Welcome. This is a [[digital garden]] — a collection of notes, ideas, and explorations that grow over time. Unlike blog posts ordered by dates, this is an interlinked web of living documents that evolve as I learn.
I’m Hrishikesh Bhaskaran, VP of Engineering at Entri. This is where I think out loud — connecting ideas across things I read, build, and encounter. Some notes are half-formed, others are well-tended. Start anywhere and follow the links.
Recently Tended
- From Zero to Creative Hero in Five Steps (Instagram Reel)
- The Nginx sites-available/sites-enabled Split Is a Debian Convention
- Cardinal-Direction Languages Anchor Cognition to Landscape
- Colour Vocabulary Sharpens Perceptual Discrimination
- Event Framing Shapes Memory and Blame
- How Language Shapes the Way We Think — Lera Boroditsky (TED)
- Language Shapes the Way We Think
- Number Words Are a Cognitive Stepping-Stone
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Decision & Strategy 28
- 6 Archetypes of Broken Ownership
- Broken Ownership Archetypes
- Eisenhower Matrix
- Goals-Signals-Metrics (GSM) Model
- HEART Framework
- Ownership Trio
- RICE Framework
- Analytical Data
- Architecture Decision (AD)
- Architecture Decision Log (ADL)
- Avoid Stupidity
- Boundary Setting
- Inversion
- Mortality Awareness
- Pre-Mortem Analysis
- AI Adoption
- Amazon's 6-Pager
- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
- Coachable vs Learnable vs Intrinsic Skills
- Coachable, Learnable, and Intrinsic - Hiring Framework
- Decision Document Framework by Arnav Kumar
- Intrinsic Qualities in Hiring
- RACI Matrix
- Request for Comments (RFC)
- Right No vs Wrong Yes
- Engineering Strategy
- Wardley Maps
- Influencer Marketing Funnel
Engineering & Systems 25
- ActivityPub is the W3C protocol that powers the fediverse
- Circuit breaker pattern stops cascading failures in distributed systems
- Federated search distributes queries across independent indexes
- Federation is many independent servers speaking a shared protocol
- HTTP Signatures prove identity in federation without shared secrets
- Relay pattern reduces N-squared delivery to 2N in federation
- WebFinger resolves handles to identity documents in federation
- Jerry Rigging
- Kludge
- You Build It, You Own It
- Architecture Decision (AD)
- Architecture Decision Log (ADL)
- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
- DORA
- Internal Platform
- Platform Engineering
- Request for Comments (RFC)
- State of AI-assisted Software Development 2025 (DORA Report)
- Engineering Strategy
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Proof of Concept (POC)
- Prototype
- Local vs Distributed Objects
- Paper: A Note On Distributed Computing
- A Note on Distributed Computing
Law & Society 12
Mindset & Growth 16
- A Thinking Falling Stone Would Believe It Chose to Fall
- Free Will Is an Illusion (Spinoza)
- Political Freedom Can Coexist With Determinism
- Spinoza, Einstein, and the Illusion of Free Will (Avshalom Elitzur)
- Invictus
- You Build It, You Own It
- Amateur
- Amateur Mindset
- Hope Is a Good Thing
- Mortality Awareness
- Resilience
- Silence and Unspoken Words
- Decision Document Framework by Arnav Kumar
- Flexibility Over Rigidity
- Silence and Unspoken Words - Anshuman Dash
- You Are the Reason - Unknown
Product & Metrics 12
- Goals-Signals-Metrics (GSM) Model
- HEART Framework
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- DORA
- Value Stream Mapping
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Proof of Concept (POC)
- Prototype
- Influencer Marketing
- HBR: When It Comes to Influencers, Smaller Can Be Better
- Influencer Marketing Funnel
- Nano Influencers vs Macro Influencers
Research & Craft 14
- Creativity is a Way of Operating - John Cleese
- Design of Experiments (DoE)
- Primary Sources in Historical Research
- Retraction Watch
- Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
- The Compass of Zettelkasten
- Theory of Constraints
- Digital Garden Workflow
- Amazon's 6-Pager
- Decision Document Framework by Arnav Kumar
- DORA
- Request for Comments (RFC)
- State of AI-assisted Software Development 2025 (DORA Report)
- Digital Garden
Stories & Culture 15
- Jerry Rigging
- Jugaad
- Kludge
- Chinese Settlement in Calicut
- Legend of Prester John
- The Ivory Throne by Manu S Pillai
- Podcast Etymology
- Highest Divorce Rate
- Primary Sources in Historical Research
- Character (Story Element)
- Conflict (Story Element)
- Desire (Story Element)
- Screenwriting Storytelling Blueprint
- Story
- Petition Against Ayyankali - 1914
All Notes 159
- 6 Archetypes of Broken Ownership
- 9-1-1 (TV Series)
- A Note on Distributed Computing
- A Thinking Falling Stone Would Believe It Chose to Fall
- ActivityPub is the W3C protocol that powers the fediverse
- Adaptability
- AI Adoption
- Amateur
- Amateur Mindset
- Amazon's 6-Pager
- Analytical Data
