Blog
Documenting my journey through software engineering, embedded systems, and continuous learning. Each post explores practical challenges, design decisions, and lessons learned from building real systems.
Algorithms Belong in the Slice, Not the Container
- Building a mini-STL in C++ raised one question, where do the algorithms live?
- A 76-line Slice class answers it, every algorithm lives there and every contiguous container inherits them for free.
- Slice heirs, adapters, iterator containers, the split falls out of a single property, contiguous memory or not.
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Synapse: A Knowledge Graph for the Whole Monorepo
- Obsidian graphs only show Markdown. My knowledge also lives in C++, Rust, Go, and Bazel files.
- {"Building a polyglot reference extractor in Go"=>"one interface, six file types, zero external dependencies."}
- Three bugs that only appeared when crawling real data, and what they reveal about parsing assumptions.
- Why tags need to be nodes, not metadata, to get clustering that looks like Obsidian.
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Code is a Thinking Tool, Not an Artifact
- PARA and CODE clicked immediately — but only handle half the picture for a developer
- Why a Markdown note about an iterator design decision could not survive six months
- Code comments as Zettel: the note and the proof in the same commit
- Neovim writes, Obsidian shows, both work on the same files
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Wrapping a C library in RAII: unique_ptr with custom deleters and why Subsystem can't be moveable
- SDL2 is a C library. In C++, using it without a wrapper leads to three recurring bug classes.
- How std::unique_ptr with a custom deleter solves all three, without overhead and without boilerplate.
- Why factory functions instead of direct construction, and why Subsystem is not moveable.
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When 'Close to the Hardware' Isn't Close Enough
- From a Rust HAL blinky to bare-metal C: writing the same LED without any framework
- Vector table, linker script, startup code: tracing the boot sequence by hand
- Why bit 0 of the reset vector matters and how `.data` makes it from flash into RAM
- The goal: see what 'close to the hardware' actually means once MCAL and AUTOSAR are out of the way
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From Read-It-Later to Zettelkasten: Automating My Reading Workflow with n8n
- From neglected Raspberry Pi to a VPS setup that automates my reading workflow
- n8n connects Readeck, Claude, and Forgejo into a Zettelkasten pipeline
- Only highlights and notes go to the LLM, not the full article
- A PR-based review flow: the generated note lands in my inbox every morning
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Beyond Busyness: Why Output Is Not Value
- Newport, Kim, Farley, Martin: different worlds, same conclusion
- Greenfield or legacy: flow, trust, and small batches create value in both
- Regulatory constraints are rarely the real barrier, organizational belief is
- The job is not to produce code, it is to reduce complexity and create value
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When 'It Works' Is No Longer Enough
- From working prototype to production-ready: refactoring a physics simulation
- Factory, Strategy, Builder patterns eliminate code duplication and silent failures
- std::variant over inheritance: compile-time safety instead of runtime crashes
- The goal: move error detection from runtime checks to compiler guarantees
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From Defensive Programming to Type-Driven Design
- Defensive programming: catching errors at runtime through discipline and process
- Type-driven design: making invalid states impossible at compile time
- In C: half the code is error handling. In Rust: types prevent the errors
- The goal: move safety from manual checks to compiler guarantees
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Why I Do Not Like Linux Distro Hopping but Keep Doing It Anyway
- From Xubuntu to EndeavourOS to Mint to Arch, each switch sharpens understanding
- Simplicity is not a limitation but a deliberate choice
- Easier to build aligned systems from scratch than reshape misaligned ones
- The real goal: a system that enables focus instead of distracting from it
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Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Testing
- TDD is not a testing technique but a design method
- Test behavior, not implementation: the key insight that changed everything
- Verification vs. Validation: building the product right vs. building the right product
- Tests as a safety net: refactor with confidence, not fear
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From C to Rust - Evolving Programming Languages in Automotive Development
- C remains essential for hardware-near programming where every cycle matters
- C++ bridges low-level efficiency with modern software design patterns
- Rust offers memory and thread safety at compile time without runtime cost
- The future is hybrid: choosing the right language for the right layer
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