21 Jul 2026 #misc
Street-Smart Coding Manifesto is almost here.
This past month, I’ve been writing a book to help you become a street-smart coder.
It’s my case against syntax obsession to stand out as a coder.
This week, I heard back from my awesome beta readers: Ricardo Cardona and Darren Lin.
Their feedback helped me simplify chapters and cut duplication.
Here’s some of their feedback.
“What I liked the most is that it is actually relatable, experiences we’ve all been through at some point in our careers. You can really think, that’s true, that happened to me. Some of the points can put a smile on your face when reading them.”
“‘Don’t work hard.’ This is the stuff nobody tells you early in your career, deliver on time, don’t be a hero, document your work, be easy to work with. I wish someone handed me this list on day one instead of having to figure it out over years.”
Want make real impact beyond lines of code? Grab a copy of Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. A short, actionable guide you can finish over coffee to help you truly stand out.
20 Jul 2026 #writing
Blogging for 8 years hasn’t been unicorns and rainbows.
I abandoned my blog for months.
I’ve also wanted to quit more than once.
Even when I preach to write like nobody is reading, my last 100 daily posts made me question if I should keep a blog.
Maybe YouTube, Substack, or a social media platform aren’t that bad after all.
Then I remember Seth Godin sharing about his 10,000 posts.
That’s 25 years of blogging.
That reminds me that the real hack is sticking for years.
I’m reflecting on my 8-year anniversary. I don’t like to ask for coffee, but uf you’d like to support this blog, grab one of my books—Actionable books that respect your time on coding and personal growth.
19 Jul 2026 #writing
Like an 8-year-old boy, my blog has grown and changed.
In case you missed it, yesterday my blog turned 8.
The project and habit I’ve kept for the longest.
Here’s what I’m doing differently:
#1. No more SEO-optimized posts.
Google killed blogging as a business.
Then LLMs put the last nail in the coffin.
I wrote my first posts to rank high in Google search results.
I chose subjects and headlines from Google’s “People also asked” and related searches.
Not anymore.
#2. More subjects apart from coding.
I don’t know what category to put my blog on.
coding, csharp, and career are still the categories with more posts.
But this isn’t a coding blog anymore.
It’s more like a workshop in a garage with the door always open.
#3. From tutorials to lessons to stories.
As I mastered coding, I took public notes in tutorials.
While recovering from burnout, I shared lessons I wish I had known.
These days, I like my blog to be a collection of stories, thoughts, and observations.
#4. From bi-weekly to daily posting.
To please the SEO gods, I wrote every other week.
Too many blog posts was a bad idea for SEO.
Not anymore.
After my first writing class, I started to write daily.
I was shocked to hear I should write daily.
I thought I had nothing to say.
But I haven’t stopped since Nov 1st, 2024.
#5. A new definition of post.
A post isn’t a keyword-optimized 2,000-word piece anymore.
A descriptive headline and a few lines count as a post.
Anything longer than a tweet works to call it a day.
I also stopped adding covers and feature images.
Posting daily made them a waste of time.
An idea I stole from Seth Godin.
#6. Few meta-sentences.
I don’t like them…and I don’t use them.
We don’t pick up a phone and say, “In this call, I’m going to share…“
And before hanging up, we don’t say, “In this call, we covered…“
#7. Each sentence on its own line.
This is a writing exercise I learned recently.
A writer’s work is to write good sentences.
A good piece is just a chain of good sentences.
Sometimes I publish with each sentence on its own line.
#8. My blog as my central hub.
In some shape or form, all my ideas start and end on my blog.
No more exclusive content for social media.
#9. Offer a helpful next step.
Just like Netflix offering you a similar show.
There’s no shame in offering something (free or paid) at the end of a post.
Making money online doesn’t have to be that hard: offer a helpful next step.
#10. Books are my main vehicle.
I don’t ask for coffee anymore or plug my coding courses.
Who still watches tutorials or reads technical content anyway?
Instead, my best ideas end up in books.
That’s my horizon goal.
Books have longer lifespans.
We’re still reading the Odyssey, Bible, and Meditations.
Maybe one day, in the distant future, people will read mine.
I do drink coffee, but I don’t like to ask for it. If you’d like to support this blog, grab one of my short and actionable my books on coding and personal growth. You can pay what you want via Gumroad. They’re also available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.
18 Jul 2026 #writing
Eight years ago, I wrote my first blog post.
I didn’t know what I was doing.
After googling “how to get better at coding,” I found start a blog.
That’s what I did.
By the way, that search inspired Street-Smart Coding, my first coding book.
I spent days choosing a Jekyll theme and a name.
I turned hours of googling into a post and hit publish.
OK, I vomited some words onto a page.
That first post is still unedited as a reminder.
That’s how I started blogging.
Here I am, 816 posts later.
624 written since Nov 1st, 2024.
That’s when I decided to write every day.
My blog helped me overcome burnout, gave me purpose when I felt lost, became my portfolio, earned me my first paycheck online, gave me confidence to write books…
It’s my cabinet of curiosities and my time capsule.
These days, my horizon goal is turning parts of my life into books.
My blog was the starting point and is my playground.
Writing is a habit that changed my life.
That’s why I keep doing it.
I do drink coffee, but I don’t like to ask for it. If you’d like to support this blog, grab one of my books. You can pay what you want via Gumroad. They’re also available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.
17 Jul 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
Quick update: Street-Smart Coding Manifesto is almost done. No more hunting for typos. If you preordered, I’m sending a preview next week.
And as usual, here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. Google search (if that’s still a thing) and LLMs are great for quick facts. When was America discovered? But the real problem is offloading our thinking to AI (10min), even for simple tasks.
#2. LLMs often reply “You’re absolutely right.” For your next project or idea, get a punch in reality (5min).
#3. Want to read more books? Here’s how (9min). And no, you don’t need hacks.
#4. AI has made code so cheap that it’s turning software into marketing (9min).
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about the drop of technical content (2min) and 7 random but interesting ideas I found recently (3min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. My case against syntax obsession to stand out. Because real impact comes from skills outside your IDE.
Keep coding smarter,
Cesar