2023: By The Numbers
A look back over the twelve months that made up 2023, via the lens of the data captured about my life.
Archives
Why centring is so hard
Every web developer has torn their hair out trying to align an icon with some text, or two separate pieces of text with each other, or (god forbid) a whole sequence of text nodes, icons, form […]
Complex images can paint a thousand words
What is the best way to provide descriptive text for images that are both complex and the main focus of a page? Paul has tried to tackle this on pages dedicated to their personal art, and found that […]
Bidirectional text in HTML
Today's obscure HTML element: <bdi>. It stands for "bidirectional" and refers to text that can include both RTL and LTR languages (does not appear to care about other […]
Compare front end framework code patterns
A brilliant site for comparing common component patterns across most of the major front end frameworks. Want to learn Svelte and already know React? Select both, pick the pattern you're wanting to […]
The time to unmaintainable is very low
A critique of npm (and other package managers), the move-fast hype cycle of tech products, and the tech debt it […]
Be the main character, but not the antagonist
I'm a fan of TomSka. Have been for a long time. I did not expect to be pulling a quote from one of his 2023 "Last Month" vlogs on the nature of personal goals and relationships, but here we are. […]
Making a digital shoebox
Henrique has added a "shoebox" section to their site; a kind of miscellaneous category to shove all of the articles, side projects, archives, and other assorted "extras" that you might want to use […]
The Power of Three-mes
A look into my most recent productivity framework: every month set three, roughly prioritised focus areas. It's not novel, but it's been a slow-burn journey over the past twelve months or so and seems to be working well.
Make free stuff
A lovely argument for using the web to simply make stuff and then show other people, without entering into the hustle and grind of late-stage […]
Decision time
Good design involves a lot of decision making, and decisions result in trade-offs. Understanding how to go about considering design decisions is critical to good user experiences and ensuring other […]
Reflecting on 18 years at Google
An interesting insight into the business arc of Google from a long-time (but now former) employee. There's lots that could be gleaned about a company that infamously removed a motto of "don't be […]
Indieweb icons and logos
I'm a big fan of these proposed IndieWeb icons/logos, particularly the Protocols set. The repeated node motif is just a really solid piece of logo design – and the Salmention salmon is just […]
Classic rock, Mario Kart, and why we can't agree on Tailwind
Josh may have written the perfect article on Tailwind. As someone who has also spent quite a lot of time (both professionally and personally) working with Tailwind, I couldn't agree more, […]
Accessibility, data visualisations, & the Norwegian 2023 election
An excellent write-up of where election maps, result graphs, and other common data visualisations used in election reporting most commonly fall down. Missing descriptive text, unassociated labels, […]
Core web vitals & SEO
A solid overview of the impact that Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed, Lighthouse, and other metrics actually play in terms of a website's Google Page […]
A modern CSS reset
Andy always has some interesting thoughts about CSS, and this reset is no exception. Lots of interesting things here that fit very nicely with both my own experience and other resets that I've […]
Automating the deployment of your static site on your own server
Need to self-host your front end away from the "modern" services like Netlify or Vercel? As both continue to get a little sketchier with time, it's definitely something I'm having to […]