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My journal.

Here’re a few words I’ve written. If you like them, you can sign up to have new blog entries emailed directly to you, or you can subscribe to my RSS feed.

 

All posts by date

  1. 2025

    1. May 2025

    2. April 2025

      1. Magick images.
        Posted on

        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.

      2. It’s time to organize.
        Posted on

        There’s an old organizing joke someone once told me: “Who’s in the union? You and I.”

    3. March 2025

      1. You deserve a new book design.
        Posted on

        A peek into You Deserve a Tech Union’s new design, and the typefaces — and process — that made it happen.

      2. Refresh.
        Posted on

        In 2023, I wrote a book. Several months later, my publisher closed its doors. And now? We’re back, and better than ever.

      3. Commencement.
        Posted on

        Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new.

      4. Parker.
        Posted on

        Another year, another redesign. Might as well get to work.

    4. February 2025

      1. Moving on from 18F.
        Posted on

        I had a wonderful job, until I didn’t. This is about what happened — and what is still happening.

    5. January 2025

      2. Ames & Amherst.
        Posted on

        No hate. No fear — well, a fair bit of fear. But I’m ready.

  2. 2024

    1. November 2024

      2. A catalog.
        Posted on

        Here are some things I know.

      3. Times to strike.
        Posted on

        The largest union of tech workers just went on strike.

    2. July 2024

      1. Reacquired.
        Posted on

        Last year, I wrote a book. Several months later, my publisher closed its doors. This is about what happens next.

    3. May 2024

      1. Hello, 18F.
        Posted on

        I’ve been a designer at 18F for one week now.

    4. April 2024

      2. Blockin’ bots.
        Posted on

        Here’s how I’m blocking “artificial intelligence” bots, crawlers, and scrapers.

    5. March 2024

    6. February 2024

      1. Generative.
        Posted on

        Nineteen thoughts about “generative artificial intelligence,” spanning a few centuries.

      2. Collective.
        Posted on

        A prominent investor got excited about collective bargaining. I did too! (But probably for different reasons.)

    7. January 2024

      1. Reviewed.
        Posted on

        My book was reviewed in Labor Notes. I’m still pinching myself.

  3. 2023

    1. December 2023

      1. The 2023 that was.
        Posted on

        A little marker for myself, from one year to the next.

      2. Broadly.
        Posted on

        I’m excited to share a change in You Deserve a Tech Union’s pricing.

    2. November 2023

    3. October 2023

      1. In medias.
        Posted on

        Writin’ up — for you, but also for me — a few book events from last week.

      2. Minetta.
        Posted on

        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.

    4. September 2023

      3. Labor’s day.
        Posted on

        Some tech unions could use our support.

    5. August 2023

      1. Mail, run.
        Posted on

        What else happened this week? Well, I wrote my first op-ed; also, I got some mail.

      5. Post by post.
        Posted on

        Life after Twitter remains, well, weird. Maybe this is better.

    6. June 2023

      1. Blurbs.
        Posted on

        Blurbs are starting to come in for You Deserve a Tech Union, along with several emotions.

      3. Bookin’.
        Posted on

        Hey, this is neat: A Book Apart is available in bookstores, and around the world.

    7. March 2023

      1. Tooled.
        Posted on

        The work, and who gets to do it.

      2. Adoption.
        Posted on

        What we talk about when we talk about measuring a design system.

  4. 2022

    1. December 2022

    2. August 2022

      1. Truthish.
        Posted on

        Whose sources, and whose truths?

    3. July 2022

      1. Points, break.
        Posted on

        When did we start using “breakpoint” to talk about layout adaptation? (Honestly, I don’t know!)

    4. June 2022

      2. Weekend updates.
        Posted on

        Various and sundry design tweaks! Writing bios is still terrible! Dark Mode 2: The Return of Dark Mode! It’s good to be back!

      3. Parts, parcel.
        Posted on

        At some point, something shifted.

    5. January 2022

      1. À la porte.
        Posted on

        I should probably check my email again.

  5. 2021

    1. September 2021

      1. Locus.
        Posted on

        What’s better, where, and for whom.

      2. Splits.
        Posted on

        For now, I’ve got my feet under me. And I’m grateful.

