Blake Watson :prami:

Frontend Engineer at MRI Technologies / NASA. Web tinkerer, wheelchair user, font hoarder, INTJ, Christian.

Public Key

npub16f0eea87flx0hp3l3ram2s6p09z6dg9jpxd25j6tev2kjr57nmrqvuctfn

NIP-05 Address

bw_at_social.lol@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsdyhuu7nlyln8msclc37a4gdqhj3dx5zeqnx42fd9uk9tfp60fa3sjej9ux

Author Public Key

npub16f0eea87flx0hp3l3ram2s6p09z6dg9jpxd25j6tev2kjr57nmrqvuctfn

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Last Notes

2024-10-10 16:03:54

The wait is over. HTML for People is OUT NOW!
I feel strongly that anyone should be able to make a website with HTML if they want. This web book will teach you how to do just that. It doesn’t require any previous experience making websites or coding. I will cover everything you need to know to get started in an approachable and friendly way.
And it’s free for all. 🚀
https://htmlforpeople.com

2024-09-04 17:17:38

Woke up to a ton of Mastodon notifications. Who knew there were so many HTML fans? <3

2024-08-07 04:20:55

These $10 Panasonic earbuds punch WAY above their weight. I've heard $100+ that sounded worse.
https://shop.panasonic.com/products/ergofit-in-ear-earbud-headphones

2024-08-06 05:06:24

I wish more people with SMA knew about our Discord server and other communities. So I wrote about them in a blog post. Hopefully people searching the web will find it.
https://blakewatson.com/journal/sma-chat-discord-server/

2024-08-06 02:34:03

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American SaaS idea: crowdfunded health insurance for developers. “Keep the developers of your favorite apps healthy!”

2024-08-06 02:21:48

Sometimes I think to myself, “Man, I hope the developer of this cool app doesn't get hit by a bus.”

2024-07-28 23:16:41

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@npub1r9q…er54 I know. And I was trying to be a good internet citizen and unsubscribe rather than report spam.

2024-07-28 22:57:23

“It looks like your browser or ad blocker is preventing Javascript from successfully loading this unsubscribe page.”
You have got to be kidding me.

2024-07-28 17:33:02

Me and some friends are going to be playing the tabletop RPG, Monster of the Week. If you like RPGs and you like shows such as Buffy, Supernatural, Stranger Things, X-Files, Fringe, etc, then you’ll probably like this game.
Here’s the intro and rules summary I wrote for my players.
https://blakewatson.com/journal/monster-of-the-week-game-introduction-and-rules-summary/

2024-07-24 14:55:17

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@npub1gkr…lcp0 “What if I take the window people outside. They could use some fresh air,” Chris thought to himself.

2024-07-22 15:06:19

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@npub1mfp…z3xt whoa this really cool. I may have to sign up just to check it out. Also I love the whole VHS design motif they got going on.

2024-07-22 14:44:45

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@npub18h4…u2m4 Interesting. This could be good, especially for learning, when you aren’t sure you’ll even stick with it.

2024-07-21 21:57:30

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@npub1240…xj82 Thanks, yeah that’s a one I keep seeing recommended. (btw love your website!)

2024-07-21 21:51:22

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@npub1qdy…t78y Not necessarily, although the primary audience would be English-speaking.

2024-07-21 20:34:33

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@npub1h4x…ek6t I love NFSN (https://blakewatson.com/journal/why-i-host-my-websites-with-nearlyfreespeech-net/) but I don’t think it’s beginner-friendly enough for the audience I’m recommending to.

2024-07-21 19:50:01

I’m looking for a shared host recommendation for someone just getting started with PHP—like mostly for includes. Something that’s simple, affordable, and beginner-friendly. Anyone have recommendations?

2024-07-08 02:12:36

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@npub1wk4…89hg lol, looks great! Hello from a fellow Eleventy user and MIS grad!

2024-07-08 02:01:40

For some reason I decided that my HTML for People book (I'm experimenting with calling it a book because it's starting to feel like one) needed an appendix chapter on “CSS basics.”
This is by far the most difficult part of the entire thing why do I do this to myself whyy
https://htmlforpeople.com/

2024-07-07 22:49:30

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@npub168e…nms6 Haha perfect.

