I never studied computer science. I never went to university. I learned on my own, with what I had — and for a long time, what I had were audio cassettes bought at a small shop that sold computer programs recorded on tape.
It was 1984. I had bought a CIP-03, a computer with 32KB of memory — nearly 22KB of which was occupied by the screen buffer and system variables alone. In a shop nearby, among hundreds of game cassettes, there were maybe twenty cassettes with useful programs. I bought all of them.
From those cassettes I had my first contact with Assembly — eax, ebx, the stack. There was no course. No explanations. Just code, and me trying to understand it.
"I didn't want to use things. I wanted to understand how they worked."
— CostelAt school I was passionate about computers, but I had no guidance on how to navigate the system. I tried for the school I wanted — ten applicants for one place, I didn't make it. I ended up at a civil construction school, where most students had no interest in learning anything. I was out of place. Underestimated by people who knew how the world worked but not how to study.
I worked in construction. Then as a carpenter. But the passion for technology never left.
Years passed. I taught myself HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, C — almost everything, out of curiosity. Not to find a job. Not for a certificate. To understand.
From that curiosity came CostyCNC: a foam-cutting machine built initially with Arduino, later evolved with the MKS-DLC32 board. An image-to-GCode software with a proprietary algorithm for converting images into continuous paths for hot-wire cutting. A browser-based AVR assembler for teaching machine language to people who have never programmed before.
I modified the Potrace library myself — one of the most widely used vector tracing libraries in the world — to intercept internal paths and build my own optimization algorithm. Nobody had done it for hot-wire cutting before. I did.
CIP-03, 32KB. First audio cassettes with ASM programs. First contact with registers, stack, machine language.
ASM on Windows PC. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C — all self-taught, all out of curiosity.
When YouTube was two years old, I was already publishing tutorials on Assembly and hardware. Stepper motor — parallel port — 59K views. Homemade CNC router without stepper motors — 59K views. MASM32 assembler for beginners — 17K views. There were no online courses on these topics. I made them.
First foam-cutting machine with Arduino. First GCode software written from scratch.
MKS-DLC32, proprietary algorithm, AVR Assembly in the browser — no installation, no IDE.
of freedom
Many people live watching others — comparing themselves to those who seem to have more, those who seem to have less, who succeeds, who fails — without ever turning to look at themselves. So the world becomes an arena of judgements, a theatre of appearances, where everyone talks but few truly listen.
The hunger for viral posts, easy criticism of governments or public figures, the search for likes not always to solve real problems — all of this feeds unconsciousness. Without realising it, we become part of the very cage we criticise: we spread judgements, fuel divisions, reinforce harmful mindsets.
"Every conscious act is a revolutionary one: it breaks invisible patterns of fear, competition and conformity."
When you observe the world, the accumulation of achievements, possessions or recognition can seem wonderful. But behind every milestone there is often a more complex reality: continuous challenges, pressing responsibilities, and the constant balance between what you want to reach and what you can sustain. This awareness invites us to look at every success with balance and respect.
The true measure is not found in numbers, titles, or the quantity of what is accumulated. The true measure lies in the awareness of each action, in the ability to transform thoughts into authentic choices, in the strength to create without being slaves to expectations or opinions.
CostyCNC is not just a tool: it is an invitation to reflect, experiment and build without limits — a call to set aside illusions of superiority or inferiority. Here, what matters is the ability to transform imagination into reality, to shape ideas with open hands, mind and heart, without fear of judgement or preconception.
Those who understand this discover something radical: that the greatest wealth is not found in possessions or prestige, but in the inner freedom of those who dare to create with awareness and authenticity. Creating is not a privilege: it is a right and an act of responsibility towards oneself and towards the world.