Ethan Marcotte
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Link bug.
I added a links section to my website. Here’s how I made it, and why.
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Unbreaking.
Here’s to new work, and to a little more clarity amid the chaos.
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Responsive web design turns fifteen.
The original “Responsive Web Design” article was published fifteen years ago. Time’s weird, man.
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Hallucinating.
A minor semantic quibble.
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Magick images.
I’ve upgraded my site’s social media preview images, using a combination of ImageMagick and Eleventy. Here’s entirely too many words about how I made it all happen.
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It’s time to organize.
There’s an old organizing joke someone once told me: “Who’s in the union? You and I.”
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You deserve a new book design.
A peek into You Deserve a Tech Union’s new design, and the typefaces—and process—that made it happen.
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Refresh.
In 2023, I wrote a book. Several months later, my publisher closed its doors. And now? We’re back, and better than ever.
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Commencement.
Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new.
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Parker.
Another year, another redesign. Might as well get to work.
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Moving on from 18F.
I had a wonderful job, until I didn’t. This is about what happened—and what is still happening.
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A challenge of blog questions.
Jon and Naz kindly tagged me into a blogging challenge! Namely, to answer a set of questions about how I blog, and why.
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Ames & Amherst.
No hate. No fear—well, a fair bit of fear. But I’m ready.
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Two books, no longer apart.
I’ve put my first two books online for free.
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A catalog.
Here are some things I know.
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Times to strike.
The largest union of tech workers just went on strike.
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Reacquired.
Last year, I wrote a book. Several months later, my publisher closed its doors. This is about what happens next.
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This site goes up to Eleventy.
I just migrated this little website’s internals over to Eleventy. If I did my job right, you won’t notice the change.
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Hello, 18F.
I’ve been a designer at 18F for one week now.
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Slingshot.
I just attended my first Labor Notes Conference. My head’s full, and my heart’s on fire.
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Blockin’ bots.
Here’s how I’m blocking “artificial intelligence” bots, crawlers, and scrapers.
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The negotiation cycle.
On the work, and being endlessly clever.
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Lowe.
Spotted a copy of You Deserve a Tech Union at my local library. It made my decade.
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Generative.
Nineteen thoughts about “generative artificial intelligence,” spanning a few centuries.
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Collective.
A prominent investor got excited about collective bargaining. I did too! (But probably for different reasons.)
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Reviewed.
My book was reviewed in Labor Notes. I’m still pinching myself.
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The 2023 that was.
A little marker for myself, from one year to the next.
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Broadly.
I’m excited to share a change in You Deserve a Tech Union’s pricing.
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A new op-ed: on OpenAI and worker power.
What happens when workers take collective action, and in an anti-worker industry?
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Boston meetup, redux: “You deserve a tech union!”
Tech workers of Boston! Curious about unions? We’re having another meetup about it!
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Boston meetup: “Why do tech workers deserve a union?”
Tech workers of Boston! Curious about unions? Let’s have a meetup about it!
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In medias.
Writin’ up—for you, but also for me—a few book events from last week.
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Minetta.
I went to a conference last weekend, and it was wonderful. In fact, I’m still thinking about it—and about what can happen next.
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A little book and its author, out in the world.
So! You Deserve a Tech Union’s been getting a little attention lately! Here’s a short roundup.
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Three weeks.
You Deserve a Tech Union’s launch feels like it was just yesterday! What is time anymore
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Labor’s day.
Some tech unions could use our support.
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Mail, run.
What else happened this week? Well, I wrote my first op-ed; also, I got some mail.
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You Deserve a Tech Union is here!
Well, hey! Happy pub day to my latest book!
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Tick TOC.
Here’s the table of contents for You Deserve a Tech Union. (Also, hey: how about a sample chapter?)
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Street team.
My new book, You Deserve a Tech Union, is almost here. Here’s how you can help support it!
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Post by post.
Life after Twitter remains, well, weird. Maybe this is better.
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Blurbs.
Blurbs are starting to come in for You Deserve a Tech Union, along with several emotions.
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Announcing my new book, You Deserve a Tech Union.
I wrote this book for you, for me—for all of us. I hope you like it.
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Bookin’.
Hey, this is neat: A Book Apart is available in bookstores, and around the world.
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Tooled.
The work, and who gets to do it.
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Adoption.
What we talk about when we talk about measuring a design system.
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Notes from a dining room chair.
On getting stuck, and what you worry about when you worry about writing.
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Truthish.
Whose sources, and whose truths?
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Points, break.
When did we start using “breakpoint” to talk about layout adaptation? (Honestly, I don’t know!)
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Notes from a dining room table.
For what comes next, whatever it is.
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Weekend updates.
Various and sundry design tweaks! Writing bios is still terrible! Dark Mode 2: The Return of Dark Mode! It’s good to be back!
