Who am I?

Well, let’s just say I’m your friendly neighborhood software engineer.

I’m not exactly a Spider-Man fan; however, I love his catchphrase and I have a special affection for the Spider-Verse movies.

To do the character justice (and for having borrowed his catchphrase), I’m going to point out one of those moments where you learn to love Spider-Man:

…But I handled it like a champion. ‘Cause you know what? No matter how many times I get hit, I always get back up.

— Peter B. Parker¹

About Me #

My name is Daniel Felipe Montenegro.

By day, I’m a passionate software developer who loves to dive into code with the purpose of building solutions that impact people’s everyday lives. By night? I’m exploring cinema, music, literature and a little bit of poetry; sometimes all at once, because all those things remind me that I’m alive.

[Puss remembers his time with Kitty and Perrito]

The Big Bad Wolf: What’s the matter? Lives flashing before your eyes?

Puss in Boots: No… just one. I’m done running.

— Puss in Boots: The Last Wish²

This site is a bit more than just a personal diary open to the world; it’s really a way to connect with you. Here, I share my professional work, ideas, and thoughts. Every now and then, a feeling slips out, but that’s part of the creative process… I’m always open to collaborating on initiatives that generate positive change for everyone, so stick around; there’s always something exciting happening.

If you want to know something more about me, you should know that the most important thing for me in life is my family and never give up being yourself; always be honest to your core. I faithfully believe that I must have the courage and strength to fight for a safe world for the people I love, and for no one else to feel the pain that I once felt or was felt by the people who came before me.

Everything is an ephemeral moment, but that is what makes it beautiful and worthy of being appreciated. Nothing is as trivial as it seems and when we realize all the things that had to fall into place to make this instant possible; we can live with fascination this beautiful experience that is life.

Caesar’s window #

Caesar’s window is a hypocycloid that he draws while locked in captivity to remember his home. Later, the other apes will remember this symbol as a representation of Caesar and his essence.

Caesar from the Planet of the Apes trilogy is my favorite fictional character, and one with which I feel deeply identified. If I must confess, at this moment in my life, I feel like Caesar when he talks to Maurice and tells him, “Apes Together Strong”, after joining several pieces of branches to demonstrate that they are stronger together than alone. I firmly believe in collaboration and teamwork; sometimes it seems that we can go faster alone, but I am sure that together we can always go further.

For these reasons, I decided to make Caesar’s symbol my personal symbol as well, because I believe in others as much as I believe in myself, and because I dream to be a great leader one day. I prepare myself every day with all my efforts to be worthy of that dream and many others that I carry in my heart.

Tit For Tat #

Among the many ideas that have shaped my way of thinking, few have fascinated me as much as the Tit For Tat strategy. Originally introduced by Anatol Rapoport in the competition organized by Robert Axelrod in 1980, it stands as the winning and emblematic strategy of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, one of my favorite problems in game theory.

Tit For Tat relies on two very simple rules as its principle.

1. Start by cooperating as a gesture of goodwill toward the other.
2. Mirror the opponent’s last move, regardless of whether they cooperated or not.

Robert Axelrod identified four success qualities that contributed to the effectiveness of strategies:

1. Nice: Have good will and do not take advantage of your opponent.
2. Forgiving: Cooperate when necessary, even if you’ve been let down before.
3. Retaliatory: If your opponent defects, strike back immediately. Don’t be a pushover
4. Clear: Be consistent with your strategy and actions.

Beyond its theoretical elegance, Tit For Tat is for me a life philosophy that invites me to apply these four success qualities day by day, because real life is not a zero-sum game, where in order to win, the other must necessarily lose (as in chess). Instead, I hold on to the hope that where we all win, we also win ourselves, so thank you for reading this; and don’t hesitate that in the future we will be able to cooperate together not only to achieve a common good, but to achieve a general good.

Mi Amigo Melquiades #

My YouTube channel is called Mi Amigo Melquiades. Want to know more? Visit miamigomelquiades.com.

If you’re curious about the origin of my channel’s name and what inspired me to start making videos, I invite you to read the words I wrote for the description of my first video and what motivated me to make it happen.

Mi nombre es Daniel Felipe Montenegro, así me llaman mis amigos y las personas que me conocen. En cambio, aquí soy conocido como “Mi Amigo Melquiades”, no por la necesidad de ocultar mi nombre, sino por la suma de todas las cosas que me han traído hasta aquí: La elección de este nombre no fue algo trivial… “Mi Amigo” nace de la intención de ser un amigo para alguien más, ese mismo amigo que a una parte de mi le cuesta reconocer que necesito en algún otro momento. “Melquiades" es una referencia a la visión de ese gitano que aparece desde la primera página de Cien Años de Soledad, y quien es capaz de convencer por medio de sus palabras (casi con una fascinación metafísica); que todas las cosas tienen vida propia y que solo es cuestión de despertarles el ánima.

Me comprometí a expresar aquí, lo que es para mi “el ánima” de las cosas: mi promesa personal se basa en entregar un significado que le de vida propia a todo lo que he descubierto en esta travesia que llamamos existencia. Aquí se encuentra y se encontrará para siempre la esencia de las personas que amo, que me aman y también mi propia esencia. Tengo la indudable certeza de que sus significados no morirán conmigo (un corazón más que los custodio), y que dulcemente siempre encontrarán vida en cada una de las personas que recibieron un mensaje de mi parte en este lugar. Por ello, pongo en cada palabra amor y dedicación, para asi nunca guardar silencio y que sea posible que exista en este mundo, esa llama de amor que sembraron en mi las personas que me han acompañado.

La vida me ha enseñado a valorar tanto la compañía como la soledad, sin preferir una sobre la otra. Ambas, con sus caras a veces hostiles y a veces generosas, me han moldeado para dar como resultado quien soy. Es por eso, que guardo en mi corazón, la fiel promesa de quien sea que encuentre un significado en mis palabras, recuerde también que allá afuera en algún lugar existe alguien como yo, a quien le importa lo que esa alma siente y que al menos por el día hoy; el amigo de esa persona podré ser yo.

— Mi Amigo Melquiades

And this is a special phrase for me that represents the essence of the channel, and with which I usually end my videos:

Las cosas, tienen vida propia… todo es cuestión de despertarles el ánima.

— Cien años de soledad

My greatest ambition #

The best profession in the world. ³

Where can we be friends? #

Keep in mind that I don’t use social networks, so you won’t find me there.

Until recently I was using X as something similar to an open journal where I collected everything I learned… However, everything that is there will end up being progressively integrated here (on my website); which will result in this being my unique and cozy place.

So, in the meantime, I invite you to be my friend on:

Duolingo #

Contact Me #

If you want to contact me, the easiest way is through Telegram. Alternatively, you can use my social links on the home page.

To be continued? #

Definitely yes, and to continue, there are plenty of related sections:

• All my thoughts in /thoughts.
• My music space in /spaces/music.
• My cinema space in /spaces/cinema.
• My sense of humor in /spaces/comedy.

Want to see how things evolve? Keep track of all the changes and updates on the site at /changelog.