nostalgia
![University of Aveiro, early 1990s. A pivotal moment in my life. This image was taken in the old computer centre where the SAPO.PT portal was born. In the foreground, a colleague works on the “Turista Virtual” project, and on the wall behind him is a photo of the SAPO co-founders — from left to right: myself, Fernando Cozinheiro, João Luís, Celso Martinho, and Hélder Bernardo.]()
University of Aveiro, early 1990s. A pivotal moment in my life. This image was taken in the old computer centre where the SAPO.PT portal was born. In the foreground, a colleague works on the “Turista Virtual” project, and on the wall behind him is a photo of the SAPO co-founders — from left to right: myself, Fernando Cozinheiro, João Luís, Celso Martinho, and Hélder Bernardo.
![The Varig check-in counters in São Paulo; quiet, orderly, and illuminated by the soft glow of fluorescent lights. The large Varig logo dominates the hall, a symbol of Brazil’s golden age of aviation. This scene feels like a different world compared to airports today. Back in the 1980s, air travel wasn’t yet a mass experience, it had a certain calm, a slower rhythm. Fewer people, no digital boards or endless queues.]()
The Varig check-in counters in São Paulo; quiet, orderly, and illuminated by the soft glow of fluorescent lights. The large Varig logo dominates the hall, a symbol of Brazil’s golden age of aviation. This scene feels like a different world compared to airports today. Back in the 1980s, air travel wasn’t yet a mass experience, it had a certain calm, a slower rhythm. Fewer people, no digital boards or endless queues.
![A Varig DC-10 captured on the tarmac in the soft light of dusk, one of the iconic tri-jets that once connected Brazil and Portugal. When I was very young, I used to travel often between Brazil and Portugal, most of the time flying with Varig aboard a DC-10 just like this one, together with my parents. Aviation felt very different back then, no seat-back screens, no mobile phones, just the steady hum of the engines and the quiet excitement of being between two worlds.]()
A Varig DC-10 captured on the tarmac in the soft light of dusk, one of the iconic tri-jets that once connected Brazil and Portugal. When I was very young, I used to travel often between Brazil and Portugal, most of the time flying with Varig aboard a DC-10 just like this one, together with my parents. Aviation felt very different back then, no seat-back screens, no mobile phones, just the steady hum of the engines and the quiet excitement of being between two worlds.
![Pixels Camp is the rebooted version of SAPO Codebits, which ran from 2007 to 2014 as a 48-hour hackathon and tech festival. After Codebits ended following changes at SAPO/PT, we relaunched it in 2016 under the name Pixels Camp. Powered by Bright Pixel, it leaned more into the startup and innovation ecosystem while preserving the core spirit of the original — non-stop tech, talks, workshops, and a central 48-hour hackathon.]()
Pixels Camp is the rebooted version of SAPO Codebits, which ran from 2007 to 2014 as a 48-hour hackathon and tech festival. After Codebits ended following changes at SAPO/PT, we relaunched it in 2016 under the name Pixels Camp. Powered by Bright Pixel, it leaned more into the startup and innovation ecosystem while preserving the core spirit of the original — non-stop tech, talks, workshops, and a central 48-hour hackathon.
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![Lisboa, Picoas, Headquarters of Portugal Telecom and SAPO.PT. It was 25 years of professional life always connected to SAPO. From a technological point of view, it was an incredible journey — I witnessed every major revolution, with an (almost) unlimited budget to bring ideas to life at scale. Web 2.0, Mobile, Cloud... each period reshaped society forever. On a personal level, I feel truly blessed to have shared those years with an extraordinary group of people — a companionship unlike any other.]()
Lisboa, Picoas, Headquarters of Portugal Telecom and SAPO.PT. It was 25 years of professional life always connected to SAPO. From a technological point of view, it was an incredible journey — I witnessed every major revolution, with an (almost) unlimited budget to bring ideas to life at scale. Web 2.0, Mobile, Cloud... each period reshaped society forever. On a personal level, I feel truly blessed to have shared those years with an extraordinary group of people — a companionship unlike any other.
![Estado Líquido, the best sushi in Lisbon during the 2000s. Located next to the Teatro A Barraca in Santos, it was the perfect place to spend the rest of the evening in good company. For the memories alone, it deserved a photo to keep the moment alive.]()
Estado Líquido, the best sushi in Lisbon during the 2000s. Located next to the Teatro A Barraca in Santos, it was the perfect place to spend the rest of the evening in good company. For the memories alone, it deserved a photo to keep the moment alive.
![Early 2000s, after the dot-com bubble. Picoas, Portugal Telecom. All the network logic behind the country’s largest email platform — fully developed in-house using open-source technology. The amazing Alteons, the best you could get in that era, standing side by side with Cisco Catalysts. What an incredible time to be building the internet.]()
Early 2000s, after the dot-com bubble. Picoas, Portugal Telecom. All the network logic behind the country’s largest email platform — fully developed in-house using open-source technology. The amazing Alteons, the best you could get in that era, standing side by side with Cisco Catalysts. What an incredible time to be building the internet.
![This was SAPO.LABS — a national initiative to bridge the gap between academic talent and SAPO/Portugal Telecom. The first lab opened at the University of Aveiro, followed by another at FEUP in Porto. It was a space for creativity and experimentation, where ideas met real technology, and some of the best minds I’ve ever worked with.]()
This was SAPO.LABS — a national initiative to bridge the gap between academic talent and SAPO/Portugal Telecom. The first lab opened at the University of Aveiro, followed by another at FEUP in Porto. It was a space for creativity and experimentation, where ideas met real technology, and some of the best minds I’ve ever worked with.