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Parts, parcel.
At some point, something shifted.
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À la porte.
I should probably check my email again.
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Locus.
What’s better, where, and for whom.
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Splits.
For now, I’ve got my feet under me. And I’m grateful.
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Notes from a week.
Hello. It’s been a week. (A little more than, if I’m being honest.)
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Stress systems.
On feeling overwhelmed by systems.
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Bookiversary.
The fine folks at A Book Apart asked me to participate in a little interview, as my little yellow book just turned ten years old!
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Responsive design and container queries? Oh my!
At long last, container queries might finally become reality! And responsive design just turned eleven! My goodness!
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Union.
Tech workers, it’s time we unionize.
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New work: Free design systems courses, available at Aquent Gymnasium.
I’ve launched four courses on design systems, available for free at Aquent Gymnasium! I hope you like them.
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Design-ish systems.
“Why create a design system?” It’s a good question, if a hard one.
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Au revoir, mon AMPmour?
Last year, Google announced AMP will no longer be a requirement for prime search placement. This is good! But I still have questions.
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A day, typical.
Sara Soueidan asked how I typically spend my days. Here’s how I typically spend my days.
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Beacon.
Looking for a few bright spots in everyone’s worst year.
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My design systems reading list.
A friend asked me to share a few favorite resources on design systems. I thought I’d share them with you, too.
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Before dawn, and after dusk.
I spoke at two events yesterday. I drank a lot of coffee. I talked a lot about design systems. Good day.
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Speaking, remotely.
Here’s how I think about my speaking fee for remote events.
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Hello, Autogram.
Karen and Jeff and I have launched a little strategic consultancy. We’re calling it Autogram, and I’d like to tell you why.
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Replyin’.
I’ve added “Reply via email” links to my RSS feed. Hope you find it useful.
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Notes from a hill.
She asked, “Are you looking forward to your birthday?”
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The design systems between us.
It’s often suggested that design systems would improve the way organizations work. I’ve been wondering about that.
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Takin’ five.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with Aquent Gymnasium on a series of short video tutorials. I hope you like them.
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On context.
I read these two essays some time ago, and I keep returning to them. I bet you’ll like them too.
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Power.
Individually, there’s little we can do; but collectively, there’s not much we can’t.
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A programming note.
I’m pausing my email newsletter for a bit. More importantly, here are some organizations doing necessary work right now, and some resources I’ve found helpful.
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Responsive design: seams & edges.
In some ways, responsive design was an attempt to move past the idea of a “page.” How’s that worked out for us?
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Responsive web design turns ten.
The original “Responsive Web Design” article was published a decade ago! Here’s how it happened, and who helped make it happen.
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An interview for the Responsive Web Design newsletter.
Justin Avery kindly invited me to do an interview for his wonderful Responsive Web Design newsletter. So you know I had to oblige.
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Gardened.
On JavaScript, frameworks, and how giving a damn doesn’t scale.
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Constrained CSS grids without max-width.
Stumbled across a little layout technique while working on my latest redesign. I think it’s helpful; maybe you’ll think so, too.
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Writing my accessibility statement.
It was long overdue, but I’ve added an accessibility statement to my website. Here are a few reasons why.
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Let a website be a worry stone.
One turn deserves another.
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Through a design system, darkly.
Design systems haven’t solved the consistency problem—far from it. What can?
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The design systems we swim in.
When was the last time a design system empowered you to make a decision? (I’m honestly asking.)
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“With Great Tech Comes Great Responsibility.”
I liked Mozilla’s guide to student organizing and workplace ethics so much, I made a web page out of it.
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The hoof and the horse.
On objects and slices; on design systems and scale.
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Getting to work.
It’s time for us to organize our workplaces, my loves.
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The World-Wide Work.
A talk on automation, power, justice, and labor in the tech industry.
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Amphora.
I tried navigating some of Google’s featured AMP Stories in a screen reader. And then I wrote this.
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Three bowls.
Saying good-bye to our littlest kitty, Rorschach.
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Columbia & Elm; Fairfield & Gloucester.
Thinking about web accessibility, and getting from here to there.
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Theorized.
I’ve been at Theorizing The Web for the last few days. I really liked it; I think you might, too.
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Trainers.
How the data gets made, and by whom.
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The web we broke.
I read something depressing last Monday, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
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A reading list for “The World-Wide Work.”
I just gave a talk at this year’s New Adventures conference. Here are some books, resources, and videos I cited in it.
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A new adventure.
I just got home from attending—and speaking at!—last week’s New Adventures conference. It was an inspiring, marvelous day.
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Sonnerie.
I come not to praise 2018, but to bury it.
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How I write conference talks.
I’m writing a new talk. This is how I do it.
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Azeban.
