I think the main reason I prefer e-readers to paper books (beyond my love for e-ink as a technology) is the fact that I can bring up the definition and etymology of a word.
Of course, not having to prop open the book I’m reading while lying semi-comatose is another benefit.
I kinda miss the days when sites would get complete redesigns pretty much annually. It kept the web feeling fresh and cutting edge.
I suppose it was simpler to do everything over when all it took was a bit of hacking away with HTML and CSS.
Google has a secret ‘Forums’ tab that exclusively returns results from forums and discussion boards. You just need to append the query “udm=18” to the URL.
e.g https://www.google.com/search?q=JPEG+XL&udm=18
Further, and as you’re likely aware, you can use “utm=14” for a simpler set of results devoid of cruft such as knowledge panels and AI slop. It is reminiscent of the Google of old.
Usually it’s infuriating, but sometimes it can be fun to write CSS within the constraints of existing, untouchable HTML.
Does Flexbox still feel really new to anyone else?
It is like my concept of “new CSS things” just broke at some point.
Ever met someone who hates melted cheese? No? Exactly!
Somehow I reckon’ we could harness this power to achieve world peace.
I thought selling body parts was illegal, but apparently ARM stock is at an all-time high…
Cleaned up and sorted out my RSS and JSON Feeds again to reflect recent site updates.
No wonder my battery life has been terrible lately. I’ve had the full Revolt Chat stack running Dockerised in the background for the past half week….
Sometimes I’m just too lazy to use the shortcuts and automation that’d make things quicker and less labour intensive.
Friendly reminder you can chuck document.designMode = "on"; in your browser console, and it’ll let you directly edit the text of the current page.
I was thinking about the other future today. The one where Microsoft didn’t get done for having a monopoly, and we all searched the web using Bing via Internet Explorer.
Just spent 5 minutes on CodePen wondering why my CSS wasn’t working.
postion: absolute
Hurrr
It’s fortunate my 3D printer is so slow. I can’t fathom the amount of crap my house would be filled with if it was any faster.
I misinput a value in one of my recent articles, so it stated the post was revised in February rather than January.
Out of the thousands of viewers, only one person caught it and pointed this out to me.
It is so important to get fresh eyes on things and to seek feedback.
Remember: For every person who reports an issue, there are likely dozens or hundreds (or even thousands) who noticed but stayed quiet.
https://pointersgonewild.com/2019/11/02/they-might-never-tell-you-its-broken/
My photos just hit 50K views on Unsplash! Gotta be happy with that!
I wish there was a way to git diff life so I could see what has happened between yesterday and today.
Bad AI-generated images are a guaranteed way to cheapen your content and drive away users. Creating high-quality visual content is essential for engaging your audience. Take the time to make something good, or don’t bother at all. Quality matters.
I put together a photography page on my site. It contains photos I have taken. You will now click the below link and view these photos. You will enjoy the experience.
Just posting this here for no specific reason at all.
My writing once again made the front page of Y Combinator’s Hacker News yesterday!
I shared my journey exploring human-technology integration through a fascinating procedure: getting one of Dangerous Things’s bio-magnets implanted in my hand.
Check out my full article here: https://vale.rocks/posts/my-experience-biohacking
For those that missed it, I got a magnet implanted in my hand. It’s pretty rad.
My write-up is currently on the front page of Hacker News, but you can read it here:
https://vale.rocks/posts/my-experience-biohacking
In the same vein as “Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?” I propose:
Is it better to make something and have it scraped for an AI or to have never made anything at all?
My links page has been going really well!
😀 🤪 🤩
I had a great time building the website for Revolt’s Mutant Remix emoji pack! The project was all about blending creativity with functionality to showcase these fun and quirky emojis. It’s great fun capturing that energy in a site!
I designed and developed the site using my static site generator, Adduce, creating a simple, accessible layout that captures the playful spirit of the pack. It was a fun challenge to bring the emojis to life online!
