remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggersread at source
Firefox version 157 is very round (and how to make it less round) – creolened.com [link]
This is very useful. I do like the direction Firefox design is going, but the very round tabs make me think the hit target for tabs - especially when pinned and muted - is much smaller than it actually is. Original link: creolened.com/firefox-version-157-is-very-round
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers1 min read
There are no "rogue" AI agents [link]
I've read so many posts in the last few months about AI agents going "rogue" and this post does a good job of calling absolute bullshit on the language being used by media outlets (and the tech companies themselves). AI cannot think for itself, nor can it take independent actions. But anthropomorphizing language suggesting it can is how the technology is described. I keep saying this, but the companies are responsible and should be prosecuted as such. Any other smaller company or individual caught in a cyber attack (which is what these reports actually are) would be likely jailed and banned from using computers again. Lest we forget Aaron Swartz. Original link: eoinhiggins.substack.com/[…]/there-are-no-rogue-ai-agents
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggersread at source
A Trump team wants to automate U.S. Web Design System accessibility testing. Experts are worried. [link]
This is gut wrenching. This is another example of cost cutting exercises that affect minorities. This isn't a story about AI, it's (another) story about pulling funding from the places that need to support those that need it to increase the profits of those who don't. Most accessibility testing is evaluating how a real human user — particularly a real human user with accessibility needs, like a screen reader user or other assisted technology user — would interact with the site. It is about what a human would experience. Original link: fedscoop.com/trump-team-automate-uswds-accessibility-testing-ai
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers4 min read
Redesign: fonts, alignment and nav [blog]
As I continue occasionally tinker on the redesign I've started (and often think "what's the point, current design is fine"), I wanted to share some of the problems I've run in to. Problems mostly for me because I'm not a designer, and I don't have the wiring to know what works.
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers1 min read
Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1) [book]
Not something I'd normally pick, but enjoyable. I've never played dungeons and dragons, and in my head, I kept thinking of Minecraft as my rough frame of reference (which I've touched because of the kids but not really played to any real amount). The book follows Carl, who, as we guess from the title and thankfully within a few pages find that he's forced to become a dungeon crawler for the entertainment for some extra terrestrial intergalactic world galloping corporate ring thingy. He descends into the dungeon with his cat, which, thankfully and unsurprisingly gains the ability to talk. None of the characters or the story is particularly unique. I was describing the book to my daughter whom immediately asked if it was based on a video game. It's not, as far as I know, but I guess this is the point, there's lots of cultural shorthand that the story can pull from. Even though I say there's nothing surprising in there, it didn't hold the book back from being fun and funny at times. It does try to bring up the indiscriminate mass murder of so-called monsters (ie. not human), and maybe that's picked up in future books (of which I understand there's seven more), but it did rather feel like the character rather quickly took to it like a duck to water. But then, does it matter? This book wasn't trying to be a social commentary on how quickly humans can disassociate. I think I'd like to pick up some of the next books in the series, but I'm really not a fan of "required" reading to get the complete story, so I suspect if I do ever get to finish book eight, it'll likely be years from now…
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggersread at source
tip turn on dns over https doh [link]
Ignoring that every time I read DoH as "Doh!" and not DNS over HTTPS, this is still a useful tip from Tantek. A reminder that it's easy for the router to see what's happening. By using DoH exclusively, every one of those domain names is sent only to your DoH provider (e.g. Cloudflare or NextDNS) blocking your local router, WiFi, and internet service provider from making a list of which websites you visit, or at least making it much harder Original link: tantek.com/[…]/tip-turn-on-dns-over-https-doh
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers4 min read
Redesign '26 [blog]
Around June this year I decided that I wanted to spruce up my blog. I had landed on Elliot Jay Stocks and Jon Hicks' web site and it really made me want to get my blog to something I'd consider visually appealing. I do know that I've set the bar way, way too high by looking at their sites. Specifically because if you're reading this on my website (and not RSS), you'll know design is not my strong suite. Grey is. Boxes and grey. Given that my last redesign was 18 years ago, I'm hoping I've learnt a few design tricks along the way.
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers2 min read
text-decoration-thickness discrepancies [blog]
I'm in the process of (attempting) to redesign this blog, and in doing so, I'm using a few of the new bits (to me) of CSS to make things fancy. In this instance, I'm using text-decoration-thickness on my titles, and wanted to document the quirks I noticed.
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers1 min read
Are We at War with AI Agent “Civilizations”? [link]
TL;DR: no. I've been watching over the commentary about the recent LLM "breakouts", and I feel particularly suspicious about the way the AI companies themselves have been reporting. This post captures what I've been thinking (without having the firm grasp of the technical methods). In particular: OpenAI wants us to believe that these hacking incidents are the inevitable result of AI continuing to become more powerful. This framing casts them as the reluctant (perhaps even heroic) stewards of a powerful technology. Especially at the scale of numbers of prompts and agent runs they're dealing with, without any supervision. Original link: calnewport.com/are-we-at-war-with-ai-agent-civilizations
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers2 min read
Before you buy an LTE Pixel Watch (for your teen) [blog]
The boy is 14 and regularly does long outdoor runs. He tracks his run with Strava by carrying his phone with him. But carrying a phone (because they're bulky) is a pain. He also plans to swim in the sea during summer and we've all said we don't want him having a mobile just left on the beach until he comes back in. Mum (his, not mine) also runs and she's been caught in the past a few miles away without a phone, injured and asking a stranger to use their phone to call me for help (she was okay after some recovery). So the agreement was that we'd try to find a smart watch that also has call and text facility (ie. LTE). Lots of hunting around we ended up with a second hand Pixel Watch 2 and planned to add an eSIM to his existing phone plan. You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Well, it goes sideways is what.
remy sharp's b:logTop Front-end Bloggers1 min read
I Who Have Never Known Men [book]
Bleak. Engaging. Thought provoking. Sad. This was recommended as something like if you enjoy Silo (the Wool trilogy - which I own, but hadn't read - but have watched the TV series). I'm going to say this up front: it's only like Silo in respect to being in a deep hole and not really knowing why. The story is written first hand from our unnamed protagonist as her last mark in the world. A world, which she's the last person left. Initially I found the style off putting, because it's a non-stop run of sentences. No chapters. No breaks. Just stream of consciousness. However, as I got to know the character, it felt natural and sort of ended up working. The title also did accidentally draw me into the assumption that not knowing men is core to the story, but really it's not. I certainly comes up, but it's not the core tenant. It's one of the last quotes in the books that stood out to me the most: Perhaps you never have time when you are alone? You only acquire it by watching it go by in others There's a lot of what is it like to exist alone, whilst also giving the main character a reason to think this way - she's different from the other women she grew up with because unlike the others, she doesn't remember the world before they were caged. Overall, it's pretty bleak. It's not so bleak that it could happen in our reality (whereas I could see how The Handmaid's Tale could), and the aloneness really does punch through. I don't do half stars, but this does sit between three and four. A solid dystopian read.