Let’s talk a little about automation, design, and work.
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Release.
I went to Demo Day for the latest Resilient Coders bootcamp. The students left an impression on me.
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It’s not about the device.
It can feel overwhelming to design for a new device, a new context. Maybe there’s an alternative?
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Syenite.
I’ve attended a few community sessions at Resilient Coders. It’s a wonderful organization; maybe you’d like to support them, too.
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Vox pop.
I’m working with the team at Vox Media on their design systems. I’m very excited.
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Designing, laws, and attitudes.
What would happen if the law required us to design fast websites?
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The fundamentals of responsive design, now on Skillshare.
My new class, “Responsive Web Design: Creating Flexible Websites That Last”, is now live on Skillshare. I made it just for you.
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The tool and the task.
Our design tools change the design of our products and, at times, they can change us. How do we talk about that?
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Notes from a crosswalk.
On the route, the steps, and what follows.
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My favorite design tool.
What if someone doesn’t browse the web like I do? Or like you do?
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My foreword for Image Performance.
I was asked to write an introduction for Mat Marquis’ new book on images and performance, which I loved. (I think you’ll love it too.)
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Revamp.
Google’s Accelerated Mobile Project (AMP) has announced it’s moving to a more open governance model, which is great. I still have some questions.
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Accessibility is not a feature.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on some of the language I use to talk about accessibility. It might be language you use, too.
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An interview for Versioning.
I was recently invited to do a Q&A session for Sitepoint’s Versioning newsletter.
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Izakaya.
When a dollar becomes ten.
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Weft.
About the patterns underneath the patterns.
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Bits.
What we talk about when we talk about what we talk about when we talk about web performance.
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Notes from a market.
The sun was hot, the smiles were wide.
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In the pocket.
“The first level of reality is that nitty-gritty stuff, the direct action and immediate experience, the sort of thing I like to call vernacular reality.” — Ursula Franklin
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Chimpin’.
I use Mailchimp’s “RSS campaigns” to email new blog entries to subscribers. I also use responsive images. Here’s how I got them to play well together!
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Fractional.
The more I work with CSS Grid, the more I’ve realized I’m a big fan of the fr unit. And it’s subtly changed how I think about grids.
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Just work.
How I work, and how I want to.
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My three steps.
I’ve been thinking about how I learn new technologies.
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World wide wrist.
WebKit’s coming to the Apple Watch, in some fashion. In my own fashion, I’m excited to see what that means.
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Bundt.
Here’s what happened today, today.
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A GIFt—or three!—from me, to thee.
I have a website called bukk.it. It’s filled with pointless images. Here’s how I manage it.
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Kumiho.
Thoughts on bots.
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When patterns get weird.
Usually, you’ll get rid of design patterns that don’t contribute much to your design system. But sometimes, you won’t.
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What’s in a pattern name?
The benefit of creating a pattern library isn’t the patterns as such.
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Notes from a conference.
I just flew in from Florida, where I’d spoken—and workshopped!—at the 2018 Front End Design Conference. And boy, are my arms tired/sunburnt.
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Spinning jenny.
A few thoughts on the task, and the tool.
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Framed.
When offering advice, be careful how it’s offered.
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The podcast is dead; long live the podcast!
This was the vehicle; these were the people.
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Campaign.
The Google AMP team has announced they’d like to make the web faster—even for folks who don’t use AMP. That’s wonderful news. But I have some questions.
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Notes from a sidewalk.
She stood back up, running to catch her friends, her sign held high.
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I, for one.
We’re used to corporations stepping in to fix the problems they see on the web. But what would happen if we could fix the web?
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Design, system.
Your design system’s more than the sum of its patterns. (It’s all about the people, maaaaannnn.)
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Stupid Jekyll tricks.
Right now, my site runs on Jekyll. Here are two little things I find useful.
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AMPlified.
I don’t think there’s much you or I can do about Google’s AMP project. However.
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A little advice.
On occasion, people starting a career in web design ask me for advice. Here’s what I currently say to them.
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Cardigan.
Farewell, Dean. And thank you.
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War rig.
I come here not to praise 2017, but to bury it.
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Rated zero.
Google AMP, and services like it, are a kind of “zero-rating.” I worry about that.
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Entitled to.
A few thoughts about losing net neutrality protections in the United States, and what happens next.
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A new bag.
On a friend’s recommendation, I bought a Tom Bihn backpack for traveling. I really like it.
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In range.
Three outlines, each smaller than the last.
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Seven into seven.
A few more thoughts on AMP, on Ursula Franklin’s questions, and on just technology.
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My foreword for Design Systems.
I was asked to write an introduction for Alla Kholmatova’s new book on design systems, which I loved. (I think you’ll love it too.)
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AMPersand.
