About

I’m Daniel van der Merwe, and I’m precisely loading... years old. I live in a scenic little town on the West Coast of South Africa, surrounded by the sweet chaos of family life with my wife and two children.

I’ve accumulated loading... years of programming and business experience in a wide range of sectors like insurance, travel, media, you name it. Currently, I’m the co-founder and Technical Director of a software development company called Rokkit200. The majority of my experience is on the Optimizely (formerly Episerver) suite of products with a strong focus on the .NET stack, although I’m not a stranger to front-end technologies.

Whenever I’m able to make some time I’m always tinkering on something related to quantified self, productivity, and tools for thought. You can find some of my projects here.

I’ve toned down my social media usage a lot, but you can still catch me most reliably on X (Twitter).

My Guiding Principles

My life and work are deeply influenced by the following set of core principles.

• Add Value: Be it a piece of code or a piece of advice, it has to enrich someone’s life or process.
• Honesty & Transparency: I say it as it is. No sugar-coating or hiding behind jargons.
• Growth & Improvement: Stagnation is my nemesis. I’m always in pursuit of the better version of everything, including myself.
• Accountability: Mistakes are inevitable; owning them and correcting course is the key.
• Cognitive Awareness: I strive to recognize and understand cognitive biases, both in myself and in the world around me.

About This Website

This website is my little corner of the internet where I share my thoughts, ideas, and projects. It’s also a playground for me to experiment with new technologies and techniques. I built it using Astro, a new static site builder that I’m very excited about. It’s a work in progress, so expect to see some changes from time to time. A full write-up on the tech stack and design decisions can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you spending some of your valuable time navigating through the thoughts and projects of what some might consider an incessant tinkerer. I hope you gleaned something useful, or at the very least, intriguing. Until next time!