Web Development × Engineering Management × Philosophy (11)
Articles and books on the craft of web development (with a focus on HTML/CSS optimization and maintainability), engineering management, and philosophy.
My Year in Cities, 2014
This is going to be a bit, lengthy. I told you I had traded activities for locations. Continuing the trip around the world that I began last year, here’s where I went in 2014.
#209 · · adventure
My Year in Activities, 2014
At the end of every year I’m recollecting new things I’ve done and new places I’ve seen. Here’s what I tried in 2014.
#208 · · adventure
Jens and Photography
I love what technology has allowed all of us to do, from writing and publishing for the masses to designing and coding for the masses to photography and arts for the masses. But as a professional in an industry that is easy for people to enter…
#207 · · design, photography
Maintainable Social Script Integration
In my book, a website embeds all those third-party “share” and “like” and “+1” scripts like: this.
#206 · · development, javascript
Ground Rules for Working With Web Agencies
After we identified inherent problems of working with agencies, let’s look at some of our options. We may still need to hire an agency after all, or make the best out of a project. The leg work we’ve done in the first part will help us keep this brief…
#205 · · misc
The Problems of Working With Web Agencies
I started my career in a small agency, I later worked for a big agency, and I at other times collaborated with or managed agency staff. I’ve never enjoyed working for nor with agencies. That was not because of the people, but because of some inherent issues…
#204 · · misc
CSS and Specificity
On one of CSS’ greatest features, going from using graphs for greater understanding to affirming fundamentals for saner coding.
#203 · · development, css
Electronic Data as Evidence
We need better defenses against assaults on our rights and privacy. In a world in which most happens electronically, one such defense gets surprisingly little attention: Everything electronic can be forged.
Google and HTML/CSS Code Quality
For much of Google’s life time there have been few Google web pages of high code quality. That had changed over the last years, but now there are regressions. On the rise and fall of Google’s websites.
#201 · · development, html, css, conformance, quality
CSS, DRY, and Code Optimization
Why we should minimize repetition in style sheets—perhaps through using declarations just once—, focus more on CSS optimization, and consider that avoiding problems is also a way of solving them.
#200 · · development, css, maintainability, optimization
On Declaration Sorting in CSS
I keep on seeing people advocate to sort declarations “by type.” And every time I wonder, why is this idea still going around? Type sorting is extraordinarily ineffective, for it’s extremely slow and consistently unreliable…
#199 · · development, css, maintainability
On Net Neutrality
We need net neutrality, and we need to insist on net neutrality. Everywhere, not just in the United States. Throttling internet access, or charging select content providers extra, much appears like a brazen combination of profiteering, extortion, and, effectively, censorship.
On Privacy
A few theses on a critical subject. The most important ones: One cannot be free without privacy, all living beings have a right for privacy, and we shall punish intentional violations of privacy.
On America
The United States have so far engaged in 71 wars in which they killed 13.8 million people; not counted are the World Wars they ended with nuclear strikes on Japan. The U.S. have led 26 proxy wars in which they took 1.4 million lives…
#196 · · misc
How to Travel the World and Stay Healthy
For long travels, another key beside safety is health. And as my track record in this regard is flawless, essentially, I thought to share a few quick ideas on this, too.
#195 · · adventure
How to Travel the World and Stay Safe
I’ve traveled for the last 13 months, with no end in sight, and have so far visited around 150 locations in 30 countries. I’ve stayed safe the entire time even though I didn’t lock myself up. Here are a few thoughts and tips.
#194 · · adventure
HTML and Specifying Language
Questioning the importance and ways of marking up language in HTML documents, in particular changes in language.
#193 · · development, html
Sources
I always like to learn what people turn to for information, education, and also entertainment. In particular what they deem most excellent. That’s part of trying to be open. Yet, learning about people’s sources typically requires inquiring directly. Here I’m extrovert and share…
#192 · · misc
Code Responsibly, Explained
A professional web developer focuses on at least ten priorities in his work. That’s the populist claim Code Responsibly has made since 2008. It was time to explain why these things matter.
#191 · · development
How to Prepare to Travel the World
I’ve written about what I deem important in order to quit and travel the world. One of the points I called out was “Planning and Preparation,” and it’s what I like to explore a bit more here.
#190 · · adventure
Animated Traffic: My 10 Favorite Travel Photo Animations
Last December I launched Animated Traffic. Animated Traffic is an experiment in which I play with photo animations that feed off my eternal journey, of which I’ll share the results. The material, as of this moment, made for 302 posts covering 4 continents…
#189 · · adventure, design, photography
On Web Documents and Web Apps
I’ve just elaborated about research and production code, and why that distinction matters. And I hinted at but put off another distinction: that between web documents and web apps. Pronounced distinction seems important to protect existing document practices…
#188 · · development
All Code Is Not Equal: On Research and Production Code
Web development is at a point at which we need to make more fundamental distinctions. One of them is a more determined one between web documents and web apps, another one is between research and production code.
#187 · · development, quality
The Law of Travel
The longer you travel, the lighter you should pack.
#186 · · adventure
On Writing
Frankly, on fears.
#185 · · misc
5 Questions Web Developers Always Need Answers For
In web development, just as in other fields, it can easily appear as if there are clear-cut solutions for everything. That’s at least the case for many of us neurotic perfectionists, as our world is built on clear-cut solutions. Alas, there aren’t always, and here are five general questions to consider.
#184 · · development
The 6 Most Useful Books I’ve Ever Read
I love reading, and over time I’ve been lucky to read many useful, and then a handful quite extraordinary books. Here I like to share my current non-fiction favorites: The Nature of Personal Reality, Getting More, Public Opinion, and, you can tell, three more.
