About me

Content developer #

Throughout my IT career, I have worn a number of different hats. Nevertheless, my main role has always involved content creation, manipulation, organization, or automation.

My profession goes by different names, including: technical writer, technical documentation specialist, information developer, or content developer. Since I have had an opportunity to develop and manipulate a wide variety of assets, I find the most general content developer term the most apt to describe my occupation.

Key tools and technologies #

Professionally, I have mainly worked with oXygen XML Editor integrated with web-based Composite Content Management Systems (CCMSs) that support DITA XML. I am also familiar with the RST format and I have had an opportunity to work with Author-it.

For personal purposes, I use Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and Markdown. I generate content with Hugo and publish it with GitHub Pages and GitHub Actions. Formerly, I used Jekyll to generate static sites.

Coder #

I am a self-taught coder and a fan of Stack Overflow. Currently, I develop my side projects on my own and collaborate with software developers at work. My IDE of choice is Visual Studio Code. I can quit Vim if needed.

I won’t lie, I prompt Bing for inspiration from time to time. I’ve found it extremely helpful for composing shell scripts that run in my homelab.

Technologies #

I am keen on finding ways to automate, optimize, and generate reports to save my coworkers from opening terminals or doing repetitive work.

Python

I am a self-taught Python coder. I use Python in my side projects and to develop internal tools at work. To make coding easier, I’ve implemented mypy, Ruff, and Black into my workflow.

MicroPython

I run MicroPython on Raspberry Pi¹ Pico boards. The code interacts with databases and APIs, reads sensor data, and manipulates output devices.

InfluxDB

I use InfluxDB to gather data from sensors and APIs in my homelab.

Bash

I use Bash scripts to automate repetitive tasks on my macOS and Linux machines.

Apart from the backend activities, I also enjoy styling and templating websites and other outputs.

HTML

I am proficient in using semantic HTML5 and I advocate structured content.

CSS

I am skilled in developing CSS for different viewports, including: responsive websites, web apps, and printed media.
I am also familiar with LESS and SCSS.

JavaScript

I use JavaScript to implement basic functionalities to websites and create simple web apps.

XML

I am a DITA XML expert familiar with both technical content and learning and training specializations. I use XPath to run complex queries.

Content generators #

As a content developer who uses DITA professionally, I aim at separating content from styling and making it as semantic as possible.

DITA Open Toolkit

My limited XSL knowledge enables me to develop simple DITA-OT customizations.

Prince XML

I have a vast experience in styling PDF templates with HTML, CSS, a touch of XSLT, and the Prince XML converter. To reduce the code maintenance time, I always make my templates modular, customizable, and extensible.

Hugo

I am experienced in designing, developing, and styling Hugo sites. I developed this site from scratch in Hugo. I leverage the Liquid template language to keep the template logic modular.

Jekyll

I have a considerable experience in designing, developing, and styling Jekyll sites. My legacy website used Jekyll under the hood.

Gatsby

I have some experience in customizing sites generated by using Gatsby with LESS, TypeScript, and Material Design in mind.

Docusaurus

I am experienced in styling Docusaurus sites, extending Docusaurus sites functionalities, and modifying their behavior.

MkDocs

I use MkDocs for some of my Python side projects.

Sphinx

I have some experience in customizing Sphinx output.

Platforms #

On daily basis, I run macOS. Professionally, I have been using Windows machines.
To stay in the Linux loop, I run Ubuntu (formerly Fedora) on my vintage MacBook Air and Debian on my Raspberry Pi¹ 4B.

Agile leader #

Does Scrum work in every content development team? Yes and no. Does every content development team need an Agile leader? Yes, it does.

Methodology #

Scrum was designed as a work framework with an emphasis on software development teams. While it is possible to treat docs as code, content development and software development are still significantly different processes. The difference between them is particularly prominent if content creators are not regular members of software development teams.

I consider the Scrum Guide a great basis for building an Agile framework in any development team. However, I often take the liberty of proposing, test-driving, and implementing various alterations to the approach suggested in the guide. If the docs tend to be developed on an ad hoc basis, I am not afraid of gravitating towards the Kanban framework.

Tools #

As a person who always has a clean desk, I enjoy well-curated backlogs, clearly defined items, flawless filters, and model burndown charts.

My weapon of choice is Jira; however, I am open to any alternative WMS solutions. For some teams, I also find Confluence a good and well-integrated addition to Jira, which can serve as an internal knowledge base.

I am an ardent supporter of keeping everything related to work management in a single place. In the long run, an avalanche of shared sheets is not a maintainable approach.

Tester #

Documenting software often involves clicking through the GUI or using the CLI. Because of that, I often find:

• Curious bugs
• UX issues
• UI inconsistencies

As an Agile leader, I can log bugs, improvements, and feature suggestions like a tester. Additionally, my technical writing expertise enables me to clearly define steps to reproduce (STRs) and acceptance criteria (AC).

Teacher #

Once a teacher, always a teacher.

Having a master’s degree and experience in teaching English helps me to:

• Clearly formulate procedural steps
• Onboard new employees and conduct workshops
• Efficiently communicate with my team and SMEs
• Confidently demonstrate how software or processes work
• Act as a consultant

After hours #

I am keen on cutting-edge technologies and learning about creative business models. I can appreciate art and design in many forms. I enjoy individual sports and books that broaden my worldview. I am a minimalist who requires a clean room to work or relax. I value privacy, so I am not overly active on social media.

Technology #

I believe that any content developer in the IT sector should be a tech geek. It is much easier to document things that you find interesting. I enjoy discussing and ranting about tech trends and modern business models with my fellow content developers.

Here are some of the resources that enable me to stay up to date with the latest tech news:

Podcasts

• The Real Python Podcast
• Talk Python To Me
• TechWriter.koduje()
• Na Podsłuchu

Newsletters

• unknow.news
• CyberExpress
• Various RSS feeds in NetNewsWire

Blogs

• Niebezpiecznik
• It’s FOSS
• OMG! Ubuntu
• OMG! Linux
• Pi My Life Up!
• RaspberryTips
• The MagPi magazine
• Jeff Geerling’s Blog

YouTube channels

• Linus Tech Tips
• TechLinked
• ShortCircuit
• The Linux Experiment
• Fireship
• iFixit

I also enjoy fixing or upgrading hardware with my iFixit kit and a Leatherman multitool. I believe that the Right to repair movement is a way to go.

Photography #

I realize that nowadays any decent smartphone is capable of capturing and processing stunning photos. At the same time, I still enjoy setting up my Canon DSLR and manually developing RAW photos in Lightroom or Affinity Photo.

I shoot various kinds of photos ranging from portraits through macros to abstracts. If you are curious about my approach to photography, feel free to visit my Unsplash profile.

Hiking #

I find mountain hiking refreshing. It also nicely integrates with my passion for photography. Luckily, there is an abundance of beautiful mountains to climb and photograph in my area.

Cycling #

I spent half of my childhood in a local bicycle shop and I love cycling. I can assemble and fix a bike. I cycle on my road bicycle most often but I also have an old-school mountain bike.

Running #

I usually run alone or with my friend. However, I broke my routine by taking part in Business Run 2018 as one of the Motorola Solutions Gatekeepers runners.

Origami #

I find paper folding both intricate and relaxing. Also, paper figurines make fantastic gifts and minimalistic home or office decor.