03 Apr 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
Here are 4 stories that caught my eye last week:
#1. Last week, another npm package was hacked. This time, it was Axios’ turn (3min). If you’ve downloaded it recently, patch now.
#2. Not that testing isn’t important, but should we have QA teams? That’s another role AI makes us rethink (11min).
#3. Not a big surprise, but LinkedIn is searching and scraping your browser (3min). Time for better fingerprinting protection.
#4. Last week’s cool tool: twitchroulette I spun the roulette a few times and only found game streams. Maybe you’ll be luckier and find coding streams.
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about the hidden truth AI has revealed (1min) the Excel paradox of coding (2min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding, 30 lessons to help you code like a pro. From Googling to clear communication, it shares the lessons to help you stand out in the age of AI.
See you next time.
Cesar
01 Apr 2026 #coding #books
No coding tip today. Just celebrating a small win that remind me why I started writing.
Street-Smart Coding got a review on dev.to that made my day.
Here’s the original post in Spanish. Let me translate the gist of it:
“…It is written from experience. In other words, it doesn’t tell you how things should be done, but rather how the author personally learned how things should be done.”
That’s exactly the point! I wrote the guide I wish I had. A proven roadmap from junior to senior coder. I wanted it to feel like a conversation over coffee.
With a couple of prompts or searches, you could find tutorials on syntax. I’ve written my own. But inside Street-Smart Coding, you’ll find 30 lessons to level up your coding skills:
- Some conventional
- Some learned the hard way
- And a few… weird ones
All tested in the real world.
I wrote it for my past self and for every coder who’s ever asked “how to get better at coding.”
If you haven’t already, grab your copy here and start coding smartly.
31 Mar 2026 #writing
Athletes train every day.
Writing shouldn’t be any different.
Practice writing each sentence on a separate line.
Derek Sivers recommends this technique.
The goal is noticing sentence length.
Long sentences.
Short ones.
Variety!
Separate lines highlight start and end words.
Like a joke, they’re what people remember.
They’re the strongest words.
Start with a boom.
End with a punch.
Put the lines together, your sentences instantly improve.
30 Mar 2026 #misc
#1. Fabio Cerpelloni’s Tiny Books
A podcast interview with Seth Godin, the godfather of daily blogging, led me down a YouTube rabbit hole.
During the interview, they mentioned The Practice, one of Seth’s books. Curious, I Googled it and found Fabio Cerpelloni’s channel.
He interviews writers, reviews books, and inspires others to write tiny books. His questions to discover the book inside you gave me ideas for at least two more books.
His videos feel like an unscripted conversation, like asking a friend about writing books.
#2. The Kings Hand
Doomscrolling is bad, right? It’s a black hole for our time and attention.
The other day, scrolling taught me a valuable life lesson. And this time, I discovered a hidden gem about creativity, The Kings Hand.
This channel is about creativity in visual arts and music. Its official description is cultural strategy and creative psychology breakdowns for ambitious creators.
Binge-watching The Kings Hand made me ask about my visual identity. A silhouette of a tuxedoed man leaning forward with his hand in his hat instantly recalls Michael Jackson. That’s the power of visual identity.
30 Mar 2026 #writing
Every book worm already has a story worth telling.
The books you read reflect who you are and the path you’ve taken. Your bookshelf hides plenty of stories, among them lies your own autobiography.
After a year or two of ebooks, I’m back to physical books. My new rule is: build a pile, go throught it, and build another.
My old pile already tells my recent story
When I was making a good salary at my last full time job, I picked Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Richest Man in Babylon, and Psychology of Money.
Then, I switched to How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, and other personal development books. Most of them came from a not-mentor.
When burnout knocked at my door, I picked Unwinding Anxiety and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
When I hit rock-bottom, I discovered James Altucher and his books, Choose Yourself, Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth, and Skip the Line.
After recovering from burnout, writing became my therapy. To improve my writing, I started with The Post Office and Jesus’ Son. And sitting on my bookshelf, I have Angel and Demons and The Old Man and The Sea.
Just by looking at my bookshelf, I have a story to tell and a book to write. What story is your bookshelf hiding? If you think you don’t have anything to share, look twice at the books you’ve read.