Systems Architect and AI engineer helping startups and enterprises build reliable AI automation, LLM/RAG products, and scalable software.https://yoosuf.me/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-do-product-development-what-to-include-what-to-avoid/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-do-product-development-what-to-include-what-to-avoid/A long-form, evidence-backed guide to product development with industry examples, practical frameworks, and hard-earned lessons.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-release-an-mvp-when-your-product-has-too-many-features/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-release-an-mvp-when-your-product-has-too-many-features/Scoping an MVP for a feature-rich system: cut by actor instead of by feature, ship one vertical slice, defer features without deleting the value, decide the buckets in advance, and make deferral reversible with toggles instead of migrations.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-ask-ai-questions-properly/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-ask-ai-questions-properly/Why a thin question becomes a confident wrong answer, which parts of the prompting folklore are already stale, and why it is a writing skill.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & TechEngineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/jev-decision-model-routing/https://yoosuf.me/blog/jev-decision-model-routing/JEV returns typed values with probabilities instead of text. What that changes for AI model routing: the control plane, the failure modes, the benchmarks.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & TechEngineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/how-search-works-architecture/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-search-works-architecture/How search ranking actually works: the crawl subsystem and its budget, the inverted index, canonicalisation as clustering, and the ranking cascade.Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)EngineeringAI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/answer-engine-optimization-architecture/https://yoosuf.me/blog/answer-engine-optimization-architecture/AEO as systems architecture: the indexing and query planes, chunking as the unit of ranking, why citation is separate from retrieval, and measuring lift.Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & TechEngineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/implementing-wizards-the-right-way/https://yoosuf.me/blog/implementing-wizards-the-right-way/Building multi-step wizards: Duolingo's one-question onboarding, Stripe Connect's branching, and the anti-patterns that make users quit.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-make-an-mvp-in-the-ai-era/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-make-an-mvp-in-the-ai-era/What an MVP needs now that AI makes building nearly free: the traps to avoid, and why the constraint moved to testing assumptions with real customers.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/10-event-driven-architecture-questions/https://yoosuf.me/blog/10-event-driven-architecture-questions/Ten questions that separate framework users from distributed-systems engineers: idempotency, ordering, sagas, observability, and when not to use events.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/postwire-sms-mcp-analysis/https://yoosuf.me/blog/postwire-sms-mcp-analysis/Postwire v0.2 adds SMS catching with Twilio webhooks, 14 MCP tools for AI agents, and Litmus-style email analysis to the local mail catcher.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)EngineeringAI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/introducing-postwire/https://yoosuf.me/blog/introducing-postwire/Why I built Postwire: a single-binary SMTP mail catcher in Rust with a REST API and MCP server for automated testing and AI agents.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)EngineeringAI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/perish-pivot-persevere/https://yoosuf.me/blog/perish-pivot-persevere/Most products don't die suddenly — they die from delayed decisions. A guide to failure signals, premortems, and perish/pivot/persevere rules.Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/ai-didnt-cause-every-layoff-management-did/https://yoosuf.me/blog/ai-didnt-cause-every-layoff-management-did/How much of the AI layoff era is automation, and how much is management using AI as the excuse for decisions that were already coming?Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/setting-up-legacy-rails-project-in-2024/https://yoosuf.me/blog/setting-up-legacy-rails-project-in-2024/How to set up and run a legacy Rails 4.2.6 project in 2024 using Docker to isolate outdated dependencies.Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/i-dont-use-tea-bags/https://yoosuf.me/blog/i-dont-use-tea-bags/Why loose-leaf tea beats tea bags: better quality leaves, no microplastics, and a more sustainable cup of tea.Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-water-fasting/https://yoosuf.me/blog/how-to-water-fasting/Water fasting means consuming only water for a period of time. Here is why people do it, the methods involved, and what to expect.Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/24-hours-water-fasting/https://yoosuf.me/blog/24-hours-water-fasting/Why Yoosuf Mohamed practises 24-hour water fasting two days a week, and the effects he's noticed.Mon, 29 May 2023 00:00:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/frugal-lifestyle/https://yoosuf.me/blog/frugal-lifestyle/How Yoosuf Mohamed managed a full year by living a deliberately frugal lifestyle, and what he learned.Thu, 25 May 2023 07:50:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/chatgpt-daily-life/https://yoosuf.me/blog/chatgpt-daily-life/How ChatGPT helps Yoosuf Mohamed in day-to-day life, from quick research to everyday problem solving.Sun, 21 May 2023 08:16:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)AI & Techhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/become-a-reactjs-expert/https://yoosuf.me/blog/become-a-reactjs-expert/A practical guide to leveling up in React, from core concepts to becoming a confident, expert-level developer.Thu, 18 May 2023 05:58:00 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/what-happened-to-my-dot-me-domain/https://yoosuf.me/blog/what-happened-to-my-dot-me-domain/The story of what happened to Yoosuf Mohamed's .me domain and the lessons learned about domain management.Tue, 13 Aug 2019 01:10:10 