Kai Nguyen’s Hatched Ideas

Documentation Is a Dependency Graph for Human Attention

Documentation Is a Dependency Graph for Human Attention

Nov 10, 2026

The Fastest Query Is the One That Removes a Dependency

The Fastest Query Is the One That Removes a Dependency

Nov 9, 2026

The Hidden Conversation Between Databases and Coroutines

The Hidden Conversation Between Databases and Coroutines

Nov 8, 2026

92%

The Fastest SQL Query Begins Before the Database Reads a Row

The Fastest SQL Query Begins Before the Database Reads a Row

Nov 7, 2026

The Best SQL Queries Do Not Just Ask Better Questions, They Ask in the Database’s Native Shape

The Best SQL Queries Do Not Just Ask Better Questions, They Ask in the Database’s Native Shape

Nov 6, 2026

3 views

The Comma Is an Operation: What Python Tuples Teach Us About Searching Possibility

The Comma Is an Operation: What Python Tuples Teach Us About Searching Possibility

Nov 5, 2026

2 views

The Hidden Skill Behind Good Code Is Knowing What to Leave Visible

The Hidden Skill Behind Good Code Is Knowing What to Leave Visible

Nov 4, 2026

1 views

The Hidden Discipline Behind Reliable Data: Change Less, Observe More

The Hidden Discipline Behind Reliable Data: Change Less, Observe More

Nov 3, 2026

1 views

The Empty Book Problem: Why Notification Systems Must Manage Attention Like Memory

The Empty Book Problem: Why Notification Systems Must Manage Attention Like Memory

Nov 2, 2026

2 views

The Hidden Optimization Principle: Write for the Next Interpreter

The Hidden Optimization Principle: Write for the Next Interpreter

Nov 1, 2026

3 views

The Query Is a Theory of What Matters

The Query Is a Theory of What Matters

Oct 31, 2026

5 views

The Architecture of Forgetting: Why Good Software Design Is Really About Controlling What Lives

The Architecture of Forgetting: Why Good Software Design Is Really About Controlling What Lives

Oct 30, 2026

4 views

The Hidden Architecture of Reversible Decisions

The Hidden Architecture of Reversible Decisions

Oct 29, 2026

5 views

The Smallest Syntax Can Reveal the Largest Design Principle

The Smallest Syntax Can Reveal the Largest Design Principle

Oct 28, 2026

4 views

The Empty Book and the Infinite Maze: Why Thinking Depends on What You Write Down

The Empty Book and the Infinite Maze: Why Thinking Depends on What You Write Down

Oct 27, 2026

4 views

The Query on the Page Is Not the Query in Your Head

The Query on the Page Is Not the Query in Your Head

Oct 26, 2026

5 views

The Hidden Architecture of Meaning: What Docstrings and SQL Teach Us About Finding Anything

The Hidden Architecture of Meaning: What Docstrings and SQL Teach Us About Finding Anything

Oct 25, 2026

5 views

A Program Is Not Ready When Its Steps Are Ordered, but When Its Assumptions Are Exposed

A Program Is Not Ready When Its Steps Are Ordered, but When Its Assumptions Are Exposed

Oct 24, 2026

3 views

Good Abstractions Are Built for the Way Work Gets Done

Good Abstractions Are Built for the Way Work Gets Done

Oct 23, 2026

5 views

The Hidden Design Principle Behind Faster Pages and Better Python APIs

The Hidden Design Principle Behind Faster Pages and Better Python APIs

Oct 23, 2026

4 views

The Best Way to Explore Is to Respect Dependencies

The Best Way to Explore Is to Respect Dependencies

Oct 22, 2026

4 views

The Hidden Skill Behind Both Unix and SQL: Choosing the Right View of Reality

The Hidden Skill Behind Both Unix and SQL: Choosing the Right View of Reality

Oct 21, 2026

3 views

The Hidden Skill Behind Clean SQL and Readable Python: Making Structure Visible

The Hidden Skill Behind Clean SQL and Readable Python: Making Structure Visible

Oct 20, 2026

4 views

The Hidden Design Rule Shared by Python APIs and Fast SQL Queries

The Hidden Design Rule Shared by Python APIs and Fast SQL Queries

Oct 19, 2026

3 views

The Hidden Cost of Putting Things in the Wrong Order

The Hidden Cost of Putting Things in the Wrong Order

Oct 18, 2026

3 views

The Best Decisions Are SARGABLE: What Databases Teach Us About Learning

The Best Decisions Are SARGABLE: What Databases Teach Us About Learning

Oct 17, 2026

2 views

The Query Is Not the Answer: What SQL Teaches Us About Seeing Clearly

The Query Is Not the Answer: What SQL Teaches Us About Seeing Clearly

Oct 16, 2026

4 views

78%

The Hidden Architecture of Reliable Action: Order Your Dependencies, Design for Failure

The Hidden Architecture of Reliable Action: Order Your Dependencies, Design for Failure

Oct 15, 2026

4 views

The Hidden Principle Shared by Fast Queries and Aligned AI

The Hidden Principle Shared by Fast Queries and Aligned AI

Oct 14, 2026

5 views

The Best Coding Conventions Teach You When to Break Them

The Best Coding Conventions Teach You When to Break Them

Oct 13, 2026

3 views