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Special #100: past and future

Release number 100 of the newsletter! I started publishing every week nearly 2 years ago, every single week on Wednesday. Let's take a moment to look back, and then look forward.


Sandro Maglione

Sandro Maglione

Free thinking

This is newsletter number #100 πŸ†

I started sending a new email every week on Wednesday nearly 2 years ago. Every. Single. Week.

Let's peek at these past 100 emails, and then peek on what's coming in the next 100 πŸ‘€


Main themes: coding, writing, personal development

The newsletter is fully based on my work/thoughts during the week.

A lot of what I do is writing code (it's my job and hobby πŸ‘)

I extract a few novel principles and write about them. Mostly timely principles, things that work now, later, and in many contexts.

Main themes on the tech side:

  • Effect
  • Local-first
  • Sync engines
  • TypeScript (type-safety)

Lately I am working also with React Native (Expo).

You can expect more on web/mobile with TypeScript/React (with functional programming here and there πŸ‘€)

Writing is thinking

Another major thing that I do is writing. That's because "writing is formalized thinking".

A skill that never grows old is (clear) communication, which comes from clear ideas, which are developed and explored through writing ✍️

Writing has fewer principles, it's more unstructured and practical.

Expect a few emails about it, less about "general" writing, and more about how to apply it in your day-to-day.

Personal development at its core

Lately I am exploring more "meta" topics.

These have to do with "how to get better" in general.

I am interested in the core principles behind a behavior or action ("Incompressible") πŸ—οΈ

This is my process:

  • I sense a pattern, I sense it's important, and I want to get deeper
  • I explore a few scenarios, laying down all my assumptions and expected outcomes
  • I chat with people and AI, aiming to unveil only what's always and objectively valid
  • Once a principle becomes "Incompressible", I write down what I discovered

Some patterns are more general, others assume a certain context, but all bring some value ✨

Expect more of these. Few principles that matter 🀝

Other: Pixel art, dart, flutter, games

Many people find the newsletter from a few iconic articles I wrote.

Fun fact: I am 1st on Google Search for anything "learn pixel art" 🧩

A few topics are less relevant to what I do recently:

  • Pixel art: you won't find much on the newsletter (check out the articles) 😢
  • Dart/Flutter: slow movement and few innovations, I don't use them much anymore
  • Games: I am more interest in game development and principles, those may come sparingly

What's coming

I don't plan any major updates on the content of the newsletter.

These are some of the topics I am exploring or following:

  • Effect v4
  • XState v6
  • React Native/Expo
  • Local-first
  • Speed up coding with AI

On top of these, I keep exploring life principles, personal development, and anything related to writing, communication, human behavior and such 🫑

See you next πŸ‘‹

Start here.

Every week I dive headfirst into a topic, uncovering every hidden nook and shadow, to deliver you the most interesting insights

Not convinced? Well, let me tell you more about it