03.12.15 |
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Felicity Evans writes a “manifesto” for well written Sass in A List Apart:
Yet alongside the wide-scale adoption of Sass (which I applaud), I’ve observed a steady decline in the quality of outputted CSS (which I bemoan). It makes sense: Sass introduces a layer of abstraction between the author and the stylesheets. But we need a way to translate the web standards—that we fought so hard for—into this new environment. The problem is, the Sass specification is expanding so much that any set of standards would require constant revision. Instead, what we need is a charter—one that sits outside Sass, yet informs the way we code.
03.10.15 |
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Frank Chimero, writing in one of the smartest pieces on responsive and future web design I’ve read in quite a while:
The web is forcing our hands. And this is fine! Many sites will share design solutions, because we’re using the same materials. The consistencies establish best practices; they are proof of design patterns that play off of the needs of a common medium, and not evidence of a visual monoculture.
03.06.15 |
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Art of the Title on the iconic opening to Spike Lee’s film, featuring a then largely unknown Rosie Perez:
But while Ann-Margret looks delighted as she belts out her musical farewell, Perez looks anything but. She is hard and strong and determined. She never smiles. This is because much of her on-screen anger was real. The shoot for Do The Right Thing’s opening took place on a soundstage in Brooklyn which had a concrete floor, and Lee insisted on numerous takes, encouraging Perez to continuously bring more intensity to her dancing. Her back went out, she injured her knees. By the time they wrapped, she was using crutches.
03.05.15 |
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A very thorough breakdown of Iñárritu’s recent best picture winner at the Oscars; it’s structure, Steadicam continuity and the long take. Overall I walk away from the piece having more respect for the film than when I actually saw it (a technical and acting masterpiece saddled with some poor screenplay choices.)
03.03.15 |
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A simple web tool to create linear CSS-based gradients. It’s fast and just as effective (if not more) as almost any desktop graphical tool. Just enter a base and shift a few sliders.
03.02.15 |
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A small collection of Sass mixins, helpers, and functions for common styling on elements. Many if not most I probably wouldn’t use, but a few here, like clearfix, a pseudo triangle, and centering with transforms I rely on all the time for my day job. Worth a look.
02.27.15 |
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Give it up to Eurogamer’s Digital Foundary for being an unimpeachable source for hard-core tech/processing/graphics news within the gaming community. This scoop on the Xbox One – it’s past performance and how it’s likely to evolve with the SDK changes – is a great read.
02.26.15 |
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Grantland contributor Mark Harris wrote an influential, well circulated essay on Hollywood’s increasing investment in superhero movies. I finally caught up with it this week; it’s incredibly pessimistic, but Harris makes a compelling argument.
02.24.15 |
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I’m a huge podcast fan, usually listening to several during my work day, especially when I’m cranking out code or debugging. Yet I’m also very picky – I have my favorites I listen to religiously, but rarely venture into new territory.
Yet even with that backstory, about twenty minutes into my first Design Details episode, I was hooked. It’s got solid guests that get asked a diverse set of questions. And unlike most podcasts, the show notes are time stamped and very detailed.
02.20.15 |
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One of my favorite Reddit AMA’s that somehow bubbled up to the movies subreddit front page a few weeks ago. As a huge The Wire fan, it’s awesome hearing so many behind the scene bits presented from such an unorthodox angle. An extended example of the British actor Dominic West (McNulty) having to head in the studio for ADR sessions is a highlight.