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/trigger-shoot-slim-wordpress-plugin/https://yoosuf.me/blog/trigger-shoot-slim-wordpress-plugin/Trigger and Shoot: a slim, lightweight WordPress plugin for triggering actions on post events.Sat, 26 Mar 2016 07:31:29 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/wordpress-how-to-trigger-the-post-publish-event/https://yoosuf.me/blog/wordpress-how-to-trigger-the-post-publish-event/How to hook into and trigger the WordPress post-publish event for custom automation.Sun, 28 Feb 2016 17:51:26 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/now-i-am-on-github-as-yoosuf/https://yoosuf.me/blog/now-i-am-on-github-as-yoosuf/A quick note on joining GitHub under the username Yoosuf and starting to share code publicly.Fri, 26 Feb 2016 07:20:58 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/beaufort-house-chelsea-redesign/https://yoosuf.me/blog/beaufort-house-chelsea-redesign/Case study: redesigning the Beaufort House Chelsea restaurant site on WordPress, and the performance work that made the new build 10% faster than the old one.Fri, 12 Feb 2016 10:03:17 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/http2-for-front-end-web-developers/https://yoosuf.me/blog/http2-for-front-end-web-developers/What front-end web developers need to know about HTTP/2 and the performance gains it brings.Thu, 12 Mar 2015 19:20:42 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/good-product-manager-bad-product-manager/https://yoosuf.me/blog/good-product-manager-bad-product-manager/Notes and insights on what separates a good product manager from a bad one.Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:34:43 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/component-based-architectures-ruby-rails/https://yoosuf.me/blog/component-based-architectures-ruby-rails/An overview of component-based architecture patterns for building maintainable Ruby on Rails applications.Tue, 20 May 2014 15:30:35 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/photography-my-second-passion/https://yoosuf.me/blog/photography-my-second-passion/Yoosuf Mohamed on photography as a second passion alongside software engineering, with sample shots.Tue, 29 Oct 2013 12:44:53 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Photographyhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/just-do-it/https://yoosuf.me/blog/just-do-it/A short, personal take on motivation, procrastination, and the value of just taking action.Sat, 26 Oct 2013 09:01:55 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/respect-people-with-less-power-than-you/https://yoosuf.me/blog/respect-people-with-less-power-than-you/Why treating people with less power than you with respect is a real test of character and leadership.Thu, 03 Oct 2013 19:18:23 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/the-secret-to-making-money-by-starting-a-small-business/https://yoosuf.me/blog/the-secret-to-making-money-by-starting-a-small-business/Thoughts on entrepreneurship and the realities of making money by starting a small business.Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:52:09 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/stand-against-racism/https://yoosuf.me/blog/stand-against-racism/A personal stand against racism and a call for greater equality and respect for others.Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:39:56 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/menus-navigation-handlers-in-mobile/https://yoosuf.me/blog/menus-navigation-handlers-in-mobile/A look at common menu and navigation patterns for mobile web and app interfaces.Sat, 22 Jun 2013 23:06:08 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/photography-with-iphone-5/https://yoosuf.me/blog/photography-with-iphone-5/Tips and techniques for taking better photos with the iPhone 5's camera.Thu, 20 Jun 2013 21:21:13 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Photographyhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/performance-checklist-for-the-mobile-web/https://yoosuf.me/blog/performance-checklist-for-the-mobile-web/A practical checklist for improving performance on the mobile web, from asset loading to rendering.Mon, 06 May 2013 09:24:59 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/going-back-to-sri-lanka/https://yoosuf.me/blog/going-back-to-sri-lanka/Personal reflections on moving back home to Sri Lanka and what that transition meant.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:40:29 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/ruby-2/https://yoosuf.me/blog/ruby-2/Early thoughts and reactions to the release of Ruby 2.0 and its new language features.Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:53:50 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/the-setup/https://yoosuf.me/blog/the-setup/A rundown of the hardware, software, and tools Yoosuf Mohamed used for development at the time.Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:38:41 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personalhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/css3-text-shadow/https://yoosuf.me/blog/css3-text-shadow/A practical look at the CSS3 text-shadow property and how to use it to add depth to web typography.Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:54:41 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/a-better-way-to-show-wordpress-database-errors/https://yoosuf.me/blog/a-better-way-to-show-wordpress-database-errors/A cleaner approach to displaying WordPress database errors for easier debugging during development.Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:30:31 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/yoosuf-iphone-photography/https://yoosuf.me/blog/yoosuf-iphone-photography/A collection of iPhone photography by Yoosuf Mohamed, capturing everyday moments and scenes.Sun, 23 Dec 2012 22:20:51 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Photographyhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/rails-apps-rails-application-composer/https://yoosuf.me/blog/rails-apps-rails-application-composer/A look at Rails Application Composer, a tool for scaffolding new Ruby on Rails applications faster.Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:22:07 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Engineeringhttps://yoosuf.me/blog/hello-you/https://yoosuf.me/blog/hello-you/Yoosuf Mohamed's first blog post from 2007, marking the start of a personal blog after years on Geocities, Blogger, and WordPress.Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:24:09 GMTmayoosuf@gmail.com (Yoosuf Mohamed)Personal