#183 · · misc
On Links and Accessibility
Hyperlinks and the underlying ubiquitous <a> elements are what make the Web. Just a few weeks back, Christian Heilmann wrote a little about why and how links are important; here it’s about accessibility aspects.
#182 · · development, accessibility
CSS: When to Use Generated Content
Generated content means a special option in CSS to embed content in documents. It’s achieved through the content property. Fast forward, generated content should only be used for non-critical content; there it can be a very sharp instrument.
#181 · · development, css
Everyday Adventures: Cost, Fun, and Risk Ratings
100 Things I Learned as an Everyday Adventurer contains one hundred activities that I share my experience with, but that I also rate in terms of cost, fun, and risk. However, the book doesn’t make it easy to rank and compare the different activities…
#180 · · adventure
Lessons From Writing a Dream Journal
I love dreaming. I love dreams. Dreams are fascinating. I’ve learned that dreams are realities just as real as this one, physical reality. I’ve learned that much when it comes to dream memory depends on one’s own beliefs with respect to dreaming…
#179 · · philosophy, misc
A Word on Contemporary Web Design
These days, and as juror for Design Made in Germany I see a lot of websites, many a designer knows how to make a page appear spacious, even grandiose. Alas, as many appear to have forgotten how to use space effectively…
#178 · · design
HTML Explained in 123 Tweets: The Google #htmltuesday Archive
Did you know that Google’s Webmaster Team tweeted short statements about all HTML elements, every week, for two and a half years? It was called “#htmltuesday” and ran from 2011 to 2013. All of these tweets are now available in one place: here.
#177 · · development, html, semantics
How to Just Quit and Travel the World
A couple of months ago I quit at Google and left the United States to travel the world. I thought it might be interesting to share a bit about how to do something like this, calling it quits and heading out there, with no set itinerary whatsoever.
#176 · · adventure
My Year in Cities, 2013
Traditionally I post a list of all the new places I visited during a year in some sort of year-end review, too. This year is no exception.
#175 · · adventure
My Year in Activities, 2013
The same procedure as every year: a brief look back at new things I tried.
#174 · · adventure
On Writing a Book With Google Docs and Amazon KDP
Google Docs is okay to write short books and when making limited use of the comment feature. Amazon KDP’s HTML format is a technical disgrace, and Amazon needs to fix it. A few thoughts and tips on completing a book using either.
#173 · · development, misc
How to Become an Everyday Adventurer
In “100 Things I Learned as an Everyday Adventurer” I’m not just sharing my own view on one hundred different activities and things I tried, but also some ideas and tips on what I think it takes to become a more adventurous person. That part is something I like to…
#172 · · adventure
Travel, Photos, Art?
I started another side project. It’s about taking a ton of photos of street scenery, working some magic that I talk about in this very post, and putting the results up on Tumblr. On the one new travel tumblr art installation that I call Animated Traffic.
#171 · · adventure, design, photography, art
CSS, HTML, and the Problem of Spec Fragmentation
We have not one but two fundamental problems with CSS. One is unrestricted growth and complexity leading to poor understanding and poor code. Another one is spec fragmentation, also an issue with HTML, which results in inefficiencies. We should look for a better balance.
#170 · · development, css, html
“No” to DRM in HTML
It’s been quiet around DRM lately so I like to share my opinion, in brief: DRM doesn’t belong into nor anywhere near HTML.
#169 · · development, html
New Book! “100 Things I Learned as an Everyday Adventurer”
I wrote a new book! Not about web development, again, not about philosophy or social sciences, yet, but about all the different activities I’ve been doing over the last few years, in all my infinite free time. And what I learned in one hundred of them.
How I Read 10 Books a Month
I read 10–15 books a month. As I’ve been doing this for a few years and thus developed a routine, I thought it could be interesting to share a few notes, tips, and quirks—I remember how hard it can be to even read 1 book a month.
#167 · · misc
The Curious Case of Breadcrumbs in HTML
We had an interesting thread about breadcrumbs on W3C’s public-html the other day. At first just targeting delimiters, it spawned a debate about the appropriate markup. Here’s my view on breadcrumbs in HTML.
#166 · · development, html, semantics
About Cost in Web Development
Cost is an interesting topic. Oftentimes we think of cost as in “this costs so-and-so much.” Like, the software license costs $2,500. Or three man hours cost $450. I’m not an economist but I like to think of this as something like primary cost. Yet, there’s more…
#165 · · development
A Social-Philosophical Journey in 25 Quotes
I was reviewing my Google+ posts the other day. In there I rediscovered a good number of quotes. What connected most of them were my studies. And when I looked at them I found they sort of tell a little story.
#164 · · philosophy
9 Tips to Become a Better Driver
What makes a good driver? I don’t know whether I know. I’ve driven much, have deepened my skills, I fit stereotypes—and I’ve also screwed up. What I do know is that I’m a driver who cares. A few ideas on what could make people better drivers.
#163 · · misc
The Art of Saying Thank You, One Thousand Times
But not here, on onethousandthankyous.org.
A URL Policy for Web Projects
Do your projects suffer from URL inconsistencies? I just noticed how mine do. I also noticed that I did some unnecessary things, like omitting protocols when they were actually useful. And I noticed that I’ve seen similar problems in corporate projects before. So I jotted down a quick “policy.”
#161 · · development
Surveillance Kills Democracy
I meet people who think that mass surveillance, as with NSA and GCHQ spying, is okay because they don’t have anything to worry about. The argument is either that they don’t have anything to hide or that what they’re doing is not important enough…