Axel ValdezDesign Engineer2023-11-20T14:22:29Zhttps://axelvaldez.mxAxel Valdezaxel@paskola.comQuick check-in on social media2023-11-20T14:22:29Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/quick-check-in-on-social-media/<p>Musk has made it really easy not to go back to Twitter. Props for that.</p>
<p>Threads is slowly creeping into being a true replacement for Twitter, toxicity and all. It may come as a surprise to no one that the problem isn’t the platform, but the people pouring their shit into it.</p>
<p>Instagram is still the one app I’m using to go watch ads with scattered updates from my friends.</p>
<p>This quote from Leif K-Brooks, Omegle’s Founder is spot on and feels painfully prophetical:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I worry that, unless the tide turns soon, the Internet I fell in love with may cease to exist, and in its place, we will have something closer to a souped-up version of TV – focused largely on passive consumption, with much less opportunity for active participation and genuine human connection.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>See you on the other side (after the ad break).</p>
Post-pandemic Musings2023-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/post-pandemic-musings/<p>With each day that passes, I increasingly remember the pandemic with a positive twist.</p>
<p>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</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p>I also miss my Animal Crossing New Horizons gang. Three of my friends were already playing it a lot when I got it, and they warmly adopted me. We played together almost daily for about two or three months. We would set up a WhatsApp audio call and meet up on one of our islands, then talk for hours and hop to another of our digital properties. It was delightful and relaxing. Once again, much love.</p>
<p>I missed my parents a lot, but when Anabel went to great lengths to bring them to me as a birthday surprise, it became one of my most cherished moments. Those tough times also brought us much closer.</p>
<p>I remember the freedom I felt when I drove out to the convenience store just outside our neighborhood for the first time in months. And often after that, the feeling of just going out and driving aimlessly with my kids in the back seat at the end of the day. The joy on their faces.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be insensitive. I’m fully aware of the pain the pandemic brought to many people. I recognize that I am fortunate to have avoided the loss of a loved one, and my heart goes out to all who did. I was privileged enough to be able to stay at home, stay safe and take care of my family.</p>
<p>Maybe this selective remembrance is part of our survival instinct. I don’t have enough knowledge to claim that, but it’s also not important. My brain’s mechanics choose to keep only the good, and I choose to embrace it, smile, and be thankful for my life.</p>
Finishing my 30 days without social media2023-04-03T08:00:58Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/finishing-my-30-days-without-social-media/<p>Today is the last day of my <a href="https://axelvaldez.mx/blog/yet-another-post-on-leaving-social-media/">30 days without social media</a>. These are some bullet points of my experience:</p>
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<ul>
<li>The first two weeks were hell. I constantly reached for my phone and got frustrated. The fear of missing out (FOMO) was strong, but after two weeks, it was mostly gone.</li>
<li>I socialized a lot more in person: I went to the bar, invited friends over, and visited, too.</li>
<li>I got a feel for who is in my true immediate circle of people.</li>
<li>I didn't miss Twitter or BeReal too much after two weeks, but I kinda missed peeking into friends' and acquaintances' lives through Instagram.</li>
<li>I read a lot more and also watched more TV.</li>
<li>I reactivated my personal website and started writing again. If I had to choose one good thing only, this would be it.</li>
</ul>
<p>I don't think I'm going back to using Twitter. I don't miss being angry about the polarized opinions of people I don't even care about. The people I do care about, I already follow on Instagram.</p>
<p>To be honest, I'm a little afraid of falling back into the addiction patterns and the emptiness from before. But also after thinking a lot about it, I don't think abandoning social media completely is even an option today. I need to keep the harmful dynamics of it in mind and find a balance. That's easier said than done, so I will keep tabs on it and reconsider in a couple of months.</p>
Get paid for playing2023-03-29T23:55:58Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/get-paid-for-playing/<p>There is this quote from drummer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Moon">Keith Moon</a> I heard from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Glass">Ira Glass</a> and deeply resonated with me:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I am the best Keith Moon-style drummer in the world.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>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 <em>had to do</em> and tasks I <em>wanted to do</em>. 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.</p>
