The journal / Ideas in progress
Engineering & everyday learningSoftware, systems, and the things I’m learning along the way. From first principles to AI in production.
Find something to readA little theory. A lot of practice.
A commute survey separates an observed zero, declined answer, not-applicable record, and collection failure. A worked analytical example with explicit assumptions and checked results.
Keep CLAUDE.md focused on verified repository facts, distinguish written instructions from remembered notes, and remove stale guidance before it misleads a task.
Trace separate chaining in a five-bucket phone book, distinguish a hash collision from a duplicate key, and explain the assumptions behind expected constant time.
Model order identity, reject orphan references, inspect cascades and separate database relationships from the policy for deleting a paid order.
Replace a three-bit field in an eight-bit word, verify unaffected bits, and see why device registers need a separate access contract.
Mark row and column headers in a plan comparison, preserve units and accessible names, and keep wide tables usable on narrow screens.
Count the comparisons in a contact search, then see what changes when the list is sorted or indexed. A practical introduction to Big O with JavaScript.