Living with AI: Notes from Someone Who Uses It Too Much
Honest reflections on how LLMs have changed the way I write code, think about problems, and what that means for the craft.
2025-11-03·4 min readaiengineeringtooling
currently working at PicPay·Brazil 🇧🇷
gaalv
Software Engineer
zsh — gaalv
❯whoami
building software, one keypress at a time — increasingly assisted by machines
❯cat .stack
java, spring boot, aws, docker, kubernetes, postgres, ...
❯cat .ai_config
model: claude + copilot # yes, all of them, no shame
❯echo $STATUS
open to interesting problems
javaspring bootawsdockerkubernetessplit keyboardai-augmented
❯cat setup.json// 01
Setup
The hardware and software that power my day.
// hardware
fav
Split Keyboard
Corne (crkbd) — 42 keys
QMK firmware with custom layers. Columnar stagger. My most controversial life choice.
Mac Mini
M4
Primary workstation. Tiny, silent, absurdly fast.
Monitor
31"
More screen real estate = more terminal tabs.
Headphones
AirPods
Simple, reliable, always connected.
Mouse
Trackball
For when the keyboard isn't the right tool.
Microphone
HyperX QuadCast
Calls, recordings, no excuses for bad audio.
// software
VSCode
Primary editor
Neovim
Secondary editor
Ghostty
Terminal emulator
Zsh + Oh My Zsh
Shell
Docker
Containers
GitHub
Version control
Raycast
Launcher & scripts
Zen
Browser
Linear
Project management
Figma
Design
Claude
AI pair programmer — most used
GitHub Copilot
Inline completion
❯cat experience.json// 02
Experience
Companies I've built things at.
PicPay
currentSoftware Engineer
Working on the team responsible for BACEN regulatory compliance — judicial blocks and banking secrecy requests. High-stakes, high-responsibility domain.
JavaSpring BootAWSKubernetesAI Tools
Superbid
Software Engineer
Worked in the squad responsible for rural livestock auctions. Full-stack development across frontend and backend services in a high-throughput auction platform.
ReactJavaSpring BootRabbitMQAWSAI Tools
Gama Academy
Frontend Engineer
Sole owner of the frontend across the company — student platform, component library, and corporate site. Maintained and evolved an existing design system.
Next.jsTypeScriptAWS
Ikatec
Full Stack → Mobile Developer
Started my career building an omnichannel messaging platform. Heavy focus on UI, real-time communication, and keeping the experience consistent across channels.
ReactReact NativeNode.js
❯cat keyboard.json// 03
Keyboard
42-key columnar-stagger split keyboard. No number row — everything lives in layers. It felt wrong for two weeks, then felt like the only way.
model
Corne (crkbd)
firmware
QMK + Vial
switches
Gateron Pro Yellow
layers
4
Tab
Q
W
E
R
T
Esc
A
S
D
F
G
⇧
Z
X
C
V
B
⌘
MO1
Spc
split
Y
U
I
O
P
⌫
H
J
K
L
;
'
N
M
,
.
/
Ctrl
↵
MO2
Alt
❯ Base: QWERTY — default layer
alpha keys
modifiers
thumb cluster
function / layer
navigation
numbers
❯ls ./posts// 04
Writing
Thoughts on software, keyboards, and building things.