DEV Community: Leo D. Penrose

Why I’m Scrapping "Genres" (For Now) and Betting on AI Instead

Leo D. Penrose — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 20:06:17 +0000

Why I’m Scrapping "Genres" (For Now) and Betting on AI Instead

I recently sat down to build a standard feature for my library app: Categories and Genres.

It seemed like a no-brainer. Every library app has genres, right? I wanted to be able to categorize my books so that if I searched for "textbook," "computer science," or "programming," everything relevant would pop up. The goal was classification—grouping books with similar attributes to make them easier to find.

But as I started mapping out the logic, I hit a wall. I realized I was solving a problem I didn't actually have.

The Problem with Specificity

I started running through real-world scenarios. Let’s say I have 300 books in my library. Since I’m a software engineer, almost all of them are related to programming.

If I implement a "Programming" genre and then search for it, 500 books are going to pop up. How useful is that? It’s just noise.

There is a principle in organization that says eventually, more organization leads to less productivity. You can push categorization to a limit where it becomes chaotic or just plain busy work. If I have to manually tag every book with "Java" or "Software," am I actually making my life easier? Or am I just doing something for the sake of doing it?

Defining the Real Use Case

I had to stop and ask myself: How do I actually use my library?

I realized that I don't "browse" my physical library for information. If I need to know about Rust data types, I don't walk over to my shelf and scan for a spine that looks promising. I go to Google. I ask an AI. I find the best resource externally.

Once I know what book I need, my question becomes very specific: "Do I have this book?" and "Where is it?"

My primary use case is inventory management, not discovery.

The Scenario: I’m on Amazon or at a bookstore. I see a book.
The Question: "Do I already own this?"
The Action: I search the ISBN or title.
The Result: Yes/No and Shelf Location.

For that workflow, genres are irrelevant. I don't need a "Non-Fiction" tag to tell me if I own Clean Code.

The Pivot: Organization vs. Search

However, there is one area where categorization matters: The Physical Shelf.

Right now, my library is chaos. I have a biology textbook next to a self-help book, which is leaning against a Java manual. I eventually want a "Barnes & Noble" experience in my own home—biographies here, history there, math over there.

This is where the feature set shifts. I don't need categories for searching the app; I need categories for organizing the room.

But even then, manual categorization feels archaic. Why should I manually tag a book as "Algorithms" or "Puzzles"?

The Future: AI-Driven Shelf Organization

This led me to the feature I actually need to build. Instead of manual genres, I want to use AI for semantic clustering.

I want to be able to scan a book and have the AI tell me where it belongs based on the topology of my current library.

If I buy a book on Puzzles, I don't want to create a whole new "Games" section for one book.
I want the AI to analyze the content and say: "Hey, puzzles are conceptually similar to Algorithms. You should put this on the Algorithm shelf."

This is the dynamic, intelligent organization I’m looking for.

The Roadmap Change

So, do I need categories or genres right now? No.

But, I also realized I can't just start dumping books into the database yet. If I load 300 books now without an organizational system, I’ll just have to pull them all off the shelves and reorganize them later when I build the AI feature.

I don't want to do double work.

The new plan:

Pause on mass data entry.
Build the AI Shelf Organization feature.
Use the AI to organize the physical books as I enter them into the system.

It’s a different problem than I started with, but it’s a much more useful solution.

Understanding Expressions in Programming: Beyond Just Literals

Leo D. Penrose — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 22:01:27 +0000

Understanding Expressions in Programming: Beyond Just Literals

When we talk about expressions in programming, it’s a common misconception to think they are always literals. While literals like 42 or "hello" are indeed the simplest forms of expressions, there’s a much broader range of what constitutes an expression in programming. Expressions can include operations, function calls, and complex combinations of variables and operators.

Let’s dive into the various types of expressions you might encounter in programming.

1. Literals (Simple Expressions)

Literals are direct values that you can use in your code. Here are some common examples:

42 (numeric literal)
"hello" (string literal)
true (boolean literal)

2. Arithmetic Expressions

These expressions consist of numbers combined with operators, evaluating to a specific result:

3 + 5         // Evaluates to 8
(10 * 2) / 5  // Evaluates to 4

3. Variable Expressions

The value of a variable itself serves as an expression:

let x = 10;
x;            // `x` is an expression that evaluates to 10

4. Function Call Expressions

When a function is invoked, it returns a value, making the function call an expression:

Math.sqrt(16)  // Evaluates to 4

5. Logical Expressions

These involve boolean operations such as && (and), || (or), and ! (not):

true && false  // Evaluates to false
!true          // Evaluates to false

6. Comparison Expressions

These expressions compare values and yield a boolean result (true or false):

10 > 5         // Evaluates to true
3 == 4         // Evaluates to false

7. Ternary (Conditional) Expressions

This is a compact form of conditional logic that acts as an expression:

let result = (5 > 3) ? "yes" : "no";  // Evaluates to "yes"

8. Object and Array Expressions

Expressions can also create objects or arrays:

let arr = [1, 2, 3];          // Array expression
let obj = { name: "Leo" };    // Object expression

9. Complex Expressions

More intricate expressions may combine several of the types mentioned above:

(x * 2) + Math.sqrt(16) > 20 && isValid

Summary

While literals like 42 and "hello" are indeed expressions, it’s crucial to recognize that expressions can take on many other forms. Anything that produces a value in your code—whether it’s a literal, a variable, an operation, or a function call—is classified as an expression. This understanding can significantly enhance your programming skills, making your code more dynamic and functional. So next time you're coding, remember that expressions encompass a wide array of possibilities beyond just simple literals!