Welcome to my blog/scratchpad/rambling page

What is this

This is something I don’t understand myself yet either. Haven’t really seen something like this before (there may be, but like this page it is probably more for the author than for the audience, so you won’t find it unless you know exactly where to look for it).

It is a certain amalgamation of a number of things. Firstly as a software engineer, often times the result of my work is very intangible. This algorithm or that now runs x percent faster or uses less memory. Very valuable, but for me personally it would be nice if there would be some tangible result from time to time. Secondly, as a normal person I forget things. Things that at one point I have understood, practiced yet when the time comes again I don’t quite remember what to do. You surely had this feeling before too. You know this, but as if a key piece for the memory was locked away, you simply can’t remember it. Yet, if you were to take just a peek at your notes, even just seeing their layout, you would instantly remember what needs to be done. Thirdly, life is mostly work of some sort (work itself, raising children, exercising) and when it goes south, and you find yourself in a dump it is good to look back a bit, observe from where you have started from and where you have arrived at. Most significant change is slow and tedious work of relentless grind and observing their results can only be done so by looking back.

Personally, don’t quite like Steve Jobs, but he formulated this idea exquisitely in his Stanford commencement speech:

You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards. - Steve Jobs

Lastly, and this is a big hope of mine, as I have learned almost everything in my life that was important from free online sources, maybe someone somewhere will be able to learn from this as well. Thus, the circle of giving continues and the tide lifts everybody up.

How does this work

In this page I will try to write down ideas, observations and experiments in the domains that have interested me at the time. This will be done by referencing any sources that were used for every project and giving you access for any results that were added by me. You are free to use everything you find here, the code, the designs, the ideas, with or without attribution. It doesn’t matter. Not sure what license would cover this, but if I find it, will place it here to avoid any future problems in this regard.

The process of documentation for any project where some physical result is produced will be from the start to the end. No shortcut will be taken and if I have messed up something, had a lack of judgement, it will be written down for you to observe. This helps me focus on my weaknesses, in the hopes of mitigating them, and allows you to see how seemingly difficult things are done.

I am of the firm belief that nothing is truly difficult. There are only things that we just don’t quite understand yet. But this is never really highlighted throughout our education system, however I think it is vitally important to see. We are all ignorant until we aren’t, and it always starts with making mistakes. So here, in a somewhat comedic tone, failures will always be pointed out exactly as if they were part of the process, as they really are.