2025-07-20 08:00:00
I’m someone driven by obsessions, and by phases.
When I’m in one of those phases where I want to do everything on the computer, I forget about the rest of the world. I can spend 18 hours straight in front of the screen, and as you can imagine, that’s not sustainable. Because then I burn out and go three months without wanting to touch the computer.
I’ve always tried to set a time to shut down the computer and do something offline, like writing or reading. That time has always been 8:00 pm. And I’d be embarrassed to admit I could count on one hand the times I’ve actually done it on my own will.
So I said: “Fuck it, I’m going to find a way to fix this.” I don’t want to be the one deciding anymore. So here’s a super simple tip for how I handled it.
Just open your terminal and type:
crontab -e
Once you’re in, add this beautiful line:
0 20 * * * /usr/bin/osascript -e 'tell app "System Events" to shut down'
If you want to pick a different time, just ask ChatGPT how to do it or change the 20 to whatever hour you want (for example, 7pm would be 19).
To exit vim successfully, remember to hit :wq. Finally, check that everything is in place with crontab -l.
If it shows up, you’re all set. You can close the terminal and forget about it. Now, every day at 8pm, your computer will shut down and you’ll have no choice but to settle for a sad little notebook or a boring book.
2025-07-13 08:00:00
Seeing the potential of tools like Cursor, I set out to work on a new idea: a very simple image converter that I could use in my day-to-day work. In general, I was quite annoyed by having to go to the browser, open the image converter tab, upload my images, and then wait for them to be uploaded to the cloud and downloaded again.
I wanted something that worked on my computer, without needing an internet connection, and that was fast.
That’s why I said: I’m going to make it native. I had never made a 100% native application before, so this was a challenge. Thanks mainly to Cursor, I was able to launch a prototype in a short period of time.
After paying for my Apple Developer license, I realized that when I saved images generated with Picmal, a terrible window would appear, asking the user for permission to save the image to their computer. And I didn’t want that. This was due to Apple restrictions, so the only solution was to publish the app outside of the Apple Store.
After looking for a few solutions, I found an easy way to distribute my app: Gumroad. Here’s how I did it:
Once your app is ready for release, do the following:
.app file.
To give users a better experience in order to install the app, I used create-dmg, a simple CLI tool that outputs a polished DMG file.
In the terminal you need to execute this:
# Install create-dmg if you haven't already
brew install create-dmg
# Create the DMG installer
create-dmg \
--volname "Your App Name" \
--window-pos 200 120 \
--window-size 600 300 \
--icon-size 100 \
--icon "YourApp.app" 175 120 \
--hide-extension "YourApp.app" \
--app-drop-link 425 120 \
"YourApp.dmg" \
"source_folder/"
Once it’s done you will have your DMG installer ready, but you need to do an extra step, which is notarize this DMG too to avoid getting an error like this:
First I highly recommend you to create a profile so that every time you have to notarize your new releases you don’t need to remember the password:
xcrun notarytool store-credentials --apple-id "[email protected]" \
--team-id "YOUR_TEAM_ID_HERE" \
--password "your-app-specific-password" \
your-app-profile
Note: The password you use here must be an app-specific password generated from your Apple ID account. Regular Apple ID passwords will not work for notarization. If you haven’t created one before, follow Apple’s instructions to generate an app-specific password for use with
notarytool.
After creating the profile you need to notarize the DMG file with your newly created profile:
xcrun notarytool submit YourApp.dmg --keychain-profile "your-app-profile" --wait
Now you need to staple the DMG:
xcrun stapler staple YourApp.dmg
And finally you are almost ready, just to check that this process has worked, you can check it in your terminal using:
spctl --assess --type open --context context:primary-signature -v YourApp.dmg
# Expected output:
# YourApp.dmg: accepted
# source=Notarized Developer ID
If you see something like this message, you’re done. You can upload your DMG to Gumroad (or wherever you prefer) and start selling. Here is how it looks my app in Gumroad:
If you’re interested in experiencing Picmal, you can buy the app and start using it today.
2025-03-12 08:00:00
Novelty has always attracted me far more than what was already obvious to me. It always promised better future plans, while I looked at my side, staring at that static and boring present with a face of indifference, making it clear that I was ignoring it.
I always thought routine was suffocating—until I discovered it could heal.
Because everything depends on the kind of routine you find yourself in. A routine that is good for the soul can never be suffocating, and it was clear that, at the time I had those thoughts, I wasn’t in a pleasant routine.