    2. August 2021

      1. Notes from a week.
        Posted on

        Hello. It’s been a week. (A little more than, if I’m being honest.)

      2. Stress systems.
        Posted on

        On feeling overwhelmed by systems.

    3. June 2021

    4. May 2021

      2. Union.
        Posted on

        Tech workers, it’s time we unionize.

    5. April 2021

      2. Design-ish systems.
        Posted on

        “Why create a design system?” It’s a good question, if a hard one.

    6. March 2021

      1. Au revoir, mon AMPmour?
        Posted on

        Last year, Google announced AMP will no longer be a requirement for prime search placement. This is good! But I still have questions.

    7. February 2021

  6. 2020

    1. December 2020

      1. Beacon.
        Posted on

        Looking for a few bright spots in everyone’s worst year.

    2. October 2020

      1. My design systems reading list.
        Posted on

        A friend asked me to share a few favorite resources on design systems. I thought I’d share them with you, too.

      2. Before dawn, and after dusk.
        Posted on

        I spoke at two events yesterday. I drank a lot of coffee. I talked a lot about design systems. Good day.

    3. September 2020

      1. Speaking, remotely.
        Posted on

        Here’s how I think about my speaking fee for remote events.

    4. August 2020

      1. Hello, Autogram.
        Posted on

        Karen and Jeff and I have launched a little strategic consultancy. We’re calling it Autogram, and I’d like to tell you why.

    5. July 2020

      1. Replyin’.
        Posted on

        I’ve added “Reply via email” links to my RSS feed. Hope you find it useful.

      2. Notes from a hill.
        Posted on

        She asked, “Are you looking forward to your birthday?”

    6. June 2020

      1. The design systems between us.
        Posted on

        It’s often suggested that design systems would improve the way organizations work. I’ve been wondering about that.

      2. Takin’ five.
        Posted on

        I’ve been lucky enough to work with Aquent Gymnasium on a series of short video tutorials. I hope you like them.

      3. On context.
        Posted on

        I read these two essays some time ago, and I keep returning to them. I bet you’ll like them too.

      4. Power.
        Posted on

        Individually, there’s little we can do; but collectively, there’s not much we can’t.

      5. A programming note.
        Posted on

        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.

    7. May 2020

      1. Responsive design: seams & edges.
        Posted on

        In some ways, responsive design was an attempt to move past the idea of a “page.” How’s that worked out for us?

    8. April 2020

      1. Gardened.
        Posted on

        On JavaScript, frameworks, and how giving a damn doesn’t scale.

    9. March 2020

    10. February 2020

      1. The design systems we swim in.
        Posted on

        When was the last time a design system empowered you to make a decision? (I’m honestly asking.)

    11. January 2020

  7. 2019

    1. December 2019

      1. Getting to work.
        Posted on

        It’s time for us to organize our workplaces, my loves.

    2. October 2019

      1. The World-Wide Work.
        Posted on

        A talk on automation, power, justice, and labor in the tech industry.

    3. August 2019

      1. Amphora.
        Posted on

        I tried navigating some of Google’s featured AMP Stories in a screen reader. And then I wrote this.

    4. June 2019

      1. Three bowls.
        Posted on

        Saying good-bye to our littlest kitty, Rorschach.

    5. May 2019

    6. April 2019

    7. March 2019

      1. Trainers.
        Posted on

        How the data gets made, and by whom.

    8. January 2019

      2. A new adventure.
        Posted on

        I just got home from attending — and speaking at! — last week’s New Adventures conference. It was an inspiring, marvelous day.

  8. 2018

    1. December 2018

      1. Sonnerie.
        Posted on

        I come not to praise 2018, but to bury it.

      3. Azeban.
        Posted on

        Let’s talk a little about automation, design, and work.

      4. Release.
        Posted on

        I went to Demo Day for the latest Resilient Coders bootcamp. The students left an impression on me.

    2. November 2018

      1. It’s not about the device.
        Posted on

        It can feel overwhelming to design for a new device, a new context. Maybe there’s an alternative?

      2. Syenite.
        Posted on

        I’ve attended a few community sessions at Resilient Coders. It’s a wonderful organization; maybe you’d like to support them, too.

      3. Vox pop.
        Posted on

        I’m working with the team at Vox Media on their design systems. I’m very excited.

