Selected documentation
Gary Smith
Technical writer. Six-plus years documenting data infrastructure at Google Cloud — Memorystore for Redis, Memcached, Redis Cluster, and Valkey: 200+ pages across 35+ launches. Builds with AI rather than around it.
Building now
Knowledge Brain.
A learning system I built to learn, in the open.
It captures notes, retrieves them with citations, and reviews them on a spaced-repetition schedule.
It has grown into per-topic brains, starting with vector search and LLMs, that run a recount → AI-tutor pushback → quiz-card loop.
The first session of v3 showed my cards were too dense, so I revised the design based on that evidence; it is still evolving, and the repo is public.
Knowledge Brain on GitHub →About
Documentation for technical readers.
My superpower is embedding myself within product and engineering teams, developing a deep understanding of how a product works, and translating that knowledge into clear, actionable content for customers. I'm driven by a simple goal: helping users accomplish their goals with as little friction as possible.
The Cluster and Node Specification document above is a good example of this approach. It required a deep understanding of product architecture, close collaboration with engineering stakeholders, and careful consideration of the information customers need to make informed deployment decisions.
- Cloud documentation
- Developer guides
- Product clarity
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