Raffael Kaas

This is my personal website. I write about what I am currently interested in, working on, and trying to remember.

Main Topics

The main topics on my website. Each space shows the articles, notes, and collections around that area.

Software, Experience, Projects Engineering Personal experiences with software trends and private projects. Workout, Running, Nutrition Health Workouts, nutrition, recovery, and how I try to stay healthy. Investing, Spending, Analysis Money Financial habits, investing, spending, and my passion for the stock market. Maps, Routes, Memories Travel Travel memories I want to keep instead of losing them in the cloud. Notes, Reflections, Goals Life New interests, achievements, changing goals, failures, and reflections. Books, Quotes, Ideas Books Personal notes on books and ideas that shaped my thinking.

Latest writing

Looking at Duolingo as an investor Money Jul 31, 2026 · 5 min read Is Duolingo just a language-learning app that can be easily disrupted by AI, or is it becoming an AI-native education platform driven by years of custom data collection?

USA West Coast travel notes (07/2024) Travel Jul 14, 2026 · 7 min read USA West Coast road trip, with the route and memories written down two years later.

Why I am building this website Life Jul 04, 2026 · 3 min read A letter mainly to myself refreshing why I am building this website.

Practising the Power of Now Books Jul 03, 2026 · 8 min read Personal notes from one of the most famous books on mindfulness and spirituality.

Peru travel notes (09/2023) Travel Jul 02, 2026 · 7 min read Three weeks travelling through Peru, writing down the route and memories I still remember 3 years after the trip.

My favorite full-body workout plan Health Jun 30, 2026 · 4 min read My favorite exercises split into two different full-body workouts that I alternate throughout the weeks.

About me

Hi, I am Raffael. I am a software engineer living at Lake Constance and working in the automotive industry. I have a Master of Engineering with a focus on autonomous systems. Over the past few years, I've worked on a wide range of complex software projects: building my own quadrocopter during university, launching autonomous shuttles in Rotterdam, and now developing series production software for e-mobility.

Outside of engineering, I'm usually in motion: running, playing soccer, or lifting heavy weights. Besides sports, I have a strong interest in finance and investing, and enjoy diving into new ideas through books, travel, or good conversations.

raffael@rkaas:~$ cd ~/my_blog/ raffael@rkaas:~/my_blog$ cat now.txt updated: 2026-06-25 - Working on embedded automotive projects - Caught by agentic AI and trying new tools and development approaches - Building this website - Learning some cool calisthenics skills - This year, spending most of my weekends on bachelor parties and weddings of my closest friends.