#misc

How do caches work?

I think it is fair to say that most people have an idea of what caching does at a variety of levels. To someone not in tech, "clearing your cache" (also those yummy cookies!) is a way to get your browser to update. So it is understood that some data is stored pretty close to you. To someone in tech, you may understand that caching data is a way to keep it accessible so that you don't have to go and retrieve it. Content Delivery Networks (CDN's) cache webpages (and other data that is distributed) at different locations so that your performance as a user is faster. Great, makes sense! For both o

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

I finally learned how to study

At the age of 30, I have finally found the most effective way for me to learn a subject. I am currently in Georgia Tech's OMSCS program and have been learning about computer architecture. With online lectures, it can sometimes be challenging for me to stay engaged. The vidoes may be playing and I am looking at the screen, but I zone out and end up not knowing what was just taught. This snowballs as I then go on to the next video where I get even more confused because I do not know the concepts that we are building off of. I have never really been good at taking notes and typically when I study

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

A simple LRU Cache in Python

In a previous post , I explained some of the basic concepts of how caches work in hardware at the CPU level. As I mentioned to start that post, caching is used in many different areas of computer science. So how can you use this new knowledge you have gained? One way you might want to implement a cache is if you have expensive database calls. Let's say that you have a web app where you are displaying movie information. When a user searches for a movie, your backend will query your database for the information related to that movie. For a simple web app with a small number of active users, you

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

Rethinking generational wealth

When I hear generational wealth mentioned, there is a certain image that I get in my head. Private jets, multiple houses, and never having to think about what something costs. There is probably a staff consisting of landscapers, housekeepers, nannies, lawyers, and accountants just to name a few. It is what I think about when I think of how the ultra-wealthy live their lives. With this image in mind, how do we actually define generational wealth? I am sure there are many definitions, but Investopedia defines generational wealth as "...generational wealth refers to financial assets passed from o

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

Diagnosing a Faulty Breaker with ChatGPT

Let me start with a disclaimer. This is not a how-to guide on how to replace a breaker. Working on breakers, live wires, and electrical panels can be extremely dangerous. If you are not confident in your handyman abilities, the money spent on an electrician will be well worth it. With that out of the way, let us move on to my situation. My wife and I bought our house in June of 2026. Shortly after moving, we noticed that the dishwasher was not completing its cycles, leaving an unwanted residue on the dishes from the soap that hadn't been fully rinsed off. We actually didn't know that the dishw

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

I Published a Book

I can now add 'Published Author' to my resume and if you look at my book on Amazon, I'm sure you will be impressed! Not everyone is able to churn out a book with OVER 40 pages like I can, and I didn't even need to include any pictures! Hopefully by now you realize I am being facetious. My 'book' that I published has less than 300 words. It would be more appropriate to call it a coloring book, however, that is exactly how I want it to be used. I try to read a fair amount. Any given year, I will read between 15-20 books which does not account for the countless articles I read on HackerNews. I ty

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

A Call to End Meeting Transcript Summaries

AI continues to leak into every part of business, and for the most part, I can see some sort of value proposition for the various features and products. Vision models have provided improvements over traditional OCR techniques, agentic patterns have enabled automation of more mundane tasks, and chat interfaces have given users a seach product that can provide answers to their specific question. Sure, none of these solutions are perfect and have their fair share of errors. But overall, they have been an improvement. Virtual (and hybrid) meetings have become the norm since COVID, however, meeting

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

I Forgot How to Spell

Over the past month or so, I have started to build a habit of journaling. One day while writing, I started to write a word and then stopped. The reason? I wasn't sure how to spell it. No big deal, let me Google it real quick and continue. However, in the next paragraph, I did the same thing. Okay, I don't like this. I know how to spell, right? Of course I do, but maybe there are a few words I need some help with. What I wanted to know, was, how did this happen? I learned how to spell in school and know how to read, so where did things go awry? When looking up words to confirm how they are spel

Jeremy Maslanko · EN

Ranked: The World’s Most Welcoming Countries in 2026

Discover the most welcoming countries for expats in 2026, ranked by ease of settling in, local friendliness, and finding friends.

Visual Capitalist · EN