Axel Valdez

Design Engineer

Hello,
I'm Axel.

I'm a Design Engineer living in Hermosillo, Mexico. I've been working in the software development industry for pretty much my entire adult life, in roles related to both front-end development and design. I lived through the browser wars, the web standards movement, social media becoming mainstream, and the decay of privacy online. Today I'm very much into the indie web and the small web movements. This website is my hub on the web, from work to hobbies and everything in-between.

Hi

Axel Valdez w

Writing

This sections contains both medium-to-long blog posts, and short and quick thoughts from the stream of consciousness (stream for short) section.

  • A cashier at a Circle K noted my "memento mori" tattoo and we had a quick but wholesome chat about it. I'm liking this kind of random connections way more than the ones that happen online. They feel more... authentic? organic? I don't know, but I like them.

    Jul 10, 2023

  • Post-pandemic Musings

    With each day that passes, I increasingly remember the pandemic with a positive twist.

    It was far from good. It wreaked havoc on my mental health at first, but perhaps it is a blessing that my mind chooses to retain the positive aspects and bury the rest

    I miss being all day at home with my wife and my kids. Rationally I know it was difficult, especially with a three-year-old rightfully demanding attention, but I miss it anyway. Those times evoke feelings of intimacy, closeness, and profound love. Such immense love.

    Jun 01, 2023 · Read post →

  • Cory Doctorow writes the most compelling essay about blogging I've read, and for me the effect of the message is amplified incredibly because it reaches me at an excellent moment.

    There’s a version of the “why writers should blog” story that is tawdry and mercenary: “Blog,” the story goes, “and you will build a brand and a platformthat you can use to promote your work.”

    Virtually every sentence that contains the word “brand” is bullshit, and that one is no exception.

    May 31, 2023

  • It’s funny how the old ways of thinking have been flipped. If I want to get work done, I stay home. If I want to socialise, I go into the studio.

    From Jeremy Keith.

    May 04, 2023

  • I'm currently reading Building a Second Brain from Thiago Forte and jumping again into the bandwagon of note organization. This time is making more sense, though.

    Apr 28, 2023

  • I just finished watching Beef on Netflix. It’s so perfect I’m hoping it’s not renewed for more seasons. Let that story end there :)

    Apr 24, 2023

  • Finishing my 30 days without social media

    Today is the last day of my 30 days without social media. These are some bullet points of my experience:

    Apr 03, 2023 · Read post →

  • I just added a dark mode switch to the website :)

    Mar 31, 2023

  • The month without social media is over in 4 more days. Now I know I won't be reinstalling Twitter in my phone, but I'm on the fence with Instagram.

    Mar 30, 2023

  • Get paid for playing

    There is this quote from drummer Keith Moon I heard from Ira Glass and deeply resonated with me:

    I am the best Keith Moon-style drummer in the world.

    It reminded me of my approach to work for my first few years of employment at Nearsoft, a company that heavily promoted self-management. I divided my work into two categories: tasks I had to do and tasks I wanted to do. Although both types of work were part of my daily routine, I prioritized completing the "had-to" tasks quickly to ensure I had more time for the "want-to" tasks.

    Mar 29, 2023 · Read post →