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<p>At the time it felt as if I was taking advantage of the company by being paid to work a little and play a lot. But, I eventually (and slowly, to be honest) realized that the "want-to" tasks were my most valuable contributions. By pursuing work that aligned with my interests and the company's objectives, I discovered the intersection of our mutual goals. It was still work, but it was refined by my experience and understanding of my role and the company's business.</p>
<p>This realization has become a guiding principle in my work ethic. Once you comprehend and internalize the company's business, your role, and the value of your skillset, the work you genuinely want to do becomes the most valuable contribution you can make to the organization. You effectively become the best "you-style" worker in the world, as there is no one else who can offer exactly what you bring to the table.</p>
<p>I'm not suggesting that you stop doing tasks that don't interest you, that would be terrible advice. But once you adopt this mentality, you'll find that the "want-to" bucket overflows while the "had-to" bucket remains mostly empty, because as you start doing things your way, and feel more and more confident in that, most things become genuinely enjoyable. As a result, you'll be happier, more fulfilled, and contribute a lot more to your company's success.</p>
Yet another post on leaving social media2023-03-08T17:06:58Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/yet-another-post-on-leaving-social-media/<p>I used to believe that social media kept me connected to the people I love, like, and enjoy, but I now realize that this couldn't be further from the truth. Although social media gives me the impression that I'm in touch with many individuals, broadcasting random thoughts and out-of-context ideas ultimately leads to a lack of genuine communication. The worst thing is that this false sense of connection provides me with temporary satisfaction that prevents me from forming real connections with the people I care about.</p>
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<p>By social media I mean Twitter, Instagram, BeReal, and all of those applications where we share content publicly or semi-publicly. WhatsApp, for example, does not fit my definition of a social network, much like a phone is not considered a social app.</p>
<p>But understanding this doesn’t make stopping using social apps any easier. The second I stop doing something and lay back, my fingers start trying to tap Twitter or Instagram. When I’m bored, my first instinct is not to look for something to watch on TV or listen to, but to open Instagram and swipe through the latest stories of my contacts.</p>
<p>Right now I think the only way to stop is to treat it like an addiction, stop for a while and survive the withdrawal. (Fear of Missing Out) is a powerful force. I guesstimate that after a couple of weeks, the habit will start fading away.</p>
<p>I am stopping for a month to give the habit a chance to start going away. If everything goes smoothly, I won’t need to go back to social media after the month has passed. If it doesn’t, I will still keep my promise to endure the full month.</p>
<p>During this month, I intend to consume more high-quality content. I have around 10 books waiting, and I'm eager to read all of them. Additionally, I will make an effort to have more meaningful interactions with people, face-to-face or at least one-on-one.</p>
Lockdown check-in2020-04-27T00:00:00Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/lockdown-check-in/<p>After six and a half weeks in lockdown, I’m not anxious anymore. I don’t crave going out, and video calls have replaced face-to-face meetings very well: they no longer feel fake. I don’t perceive the screen anymore, but the person on the other side.</p>
<p>Habits are changing. I can’t go out to the supermarket when I’m bored (yes, I do that, or used to, anyways) or call a friend to meet at the neighborhood bar, but I took on Animal Crossing New Horizons, and as a distraction it’s a lifesaver. I’m making more music, I’m drawing more, and I play with my kids a lot more than before the pandemic.</p>
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<p>I’m lucky enough to still have a job, with a couple sacrifices, and my work-at-home setup is better than ever. I feel I could do without an office for a while.</p>
<p>I really miss my parents, though. I miss my mom’s visits or being able to travel there for a weekend.</p>
<p>How’s the world going to be after the lockdown? Will we hug each other? Will it be weird to be physically close to other people? Will the menace of a new pandemic be with us all the time? Will we all become preppers and hoard non-perishables, Lysol and beer?</p>
<p>I’m not going anywhere with all this. I just wanted to type some words and try to restart the habit of writing. This seems like a good moment to do it.</p>
<p>Stay safe.</p>
The solar system dimensions and my ignorance2018-05-15T00:00:00Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/the-solar-system-dimensions-and-my-ignorance/<p>When we moved into the house where my family and I live, it occurred to me that it would be super cool and educational to have a solar system model in the ceiling of my kid’s room.</p>
<p>And it would be a lot cooler —I thought— if the distances between the planets’ orbits and their size were proportional to their real-life counterparts, the light bulb in the center of the ceiling being the sun. I got really excited.</p>
<p>With all the excitement still in me, I got in front of my computer to calculate said distances. That’s when it hit me: I knew nothing about the solar system size.</p>
