Ethan Marcotte

  1. The ship is anchor’d safe and sound.

    A favorite actor just passed away.

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  2. All watched over by algorithms of loving grace.

    If you liked that, have you considered you might enjoy: more of that

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  3. Folded between the pages.

    Some statements about “AI”, and about putting down what you mean.

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  4. 49

    The last year of something, before something else.

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  5. The house is valuable because it is the house.

    On paring things back, and finding everything that remains.

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  6. All tomorrow’s parties.

    What happens next? Well, you tell me.

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  7. Retour.

    Doing a thing I used to do all the time, and having some feelings about it.

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  8. Propellant.

    We cannot separate the everyday use of “AI” platforms from their use in death and war.

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  9. I find them on the street & shadow.

    It wasn’t until the end of our chat that I learned her name.

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  10. Our frail thoughts.

    I should be writing about a terrifically difficult year. Instead, I’m thinking about flowers and dead men.

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  11. The line and the stream.

    “Artificial intelligence is the future,” they tell me. The thing is, futures are tricky.

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  12. A right to copy.

    This is one author’s short, failed journey to file a claim in Anthropic’s copyright lawsuit. (Oops. Spoilers, sorry.)

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  13. A carried leaf.

    What we talk about when we talk about showing our work.

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  14. Some well-made things.

    Here are some things I’ve enjoyed lately.

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  15. Against the protection of stocking frames.

    “Artificial intelligence” is a failed technology. It’s time we described it that way.

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  16. A notional design studio.

    A design language, if you can keep it.

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  17. Newslettered.

    Eric wrote about his newsletter subscriptions, and asked some friends to do the same. Here’s my entry.

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  18. Link bug.

    I added a links section to my website. Here’s how I made it, and why.

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  19. Unbreaking.

    Here’s to new work, and to a little more clarity amid the chaos.

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  20. Responsive web design turns fifteen.

    The original “Responsive Web Design” article was published fifteen years ago. Time’s weird, man.

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  21. Hallucinating.

    A minor semantic quibble.

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  22. Magick images.

    I’ve upgraded my site’s social media preview images, using a combination of ImageMagick and Eleventy. Here’s entirely too many words about how I made it all happen.

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  23. It’s time to organize.

    There’s an old organizing joke someone once told me: “Who’s in the union? You and I.”

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  24. You deserve a new book design.

    A peek into You Deserve a Tech Union’s new design, and the typefaces—and process—that made it happen.

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  25. Refresh.

    In 2023, I wrote a book. Several months later, my publisher closed its doors. And now? We’re back, and better than ever.

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  26. Commencement.

    Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new.

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  27. Parker.

    Another year, another redesign. Might as well get to work.

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  28. Moving on from 18F.

    I had a wonderful job, until I didn’t. This is about what happened—and what is still happening.

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  29. A challenge of blog questions.

    Jon and Naz kindly tagged me into a blogging challenge! Namely, to answer a set of questions about how I blog, and why.

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  30. Ames & Amherst.

    No hate. No fear—well, a fair bit of fear. But I’m ready.

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  31. Two books, no longer apart.

    I’ve put my first two books online for free.

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  32. A catalog.

    Here are some things I know.

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  33. Times to strike.

    The largest union of tech workers just went on strike.

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  34. Reacquired.

    Last year, I wrote a book. Several months later, my publisher closed its doors. This is about what happens next.

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  35. This site goes up to Eleventy.

    I just migrated this little website’s internals over to Eleventy. If I did my job right, you won’t notice the change.

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  36. Hello, 18F.

    I’ve been a designer at 18F for one week now.

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  37. Slingshot.

    I just attended my first Labor Notes Conference. My head’s full, and my heart’s on fire.

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  38. Blockin’ bots.

    Here’s how I’m blocking “artificial intelligence” bots, crawlers, and scrapers.

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  39. The negotiation cycle.

    On the work, and being endlessly clever.

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  40. Lowe.

    Spotted a copy of You Deserve a Tech Union at my local library. It made my decade.

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  41. Generative.

    Nineteen thoughts about “generative artificial intelligence,” spanning a few centuries.

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  42. Collective.

    A prominent investor got excited about collective bargaining. I did too! (But probably for different reasons.)

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  43. Reviewed.

    My book was reviewed in Labor Notes. I’m still pinching myself.

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  44. The 2023 that was.

    A little marker for myself, from one year to the next.

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  45. Broadly.

    I’m excited to share a change in You Deserve a Tech Union’s pricing.

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  46. A new op-ed: on OpenAI and worker power.

    What happens when workers take collective action, and in an anti-worker industry?

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  47. Boston meetup, redux: “You deserve a tech union!”

    Tech workers of Boston! Curious about unions? We’re having another meetup about it!

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  48. Boston meetup: “Why do tech workers deserve a union?”

