About

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I am a web developer passionate about the open web. I have been working full-time in this industry since 2012 but my interest in creating things with computers started many years earlier with Microsoft FrontPage and the accompanying Microsoft Image Composer. Thanks to the “View Source” feature of browsers I was able to build my first web page when I was still a kid. No one cared about this website, but knowing that it was reachable by anyone in the world felt (and still feels) magical.

From 2007 to 2012 I took a BSc and Masters degree in Computer Science. We had a single class about web development, using Java Server Pages. Thankfully, while studying I was able to work at an institute where I met Miguel Laginha. He introduced me to Ruby on Rails and thanks to him I rediscovered my passion for the web. Later, Fred Oliveira had the biggest impact on my career by encouraging me to work remotely for a different country. I have been lucky to work with so many incredibly talented, kind and inspiring people that it would be hard to list them all here.

Work experience #

I'm currently pursuing my own projects while searching for my next role. I'm also a member of Oficina do Património, an informal non-profit collective that has partnered with institutions related to the conservation of cultural heritage, such as Az Infinitum (Rede de Investigação em Azulejo), MUVITUR (Museu Virtual do Turismo) and YOCOCU Portugal. As the only member with a technical background I've been made more aware of the challenges faced by people working in this area. As a result, I've become more and more interested in a permanent and user-operated web that non-technical people can be a part of and I've been experimenting with projects that enhance the interoperability of web content and attempt to mitigate the issue of link rot.

  1. May 2018 – Apr 2022

    Full-stack developer at Tynker

    Tynker is an educational programming platform to help children learn coding skills. I worked on a wide range of projects at Tynker. I implemented and helped refactor some of our tools for creative expression and lead the efforts on our text-based programming courses and editors. Although I applied for a front-end position, I ended up also implementing back-end systems that allow students to run their projects and code notebooks on our servers. In September 2021, Tynker was acquired by Byju's, the world's largest ed-tech company.

  2. Apr 2015 – Apr 2018

    Full-stack developer and designer at 1776 and Union

    Worked on Union, a platform that connects startup founders, mentors, investors and corporate innovators around the world. On October 2017, 1776 merged with Benjamin's Desk, a Philadelphia-based startup incubator and Union spun-off as a new company.

  3. Sep 2014 – Apr 2015

    Full-stack developer and designer at Disruption Corp

    Worked on Hubble, a platform that allows venture capitalists, fund managers and innovation groups to seamlessly compile, evaluate and stay up to date on current private market investments and companies of interest. Disruption was acquired by 1776 in April 2015.

  4. Apr 2013 – Apr 2014

    Full-stack developer at Cliplaw

    Helped create a startup that aimed to simplify access to legislation and other government-related information in Portugal.

  5. Mar 2010 – Apr 2013

    Full-stack developer at IPN LIS

    Designed and developed a platform for interoperable web applications as part of two government-funded projects regarding transportation and health. The platform was mainly based on the W3C Widgets specification and relied on open source projects such as Apache Wookie and Google Caja. I started at IPN LIS as an intern while studying at the University of Coimbra.

Side projects #

I create open source side-projects whenever possible. Because they are done in my free time, they are usually incomplete and not as well-crafted as I would like. Here are some of my favorites.

  1. Browserslist-GA

    2018
    Target browsers tailored to your audience using Google Analytics. Initial concept, named usestats.io, included a GitHub App.
    Open websiteView source

  2. List.community

    2018
    An easy way to browse curated lists on GitHub. Built with create-react-app, react-snap and Tailwind CSS.
    Open websiteView source

  3. JS.coach Reborn

    2017
    Search for packages related to React, Babel, Webpack and PostCSS. Rewrite and redesign that lives as a static app on GitHub Pages.
    Open websiteView source

  4. create-react-video

    2017
    NPM package to program simple videos with React. Based on react-scripts and powered by Electron.
    Read notesView source

  5. Disionáriu

    2017
    Type in english or tetun and get definitions and common phrases. Simple Ruby on Rails app with Postgres. Sponsored by DigitalOcean.
    Open websiteView source

  6. Pixel Glasses

    2016
    Hackathon app that describes your surroundings using audio. Built using Microsoft Cognitive Service APIs and React Native.
    Read notes

  7. JS.coach Classic

    2016
    Search for packages related to React, Babel, Webpack and PostCSS. Built with React, PostCSS, Node.js and Ruby on Rails.
    Open websiteRead notesView source

  8. React.parts

    2015
    A catalog of React components for both web and native. Built using React and PostCSS with help from Hubot and Dokku.
    Open websiteView source

  9. Space Horse

    2015
    Web and desktop application for organizing knowledge. Written in JavaScript with React, Flux and NW.js.
    View source

  10. Jonymockup

    2015
    Simple tool for sharing mockups. Built with Polymer, uses shadow DOM and HTML imports.
    Read notesView source

  11. SpaceJunk

    2014
    An opinionated cloud-based TiddlyWiki setup. This is a proof-of-concept that uses Heroku and Dropbox.
    Read notesView source

  12. Gideo

    2014
    Minimal video player that loops and autoplays. Built on top of MediaElement.js.
    Open websiteView source

  13. Blocks

    2014
    App for people interested in gathering self-knowledge. Built with AngularJS and Cordova.
    Read notesView source

  14. k▥

    2013
    Command-line tool for collaborative task boards that works offline. Uses Git as a database.
    Read notesView source

  15. Pomada

    2012
    Simple tool for the pomodoro technique. Can be used on the web, desktop and Chrome App.
    Read notesView source

  16. Appbase

    2012
    Web Platform for User-Centric Interoperable Applications. Uses Apache Wookie and Google Caja.
    Read notes

  17. Pagehub

    2011
    Proof-of-concept app to generate short URLs. Explores a redirection technique using iframes.
    Read notes

  18. slideshow.html

    2011
    Tool for creating presentations with HTML, JS and CSS. Written in Ruby.
    Open websiteRead notesView source

  19. Escrito

    2011
    A collaborative writing tool that supports Markdown and Textile. Powered by Node.js and ShareJS.
    Read notesView source

  20. Desligado

    2011
    Support for disconnection and deferred updates for web apps. Uses Cache Manifest, WebSQL, Local Storage and Web Sockets.
    Open websiteView source

  21. Scurry

    2010
    Toy programming language. Written with Python, PLY and LLVM.
    View source

  22. Activo

    2010
    A theme for data-driven, admin-like applications. Written in SASS for Ruby on Rails.
    Open websiteView source