Ivo Nunes

To the AI skeptics

Ivo Nunes — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:26:29 +0000

I get why people are skeptical about AI.

It’s hard not to be. The conversation around it has become noisy in a way that makes it difficult to tell what’s actually useful and what’s just marketing. Everything is suddenly “AI-powered”. Every product update is framed as the next big thing. There’s constant talk that this is the moment, and that if you’re not fully invested, you’re already behind.

I don’t think that’s right.

A lot of the hype is overblown. AI is often treated as the answer before there’s a clear question. In some cases it feels like “AI” is doing more work in the company than in the product itself. That alone is enough to put people off.

On the other hand, I don’t think the reaction of writing it off completely really holds up either. Not if you actually spend time using some of these tools.

AI is here to stay. Not because it’s flawless, and not because it replaces thinking, but because parts of it are genuinely useful when you’re careful about how you use them.

I don’t see AI as a replacement for software engineers. I don’t even see it as something especially dramatic. It feels closer to another shift in tooling. Something that changes how quickly you can move, not whether you need to understand what you’re building.

Used badly, it’s an absolute mess. You move faster without clarity. You generate code you don’t really understand. You end up debugging behaviour you didn’t design. That kind of speed isn’t helpful.

Used well though, it removes friction.

Tools like Codex have been genuinely useful for me. Mostly when I want to get something running quickly. Prototypes. Experiments. Trying something without committing to it. Skipping the kind of setup work that doesn’t really add much value.

It’s not writing software for me. But it does help me get from an idea to something tangible much faster.

That changes how I experiment, and that’s the biggest benefit I’ve noticed.

Not every AI tool earns its place. Some are unreliable enough that they break your flow more than they help (looking at you, GitHub Copilot). Others feel like they exist just because they’re expected to exist.

What is unhelpful is turning this into an all-or-nothing situation.

AI isn’t going to replace software engineers. But ignoring it entirely doesn’t feel right either. Writing good software still comes down to judgment, context, and taste. AI doesn’t remove that. If anything, it makes it more obvious when those things are missing.

The faster you can generate code, the more important it is to be clear about why you’re generating it in the first place.

So yes, be skeptical. I think that’s healthy. I just don’t think skepticism has to mean dismissal.

Most of the time, this industry doesn’t move forward through big, dramatic shifts. It moves through smaller changes in how we work. AI feels much closer to that than to the moment it’s often presented as.

And honestly, that’s fine.

Mythblade Is Now Available

Ivo Nunes — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:26:29 +0000

A little under a year ago I shared a little game I was working on called Mythblade.

At the time I was still figuring out its direction as a closed beta. It was most definitely still a bit rough around the edges. Nevertheless, I gathered quite the group of enthusiastic beta testers. Their feedback was really valuable and I kept, over and over again, iterating over the game design. A huge thank you to everyone involved, this wouldn’t have been possible without you.

Today, I’m launching the full version of the game. I’m quite happy with how the game’s evolved over the last year. It’s now open to everyone, so if you feel like joining the adventure, head over to Mythblade and give it a try.

Ivo Nunes — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 13:11:29 +0000

📍 Liverpool, United Kingdom
📷 FUJIFILM X-T30 II
🔭 FUJINON XF23mm F2
🎞️ Kodak Portra 400 (sim.)

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 09:46:02 +0000

📍 Tenerife, Spain
📷 FUJIFILM X-T30 II
🔭 FUJINON XF18-55mm F2.8-4
🎞️ Kodak Portra 400 (sim.)

Ivo Nunes — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 10:57:18 +0000

📍 Tenerife, Spain
📷 FUJIFILM X-T30 II
🔭 FUJINON XF18-55mm F2.8-4
🎞️ Kodak Portra 400 (sim.)

The Urge to Create

Ivo Nunes — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 11:15:20 +0000

There’s a certain tension that builds up when I haven’t made something in a while. It’s not always loud, but it’s always there – that feeling that something wants to get out.

It doesn’t always take the same form. It could be a tool that solves a problem, a random idea I had for a game, or anything in between. The important thing is the act of creating. Making something new. Bringing order to the chaos in my head.