2024-07-07 22:28:35

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@npub168e…nms6 Cool cool. The NFSN forums are pretty good too for NFSN-specific questions. Jeff (jdw) who runs NFSN is good about answering questions. I know some of the quirks but I sometimes have to get help.

2024-07-07 22:14:03

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@npub168e…nms6 Awesome! I do love NFSN even it’s a bit quirky. Feel free to reach out if you need help. https://blakewatson.com/about/#contact-me

2024-07-07 14:29:37

I set out to style the quaint, white page with its long runs of Times New Roman and I thought to myself, “first, do no harm.”

2024-07-05 23:26:39

One of my favorite things is putting on my AirPods Pro, turning on noise cancellation, and then not listening to anything.

2024-06-25 05:59:10

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@npub1auh…u2le who needs birds and crickets when you have San Francisco public safety radio traffic

2024-06-25 05:54:59

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@npub1c4e…juaz That's really cool, thanks for grabbing the photo!

2024-06-24 20:49:10

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@npub1zjx…lcj9 thanks!

2024-06-24 20:18:30

I just turned 39 and ordered some Polo trouser socks. I feel so old.

2024-06-24 06:29:37

I did some work refreshing my home-cooked bookmarks app. I figured it was finally time to write about this app since I never really did back when I created it two years ago.
https://blakewatson.com/journal/my-home-cooked-app-for-online-bookmarks/

2024-06-23 02:09:55

Sometimes I pronounce it “gif” instead of the true correct way, “gif.”

2024-06-20 14:14:16

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@npub1kfw…w86t I made it like two paragraphs in then bought Typora and played around with it for thirty minutes then remembered I never finished reading the article.

2024-06-17 20:17:01

I lost the ability handwrite for years now. It’s chief among the things I miss (https://blakewatson.com/journal/things-i-miss/).
I was thinking of collecting scans of old writing samples (I think I have enough) and creating a font as a way to restore my lost handwriting, in a way.
I really don’t know where to start or how difficult it would be to accomplish given that I can’t produce new samples.
If anyone has resources or direction to giv me, I’d appreciate it!

2024-06-12 20:50:13

Watching MKBHD’s interview with Tim Cook at WWDC24. In it, Tim says “Our model is one where we want to empower you to be able to do things you couldn’t do otherwise.”
I feel this really hard. Apple’s accessibility features are S-tier and I can’t overstate how much they impact my life for the better.

2024-06-11 20:40:33

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@npub1zjx…lcj9 no way. looking…
*searches*
wuuuuuut lmao that’s awesome

2024-06-04 22:54:20

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@npub18y0…dsym Yessss

2024-05-29 17:35:47

I looked at the clock at exactly 12:34:56

2024-05-29 16:04:18

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@npub1gpq…fnxc Yeah that’s kinda what sparked this post. I can’t use a tablet unfortunately but it looks dope!

2024-05-29 15:59:48

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Update: these “e-ink settings” worked much better on my MBP than on my Studio Display. Seems like it can’t combine the grayscale filter with Night Shift very well.

2024-05-29 14:35:46

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@npub1mdx…45y4 Unfortunately the screenshot ignores some of the display features so it’s not possible. I might try to get a photo at some point.

2024-05-29 04:56:02

I wanted the feeling of an e-ink monitor, and I realized that with the right settings in macOS I could get something close.
https://blakewatson.com/journal/e-ink-mode/

2024-05-27 19:45:03

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@npub1zjx…lcj9 💜

2024-05-27 15:38:07

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@npub1us4…6y8r Yeah that’s what I did at first but then I wondered if it was possible to give it more semantic meaning. Like for example:
<time datetime="2019-08">August 2019</time>–Present

2024-05-27 15:30:15

In HTML, how would you go about marking up something like this?
August 2019–Present

2024-05-24 23:48:25

I’m not saying the term “user” is always bad, but the old joke goes that only industries that call their patrons “users” are drug dealers and tech.
I’ve found myself searching for other words when it makes sense. Are they reading my article? They’re readers. Or if I need to be generic—they’re visitors. Are they paying me? They’re customers or patrons.

2024-05-24 21:34:14

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@npub1zjx…lcj9 As soon as I have a draft ready I’m gonna post it in the omg.lol Discord for feedback. I’ll ping you!