- Analytically Operational Data
- Application Layout Engine
- Architecturally-significant Requirement (ASR)
- Architecture Decision (AD)
- Architecture Decision Log (ADL)
- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
- Avoid Stupidity
- Bazel BUILD Style Guide
- Bhargavee Nilayam Filming Locations - Investigation
- Boundary Setting
- Broken Ownership Archetypes
- Broken Windows Theory
- Cardinal-Direction Languages Anchor Cognition to Landscape
- Character (Story Element)
- Chinese Settlement in Calicut
- Circuit breaker pattern stops cascading failures in distributed systems
- Coachable vs Learnable vs Intrinsic Skills
- Coachable, Learnable, and Intrinsic - Hiring Framework
- Colour Vocabulary Sharpens Perceptual Discrimination
- Conflict (Story Element)
- Constitution of India - Article 21
- Creativity is a Way of Operating - John Cleese
- Cyber Bullying
- Cyber Bullying Laws in India
- Cyber Bullying Laws International
- Cyber Crime
- Cyber Crime Laws in India
- DAMP Principle
- Decision Document Framework by Arnav Kumar
- Deductive Reasoning - Eliminate the Impossible
- Design of Experiments (DoE)
- Desire (Story Element)
- Digital Garden
- Digital Garden Workflow
- Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep - Mary Elizabeth Frye
- Document Layout Engine
- DORA
- Doxxing
- DRY Principle
- Dunder in Python
- Dunning-Kruger Effect
- EARS: Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax
- Eisenhower Matrix
- Eliminate the Impossible - Sherlock Holmes
- ELT (Extract - Load - Transform)
- Engineering Strategy
- Event Framing Shapes Memory and Blame
- Federated search distributes queries across independent indexes
- Federation is many independent servers speaking a shared protocol
- Find Your Voice - Dan Harmon
- Flexibility Over Rigidity
- Footnotes in Markdown
- Free Will Is an Illusion (Spinoza)
- Friends
- From Zero to Creative Hero in Five Steps (Instagram Reel)
- Genomic Sequencing Service
- Goals-Signals-Metrics (GSM) Model
- Google Maps
- Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
- Handle Me at My Worst - Marilyn Monroe
- HBR: When It Comes to Influencers, Smaller Can Be Better
- HEART Framework
- Highest Divorce Rate
- Hope Is a Good Thing
- Hope Is a Good Thing - Shawshank Redemption
- How Language Shapes the Way We Think — Lera Boroditsky (TED)
- HTTP Signatures prove identity in federation without shared secrets
- Human Brain Memory Capacity
- Imperfection Is Beauty - Marilyn Monroe
- Influencer Marketing
- Influencer Marketing Funnel
- Ingress
- Internal Platform
- Intrinsic Qualities in Hiring
- Inversion
- Invictus
- Jerry Rigging
- Jugaad
- Kludge
- Language Shapes the Way We Think
- Layout Engine
- Legend of Prester John
- Listen to Your Instincts - Judith McNaught
- Local vs Distributed Objects
- Lone Genius Myth
- Making a Difference (The Star Thrower)
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Miranda Warning
- Mortality Awareness
- Nano Influencers vs Macro Influencers
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Number Words Are a Cognitive Stepping-Stone
- One OS to Rule Them All - Linux Parody
- Online Violence
- Operational Data
- Ownership Trio
- Paper: A Note On Distributed Computing
- Passion Not Spent - Caleb Madrigal
- Petition Against Ayyankali - 1914
- Phantom Media
- Phantom Urbanism
- Plaintiff
- Platform Engineering
- Podcast Etymology
- Political Freedom Can Coexist With Determinism
- Polymath
- Pre-Mortem Analysis
- Pretty Good House
- Primary Sources in Historical Research
- Process Documentation
- Process is Messy
- Proof of Concept (POC)
- Prototype
- RACI Matrix
- Reciprocal Rank Fusion merges ranked lists without comparable scores
- Relay pattern reduces N-squared delivery to 2N in federation
- Request for Comments (RFC)
- Resilience
- Retraction Watch
- RICE Framework
- Right No vs Wrong Yes
- Scenius
- Screenwriting Storytelling Blueprint
- Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
- Silence and Unspoken Words
- Silence and Unspoken Words - Anshuman Dash
- Some Birds Aren't Meant to Be Caged - Stephen King
- Spinoza, Einstein, and the Illusion of Free Will (Avshalom Elitzur)
- State of AI-assisted Software Development 2025 (DORA Report)
- Story
- stultus
- Tell The People You Love That You Love Them
- The Compass of Zettelkasten
- The Ivory Throne by Manu S Pillai
- The Nginx sites-available/sites-enabled Split Is a Debian Convention
- The Road Goes Ever On - J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Sky Is Not the Limit - Sawyer Rosenstein
- The Star Thrower (Starfish Story)
- Theory of Constraints
- User Interface Markup Language
- Value Stream Mapping
- Wardley Maps
- We're All Stories in the End - Doctor Who
- WebFinger resolves handles to identity documents in federation
- Widget Toolkit
- You Are the Reason - Unknown
- You Build It, You Own It
- സ്മാരകം (Smarakam) - Veerankutty