Website Updates

This is just an announcement that I’ve moved my websites to a VPS, and to express my intention to move any remaining websites (currently, just El Chigüire Literario, my Spanish-written gamedev blog) to static pages.

I’ve been posting to the Internet for quite a while. I started out writing my websites with HTML, first with HotDog by Sausage Software, and then in a text editor, and later using Macromedia Dreamweaver. Then CMSs (Content Management Systems) became all the rage, so I started using Drupal and Joomla (yes, Joomla), and settled on WordPress. But now the pendulum has swung back again, and as I grow older I’d rather use simpler, boring technology. Thus, static pages: this time from some text files, via a static site generator.

It feels a bit like the IQ normal distribution meme:

I’d probably have argued at the time that online CMS solutions were more advanced than static site generators, to the best of my knowledge. There was also the appetite to explore what an online website could do beyond blogging (e.g. comments, integrations with other blogs and websites, etc.). However, you eventually learn that more complex solutions require ongoing maintenance and expand the surface for attacks. Moreover, the latest shenanigans from the WordPress CEO have really shown how dependent WordPress is on Automattic, so I do not see much future in continuing to use it for my websites.

Also, for the longest time I did not want to deal with server maintenance, so I used some shared hosting. This meant that I was limited in my choices for developing webapps. However, the time to write cool webapps came along (that’s Deerpost.cx, which I will write about in a future post). I had to come up with a plan for migration, and break my lethargy and do the actual thing.

I am happy to say that this is all mostly done, along with some new things to share. Some are relatively new tech, and some are quite old.

This website is also now available as a Gemini capsule: gemini://ciroduran.com. No, not that Gemini thing from Google. Gemini Protocol has been around for a few years already. It’s similar to HTTP, it is used to distribute text, images, and videos, but restricted in such a way that it’s more text-oriented and that it minimises tracking. My intention is to publish both to the web and to Gemini. If you want to get started with browsing Gemini, you can get Lagrange and go to zaibatsu.circumlunar.space or cdg.thegonz.net to seek out other people’s Gemini capsules.

The other one, which frankly is rather old, is finger! You can finger this domain :-D

$ finger ciro@ciroduran.com
Ciro Durán
Game developer, tinkerer, musician.

  Website:    https://www.ciroduran.com
  Gemini:     gemini://ciroduran.com
  Email:      ciro.duran@gmail.com
  Itch.io:    https://chiguire.itch.io
  Twitter/X:  https://twitter.com/chiguire
  Mastodon:   https://mastodon.social/@chiguire

--

# 22/08/2026

I've got an interest now for alternative ways to the web for communication.
A .plan is an old, forgotten one, but it still works.

Finger is very old, but also a reminder that communicating over the Internet is older than social media, and communication will continue even after social media as it exists now dies.

Lastly, I have to say that most of these developments have been possible with help from recent AI tools. Not because they weren’t possible before, but because I can only focus my attention on so many things at a time, and this just was put on the back burner for a long time. LLM tools have allowed me to apply what I already knew in a way that lets me achieve some of the things I’ve wanted to do.

I will draw a hard line on using AI for writing words that other humans read. These words have been thought and typed/written by me. Since this website is fully bilingual, I may use AI for translation, but I usually just translate these texts myself, either way (this post was written in English first, if you’re curious). The important thing here is: don’t use AI to save yourself time while wasting someone else’s.

Juntos Game Jam, for Venezuela Earthquake Relief

The organisers in Venezuela for the Global Game Jam have got together, and with the support of GGJ they will run the Juntos: Game Jam for Venezuela Earthquake Relief. This is a way to raise awareness and funds for helping victims of the recent twin earthquakes that happened in the country on the 24th June and have affected thousands.

Global Game Jam is partnering with World Food Program USA, who are mobilizing in Venezuela to attend affected communities.

More about this in the Global Game Jam website, and in Spanish.

There are two ways to help: either donate, or participate. You don’t need to donate to jam, and you don’t need to jam to donate.

The kickoff is on 24th July, and ends on the 26th, Sunday. There will be a showcase of games on the 5th August.

The earthquakes in Venezuela affected gravely a lot of people, and although the initial response from the global community has been prompt, victims are in need of a sustained effort throughout the following months to survive and to recover. Please give generously, either as a donation, or by participating.

Global Game Jam 2026 in Venezuela

Venezuela was present at the Global Game Jam 2026. Between the 26th January and 1st February this year, Venezuela had 5 venues: Caracas, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Maracaibo y Maracay. I wrote about this in my Spanish-written gamedev blog, El Chigüire Literario.

In Caracas we had 70 participants, and they made 20 games, made in a variety of platforms and technologies, including one board game. You can watch here the gameplay summary.

El Ukulele Veneco

I’d like to present El Ukulele Veneco, a Venezuelan songbook for ukuelele, with more than 270 entries. The songbook covers a wide variety of genres and decades of Venezuelan popular music. Your voice, a ukulele and this book is all you need to play. The songbook, for obvious reasons, is fully written in Spanish.

The songbook can be downloaded from https://elukulelevene.co, where you can also sign up to the mailing list to receive updates about the book. The songbook has 3 indices for searching songs: by artist, by title and by number of chords.

My name is Ciro Durán, and for years I’ve been playing ukulele with a group of friends, and we call ourselves The Pandemic Pluckers. We play in pubs and at ukulele festivals. Almost everyone in the group learned from songbooks that circulate on the Internet, very similar to the one you’re looking at right now.

As a Venezuelan migrant to the United Kingdom, I was able to meet a part of the culture that’s not obvious, but that it’s certainly present. I’ve also been able to socialise with others, and I’ve got friends throughout the UK.

My wish with El Ukulele Veneco is that you’re able to share a part of the Venezuela oral tradition. As it’s true in karaoke, it’s all about singing and playing together. In the website you’ll find links to playlists so you can listen to the song.

If you know someone that has a ukulele, or who wants to know more about Venezuelan music, send them the link to https://elukulelevene.co so they can start playing.

Global Game Jam 2025 in Venezuela

Venezuela is present at the Global Game Jam 2025! Between the 20th and 26th of January. I have a writeup of the 4 sites that we’ll have this year: Caracas, Barquisimeto, Maracaibo and Maracay. More about this at my Spanish-only gamedev blog El Chigüire Literario.