Hello there. It is 9 p.m. in 2026. I’m listening to Kanye and reading an article my cracked engineer friend sent to me, and that’s when it hit me. I realized I had a fundamental knowledge problem, one that stems from isolation and learning to survive instead of learning to be fully aware and create value when getting started.
I’m reading this amazing article he wrote, which also doubles as a PRD, with Google open beside it for quick searches of new words and concepts. At that moment, it hit me that software engineering is amazing and goes far beyond the web and mobile development horizon most of us have worked on professionally. There is real beauty in advanced software engineering.
So I’m just learning about what mDNS is, and it’s amazing that this is a basic networking concept I’ve somehow never noticed or come across. BTW, it’s how devices connect over a network locally and communicate seamlessly without a central DNS server—by broadcasting a message like:
“wagwan, who is phone1.local?”
Probably trying to recognize a device, then waiting for a reply. The corresponding device then responds with its IP like:
“hey mate, it’s me, and here’s my IP.”
Amazing, right? :D
And do you know Apple and Linux have this in their systems?
I’m also fascinated by how advanced engineers understand and solve problems. I’ve had the privilege of working with a few, and boy, do I admire them—and at the same time feel overwhelmed. They just know and solve problems differently. Some will tell you it comes with time; others will say it’s about persistence and consistency. But one pattern I’ve noticed in all of them is this: they do the difficult thing and never forget the process or how they got there. That’s something I struggle with, but I believe I’m getting better, and it only goes up from here.
I’ve also learned about growing complexity, which I now apply to everything in life—not just engineering. BTW, it’s nothing serious; it basically means starting in the simplest and laziest form possible, then optimizing over time. I hope I can use this same mindset to grow as an engineer, stay focused on my transition, and trust that everything will work out.