Hello, World!

Yes, I know - every programmer starts with a “Hello World.” But this one is different. This isn’t just another tech blog. It’s a space where I intend to share decades of experience, reflections on technology’s impact on society, and most importantly, my passion for understanding how things work.

Why TECH FODRA?

After years of consuming technical content, I realized I needed a place to organize my thoughts, share knowledge, and connect with people who, like me, are fascinated by the universe of technology. This blog is that: a space to explore technology, data science, artificial intelligence, and their implications for society.

My Journey

The First Steps (1980s)

My story with technology began early, in the 1980s, through magazines. Back then, there was no internet - learning meant devouring every page of computer publications, trying to understand that fascinating world that was just beginning.

In 1990, I had the privilege of receiving my first computer: an MSX. I loved that PC. I never saw it as a toy, but as a learning tool. It was on it that I learned BASIC, my first programming language. Each line of code was a discovery, each working program was a victory.

The Evolution (1990s)

Years later, I got my first “real” PC: a 386 SX 25MHz running MS-DOS (I think version 3). It seems like prehistory today, but that’s where I understood Microsoft’s file system, how to organize directories, how the computer really worked under the hood.

In 1997, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UNESP in Bauru. But graduation was just the beginning. Since then, I’ve constantly sought to learn and create things on my own - because it’s by doing that we truly understand.

Professional Challenges

The Search Engine (Before Google)

My first major professional experience was at a company focused on selling textual content. In a world where Google didn’t exist yet, my challenge was to create a search engine capable of finding and cross-referencing information in databases with hundreds of megabytes.

To get an idea of the context: we’re talking about a time when we still used 1.44 MB floppy disks. Working with hundreds of megabytes was an enormous technical challenge.

And I succeeded. I built a search engine 100% from scratch, first in Object Pascal, then in C. These search libraries were used in various software applications - from PCs to Android tablets and later for the Internet.

It was a refined system that allowed complex logical connectors:

  • AND, OR operators
  • Phrase search
  • Exclusions
  • Combinations using parentheses: ((A and B) or C)

It’s work I’m very proud of to this day. Building something this complex from scratch, without frameworks, without ready-made libraries, teaches you a lot about how things really work.

Continuous Evolution

Later I changed companies, where I started managing various systems:

  • Fully native Android apps
  • Complex backends capable of handling hundreds of connections per second
  • Big data analysis
  • AI - not just using it, but creating in-house solutions for models running on our own servers

Technology evolves fast. Systems that were considered impossible 10 years ago are common today. And it’s precisely this constant evolution that keeps me fascinated.

Beyond Code

But I don’t just enjoy technology. I like to imagine and philosophize about broader questions of humanity.

Authors like Carl Sagan, Richard Bach, Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke, and George Orwell have always made me think about how people see the world around them - always through their own mental lenses.

We see the external world as something that mirrors what exists within us. Since then, I’ve been seeking to understand what I see in that mirror. And writing about it helps me on this journey.

What You’ll Find Here

On this blog, I intend to share:

💻 Practical Technology

  • Tutorials on languages, frameworks, and tools
  • Data analysis with Python, Pandas, and other libraries
  • Real experiences with software development

🤖 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

  • How algorithms work
  • Practical use cases
  • The state of the art in AI
  • Creating and training models

📊 Data Science

  • Exploratory data analysis
  • Effective visualization
  • Applied statistics
  • Big Data and its tools

🌍 Technology and Society

  • Ethical impacts of AI
  • Privacy and personal data
  • The future of work
  • Reflections on where we’re heading

🔧 Experiences and Learnings

  • Projects that worked (and didn’t)
  • Lessons learned over decades
  • How to solve complex problems
  • The art of continuous learning

My Philosophy

I believe that:

  1. Understanding how things work under the hood is essential. Frameworks come and go, but fundamental principles remain.

  2. Technology is not neutral. Every technology carries values and impacts society. We need to think critically about this.

  3. Learning by doing is the best way. Theory is important, but nothing replaces hands-on experience.

  4. Sharing knowledge multiplies value. What I learned can help others avoid making the same mistakes.

  5. Curiosity is the best motivator. If you’re not curious, you’re not really learning.

What to Expect

I’m not one of those who posts every day. I prefer quality over quantity. Each post here will be something I consider useful, interesting, or that made me think.

Some posts will be technical and practical. Others will be reflective and philosophical. Some will have code. Others will have only ideas.

The only constant will be sincerity. This blog is my space to think out loud, share experiences, and connect with people who are also passionate about technology.

Let’s Talk

This blog isn’t a one-way street. I’d love to hear your experiences, opinions, and questions.

You can find me at:

The Beginning

This is just the first post of a journey that I hope will be long and rich in learning - for me and for those who decide to follow along.

Welcome to my little digital world. I hope you find content here that makes you think, learn, and question.

Let’s explore this fascinating universe of technology together!

Until the next post,
Mauricio Fodra

P.S.: If you made it this far, thank you for your attention. Comments, suggestions, and critiques are always welcome. Let’s build this together!