How lateral thinking and Python helped me finally get past staging
For years, I've accumulated knowledge like a digital hoarder—computer science sub-domains stacked like unread books, structured prompts filed like forgotten notes, brilliant ideas scattered like stars without constellations.
Let me paint you a picture:
The Developer's Paradox
Sound familiar?
Three realizations hit me like a well-timed git push:
"Use what you love, not what everyone else uses."
I tried Node.js. I fought with complex build systems. I struggled with frontend frameworks. Then I remembered: I love Python too much to pretend otherwise.
So I built this site with: - MkDocs (Python-based) - Markdown (simple, powerful) - GitHub Pages (no deployment drama) - Custom CSS (just enough frontend to be dangerous)
def build_site(preferences):
"""
The secret? Honor your workflow.
"""
if preferences.loves_python:
return "mkdocs"
else:
return find_what_you_actually_enjoy()
My "gaps" in Computer Science? They're not bugs—they're features.
The ability to connect:
- Poker probabilities → Risk analysis for business decisions
- Data science patterns → Cash flow optimization
- Philosophy debates → Product design choices
That's lateral thinking, and it's more valuable than perfect domain expertise.
The Breakthrough
Stop trying to build the perfect system. Start shipping the working one.
This site isn't perfect. But it exists. It's live. You're reading it.
That's infinitely better than a perfect site that lives only in my imagination.
Since we're all friends here, let's talk implementation:
What I Use:
# Create project
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install mkdocs-material
# Local development
mkdocs serve
# Deploy
git push origin main # GitHub Actions handles the rest
What I Avoid:
- ❌ uv (venv works fine, thanks)
- ❌ Complex package managers
- ❌ Overcomplicated build pipelines
- ❌ Frontend frameworks when CSS suffices
Helping my sister's business with: - Automated content scheduling - Analytics dashboards - Customer engagement tracking
Maximizing profit for my dad's business: - Cash flow analysis tools - Inventory optimization - Production function modeling
Finally, a personal website that reflects who I am: - Indo-egyptian aesthetic (because why not?) - Python-first workflow - Content over complexity
If you're sitting on a mountain of fragmented knowledge:
As McCarthy reminded us: "You never know what bad luck saved you from a worse one."
Maybe all those "incomplete" projects were saving us from building the wrong thing. Now we know what the right thing looks like.
Time to stop writing about building and actually build:
The punchcard era is over, but we're still punching holes in problems—one line of Python at a time.
Have your own "staging to production" story? I'd love to hear it.
How lateral thinking and Python helped me finally get past staging
For years, I've accumulated knowledge like a digital hoarder—computer science sub-domains stacked like unread books, structured prompts filed like forgotten notes, brilliant ideas scattered like stars without constellations.