2024-05-24 19:23:50

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@npub1d34…0e3v You know what you’re right it is that. Yes. Yes indeed.

2024-05-24 19:21:13

🙈 I may have purchased another font.

2024-05-24 16:22:31

😅 Furiously writing HTML for People.

2024-05-21 16:20:47

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@npub1y9z…3ykm https://posthaven.com/

2024-05-21 16:17:30

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@npub1qtf…sj5a I’m using Tabnine and I like it. I have difficulty typing (I use an onscreen keyboard) and AI-powered inline completion has really helped me out on the whole.

2024-05-20 22:44:54

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@npub16kf…f4dm Right now it’s all same-y: “Embracing AI!”

2024-05-20 00:46:59

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@npub1qkd…rgyg You probably get like a twelve hour lead time over the people waiting on emails.

2024-05-20 00:43:59

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@npub1qkd…rgyg NERD

2024-05-19 02:59:51

I've made it far enough into my HTML for People tutorial series that I felt comfortable enough to buy the domain name and throw up a landing page.
https://htmlforpeople.com/

2024-05-18 20:25:30

What’s the simplest service to use for a “notify me when this project launches” landing page?

2024-05-18 19:46:32

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@npub1z68…dgr5 No this is great, thanks! The live-updating table of contents is a nice touch.

2024-05-18 18:59:02

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@npub1flv…vy4u This is great. Nice and minimal.

2024-05-18 18:56:11

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@npub16kf…f4dm lol that detail slider is cool

2024-05-18 18:55:06

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@npub1xer…7v6d Whoa that’s neat

2024-05-18 18:52:54

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@npub18y0…dsym Love how you did the featured projects and testimonials. Nice *literal* use of <details>!

2024-05-17 23:50:11

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@npub13wf…lw7h - Invented wheel
- Negotiated peace with rival tribes using spoken language
- Promoted to fire handler

2024-05-17 23:46:35

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@npub1cwm…w22f Love the attention to typography here

2024-05-17 23:45:29

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@npub13wf…lw7h AOL!

2024-05-17 23:44:32

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@npub1lvx…6up0 Thanks! This is :chefskiss:

2024-05-17 23:33:52

If you have a version of your resume in HTML, I’d love to see it! For learning/curiosity/inspiration.

2024-05-17 20:02:28

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@npub1zjx…lcj9 Oooh I need to try this

2024-05-17 19:07:46

I wish I knew how the hell emails containing the word “airdrop” multiple times are getting through all THREE of my spam filters.

2024-05-17 16:39:47

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@npub1mfp…z3xt Oh I got it! Microsoft Live Preview server in VSCode was using 127.0.0.1 but switching to localhost instead fixed the embeds.

2024-05-17 16:18:20

I’m working on a beginner HTML tutorial series and I’m just finding out that YouTube embeds won’t work in a non-ssl context like a local web server.
Do I have any good option for getting around this? I’m not gonna make a beginner deal with self-signed certs.

2024-05-17 04:37:10

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I found this VS Code extension via MDN. https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yuichinukiyama.vscode-preview-server

2024-05-17 04:22:24

What's the easiest way for a non-developer to run a local webserver **on Windows** for serving an HTML website?
I'm looking for something that is as easy as WorldWideWeb for macOS. https://iconfactory.com/worldwideweb/

2024-05-16 17:42:43

Last night I dreamed I was back in high school and the teacher opened the first day of class with “We’re going to be learning web design… and COBOL.”
blinking-guy.gif

2024-05-16 00:36:25

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@npub1y9z…3ykm I was debating adding this style of og images to my site but yeah so far I haven’t seen a process of doing it that seemed worth the effort or the extra dependencies.

2024-05-15 18:26:54

I’m so happy about a longstanding bug that was fixed in macOS Accessibility Keyboard, the built-in onscreen keyboard.
The accessibility keyboard has word prediction similar to how an iPhone does. Problem is, it usually crapped out in browser-based editors (probably because of how weird `contenteditable` regions are).
But in the latest version of Sonoma it’s working beautifully! That means I can now easily write in apps like Obsidian and my own https://write.omg.lol.