I’m writing these lines from NODE Coffee in Taipei. It’s one of the few cafés that opens early in the morning, so it has become my place of pilgrimage whenever home feels too small or when I simply want to be outside.
Here I am, counting the stamps I have left for my free coffee, practicing my embarrassingly low level of Chinese, trying to greet the café staff with a Zao an (good morning).
I’m learning to recognize the notes of the La Marzocco coffee machine as it hums endlessly, over and over again. Meanwhile, I wait for the different actors of my day to appear, as if I were the protagonist of The Truman Show: the lady who always comes with her cart to buy coffee, greeting everyone; the man who always sits in the last outdoor chair, cigarette in hand; and finally, the suited man who looks like he stepped out of a Yakuza movie, always carrying his Starbucks cup.
When you enjoy a routine, everything becomes easier, clearer, and more beautiful. You notice the details better, like when you rewatch a movie. You begin to understand the gears that keep these people’s lives running. You appreciate novelty even more because it shines brighter when not everything is new.
That’s why I know the key in life isn’t to escape routine but to create one we love—one that makes us walk around with a smile. And when that’s not possible, one that helps us regain a bit of sanity before losing it completely.
People who have met me in recent years always tell me I’m a routine-driven and highly organized person. The truth is, I never saw myself that way—until I realized that routine was good, that I didn’t have to run from it, and that I had to pack it with me on every adventure.
Everything I once hated—doing the same thing every day, seeing the same people, walking through places I know with my eyes closed—is now among the things I value most.
We never know when we’ll do something for the last time. That’s why repeating it daily is a way of being grateful for being alive—a way to feel a little more at home, even when we’re traveling around the world.
2025-02-17 08:00:00
I’ve always been someone who sees things in black and white, believing that things are either one way or the other. And for those of us who think like this, life eventually slaps us in the face with a big dose of gray. That’s when we realize that life is one big “IT DEPENDS.”
Universal rules don’t exist, which is why we need to be careful with the hair growth sellers we encounter every day. They’ll tell you their way is the right way, that it’s foolproof. But the truth is, you’re going to go bald, and nothing can stop it. The only choice you have is to accept it and find yourself a good hat—or embrace the baldness with pride. It’s up to you.
The reality is that no one can teach you how to live better than yourself because no one else is inside your head. We need to draw inspiration from others, absorb their energy, and use it in the best way we can. But no advice works straight out of someone else’s mind. It’s only when we shape it, adapt it to our own worldview, that we can unlock the full potential hidden within an idea.
Our way of seeing the world is unique, built from fragments of all the experiences we gather throughout life. And while our experiences may resemble those of others, if we look closely, we’ll see that no two are ever exactly the same.
Robert Kegan has an interesting theory about the stages a person must go through to become an independent adult. Around the age of 20, we enter what he calls the “Self-Authoring Mind” stage, where we take responsibility for ourselves and begin developing our own rules and values.
That’s why, when I see so many people stuck in this state—never reaching that stage—I feel a deep sense of sadness. They complain about the government, their parents, or society as a whole, but I don’t see them using that frustration to take control of their own lives.
So never look for the easy way out. There are no magic formulas, and if someone tries to sell you theirs, run as fast as you can. Effort and time put things in their place and shape better people.
Feel free to doubt everything and everyone. No one holds the absolute truth about anything because what worked for them won’t necessarily work for you. Experiment, make mistakes—your path is only found by walking it.
Even if you think someone is horribly fascist, sexist, or just an idiot, expose yourself to all kinds of ideas. Even if you completely disagree, don’t lock yourself in a bubble—just listen. Otherwise, you risk falling into your own trap, believing your truths are the only ones that matter.
And then, the idiot will be you.
Of course, don’t take my word for any of this. Get out there and create your own rules of the game.
2025-02-14 08:00:00
Since I started working as a developer, I’ve always had the same problem: I have a terrible allergy to events scheduled at a specific time of the day (call them meetings, call them whatever you want).
I’ve always been a bit of a “rebel” in that sense. I still remember how, at one of the first startups I worked for, I would often arrive outside the expected hours because I had spent more time at home reading or doing other things than I was “allowed” to. That’s why they introduced a new policy requiring all employees to start work before a certain time.
As they announced it, looking around at everyone, I knew deep down that it was really about me. And I think this has always been the case, even since I was a kid.