    3. October 2018

      2. The tool and the task.
        Posted on

        Our design tools change the design of our products and, at times, they can change us. How do we talk about that?

    4. September 2018

      1. My favorite design tool.
        Posted on

        What if someone doesn’t browse the web like I do? Or like you do?

      3. Revamp.
        Posted on

        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.

    5. August 2018

      1. Accessibility is not a feature.
        Posted on

        Lately, I’ve been reflecting on some of the language I use to talk about accessibility. It might be language you use, too.

      3. Izakaya.
        Posted on

        When a dollar becomes ten.

      4. Weft.
        Posted on

        About the patterns underneath the patterns.

      5. Bits.
        Posted on

        What we talk about when we talk about what we talk about when we talk about web performance.

    6. July 2018

      2. In the pocket.
        Posted on

        “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

      4. Fractional.
        Posted on

        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.

    7. June 2018

      1. Just work.
        Posted on

        How I work, and how I want to.

      2. My three steps.
        Posted on

        I’ve been thinking about how I learn new technologies.

      3. World wide wrist.
        Posted on

        WebKit’s coming to the Apple Watch, in some fashion. In my own fashion, I’m excited to see what that means.

    8. May 2018

      1. Bundt.
        Posted on

        Here’s what happened today, today.

      3. Kumiho.
        Posted on

        Thoughts on bots.

      4. When patterns get weird.
        Posted on

        Usually, you’ll get rid of design patterns that don’t contribute much to your design system. But sometimes, you won’t.

    9. April 2018

      1. Notes from a conference.
        Posted on

        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.

      2. Spinning jenny.
        Posted on

        A few thoughts on the task, and the tool.

      3. Framed.
        Posted on

        When offering advice, be careful how it’s offered.

    10. March 2018

      2. Campaign.
        Posted on

        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.

      3. Notes from a sidewalk.
        Posted on

        She stood back up, running to catch her friends, her sign held high.

    11. February 2018

      1. I, for one.
        Posted on

        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?

      2. Design, system.
        Posted on

        Your design system’s more than the sum of its patterns. (It’s all about the people, maaaaannnn.)

      4. AMPlified.
        Posted on

        I don’t think there’s much you or I can do about Google’s AMP project. However.

    12. January 2018

      1. A little advice.
        Posted on

        On occasion, people starting a career in web design ask me for advice. Here’s what I currently say to them.

      2. Cardigan.
        Posted on

        Farewell, Dean. And thank you.

  9. 2017

    1. December 2017

      1. War rig.
        Posted on

        I come here not to praise 2017, but to bury it.

      2. Rated zero.
        Posted on

        Google AMP, and services like it, are a kind of “zero-rating.” I worry about that.

      3. Entitled to.
        Posted on

        A few thoughts about losing net neutrality protections in the United States, and what happens next.

    2. November 2017

      1. A new bag.
        Posted on

        On a friend’s recommendation, I bought a Tom Bihn backpack for traveling. I really like it.

    3. October 2017

      1. In range.
        Posted on

        Three outlines, each smaller than the last.

      2. Seven into seven.
        Posted on

        A few more thoughts on AMP, on Ursula Franklin’s questions, and on just technology.

    4. September 2017

      1. My foreword for Design Systems.
        Posted on

        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.)

    5. August 2017

      1. AMPersand.
        Posted on

        There’s a price to using Google’s “Accelerated Mobile Project.” I’m not sure the web can afford to pay it.

      2. At dawn.
        Posted on

        Waking up, half-dreaming, before the sun’s up.

    6. July 2017

      1. Upward and worn.
        Posted on

        The new Legend of Zelda is a gorgeous, fun game, but it’s also an isolation simulator. And I love that about it.

      2. Designed lines.
        Posted on

        Designing a lightweight, inexpensive digital experience is a form of kindness.

    7. June 2017

      1. A responsive spotlight.
        Posted on

        We’ve been trying something new on our little responsive design podcast. I’ve enjoyed the experiment; maybe you will, too.

      2. A working pattern library.
        Posted on

        The value of a pattern library is tied directly to how much — and how easily — it is used.

      3. Left to our own devices.
        Posted on

        For me, the real value of a device lab isn’t in testing. A device lab is a design tool.