    Tech workers of Boston! Curious about unions? Let’s have a meetup about it!

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  49. In medias.

    Writin’ up—for you, but also for me—a few book events from last week.

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  50. Minetta.

    I went to a conference last weekend, and it was wonderful. In fact, I’m still thinking about it—and about what can happen next.

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  51. A little book and its author, out in the world.

    So! You Deserve a Tech Union’s been getting a little attention lately! Here’s a short roundup.

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  52. Three weeks.

    You Deserve a Tech Union’s launch feels like it was just yesterday! What is time anymore

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  53. Labor’s day.

    Some tech unions could use our support.

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  54. Mail, run.

    What else happened this week? Well, I wrote my first op-ed; also, I got some mail.

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  55. You Deserve a Tech Union is here!

    Well, hey! Happy pub day to my latest book!

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  56. Tick TOC.

    Here’s the table of contents for You Deserve a Tech Union. (Also, hey: how about a sample chapter?)

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  57. Street team.

    My new book, You Deserve a Tech Union, is almost here. Here’s how you can help support it!

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  58. Post by post.

    Life after Twitter remains, well, weird. Maybe this is better.

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  59. Blurbs.

    Blurbs are starting to come in for You Deserve a Tech Union, along with several emotions.

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  60. Announcing my new book, You Deserve a Tech Union.

    I wrote this book for you, for me—for all of us. I hope you like it.

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  61. Bookin’.

    Hey, this is neat: A Book Apart is available in bookstores, and around the world.

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  62. Tooled.

    The work, and who gets to do it.

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  63. Adoption.

    What we talk about when we talk about measuring a design system.

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  64. Notes from a dining room chair.

    On getting stuck, and what you worry about when you worry about writing.

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  65. Truthish.

    Whose sources, and whose truths?

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  66. Points, break.

    When did we start using “breakpoint” to talk about layout adaptation? (Honestly, I don’t know!)

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  67. Notes from a dining room table.

    For what comes next, whatever it is.

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  68. Weekend updates.

    Various and sundry design tweaks! Writing bios is still terrible! Dark Mode 2: The Return of Dark Mode! It’s good to be back!

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  69. Parts, parcel.

    At some point, something shifted.

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  70. À la porte.

    I should probably check my email again.

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  71. Locus.

    What’s better, where, and for whom.

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  72. Splits.

    For now, I’ve got my feet under me. And I’m grateful.

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  73. Notes from a week.

    Hello. It’s been a week. (A little more than, if I’m being honest.)

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  74. Stress systems.

    On feeling overwhelmed by systems.

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  75. Bookiversary.

    The fine folks at A Book Apart asked me to participate in a little interview, as my little yellow book just turned ten years old!

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  76. Responsive design and container queries? Oh my!

    At long last, container queries might finally become reality! And responsive design just turned eleven! My goodness!

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  77. Union.

    Tech workers, it’s time we unionize.

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  78. New work: Free design systems courses, available at Aquent Gymnasium.

    I’ve launched four courses on design systems, available for free at Aquent Gymnasium! I hope you like them.

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  79. Design-ish systems.

    “Why create a design system?” It’s a good question, if a hard one.

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  80. Au revoir, mon AMPmour?

    Last year, Google announced AMP will no longer be a requirement for prime search placement. This is good! But I still have questions.

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  81. A day, typical.

    Sara Soueidan asked how I typically spend my days. Here’s how I typically spend my days.

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  82. Beacon.

    Looking for a few bright spots in everyone’s worst year.

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  83. My design systems reading list.

    A friend asked me to share a few favorite resources on design systems. I thought I’d share them with you, too.

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  84. Before dawn, and after dusk.

    I spoke at two events yesterday. I drank a lot of coffee. I talked a lot about design systems. Good day.

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  85. Speaking, remotely.

    Here’s how I think about my speaking fee for remote events.

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  86. Hello, Autogram.

    Karen and Jeff and I have launched a little strategic consultancy. We’re calling it Autogram, and I’d like to tell you why.

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  87. Replyin’.

    I’ve added “Reply via email” links to my RSS feed. Hope you find it useful.

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  88. Notes from a hill.

    She asked, “Are you looking forward to your birthday?”

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  89. The design systems between us.

    It’s often suggested that design systems would improve the way organizations work. I’ve been wondering about that.

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  90. Takin’ five.

    I’ve been lucky enough to work with Aquent Gymnasium on a series of short video tutorials. I hope you like them.

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  91. On context.

    I read these two essays some time ago, and I keep returning to them. I bet you’ll like them too.

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  92. Power.

    Individually, there’s little we can do; but collectively, there’s not much we can’t.

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  93. A programming note.

    I’m pausing my email newsletter for a bit. More importantly, here are some organizations doing necessary work right now, and some resources I’ve found helpful.

