krmannix personal & technical blog
The essence of this blog post has been rattling around my head for a few months now. It’s not really substantive, but more like trying to describe an emotion or a feeling; a feeling maybe one shared collectively by others who have been reading, listening, or thinking about the topic of nearly every conversation in recent memory: AI. There’s been a lot of keys typed about what’s happening now and…
We now live in a world of zero-cost software, and it’s hard to overstate how fundamental of a shift that is at every level. The market is starting to realize this, selling off a bunch this week after Anthropic rendered a category of applications effectively useless with its legal tool (AI is Killing SaaS). There has been much chatter about the AI bubble fueled by CapEx investments, but in…
I keep running into a problem when building with AI tools that I wouldn’t have been able to predict: git getting into the way. One of my most opinionated stances is that any software developer that’s a SWE II+ must have a good command of git. “Strong command” at a minimum means things like: using git through the command line, understanding the basic commands to stage/unstage & commit,…
If asked to distill down the entire universe of advice for early-career engineers into a single atomic principle, my take would be this: use a checklist (and refer to it often). In managing interns, new grads, & even all the way up to senior engineers, I always share this advice. The checklist is such a simple tool but it can prevent so many issues and help accelerate learning & impact. In the…
Some notes from the first few weeks of parenthood
When I have a 121 with a new hire, I often share with them that they have a superpower that is unique to them within the organization. It’s something that doesn’t require any specific background, expertise, or even experience. In fact, its effects may be more pronouced the less experience the new hire has. The superpower is simple: the ability to experience everything as new. Much like a toddler…
Woof. It’s been awhile. My last blog post was at the end of 2021. And even then, it was mostly just assorted book notes from the the prior year that I had yet to publish. So, it’s been awhile. My last substantial blog post was from June 2021, more than over a year ago. Since then, a bunch has happened which has reduced the amount of time that I have to spend on writing close to zero. I moved twice…
A lot happened this year, which maybe I’ll write about at some point. Due to that, I didn’t hit as many goals as I would’ve liked; I think I will modify my approach somewhat heading into 2022. That’s a positive takeaway: my failure to hit my 2021 target for goal completion has encouraged me to reevaluate and readjust my approach for 2022. Some possible adjustments: quarter-based goals better…
Book: Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win Extreme Ownership Introduction Preparation before operations to handle the unexpected Establish procedural guidelines based on novel situations that emerge in practice Context: battle of Ramadi, Iraq, 2006 Jocko: led Seal Team Three, Task Unit Bruiser as task unit commander. Leif involved in Charlie Platoon. Returning from combat, Jocko was…
Book: High Output Management High-Output Management The Basics of Production The three minute egg: an encapsulation of production in a well-known scenario. Let’s dive into the process needed to create a breakfast consisting of a cup of coffee, buttered toast, and a boiling egg. We must first find the limiting step - in this case, it’s the boiling of the egg. We can work backward from the time of…