There’s a price to using Google’s “Accelerated Mobile Project.” I’m not sure the web can afford to pay it.
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At dawn.
Waking up, half-dreaming, before the sun’s up.
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Upward and worn.
The new Legend of Zelda is a gorgeous, fun game, but it’s also an isolation simulator. And I love that about it.
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Designed lines.
Designing a lightweight, inexpensive digital experience is a form of kindness.
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A responsive spotlight.
We’ve been trying something new on our little responsive design podcast. I’ve enjoyed the experiment; maybe you will, too.
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A working pattern library.
The value of a pattern library is tied directly to how much—and how easily—it is used.
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Left to our own devices.
For me, the real value of a device lab isn’t in testing. A device lab is a design tool.
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Notes from a chair.
They work kindly, quickly but steadily, under lights cold and bright.
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Going offline.
I’ve started taking parts of my site offline. Here’s how it works, right now.
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Device intervention.
Done right, a device lab’s a pretty good empathy engine.
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The work I like.
I’ve been thinking a lot about why I work the way I do, and how.
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MOA—
And yet.
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A bit more on container queries.
Paul Robert Lloyd persuasively argues that container queries are obsolete. I respectfully disagree.
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A sticky situation.
Ran into a little design bug, involving position: sticky and Chrome. Maybe it’d be of interest to you.
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The bricks we lay.
Design is not neutral.
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Notes from a couch.
I’ve got a week of rest lined up, so here’s what I’m reading and watching. (Riveting stuff, I know.)
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On container queries.
A number of prominent web folks have been asking for “container queries.” I think they’re right to do so, and here’s why.
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New work: Source
A new design for Source, a non-profit that makes journalism code more visible.
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Notes from a protest.
No hate. No fear.
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Free, faster.
Many of the free web themes I’ve seen recently are…slow. How can we fix that?
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The good by.
A few notes on farewells, and on coming home.
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Pattern patter.
On the web, can our patterns be more than just front-end code?
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Hyper text.
A few notes on political anxiety and Twitter, and how sentences turn into paragraphs.
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Thread.
Welcome to my new website.
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Announcing my new book, Responsive Design: Patterns and Principles.
I’ve written a new book! It’s about moving beyond the page, and designing with patterns. I hope you like it.
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My questions for event organizers.
When I’m asked to speak at an event, I ask a few useful questions. Maybe you’ll find them useful, too.
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The second edition of Responsive Web Design.
There’s a second edition of my book! It’s still about responsive design, but quite a bit has changed.
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A Responsive Design Podcast.
Along with Karen McGrane, I’m getting into that “pod-casting” game! (Guess what it’s about.)
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Platformed.
The web isn’t a platform. When we design and build for it, we should remember that.
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So you’re interested in a responsive design workshop…
Karen McGrane and I have teamed up to offer in-house workshops on—you guessed it!—responsive design. Hire us!
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Speaking? Pack a plan.
If you’re doing any public speaking, I have a few small (but useful!) tips.
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“The second step is inclusiveness.”
Here’s a quote on inclusive design I quite liked. (Maybe you’ll like it, too.)
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Keynote, Magic Move, and you.
One of my favorite features in Apple’s Keynote is “Magic Move.” I bet it might be yours, too.
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“Offline First”
I’m so excited about building more offline-friendly experiences. (You should be, too!)
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Responsive design, screens, and shearing layers.
Responsive design might begin with the screen, but it doesn’t end there.
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Hello, Editorially.
I’ve cofounded a startup with some dear friends. It’s called Editorially. I’d like to tell you a little about it.
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The Boston Globe
The first large-scale responsive website just launched, and I helped. Here’s how we did it.
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So I wrote a book. It’s called Responsive Web Design.
Want to learn responsive design? There’s a book for that. (And I wrote it!)
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Henry.
A few words I quite like.
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Toffee-nosed.
Many criticisms of responsive design are based on faulty logic. Let’s look at a few fallacies.
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With good references.
Every responsive design begins with a reference layout, either small- or widescreen. Which should you choose?
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On being “responsive.”
What makes a responsive design “responsive,” anyway?
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Oversewing
I’ve moved on from working at Happy Cog, and I’ve started up my own design practice again.
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On fluid grids.
I have a new article on A List Apart. It’s about creating complex grid-based layouts that are fluid. I hope you like it.
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Bradley.
A story about my late uncle, who I didn’t know as well as I wish I did.
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Squee.
I’ve written my first article for A List Apart. I’m so excited.
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Day zero.
Last Friday was my last day at a full-time job.
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Stairwell.
Starting a new job.
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On emergency rooms.
We were in the process of haggling over which desserts my grandmother should order when the seizure hit.
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In progress
A former teacher and his former student, and a house to paint.
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She.
Happy anniversary, to my one and lovely.
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