Writing

Worldwide handling of COVID, video calls, and Californian tourism

Acknowledging that Europe and the US aren't the only places dealing with a pandemic, some fun uses of gestures for Zoom, and will the West Coast ever recover?

Accessible checkboxes, Method Man, and Hiero Day

Working with checkboxes in a way that makes them look nice and act nice, Method Man the actor, and a documentary about one of the West Coast's best exports.

Prince Paul, school uniforms, and winamp skins

The life and times of a hip hop legend, complaints about uniformity, and appreciating pieces of art.

Gary Younge, Def Jux vs Rawkus, and forecasting weather

A timely and important look at the state of America, trying to decide what was the best record label in indy rap, and looking at clouds and making predictions.

Situational disability, annoying website features, and Anguilla

Some helpful tips from Microsoft, what it's like to browse the internet as a blind person, and learning about this tiny Caribbean island.

Jellyfish in the sky, DMX performing for the world, and 1940s New York

A rare (and probably the best) photo of a Jellyfish Sprite, reflecting on DMX at Woodstock 99, and streetview of NYC but in the past

The loudest thing ever, trig points, and 25 years of Cuban Linx

Fond memories of Krakatoa, plotting the whole of the UK, and acknowledging the greatness of Raekwon

Pen pal thug life, Grounded with Louis, and wearing a mask

Exchanging letters with Tupac Shakur, listening to a lot of Louis on lockdown, and appreciating why covering your face is the LEAST you can do.

Moving from WordPress to Eleventy

Some thoughts and findings from having finally embraced static on this site.

Oops! Fury Road, and Lord of the Flies

Looking back at Britney's second album, revisiting the production of the best Mad Max film, and how to act if stranded on an island.

Local lockdown maps, negotiating globally, and more Louis Theroux

Appreciating maps created by people on lockdown in their homes, looking at the logic behind making your point in different languages, and Louis has a podcast and it's great.

Spinosaurus, feather & beep, and AI memes

Reconsidering this dinosaur thanks to new discoveries, listening to some good web chat, and getting lost in the absurd.

LA Originals, Prince Paul, and Sigiriya

Documenting the work of Estevan Oriol and Mr Cartoon, listening to Chest Rockwell, and planning a future visit to Sri Lanka.

RZA vs DJ Premier, LeadDev Live, and grieving in a pandemic

Appreciating two of the best to ever do it, picking up some tips for working better as a team, and coping mechanisms for getting through all.. \*this\*.

LCH colour, Drake's Island, and empty streets

Learning about a new colour space, wanting to visit a piece of Plymouth history, and photos of cities on coronavirus lockdown.

Not panicking, keeping on top of things, and Ronaldhino

Overcoming worries about working with accessibility in mind, thinking about maintaining performance, and enjoying joga bonito.

Prepping for lockdown, home schooling, and travelling via streetview

Getting ready to deal with coronavirus related complications at home and at work, and photographing the world as seen by Google.

Real manly stuff, web performance, and 90s hip hop chat

A series about what passes for masculinity these days, a hefty checklist of ways to improve performance, and delving into Crate 808.

Labelling form controls, King Hartapu, and synesthesia

A look at the various ways to properly label, discovering a new (but very ancient) city, and seeing names.

Vestibular disorders, Neumorphism, and Ladhood

The impact of having vertigo for a month, looking at a potential design trend, and becoming a man in Leeds.

Bad video games, expensive video games, and tracking sick people

What happens when you try to rush the development process, the financial impact of not opening boxes, and keeping an eye on Coronavirus.

Personally fighting the climate crisis, plagues, and incubator babies

Some advice about how you can do your part to save the planet, looking at locusts, and finding out about the history of incubators.

Using CSS grid, digital Bodleian, and Kobe

Finally getting around to implementing a grid on this site, admiring manuscripts from the past, and a few words about Kobe.

Supernatural, a park of badminton rackets, and more climate woe

The best freestyle rapper of all time, trying to do a nice thing and failing, and it's way too hot.

Empathy in development, critiquing ‘kids today’, banning Billionaires

Some examples of how a little empathy has led to innovations in tech, why the kids are actually alright, and summarising why £1,000,000,000 is too much.

Mississippi River flows, variable fonts, and being in netmag

Revealing the full extent of the Mississippi River, playing with responsive typography, and having some words in a magazine.