Check out the website here: https://mutant.revolt.chat
Just started compiling some of my favourite blogs on my site. (I may or may not have lost my previous collection of RSS feeds…)
I’m certain I’m missing tons, so please let me know of your favourites!
Were you all just gonna let me keep on living without telling me about the rch unit?
This is so insanely useful for one specific thing I ended up fixing with JS the other day.
I know it’s time to take a break when I start pulling this stunt:
<span class="hljs-selector-tag">body</span> {
<span class="hljs-attribute">color</span> = white;
}
Put together a links page on my site today. A curated collection of my bookmarks and findings while surfing the web.
Watch your step. There are rabbit holes!
Do let me know if you have any more links I should check out.
Yet another step up for the next year. We’re skipping 1080p and aiming straight for 1440p!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My plan for 2025 is to put out more everything and focus on what sticks. The goal is to experiment, learn, and double down on what works.
2024 has very much been a year of general experimentation and exploration for me. Now I want to start testing things more aligned with my goals and putting the knowledge I gain to use!
I’d be rich if I got a dollar every time I read OpenAI as OpenAPI and OpenAPI as OpenAI. Drives me loopy.
I love the process of creating and refining things to perfection!
The OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop is a powerful framework—not just for decision-making, but for building better products and experiences.
It’s also invaluable in avoiding wasting time building things that nobody wants or needs.
I ensure I write crap that I don’t publish so that if I ever become a super famous writer and then cark it, there’ll be something to tack to the end of special editions.
Still a bit of work to do, but I’ve put together a firehose of my web activities and mirrored many of my microblog posts to my site. Trying to embrace the IndieWeb a bit further.
Sloppy AI-generated thumbnail images serve as a good litmus test for whether something is worth clicking.
Seriously, it’s great to know what is gonna be slop without even having to even click through.
Instead of pulling up the ladder behind you, why not add some more rungs or lower it a bit for the next person? Helping others succeed is not just a great way to give back—it creates a stronger, more inclusive community for all. Let’s build each other up.
Received my physical diploma in the mail! I truly am a fully licensed front-end developer!
My article on HTML’s legacy colour parsing was featured on Manuel Matuzović’s HTMHell today. 🎉
For those unfamiliar, the HTMHell Advent Calendar is a fantastic publication bringing together authors from around the world to share insightful articles on web development topics like security, accessibility, UX, and performance.
In my article, I dive into the quirks of HTML’s legacy colour parsing, exploring just why the value ‘chucknorris’ outputs red and talk about the resilience of the web.
Lost my pet chicken of 8 years today. She was with me from primary school all the way through high school and beyond.
She hasn’t been well these past few days. Today when I came out to see her, she really wasn’t well but was still hanging on. I think she was waiting for me to see her before she went.
I picked her up and cradled her for a while before she passed in my arms. There is a bit of comfort knowing I was with her in her last moments and that she wasn’t alone.
I’ll miss you Garbin. Love you.
I might have neglected to re-add the analytics script to the head of my website. That’s a few days of data I won’t be getting back…
People have been trying to go to /now, /about, and /links on my site. I don’t have these pages nor links to them anywhere. Wonder if it’s time to make some…
ARIA sure you need those roles and attributes?
You oft hear of regurgitation, but not much about standard gurgitation.
Got around to sorting out my syndication feeds. Go subscribe!
Been upgrading and building on this. Pretty happy with it now. It has tons more engines added, a nicer UI (still simple—speed is the priority), and snaps inspired by Kagi which are lovely.
Pretty convinced jackiechan.com is peak web design.
This has had me thinking about website layouts, and how typically we’ve had navigation situated at the top. Perhaps we need to rethink our designs based on the embrace of sidebars as they become the ‘new normal’?
A wise man once said “Ogres are like onions. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers.”
Make your CSS like ogres and onions.
I’ve been thinking about the concept of “heritage listed websites”. We have buildings that we feel are too important to alter and must keep frozen in time – why not websites?.
I suppose this is less important with the web, as we can ‘simply’ archive copies of things but it’s been playing in my mind nonetheless.