    8. May 2017

      1. Notes from a chair.
        Posted on

        They work kindly, quickly but steadily, under lights cold and bright.

      2. Going offline.
        Posted on

        I’ve started taking parts of my site offline. Here’s how it works, right now.

    9. April 2017

      1. Device intervention.
        Posted on

        Done right, a device lab’s a pretty good empathy engine.

      2. The work I like.
        Posted on

        I’ve been thinking a lot about why I work the way I do, and how.

      3. MOA—
        Posted on

        And yet.

    10. March 2017

      1. A sticky situation.
        Posted on

        Ran into a little design bug, involving position: sticky and Chrome. Maybe it’d be of interest to you.

      3. Notes from a couch.
        Posted on

        I’ve got a week of rest lined up, so here’s what I’m reading and watching. (Riveting stuff, I know.)

    11. February 2017

      1. On container queries.
        Posted on

        A number of prominent web folks have been asking for “container queries.” I think they’re right to do so, and here’s why.

      2. New work: Source
        Posted on

        A new design for Source, a non-profit that makes journalism code more visible.

    12. January 2017

      2. Free, faster.
        Posted on

        Many of the free web themes I’ve seen recently are…slow. How can we fix that?

  10. 2016

    1. December 2016

      1. The good by.
        Posted on

        A few notes on farewells, and on coming home.

      2. Pattern patter.
        Posted on

        On the web, can our patterns be more than just front-end code?

      3. Hyper text.
        Posted on

        A few notes on political anxiety and Twitter, and how sentences turn into paragraphs.

      4. Thread.
        Posted on

        Welcome to my new website.

  11. 2015

    1. November 2015

  12. 2014

    1. December 2014

    2. August 2014

      1. A Responsive Design Podcast.
        Posted on

        Along with Karen McGrane, I’m getting into that “pod-casting” game! (Guess what it’s about.)

    3. February 2014

      1. Platformed.
        Posted on

        The web isn’t a platform. When we design and build for it, we should remember that.

    4. January 2014

  13. 2013

    1. November 2013

      1. Speaking? Pack a plan.
        Posted on

        If you’re doing any public speaking, I have a few small (but useful!) tips.

      3. Keynote, Magic Move, and you.
        Posted on

        One of my favorite features in Apple’s Keynote is “Magic Move.” I bet it might be yours, too.

      4. “Offline First”
        Posted on

        I’m so excited about building more offline-friendly experiences. (You should be, too!)

    2. February 2013

      1. Hello, Editorially.
        Posted on

        I’ve cofounded a startup with some dear friends. It’s called Editorially. I’d like to tell you a little about it.

  14. 2011

    1. September 2011

      1. The Boston Globe
        Posted on

        The first large-scale responsive website just launched, and I helped. Here’s how we did it.

    2. June 2011

    3. March 2011

      1. Henry.
        Posted on

        A few words I quite like.

      2. Toffee-nosed.
        Posted on

        Many criticisms of responsive design are based on faulty logic. Let’s look at a few fallacies.

  15. 2010

    1. October 2010

      1. With good references.
        Posted on

        Every responsive design begins with a reference layout, either small- or widescreen. Which should you choose?

    2. September 2010

    3. August 2010

      1. Oversewing
        Posted on

        I’ve moved on from working at Happy Cog, and I’ve started up my own design practice again.

  16. 2009

    1. March 2009

      1. On fluid grids.
        Posted on

        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.

  17. 2008

    1. October 2008

      1. Bradley.
        Posted on

        A story about my late uncle, who I didn’t know as well as I wish I did.

  18. 2007

    1. February 2007

      1. Squee.
        Posted on

        I’ve written my first article for A List Apart. I’m so excited.

  19. 2005

    1. July 2005

      1. Day zero.
        Posted on

        Last Friday was my last day at a full-time job.

  20. 2004

    1. August 2004

      1. Stairwell.
        Posted on

        Starting a new job.

  21. 2003

    1. July 2003

      1. On emergency rooms.
        Posted on

        We were in the process of haggling over which desserts my grandmother should order when the seizure hit.

    2. June 2003

      1. In progress
        Posted on

        A former teacher and his former student, and a house to paint.

      2. She.
        Posted on

        Happy anniversary, to my one and lovely.

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