Colour contrast, console.logging, and Herculaneum

Looking at what is really required to be accessible, revisiting some helpful console functions for JS, and admiring the House of the Bicentenary.

Manual a11y checks, vestibular triggers, and Graham Hancock

Things to check to improve accessibility of a site, thinking more about prefers-reduced-motion, and Magicians of The Gods.

An ode to Flash, ending Fortnite, and Pen & Pixel

Reminiscing about when the internet was exciting, watching a live stream of a black hole, and admiring album art.

Implementing dark mode, Great Hedge of India, and Sihanoukville

Allowing for people to browse unburdened by light, finding out about a colonial relic, and lamenting about the impact of tourism.

Smashing Mag print design, CSS resets, and dead cars

Looking at Veerle Pieters' design process, re-visiting the need for CSS resets, and handling scrap cars.

Screen readers, rap lyrics in court, and The Catcher in the Rye

Looking at some stats from the latest WebAIM screen reader survey, judging rappers based on their lyrics, and giving Holden Caulfield another chance.

Tough Mudder, time transparency, and making things pretty

Running a long way covered in mud, being more open about progress, and not undervaluing the role of CSS.

Speaking at ProductTank, inventions by women, and astroturfing

Talking about Wu-Tang to an audience of product managers, learning about things that women have invented, and thinking about how easily led people are.

Giza, the fleetingness of humans, and raising kids with hip hop

Looking at the new museum due to open in Cairo, having my mind blown by the unimportance of the human race, and justifying all those hours I make my kids listen to rap.

Atomic Tattoos, personal websites, and perpetual childhood

A bit about dealing with nuclear attacks, remembering why I have this site, and worrying about the effects of social media.

Chernobyl, Bradshaw’s Guide, and term-time holidays

A series about the nuclear disaster, a look at historical rail networks, and getting fined for having fun.

Hurricane Maria, Helltown, and Fukushima

Restoring power in Puerto Rico, fighting fires in California, and dealing with nuclear fallout.

Weeding books, rivers of London, and Quorn

How do libraries decide which books to keep, finding rivers hidden beneath London streets, and Greggs' vegan sausage rolls.

Tovaangar, #gaad, and studying invertebrates

The original Los Angeles, Global Acccessibility Awareness Day, and why science prefers birds over spiders.

A WebSockets racing game, staying cool with your kids, and UX chat

A basic game that lets you control a car through your phone, learning parenting skills from the Inuit, and listening to Laura Yarrow.

Is tourism good? No, but really is it?, and Oklahoma city

Thinking about the effects of tourism, practically and morally, and a look at the chaos of land grabs in the late 1800s.

Froebelgaben, Greta Thunberg, and Special

Toys for kindergarteners, more worrying about climate change, and a series on Netflix.

Lasers in cathedrals, the Libro de los Epítomes, and Magic cards

Scanning Notre Dame, remembering lost books, and delving into the Magic world.

Loving Vincent, Simon Pegg, and Dyatlov Pass

A hand painted cinema masterpiece, nerd chat, and mysterious happenings in Russia.

Mall living, Dennis Bergkamp, and dev perception

Setting up home in the depths of a shopping centre, the joys of the non-flying Dutchman, and agreeing with Jeremy Keith.

Recycling, abandoned Hong Kong, and Rob Lowe

Considering what happens after the recycling bin gets collected, preserving the history of buildings, and liking Rob Lowe.

Learning languages, the importance of libraries, and the web we broke

How to make your child a multilinguist, why libraries are so much more than collections of books, and being better at web accessibility.

Ibelin the Nobleman, unbuilt Bristol, and separating Art and the Artist

Living in World of Warcraft, looking at what Bristol could've been, and the morality of listening to Michael Jackson.

Balance for better, Keith Flint, and oil rigs

Speaking up for gender equality, fond memories of The Prodigy, and rethinking the impact of oil rigs.

Pencil tower penthouses, Christopher Ryan, and love

Living high in the sky, how Empires fall, and teaching an unteachable concept.

Dodger stadium, Mojave dark mode, and the importance of html / css

Learning about how baseball stadiums get built, pondering supporting dark mode, and agreeing a lot with 'our vanishing industry entry points' by Rachel Andrew.