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<p>If a common light bulb is 6 centimeters wide, and I made all the sizes and distances proportional, Neptune would have to be located at 193 meters from the bulb.</p>
<p>My kid’s room is not that big.</p>
<p>Also, the moon would have to be .14 milimeters in diameter.</p>
<p>Then I got angry at all the illustrations of the solar system I’ve seen in my entire life. They are so misleading! Why couldn’t they just depict the orbits and planets in a proportional way? Thinking a little bit harder, I realized it is simply impossible to do it in print, or in any practical media for that matter. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220619012929/http://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html">Here’s a proportional depiction of the solar system in a webpage by Josh Worth</a>.</p>
<p>So, at the end I don’t know if the basic education system failed me, or my common sense did.</p>
<p>I decided to go with glowing stars in the ceiling.</p>
Free sticker PSD mockup2017-10-09T00:00:00Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/free-sticker-psd-mockup/<p>I constantly find myself looking for free PSD mockups to present work, usually for small things like stickers, mugs, or posters. Today I couldn’t find a decent one for a set of stickers, and instead of buying a premium one, I decided to scratch my own itch, make my own and share it with you.</p>
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<p><img src="/assets/img/posts/sticker-mockup-sample.jpg" alt="Sticker PSD Mockup sample" /></p>
<h3>How to use it</h3>
<p>Usage is fairly easy:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open the file in Photoshop</li>
<li>Double click the smart object icon on the topmost layer</li>
<li>Paste the artwork of your sticker in the file that just opened</li>
<li>Save the file with your artwork and go back to the mockup image</li>
<li>…</li>
<li>Profit!</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="/assets/img/posts/sticker-mockup-sample-2.jpg" alt="Sticker PSD Mockup" /></p>
<p>The mockup automagically adds padding to your artwork, so there’s no need to worry about that. Just copy and paste as it is.</p>
<div class="p-2 my-2 bg-bg-muted rounded text-center">
<h3 class="mt-0">Download It</h3>
<p>This is a free resource and it will always be, but if you're able to, <strong>please consider buying me a coffee</strong>. You can do so by clicking the button at the bottom-left corner of this page.</p>
<p><a href="/assets/downloads/axelvaldez-sticker-mockup.psd.zip" class="btn text-center mx-auto">Download<br /><small>Free Sticker PSD Mockup</small></a></p>
</div>
<p>You can use it for whatever you want, no strings attached. If you like it, recommend it to your friends. For any comments, <a href="/contact/">here's a handy contact form</a> :).</p>
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In awe of modern inventions2017-06-28T00:00:00Zhttps://axelvaldez.mx/blog/in-awe-of-modern-inventions/<p>Before photography was invented, people could only see that in front of their eyes. To experience the rest of the world, people had to physically travel, or, if they couldn’t afford it, to use other’s interpretation of remote places via narrative or painting.</p>
<p>That’s why the invention of photography was so huge for the human race. It removed a limit that most people didn’t even thought was there, and it opened the possibility of exploring the physical world beyond our reach.</p>
<p>Today we don’t believe anymore that everything important was already invented, but we have an attitude of cynicism to every new thing that comes along. In 2017 we even have cars that drive themselves, and we aren’t excited at all.</p>
<p>These are two (now) very basic inventions that occurred during my lifetime and changed me forever.</p>
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<h3>The Internet</h3>
<p>One of the first things that blew my mind when I first experienced the internet back in the 1990s wasn’t the web, or email, but the possibility of connecting with random people all around the world.</p>
<p>I remember chatting with people from Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Philippines, Malaysia, Spain. At the time I hadn’t traveled more than 500km from my hometown, so these conversations always left me in awe, even when they usually went on superficial subjects from “how’s your house/street/city” to “what kind of music do you listen to?”.</p>
<h3>Google Earth</h3>
<p>The first time I used Google Earth, I felt a mix of excitement with something very similar to fear. It was awe again. I moused all around the sphere on my screen, watching aerial views of famous locations, then known cities, then my house, my relatives houses, my school. In every single step I took, I expected the experience to fail, but every single time, the experience delivered.</p>
<p>When photos were invented, we still needed somebody going places and taking pictures. With the internet chatrooms, we could only talk to people logged in to the same chat room we were in, but with Google Earth, everything was there. Not the necessary stuff, not the important stuff, everything.</p>
<p>Months after that, Google started adding maps, street photos and directions on top of Google Earth. This kind of stuff made the tool practical for everyday use. But at first, Google Earth simply removed a limit we didn’t knew we had. And that was, again, awesome.</p>