I used to see this as a choice, but I’ve come to realise it’s more of a constant. It’s simply wired into how I think and process the world around me. When I’m building, things make more sense. I feel clearer. More grounded. The most painful thing, for me, is sitting still. Not just physically, but mentally. When there’s nothing to explore, no problem to solve, no thread to follow.

Not everything needs to be shared or to succeed. Sometimes it’s enough just to start. Follow that urge and see where it leads. If it fails, that’s fine. I can live with a bad idea — I just can’t live with not even trying.

This post is that, in a way. A small thing, made because the urge to create was stronger than the ease of ignoring it.

Ivo Nunes — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:38:00 +0000

📍 New York, USA
📷 iPhone 16 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 03:00:00 +0000

📍 Kyoto, Japan
📷 FUJIFILM X-T30 II
🔭 FUJINON XF18-55mm F2.8-4
🎞️ Kodak Portra 400 (sim.)

Introducing Mythblade

Ivo Nunes — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 11:00:00 +0000

This has been a long time in the making, but today I’m ready to unveil a little project I’ve been working on.

Building video games is hard. Building an MMORPG? That’s the hardest genre you could possibly build.

Most game developers would tell you building an MMORPG alone is a terrible idea. And they’d be absolutely right. The content, the interconnected systems, the networking, the server management, the endless balancing, the list goes on and on. But here I am, ignoring all common sense, and doing it anyway. Even if it is a bit mad.

Mythblade is mostly text-based, and is very much modelled after retro RPGs. It is playable across a range of devices, including mobile phones. And it is incredibly fun, if I may say so myself.

After countless nights of iteration after iteration, and incorporating some fantastic feedback from a small group of alpha testers, I’m pretty happy with the state of the game. And I’m ready to start accepting beta testers over at https://www.mythblade.com.

There’s still a lot to do. There might some bumps along the way, but if you’re curious about how it all unfolds, feel free to join me for the ride.

Ivo Nunes — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

📍 Crete, Greece
📷 FUJIFILM X-T30 II
🔭 FUJINON XF18-55mm F2.8-4

Post Once, Syndicate Everywhere

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 17:26:00 +0000

As a long-time fan of the POSSE (Publish on your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere) model, I've always believed in maintaining control over my content. However, I've never been good at the second part: making sure my content reaches as many people as possible.

Over the last few weeks I've done a major rebuild of my personal website, and I used it as an opportunity to try and tackle this problem.

Now, when I publish a new post or photo, many things happen in the background and my content is automatically sent to all corners of the Internet.

Depending on the type of content, there's a few different actions that might happen:
- A post is created on LinkedIn or Bluesky.
- An email is sent out to my website subscribers.
- A photo is submitted to Flickr.
- A post gets sent out to all my fediverse followers.

And I'm sure this list will grow as time passes.

Anyway, this is my first real world test. If you're reading this, chances are it worked. Probably.

Back to Basics

Ivo Nunes — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've had my own blog. Too long, in fact. In a world ruled by social media, it's easy to let go of owning your own little corner of the Internet.

I'll start with a quick introduction:

I'm Ivo. I'm a software engineer at heart, with a passion for building great products. I'm also known by some as having a particular weakness for guitars.

I enjoy a good technical challenge, and will in the future be sharing some of my learnings with you.

See you soon.

Ivo Nunes — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

📍 Stockholm, Sweden
📷 Google Pixel 8 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 02:00:00 +0000

📍 Copenhagen, Denmark
📷 Google Pixel 8 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 02:00:00 +0000

📍 Dublin, Ireland
📷 iPhone 15 Pro Max

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

📍 Mdina, Malta
📷 iPhone 14 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 02:00:00 +0000

📍 New York, USA
📷 iPhone 14 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 02:00:00 +0000

📍 New York, USA
📷 iPhone 14 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

📍 Oia, Greece
📷 iPhone 13 Pro

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 11:30:00 +0000

📍 San Francisco, USA
📷 iPhone X

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

📍 San Francisco, USA
📷 iPhone X

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

📍 San Francisco, USA
📷 iPhone X

Ivo Nunes — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

📍 Valletta, Malta
📷 iPhone X

Ivo Nunes — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 02:00:00 +0000

📍 Paris, France
📷 iPhone 6s

Ivo Nunes — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

📍 Málaga, Spain
📷 PENTAX K10D
🔭 Tamron AF 18-250mm