CERN WorldWideWeb, fall of civilisations, and cat ladders

Browsing like it's 1989, learning about Roman Britain and the Bronze Age collapse, and taking cat flaps to the next level.

Webcam fun, angular, and wasting time at work

Experimenting with web cam captures, coming to terms with Angular, and doing non-work things when at work.

Parisian modernism, moving a city, and drug tunnels

Some nice looking grands ensembles, how to up and shift an entire city, and smuggling under the border.

Royal stools, orphan drugs, and lost hospitals

Helping kings and queens do their business, investing in cures for rare conditions (with Quincy, M.E.??), and tracing the locations of old buildings.

Brooklyn, Chinatown, and invisible cities

Looking at what Brooklyn used to be like, examining the architecture of Chinatown(s), and digging deep in ancient cities.

Speaking at re:develop, blepharoplasty, and dad bod rap pod

Giving a talk about the Wu-Tang Clan, grimacing at the thought of eyelid surgery, and catching up on rap podcasts for gentlemen of a certain age.

Mi Vida Local, Jamali Maddix, and Banksy

The new Atmosphere album, a podcast from the man who brought us Hate Thy Neighbour, and shredding some art.

Flat pack houses, talking about teenagers, and free soloing

Building a place to live out of a kit, giving a talk about why teenagers are actually great, and looking at the filming of Alex Honnold's big Yosemite climb.

Tough Mudder, Jim Jones, and London street signs

Running and climbing and running in mud, the horrific-ness of drinking the Kool-Aid, and the history behind various London locations.

Athens, extreme athleticism, and the Wu-Tang podcast

The thin line between classic and modern in the Greek capital, why getting older makes you want to run more, and trying out a Wu specific podcast.

Photos of empty places, getting into college, and Santi Cazorla

Appreciating some images – including gorgeous shots of Persia, a look behind the admissions process to US colleges, and Cazorla's long awaited comeback.

Epic Beard Men, more wildfires, and stealing birds

Seeing Sage Francis & B.Dolan live on stage again, looking at what makes the aftermath of wildfires so dangerous, and robbing feathers from museums.

Holidays, sheep fighting, and falling into a crevasse

Exploring central Romania, how to survive falling into an icy death pit, and the history of Algerian sheep fighting.

Fighting wildfires, drinking milk, and rocks in NY

How can you stop a wildfire, the weirdness of the dairy industry, and finding the bedrock of New York.

Mad Men, Ear Hustle, and accessible packaging

Finishing up my relationship with Don Draper, hearing about prison life, and admiring Microsoft's adaptive controller.

Interrobang, Wu-Tang portraits, and semi-successful psychology

Picking up a new (but very old) piece of punctuation, looking through some archived Wu photos, and the psychology of the England team.

Loving the Internet, Soundset, and the Doomsday Vault

40 life lessons, flying spiders, and ask, don’t assume

Being a Designer, nba dinosaurs, and Raheem Sterling

Full-stack unicorns, being a man, and inspiring Somalia

It’s the World Cup!, eat less meat, and Medellin beyond Escobar

Graham Hancock, being a team lead, and Jurassic Coast trek

Akala, designer chairs, and isometric NY

Curb cuts, David Goggins, and bullshit diamonds

Russell Brand, mobile homes, and Bojan Krkic

DMX, sunken cities, and how to support a dying person

Gander airport, Vinnie Paz, and Louis Theroux

Chap-hop, rockness monsta, and Dan Lish

Parenting podcasts, controlling clouds, and Jean Greasy

Front-end developer handbook, ducks vs decorated sheds, and Scarface

Prince Paul, airships, and intrinsic web design

Gerrymandering, epic beards, and Dr Dre

Holloways, marseille rap, and Murs

Hotdogs, Willie Bosket, and supreme knowledge

Siblings and childhood memories, rjd2, and logo design

How to be a hitman, Bijlmermeer, and the Green Eyed Bandit

Post-war modernist ideals, romance, and Evidence

DJ Head, PTA, and Everything Sucks!

El Deafo, front end handbook, and svg art

Moving a lighthouse, Ice-T, and personalising Netflix

Backward index, Tical 2000, and ideasthesia

Tech N9ne, Christmas Buxton, and marbles

Little Scraps of Wisdom

How being a parent has helped me be a better developer.