Kai Arcos Jiménez

#Personal is good, actually

For a long time, I worried about “professional correctness” and tried to not come across “too sincere”. But I miss the personal web and I would like to bring it back. I try to convey this both through my writing and the design of the site itself.

The content on this site often lends itself to opinions, like my /library posts, where I share my thoughts on the media I enjoy. However, I always aim to keep an open mind as I learn about new things.

#Learning in public (sort of)

This is a constant “work in progress”. I update posts with new knowledge, so this space grows with me. As a result, you might rarely come across content that seems incomplete, or opinions that change with more understanding.

Of course, I’m also learning web development through this website, so I’m constantly tinkering with it.

#Writing as a mindfulness practice

Hobbies are all about achievement now. Completion stats, challenges… Instead of stressing over how many books I read in a year, I want to focus on what I’m taking away from each of them. I hope that sharing my interests will help me enjoy them more mindfully. And who knows? Maybe my ramblings will inspire you to try something new.

#Technologies

This site is made with Astro, a static site builder for content-driven websites. It has some very helpful features, like the collections that allow me to create multiple post types with different layouts and properties (projects, blog posts, etc).

The interface itself is built on plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I find this easy to work with and feels sufficient for a personal website.

The content is generated from MDX files. This is basically Markdown with extra functionality, and it lets me drop reusable components like callout blocks and image grids into my posts.

The site is hosted on Netlify, for free!

#Writing and editing

I’m easily distracted by fancy tools, so I purposely keep my “pipeline” simple. I write and edit MDX files directly on VS Code and use GitHub for version control. That’s it, really.

I do use Obsidian for notetaking, and most of the ideas that make it to the site start there, but I like to keep my content separate. It only moves into VS Code once I’ve got a decent draft ready.

#Colours

I have a remote-first job, so I put effort into making my home office a space I like to be in. Somehow, I’ve gathered an array of teal and pink coloured items in the last few years; my planner, keyboard, PC, chair, deskmat, pencil cases, and even hole punch. I think it’s safe to say that’s my favourite colour combination, so it’s the one I went with for the site.

I also considered a colour palette with blue and orange, which reminded me of the sunset back in my hometown in Canary Islands. Maybe when I get a little tired of this one.

#Typography

I chose fonts that have a slightly playful personality, but remain legible. Besides that, my main requirement was support for English, Spanish, and Japanese.

• Headings and display text - M PLUS 2.
• Body text - Noto Sans.
• Monospace (code) - M PLUS Code Latin.
• Emoji - Noto Color Emoji.

For the icons, I went with the library that I use everywhere else. It’s super extensive, and has some very specific icons, like (bubble tea) or (Nintendo Switch).

• Icons - Tabler Icons.

#Artwork

I create artwork to accompany my writing when possible. It helps the website stay personal. Please do not use my illustrations in any commercial or non-commercial projects. That includes AI training! 🤖

If you’re curious, the character featured in the banner is called B00, and I actually created them when I was 16. They’re an alien that communicates in a strange language. The metaphor wasn’t very subtle. Below is a comparison between the original version of B00 (2015) and the current one (drawn in 2023).