2024-05-13 19:14:28

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@npub127m…9daj I don’t think so because I’m inside a module. And even if there was a `post` variable in global scope, it would be overridden by the post in my map callback.

2024-05-13 17:39:16

I keep running into an Eleventy circular reference error but I don’t know why. If anyone is in the Discord, here’s my problem: https://discord.com/channels/741017160297611315/1239618935591141446

2024-05-11 19:42:40

I’m always looking for good CSS named-colors cheatsheets or references. This one is fun. Please send me ones you know of!
https://austingil.com/css-named-colors/

2024-05-10 21:06:16

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@npub1mfp…z3xt Heck yes, this is great! Appreciate all the links back to docs.

2024-05-10 21:02:50

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@npub1pep…nts5 Have you considered starting some sort of club? Could be good for “driving engagement” or what have you.

2024-05-10 20:54:16

Does anyone know of a good HTML cheatsheet or reference for beginners?

2024-05-09 21:45:42

Safari devtools is not letting me uncheck or modify styles. Anyone run into this before?

2024-05-09 01:30:26

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@npub1zjx…lcj9 Yeah, hmmm.

2024-05-09 01:05:55

I have a chicken and egg problem.
When I publish a blog article I want to include a link to a corresponding Mastodon post. To write the Mastodon post, the article needs to be live. But to publish the blog article, I need the URL to the Mastodon post. But I don’t know the Mastodon post URL until I publish it. Ahhhhh!!
Am I really going to have to deploy my site, post a toot, then turn around and add the link to my site and deploy again? Ugh, there’s got to be a better way.
#SSGproblems

2024-05-09 00:02:51

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@npub18y0…dsym Funny story. I went to share it with my frontend team on Slack and it just so happened my boss was already watching it by chance.

2024-05-08 21:40:03

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@npub18y0…dsym This was great!

2024-05-08 20:29:59

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@npub1nxz…pw8g *chef’s kiss*

2024-05-08 19:02:34

This is the kind of CSS change I enjoy making. Tiny tweaks no one else will notice.
https://media.social.lol/media_attachments/files/112/407/016/306/174/053/original/adcafc4359c0b82f.png

2024-05-07 20:10:36

📝 Working on a post about my new website rebuild that I launched and didn’t say anything about...

2024-05-06 15:12:25

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The answer ended up being to use eleventyConfig.addCollection, which is counterintuitive because in my mind I’ve already “added” it.
But anyway, you can pass a callback, get all the posts in the target collection, then sort how you like.
https://www.11ty.dev/docs/collections/#getfilteredbytag(-tagname-)

2024-05-06 14:27:44

11ty peeps, what’s the simplest way to sort a particular collection by the file slug? #11ty

2024-05-06 01:06:45

It looks like my Rube Goldberg machine for updating my microblog is working. I'm going to write about it at some point.

2024-05-05 21:28:16

Pardon my test post. Testing my EchoFeed webhook.

2024-05-05 16:42:58

I’m playing around with EchoFeed 👀

2024-05-03 19:58:28

RSS peeps: if I were to use htaccess to 301 redirect my old RSS feed to my new one, would people following the old feed still get my new posts?

2024-05-02 17:00:58

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@npub1agr…aayr I think Tot for Mac is pretty juicy https://tot.rocks/

2024-05-02 15:47:55

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@npub18y0…dsym Are these valid in the context of a web component?

2024-05-02 15:29:01

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@npub18y0…dsym Is there a good standalone dom-diffing package to use when rendering a component’s markup? And/or what are some strategies for rendering a template, be it shadow root or not?

2024-04-27 13:16:46

Tired: initial commit
Wired: FIRST

2024-04-26 19:16:16

The Verge: “People immediately grasp the potential for AI to simplify and streamline their daily lives but still prefer humans for more personal tasks like dating.”
Joaquin Phoenix: False.

2024-04-25 23:42:30

My brother and I did a song swap and wrote reaction posts.
- https://blakewatson.com/journal/song-swap-kayama/
- https://www.mattwatson.org/blog/20240425-song-swap-lilac-wine/

2024-04-25 21:26:37

“The old pencil has a point of view on being a pencil. The new one is like a simulacrum of a pencil.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLwo1kOcwxs