I never liked being forced to do anything. I never liked anyone telling me what to do with my time. What if I don’t feel like eating on a Saturday at 3 p.m.? What if I don’t want to meet up with you at 4 p.m. on Sunday for any reason—or no reason at all?
I’ve always been very jealous of my time. I’ve always wanted all the time in the world for myself. And I want to be the one who decides who I give it to and who I don’t. It’s a selfish act, but I believe that every good thing that happens in life comes from having the time to do what you truly want to do—not what others expect of you.
It’s precisely in that time you don’t give away to others that the best ideas are born. It’s where a writer faces a blank page and creates an incredible story. It’s where a painter adds the final brushstrokes to what will be considered a masterpiece. Magic happens in the time we choose not to fill with obligations.
As I mentioned before, my life strategy has always been to follow my curiosity and let it guide me. Just as I do with my life, I do with my time. I aspire to have an empty calendar and an empty backlog.
To not know what I’ll do tomorrow and to use the present as my compass. To focus my energy on what truly matters. To seize moments of inspiration and act—rather than waste them doing something I don’t want to do.
Because our existence is finite (and very short), do what makes sense to you, even if no one else understands it. And when you’re tempted to take the easy way out by telling yourself you don’t have time or that your current circumstances don’t allow it, try to find a way. The truth is, you are free to do whatever you want.
As Sheldon B. Kopp put it:
You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences.
And this is precisely what’s so frightening—accepting that this decision might leave you feeling more alone, poorer, or cause you to miss out on opportunities that might have led you to a better place in the future. But we can never truly know if that would have been the case.
So, as Taleb says:
Missing a train is only painful if you run after it.
Even though Taleb can be a bit crazy at times, I’m sticking with his team. I’m not going to run after any train. I’m going to follow my curiosity. I’m going to keep my calendar empty. I’m going to clear out my backlog and leave it clean. I’m going to wait for inspiration to come and do with it whatever I please.
I’ll sit and wait for the next train. Or the one after that. Or maybe none at all. Who knows.
2025-02-07 08:00:00
It’s been a while since I last wrote here, and to be honest, I’ve missed it. I could say I’ve been busy—but the good kind of busy. I’ve been working on my next project (which will be out very soon), taking photos, and getting ready for my third consecutive year of adventures in Asia.
A week ago, I arrived in Bangkok. If you’ve never been, it’s a very noisy city. Construction, cars, motorcycles, and tuk-tuks roar through the streets like lions, making their way through the chaotic rhythm of a big city.
When you find a moment of silence here, you hold onto it like an old friend you’ve missed. You appreciate it as if it were oxygen and savor it with a big smile.
Coming from Córdoba to Bangkok, I’ve been searching for silence like water in the desert. That’s why today, I want to share four places that have brought me calm—places I’m sure will do the same for you if you ever visit this city.
The first one is none other than the park where I’m writing these lines right now. Benchakitti Park is a massive green space in the middle of Bangkok. People here move at a slower pace, and you can clearly see the benefits of a quieter environment: conversations without raising your voice, phone calls with family and friends, and the freedom to exercise outdoors in peace.
The second place is the entire area near the river. To find it, you can head to Wat Sriboonreung Pier or any of the different “ferry” stops along the river. It’s a peaceful walk and a great way to get a glimpse of what the houses in this city looked like before Bangkok’s skyline was taken over by towering skyscrapers.
While you can’t walk the entire stretch from end to end, there are sections where you can, and I especially like it because you come across small temples and houses where plants seem to be the true hosts of the space.
The small streets near the Jim Thompson House Museum are a haven of peace—a quiet area where you can walk without traffic. But the real gem here is the William Warren Library.
It’s a small library inside the Jim Thompson Art Center, a quiet spot to read or write in peace. The whole place feels like an escape from Bangkok’s constant buzz, as if the city’s thousands of passing cars don’t exist. The library has comfortable sofas, outlets to charge your devices, and an atmosphere of complete silence.
Lastly, I can’t leave without mentioning one of my favorite cafés in Bangkok. JEDI Café & Bar has been part of Creare from the beginning. Aside from its great coffee, the best part is the back area that overlooks the river. If you’re lucky and it’s not too crowded, you can sit there, read peacefully for a while, and enjoy the calm—until the mosquitoes have nearly devoured you. It’s a wonderful place to relax if you’re in the city center, and it’s always better to go early when they’ve just opened.
These are my four places. If you’ve been to any of them or have other recommendations, I’d be happy to hear them.
