I'm a Principal Engineer at Scalefusion and Django CMS Fellow passionate about solving meaningful problems and pushing tech boundaries. I love reading, listening/playing music, appreciating/making art, and enjoying a good cup of coffee.
Here are some recommendations from my current and past colleagues. You can check out my latest resume and Github profile. You can connect with me on twitter at @vinitkme or drop me an email atmail@vinitkumar.me.
I hope you enjoy reading my essays.
📊 Blog Stats
Books on My Desk
June 07, 2025 ⭐ featuredA curated stack on focus, engineering, systems, and self-mastery.
Redis Creator's Code Philosophy: 10 Programming Principles from Antirez
May 09, 2025 ⭐ featuredCoding tips from blogs of Antirez, the creator of Redis. Learn how to improve your coding following his principles
Balancing AI Tools in Development: A Practical Workflow Guide
May 07, 2025How I think I would be using AI in my day to day life
Natural Coder
April 02, 2025Returning to coding for enjoyment rather than external validation or pressure. Embracing my natural abilities while avoiding burnout and dopamine-seeking behaviors.
Oscura Vim - My New Favorite Dark Theme
March 28, 2025A comfortable dark theme that's easy on the eyes
Mission Statement of Thorstel Ball
March 26, 2025A collection of programming principles shared by Thorsten Ball in his 'Mission Statement' tweet. These thoughtful guidelines cover code quality, problem-solving approaches, professional ethics, and practical wisdom for software development.
Pour Your Heart Into It
March 15, 2025A reflection on the challenge of fully committing to meaningful work after seeing an inspirational quote at Starbucks. Explores the struggle and value of deep focus while acknowledging that anything worthwhile requires dedicated effort.
Professional Vim Configuration: Terminal and GUI Setup for Modern Development
March 11, 2025A detailed look at my Vim configuration for both terminal and GUI environments
No Cross Posting In Foreseeable Future
March 10, 2025Why I'm stepping away from sharing my blog posts on social media platforms. This decision prioritizes deep focus on personal goals while avoiding the distractions and dopamine hits from social validation.
Simple PDF joiner to Join PDF Files on Mac
February 27, 2025A free command-line utility that leverages macOS's built-in PDF joining capabilities without privacy concerns or upselling. Installation and usage instructions provided for combining multiple PDF files simply and efficiently.
Developer's Guide to AI Tools: Real-world Experience with 5 Leading Platforms
February 03, 2025AI revolution is here, and there is no denying it.
2024 in Review
January 11, 2025Just refecting on how 2024 was for me and what changes I brought in my life
Creating Universal macOS Binaries: A Complete Guide to Fat Binary Generation
December 18, 2024Easy way to generate fat binaries for mac
Building a Free Multi-Device Sync System for Obsidian with Git
November 26, 2024How I Implement Multi Way Data Sync in Obsidian
Why Asking For Help Is A Crucial Skill
August 30, 2024Ask for Help, Don't be Shy, It's A Good Thing!
Why Asking For Help Is A Crucial Skill
August 30, 2024Ask for Help, Don't be Shy, It's A Good Thing!
Monthly Review
August 13, 2024This past month had its ups and downs. We returned to a more structured workflow at work, and my wife and I kept up our walking routine. We need to improve our sleep and watch our spending. I’m working on motivation, improving my guitar skills, and aiming to read more while cutting down on social media.
Optimizing ZSH Performance: A Guide to Profiling and Fixing Shell Slowness
July 02, 2024How I found the slowness in my shell and fixed it
Favorite Coding Fonts in 2024
June 24, 2024All my favorite coding fonts in 2024. All of these are free fonts and in my opinion are best in the genre.
Learning is Important
June 17, 2024Reflecting on recent personal challenges and the importance of reading books to maintain mental well-being while working toward self-improvement.
Fire in my belly
May 10, 2024A personal commitment to overcome self-imposed limitations and step out of my comfort zone. This renewed determination focuses on improving self-care, sharing ideas more freely, and making positive changes for myself and my family.
Leveling Up With Gary Bernhardt's Destroyallsoftware Series
July 31, 2023This blog recounts the author's immersive learning experience with Gary Bernhardt's destroyallsoftware series, focusing on the malloc-from-scratch project. The author established a weekly routine to delve into various projects from the from-scratch repository, highlighting key insights gained such as a deepened understanding of memory allocation, improved debugging skills, and appreciation for software design principles. The post emphasizes the transformative impact of the series on the author's coding confidence and recommends Gary's resource for learners at all levels. The conclusion expresses the author's enthusiasm to continue exploring diverse programming concepts through this educational series.
The Changing Landscape of Free Online Services and Open-Source Software
July 04, 2023The blog explores the transformation of free online services and open-source software over the past decade. It discusses the shift from free models to paid services, the bait-and-switch tactic in open-source software, and the challenges in funding strategies. The article emphasizes the need for users to contribute financially, view open-source as technical debt, and adapt to a changing economic landscape. Developers are encouraged to balance sustainability and accessibility. The conclusion highlights the importance of collaboration for a future where innovation and accessibility coexist in the evolving online world.
