Wednesday session

It’s October. Autumn is wrapping itself around us, squeezing the leaves from the trees. Summer has slipped away, though it gave us a parting gift of a few pleasant days this week to sit outside at lunchtime. I’ve got a bit of a ritual now for the end of September. I go to S...

1. Start with the text
2. Use size intentionally
3. Contrast weights and styles
4. Play with spacing
5. Use colour, but don’t rely on it
6. Limit your font choices (but choose well and wisely)
7. Repeat, repeat, repeat
8. Test your system

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A profile of Tim and the World World Web.

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A fascinating look at the importance of undersea cables, taken from a new book called The Web Beneath the Waves.

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Netflix’s House Of Guinness is schlocky trash but it’s schlocky trash with Irish subtitles available, so I’m thoroughly enjoying watching/reading it.

God, I love the way that Denise writes:

On the train there’s an ad for Adobe Express: “Commercially safe AI. Trusted results”. The ad shows a photo slotting in to a design. Commercially safe for everyone but photographers and designers. I couldn’t get a seat facing forwards, so I head backwards into the future like some half-arsed AI metaphor.

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Monday session

Clouds looming towards Brighton.

Here’s a comprehensive round-up of new CSS that you can use right now—you can expect to see some of this in action at Web Day Out!

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Thursday session

While I’ve been listening to Hounds Of Love, I’ve also been reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Here’s a passage from an early chapter as the crew of the International Space Station watch a typhoon forming: How wired and wakeful the earth seems suddenly. It’s not one of...

I love this conversation.

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The album Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush turned 40 years old this month. It has really stood the test of time. It still sounds like nothing else. It’s kind of two albums in one. There’s the A side with all those perfect pop songs—Running Up That Hill, Hounds Of Love, Cloudbus...

I’ve added this handy little bit of CSS to my starting styles.

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I don’t think it’s controversial to suggest that LLMs haven’t measured up to any of the lofty promises made by their vendors. But in more concrete terms, consumers dislike “AI” when it shows up in products, and it makes them actively mistrust the brands that employ it. In other words, we’re some three years into the hype cycle, and LLMs haven’t met any markers of success we’d apply to, well, literally any other technology.

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Wednesday session

If you work at a clever company, then you should let them know about sponsoring Web Day Out.

All the details are in this PDF sponsorship pack. Basically there are three (and only three) spots available, at three different levels of sponsorship.

One of the best things about the venue for Web Day Out is that always having an excellent auditorium, the Studio Theatre has a really nice space for the breaks. It would be the perfect spot to set up a stand and chat with all the smart attendees.

All the attendees will, by definition, be smart because they got tickets for Web Day Out—a steal at just £225+VAT.

Had cocido for lunch in Madrid yesterday and I’m still full today.

I clearly had a good time at the Irish fleadh in Cáceres.

Best churros in town

Reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

Monday night session in Madrid

Adios, Cáceres!

Sunday night session

Saturday night late session

Serenaded at dinner by the Friel sisters and Polca4

Saturday evening session

Saturday session in the sun

Buenos días, Cáceres!