Finally getting back into this. It’s been too long since my last post on the site, but a lot has been going on with family and work.
Author: RustBeltAdmin
The Handmade and the Automated
“A build tool is a name for any bit of software that facilitates tasks that help us build better websites. […] You know, things computers are faster and better at than humans.” — Chris Coyer, Practical SVG
This sentence perfectly clarifies the answer to a long running problem I have had with myself. That being, where to draw the line on when to create by hand, and when to use software. I suppose the answer was there in front of me all the time, I just needed to read it exactly like this to finally get it.
The Discovery
This is the second post in my series on Clarity, the website development process I helped create for LABOV where I am the front-end web developer. This post will cover the first of six phases, Discovery.
The Event Apart 2016 – Day 3
The third day of any Event Apart is a full-day workshop on one topic. This year in Chicago, we were privileged to get Brad Frost’s first full workshop on pattern libraries (a.k.a. “style guides,” but I prefer pattern libraries because I am partial to Brad’s product Pattern Lab). He covered everything from selling pattern libraries back at work; to kicking off a project; to making sure everyone is reading from the same script; to common patterns; and, of course deployment. Needless to say, it was a lot to learn after two days of heavy learning.
The Event Apart 2016 – Day 2
Day two of An Event Apart Chicago is typically where you realize this is an educational marathon, not a sprint. Everything you learned on day one (and are still trying to absorb); the late nights; the deep dish pizza… it all begins to catch up with you on day two. Let’s go second wind!
The Event Apart 2016 – Day 1
I am back at An Event Apart: Chicago again this year to get another shot of Web Development insight and inspiration. This is my third year and each AEA conference I’ve been to has packed my brain with new ideas I’m itching to try as soon as I get home. Today was day one of the 2016 show and what follows are my thoughts on the presenters talks. So far this year has been no disappointment.
The Cheap and The Quick: Part 1
Speed is king on the web. Having a faster website than your competitor can mean the difference between keeping or losing a potential customer. A question that has been bugging me though is; should speed be king when it comes to having your site created? Continue reading The Cheap and The Quick: Part 1
The Clarity
I know this place has been quiet lately, but there is good reason for it. For the last month or so my fellow LABOV co-worker Lauren De La Cruz and I have been putting the finishing touches on our in-house web process. It has been over two years in the making, but we now have a comprehensive method for us to efficiently and intelligently develop websites where we work, LABOV. It guides us through everything from the first client call all the way to launch day and beyond.
Field Noted
A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine, Heather, asked if I had time to meet for lunch. We picked a time and met at one of the many taquiera sprouting up here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Normally we get together two or three times a year as an excuse to eat tacos and commiserate about the ups and downs of working in the design field. Nice person that she is, Heather always has a small gift for me. Something from the garden, or a sample of a new recipe she’s working on. (Manors-wise, I could learn a lot from Heather.) This time though, she had a much bigger surprise in store for me.