The Changing Landscape of Free Online Services and Open-Source Software
July 04, 2023The blog explores the transformation of free online services and open-source software over the past decade. It discusses the shift from free models to paid services, the bait-and-switch tactic in open-source software, and the challenges in funding strategies. The article emphasizes the need for users to contribute financially, view open-source as technical debt, and adapt to a changing economic landscape. Developers are encouraged to balance sustainability and accessibility. The conclusion highlights the importance of collaboration for a future where innovation and accessibility coexist in the evolving online world.
Building Large Technical Projects: Lessons from HashiCorp's Co-Founder
June 02, 2023Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp, shares insights on [building large technical projects](https://mitchellh.com/writing/building-large-technical-projects). Key tips include breaking tasks into manageable chunks, prioritizing real results, starting with feasible sub-projects, employing automated testing, showcasing regular demos, avoiding perfectionism initially, building for personal needs, and embracing incremental improvements for sustained progress.
Migrating to Neovim: A Developer's Guide to Modern Editor Configuration
May 24, 2023The blog guides users through a smooth transition from Vim to Neovim, highlighting Neovim's improved performance, enhanced features, and better extensibility. It details the migration process, emphasizing the compatibility between Vim and Neovim configurations. The author's Neovim Lua-based configuration is provided, featuring a curated set of plugins, key mappings, and settings for a more modular and organized setup. The blog concludes by acknowledging the advantages of Neovim's init.lua configuration for those interested in exploring its features and flexibility.
Python Performance Optimization: Memory-Efficient Collection Handling
February 24, 2022Practical techniques for optimizing memory usage when working with large data collections in Python. Demonstrates how to implement batch processing for lists and Django QuerySets with improved type hints and efficient iteration methods.
Remote Work Success Guide: 7 Years of Practical Experience and Best Practices
March 26, 2020The blog offers practical tips for efficiently navigating the challenges of remote work, particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author, drawing from seven years of remote work experience, emphasizes the importance of quality hardware, efficient software usage, and establishing a routine. The blog underscores effective communication practices, urging over-communication to bridge the gap in remote collaboration. It stresses the significance of documentation, testing, and delivering tangible results in a remote work setting. The author also shares insights from Mitchell Hashimoto, highlighting the transformative potential of remote work for those who adapt effectively.
A Somewhat Sane Guide for Software Development
February 06, 2020A comprehensive guide to software development best practices based on 8 years of professional experience. Covers Git workflows, backend development principles, frontend guidelines, and DevOps considerations with practical examples and commands.
Influential Programmers: A Personal Tribute to 10 Open Source Leaders
January 23, 2020A personal tribute to influential programmers who have shaped my career and coding philosophy. From CURL creator Daniel Stenberg to Python's Guido Van Rossum, these talented developers demonstrate excellence in their craft while inspiring others.
Coding principles every engineer should know
April 08, 2019IMPORTANT: Cross posting from this medium article https://medium.com/@sschillace/coding-principles-every-engineer-should-know-b946b48cc946 since I do not like medium as a platform and I do not want to loose this port in matrix:) The post has been written by [Sam Schillace](https://medium. com/@sschillace) and all references to me/I is referenced to…
How To Manage Infra in 2019
April 05, 2019Infra is one of the most host topics in the Software development these days. There are so many tools, so much to learn that very few people actually know what to do and what the best practises. Everyone wants to jump on the microservice bandwagon. However, it’s not as easy as it seems. I medidated quite a bit on this and have come up with these…
The Minimalist Developer: Maximizing Productivity with Fewer Tools
March 06, 2019We are a big fan of tools. We use them daily in almost everything, but at one point in time, they pollute our mental space so much that we just forget to think and do as the tools dictate. A common example could be smart-phone. It was meant to keep us mobile and connected but now, it has become so dominant and addictive that it is more of a bane…
6 years of full time job
February 01, 2019Today, I am completing 6 years of my full time employment with [Socialschools](https://socialschools. nl). It has been an incredibly long time and there has been highs and lows but mostly it has been a great experience writing code and having fun while doing it. I am very proud of the product I have helped build and make it succeed. There are…
Lightweight LaTeX to PDF Conversion on macOS: A Minimal Setup Guide
January 16, 2019Setup Mac for editing LaTeX
How to Use React with djangoCMS 3.5.2 and above?
May 24, 2018How to get react working with latest djangoCMS
Integrating React with Django CMS: Solving Content Refresh Challenges
May 24, 2018How to get react working with latest djangoCMS
Advanced Mac Storage Cleanup: Command Line Guide for Power Users
April 16, 2015How to cleanup Your Mac From Other Files
7 Essential Practices for Writing Better Code: A Developer's Journey
July 20, 2014How To Improve Code Quality Over Time
Implementing Read-Only Access in Django Admin: A Complete Guide
May 18, 2014Guide to setup readonly mode for some users in Django admin
Complete Guide to Emacs: Setting Up a Modern Development Environment
May 04, 2014A small guide to setting up Emacs
Understanding JavaScript Classes: A Practical Guide to Prototypal Inheritance
December 07, 2013About new projects
Maximizing Productivity: A Developer's Guide to Time Management and Focus
June 15, 2013Things I think about
Django plugin and Google command line project open sourced
April 27, 2013Projects I recently worked on and open sourced
Building a Twitter Clone with Node.js: A Learning Project
March 27, 2013Writing a Twitter clone in Node
From Chrome Extensions to Career: My JavaScript Journey
March 24, 2013Why I love JavaScript so much.