I.e., why I started this blog.

Before setting up this website, I debated among alternatives where I could pen down things I’d like to write about. Substack seemed like an obvious choice, after all everyone seems to have one these days. However, Substack seems to me like an ideal fit for newsletters, not blogs. 

The main purpose of this blog is to share the knowledge I've acquired about software engineering and investing as my experience has grown over the years, all while continuing to learn in the process. I don’t intend to put my writing behind a paywall, and I certainly don’t intend to constrain myself with a regular writing schedule. This blog is supposed to be experimental, playful, and occasional in nature. More importantly, I aim for this platform to compel me to do a write-up before investing in any enterprise. I’ve consistently found that writing about my ideas enhances my thought clarity, as it compels me to seek complete and accurate information while also revealing any blind spots that I might otherwise overlook.

Many of the features that I’ve added to this website are also inspired by Blogger. There is something about Blogger’s simplicity that resonates with me more than Substack. Substack pursues growth through recommendation systems, in which the algorithm suggests Substacks with similar themes or those endorsed by other authors. In contrast, I aim to attract readers in a more organic manner–where they come across my write-ups because they also happened to look at some obscure security that I’ve been researching. I might trade off some growth for the sake of quality, but I’m ok with that.

Besides, as an engineer by trade, I also have a strong bias for self-hosted solutions. Owning my own section of the internet gives me greater control over the design, layout, and overall aesthetics of my blog, which can be more closely aligned with my personal style. I also don’t mind the added benefit of ownership and complete control over my writing, as opposed to hosting it on an external service. As a backend infrastructure engineer, I don’t often get to write frontend software. Setting up this blog felt akin to a fulfilling weekend hackathon project.