Weeknotes 20:09

May 18, 2020

Week of May 10 - 16

New Project

I started working on a new project this past week for the Airport Cooperative Research Program. We are building a WordPress site to share insights about transformative technologies to help educate and inform airport operators about technologies they can utilize now or in the near future.

The project is reusing a custom template from a previous project. Most of my work is to refactor the CSS to match the branding of this site and writing the custom template code for the unique needs of this site. It is nice to work on a project that I can just jump right in without having to make a lot of the preliminary decisions that are needed for a fresh from the ground-up project. There are still enough challenges to make the project interesting.

Online Reading

• Accessible Images For When They Matter Most – Really good article in thinking about images and accessibility. I still struggle to determine whether an image is purely decorative or not. Why describe an image that seemingly is supporting the content visually. Though I am challenged to consider the emotional message of the images in the design and if I am cheating those who cannot see it by not including some alt text to convey that emotion.
• Alpine.js: The JavaScript Framework That’s Used Like jQuery, Written Like Vue, and Inspired by TailwindCSS and Introducing Alpine.js: A Tiny JavaScript Framework – I want to learn more about Alpine.js because I could see it being useful in my development projects after reading both of these articles.
• Restaurant website accessibility falls short at a critical time – Found this one very interesting.
• window.location Cheatsheet – Helpful resource.
• Everything I Learned About min(), max(), clamp() In CSS – the latest article I have read about these new CSS functions. One of the most thorough articles I have read on the subject with plenty of examples. I really need to take some time to play around with this and add it to my toolkit.
• min(), max(), and clamp() are CSS magic! – If you would rather learn by video, Kevin Powell has got you covered.
• My Web Accessibility Testing Process – Enjoyed getting to look at how someone else approaches accessibility testing. Well worth your time to read.
• Sometimes the Life of Faith Is Just Walking, Not Fainting – Enjoyed this reflection by Trevin Wax.
• The Story of Ewing Kauffman (series of videos) – I enjoyed finally watching these videos about Ewing Kauffman. I built a site for the Kauffman Foundation last year and came across these videos as I researched the Foundation. I grew up in Kansas City and knew of Mr. K because he owned the Royals. I enjoyed getting to find out more about this man.
• Embracing Fragility – This is one of the main themes that has been on my mind throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
• Church, Don’t Let the Coronavirus Divide You – Another subject I have been thinking a lot about lately. I have read several articles on the subject and this is one of the better ones.

Reading (Books)

• Atomic Habits – started two weeks ago
• All Things for Good – I finished this Christian classic over the weekend.
• Plugged In – I started this book at the end of the week. Not quite what I expected so far. Even looking at the description on Amazon just now, it has not quite covered the topics that are mentioned in the book description. I am guessing that the author is building a foundation that will be needed to look into the culture we consume.

Watched

• Budapest is one of my favorite cities. I enjoyed watching this video and seeing familiar sites. Crazy to see the city “silent.”
• The West Wing on Netflix
• Disney Galleries: The Mandalorian: The Cast on Disney+
• Herbie the Love Bug (Disney+) – Several members of my family watched this on Thursday. I wasn’t planning to watch it but got pulled in.
• Prop Culture (Disney+) –  I watched the episodes about The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Last Man Standing (Local TV)