts
When you deal with "us vs. them" conflicts, listen to the people but do not trust their judgment. The conflict will create unconscious bias toward the other side. Gather facts and meet with individuals to understand their problems and perceptions . Drill down into the root problem: often, it's an unaddressed need of someone that the other person isn't seeing. Find and address it. Related Note(s):…
Tools for managing managers
Tools differ when you're not managing Individual Contributors anymore Skip-level 1:1s Coaching Mentoring Hand-holding Asking Questions (collect first) Constant feedback Related Note(s): Coaching mindset is even more crucial when managing managers than ICs ; Positive reinforcement is a much better tool to guide managers ; Asking for the time and format of the feedback is crucial. Just because they…
How to debug a dysfunctional team?
Debugging a dysfunctional team includes seven steps: Form a hypothesis Check the data Observe the team Ask Questions Check The Team Dynamics Jump In To Help Be Curious Related Note(s): You need to ask questions with genuine curiosity rather than interrogating. Making a team functional is the heart of the management craft. Often, dysfunctional teams have unhealthy conflicts. You need to turn…
Engineering Managers with a Debugging Mindset
Great engineering managers have strong debugging skills and know how to apply them to non-technical problems. They pursue 'the why' of the problem before jumping to conclusions. They seek the underlying issue and don't stop at half-baked ideas. When managers skip this debugging mindset and jump to conclusions, they solve the wrong problem—one nobody cares about. This not only undermines their…
Easy is the enemy of good
Easy is the enemy of good. We all opt-in for the easy, all the time. The learning comes from chasing the simple, not easy. Making things simple is difficult. That’s why simple things are almost always great. Reply via email | Reply via Mastodon | Comment
Engineers have more power than they think
I consistently receive requests from the team to reduce tech debt. Every time, I say similar things. I want to share them here. As a software engineer, you have more power than you think. When you're coding for a new feature, you have the power to refactor a specific part of the codebase. You don't need any permission. When you see that reducing debt in a specific part of the codebase makes the…
Capitalism creates wealth through innovation and productivity
Thanks to the growth, productivity, resourcefulness, and innovation of corporations, capitalism creates wealth—a positive-sum game for its owners. Capitalism is a provider for wealth accumulation and the backbone of innovation due to financial investments. Unlike zero-sum games, where one person's gain is another's loss, the stock market grows because companies create real value through their…
Minimizing costs and trading frequency increases market returns
Minimizing costs and trading frequency increases the chances of earning a fair share of the market. Similar to gambling's motto of "house always wins," financial intermediaries make a lot of money while others are investing. Reducing these costs increases the chances of earning higher shares from the market. Related Note(s): Just as compound interest multiplies wealth over time, investment costs…
Investor returns decrease as market motion increases
For investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases. The motion means the intermediaries win more as they take fees, taxes, and deduct costs from shareholders' value. Related Note(s): This is the mathematical proof of minimizing costs and trading . More trading = more motion = fewer returns. Capitalism creates wealth , but motion transfers that wealth from investors to intermediaries…
The Unbearable Joy of Sitting Alone in A Café
It's contradictory to sit alone in a café. It's against the reason cafés exist. They are designed as meeting spaces. There is no table with a single chair. Even the ones placed right by the window with high seating are big tables with many chairs. Cafés are community spaces. Most go there to see their loved ones, friends, or colleagues. You find only a few people sitting alone. Most are buried in…
Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness with Psychology & Economics - Part II
How Autonomy and Self-Regulation, Psychological Safety, Cognitive and Emotional Load can help
Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness with Psychology & Economics - Part I
How Socio-Technical Systems, Institutional Economics and Evolutionary Economics Theories can help
Added Ko-fi to this blog
I have now added Ko-fi support to my blog. I am still unsure about this, but I would like to experiment. I aimed to place it in the least intrusive place possible: at the end of the post. I don't know how it will conflict with the two action buttons I have there. I still prefer people commenting on the post instead of sending me money, but some people are more comfortable with the latter. Let's…
Solving Problems Worth Solving
Discovering how problem-solving shapes a journey from computer engineering to leadership
Distributed Discussions
A subtle shift in an Internet user's behavior might change the world.
Evolving Software Engineering with AI
Is the definition of software engineering changing with AI?
As an engineer, you have more power than you think
I consistently receive requests from the team to reduce tech debt. Every time, I say similar things. I want to share them here. As a software engineer, you have more power than you think. When you're coding for a new feature, you have the power to refactor a specific part of the codebase. You don't need any permission. When you see that reducing debt in a specific part of the codebase makes the…
Admit that you like it
People are masters of complaint. Yet their feet keep walking the same path. They don’t surrender, retreat or abolish whatever they are not happy about. They are on a crusade with perennial whining. I, too, do the same. I complain about my job and my responsibilities. I hate doing certain things again and again. I complain about many things I’ve committed to in life, and now it feels like I have no…
Who Will Build Your Products Tomorrow?
Chasing seniors alone creates an unsustainable system
Relying on AI too much
Confirmation bias in AI usage leads to blind trust and costly errors. Learn how cognitive biases affect decision-making with AI tools and solutions.
Plan Slow, Act Fast
Plan thoroughly upfront to execute projects faster later.
Growth of startups is often constrained by the economy
Similar to villages being poorer , startups also often fail due to a lack of talent, capital, etc. The only way to prevent failure is to increase demand. It will, in turn, increase the capital and enable the founder to hire and divide the labor . Reply via email | Reply via Mastodon | Comment
How to create a tech strategy?
Put a step-by-step plan, start small, and try to deliver value quickly. Have your budget in the strategy. Consider sickness & vacation in your plans. Consider the impact of side work on your plans. PoC and step-by-step guides are good. Know your audience. When you go to a board meeting, go with multiple options (and with your recommendation). Don’t put a wall of text in the presentation. Say three…