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Aniefiok Akpan

Software engineer, builder and learner, based in the Netherlands. I write down what I build so that the next attempt starts further along than this one did.

Aniefiok Akpan

Introduction

Why I write things down

I learn best by building something small, watching it fail, and writing down why. This site is that habit made public — the useful parts and the embarrassing ones, kept in the same place.

I work best with a clear problem and a small amount of ambiguity. Give me something that has stopped fitting its own diagram and I am interested. Give me a vague goal and I will spend a week asking questions until it becomes one.

How I approach a problem

Start with the constraint. Write down what must not break, then design the smallest thing that satisfies it. Prefer the boring option until it actually fails. Leave the reasoning somewhere the next person — usually me, six months later — can find it.

What I am like to work with

Direct about trade-offs, including the ones that are not mine to make. I would rather say I do not know than guess confidently. And I keep notes, because decisions that live only in a conversation get made twice.

Outside work

Dutch lessons, long walks with a camera, and enough reading to keep the pile honest.

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Say hello

The form is the quickest way to reach me. I read everything and reply to most things within a few days.

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