Design Tools for Today’s Web
The web has always been fast-moving, and our tools need to keep up—but as we know, that doesn’t always happen. Sketch is a tool built for the modern web, and it’s changed my workflow dramatically.
The Right Toolbox
Choosing the right tool for the job sometimes means bringing along a whole toolbox. I’ll show how a complex back-end system was built with Craft, Laravel, Redis, and more, all working in harmony.
Syntax Highlighting Outside Your Editor
There comes a time when you’ll need to show code outside of a text editor. I explored a few tools to take syntax-highlighted code from the editor to your slides and documents.
Javascript Design Patterns
There are some simple JavaScript design patterns that developers of any level can start using to improve their code. These aren’t process-altering changes—just minor tweaks that make code more reusable, extensible, and understandable.
Network Performance Testing
The internet is still growing to new markets with low bandwidth and less-than-ideal reliability. Have you tested what you build under those circumstances?
Save Your Eyes With f.lux
I thought eye strain didn't affect me, but then I started getting sharp headaches at the end of ever day. Ever since then, f.lux has been my hero.
Using Embeddable Getty Images
Getty Images recently announced a new way to use their images on the web. I took a long look into the good and bad implications of Getty’s decision.
Unsung Success
The way that Chris Hadfield views his training for a mission to the International Space Station can teach us a lot about how to learn, no matter what we do.
Read the Docs, Faster
Choosing Vanilla JavaScript
Sometimes, you’re better off writing plain old JavaScript. You Might Not Need jQuery matches up jQuery code to its vanilla JavaScript counterpart to help decide if jQuery is really needed.
I’m a Nominee in the 2014 Net Awards!
I’m excited to say that, once again, I’ve been nominated for Young Developer of the Year in the Net Awards!
Switch Programming
Trade places with another developer for just a few minutes. A fun little experiment that Mark Huot and I tried.
Finding Your Way with Sass Sourcemaps
Sass 3.3 is just around the corner, and it’s packed with exciting new features and tools.
Up and Running with Sass
As part of the Happy Cog Way series, I created a 48-minute course on all things Sass. This beginner-level course goes from installation to implementation of Sass.
A Faster Horse
The Web is indistinguishable from its early days, yet the underlying language is nearly the same. Until now.
Under Pressure
Alone in a dark room in the middle of the night, monitoring a small army of servers. Development in high-pressure situations is a different beast.
Appreciate Your Craft
It’s ok to resize your browser when you get to a new site. It’s your craft. You’re supposed to do that. I promise.
MTV O Music Awards 4
In my second year working on this project, I led the back-end development of a Rube Goldberg-esque system. Combining Laravel, Craft, Redis, and more, we built a system capable of handling 97,597,768 votes over the course of a 30-day voting period.
The Design of Code: Organizing JavaScript
The module pattern can help create reusable, maintainable JavaScript, setting projects up for future success.
Go Vertical
As responsive designers, we’ve been preoccupied with screen width, but that’s only half the equation. Become truly responsive with vertical media queries.