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  94. Responsive design: seams & edges.

    In some ways, responsive design was an attempt to move past the idea of a “page.” How’s that worked out for us?

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  95. Responsive web design turns ten.

    The original “Responsive Web Design” article was published a decade ago! Here’s how it happened, and who helped make it happen.

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  96. An interview for the Responsive Web Design newsletter.

    Justin Avery kindly invited me to do an interview for his wonderful Responsive Web Design newsletter. So you know I had to oblige.

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  97. Gardened.

    On JavaScript, frameworks, and how giving a damn doesn’t scale.

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  98. Constrained CSS grids without max-width.

    Stumbled across a little layout technique while working on my latest redesign. I think it’s helpful; maybe you’ll think so, too.

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  99. Writing my accessibility statement.

    It was long overdue, but I’ve added an accessibility statement to my website. Here are a few reasons why.

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  100. Let a website be a worry stone.

    One turn deserves another.

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  101. Through a design system, darkly.

    Design systems haven’t solved the consistency problem—far from it. What can?

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  102. The design systems we swim in.

    When was the last time a design system empowered you to make a decision? (I’m honestly asking.)

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  103. “With Great Tech Comes Great Responsibility.”

    I liked Mozilla’s guide to student organizing and workplace ethics so much, I made a web page out of it.

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  104. The hoof and the horse.

    On objects and slices; on design systems and scale.

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  105. Getting to work.

    It’s time for us to organize our workplaces, my loves.

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  106. The World-Wide Work.

    A talk on automation, power, justice, and labor in the tech industry.

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  107. Amphora.

    I tried navigating some of Google’s featured AMP Stories in a screen reader. And then I wrote this.

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  108. Three bowls.

    Saying good-bye to our littlest kitty, Rorschach.

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  109. Columbia & Elm; Fairfield & Gloucester.

    Thinking about web accessibility, and getting from here to there.

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  110. Theorized.

    I’ve been at Theorizing The Web for the last few days. I really liked it; I think you might, too.

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  111. Trainers.

    How the data gets made, and by whom.

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  112. The web we broke.

    I read something depressing last Monday, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

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  113. A reading list for “The World-Wide Work.”

    I just gave a talk at this year’s New Adventures conference. Here are some books, resources, and videos I cited in it.

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  114. A new adventure.

    I just got home from attending—and speaking at!—last week’s New Adventures conference. It was an inspiring, marvelous day.

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  115. Sonnerie.

    I come not to praise 2018, but to bury it.

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  116. How I write conference talks.

    I’m writing a new talk. This is how I do it.

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  117. Azeban.

    Let’s talk a little about automation, design, and work.

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  118. Release.

    I went to Demo Day for the latest Resilient Coders bootcamp. The students left an impression on me.

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  119. It’s not about the device.

    It can feel overwhelming to design for a new device, a new context. Maybe there’s an alternative?

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  120. Syenite.

    I’ve attended a few community sessions at Resilient Coders. It’s a wonderful organization; maybe you’d like to support them, too.

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  121. Vox pop.

    I’m working with the team at Vox Media on their design systems. I’m very excited.

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  122. Designing, laws, and attitudes.

    What would happen if the law required us to design fast websites?

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  123. The fundamentals of responsive design, now on Skillshare.

    My new class, “Responsive Web Design: Creating Flexible Websites That Last”, is now live on Skillshare. I made it just for you.

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  124. The tool and the task.

    Our design tools change the design of our products and, at times, they can change us. How do we talk about that?

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  125. Notes from a crosswalk.

    On the route, the steps, and what follows.

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  126. My favorite design tool.

    What if someone doesn’t browse the web like I do? Or like you do?

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  127. My foreword for Image Performance.

    I was asked to write an introduction for Mat Marquis’ new book on images and performance, which I loved. (I think you’ll love it too.)

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  128. Revamp.

    Google’s Accelerated Mobile Project (AMP) has announced it’s moving to a more open governance model, which is great. I still have some questions.

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  129. Accessibility is not a feature.

    Lately, I’ve been reflecting on some of the language I use to talk about accessibility. It might be language you use, too.

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  130. An interview for Versioning.

    I was recently invited to do a Q&A session for Sitepoint’s Versioning newsletter.

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  131. Izakaya.

    When a dollar becomes ten.

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  132. Weft.

    About the patterns underneath the patterns.

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  133. Bits.

    What we talk about when we talk about what we talk about when we talk about web performance.

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  134. Notes from a market.

    The sun was hot, the smiles were wide.

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  135. In the pocket.

    “The first level of reality is that nitty-gritty stuff, the direct action and immediate experience, the sort of thing I like to call vernacular reality.” — Ursula Franklin

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  136. Chimpin’.

    I use Mailchimp’s “RSS campaigns” to email new blog entries to subscribers. I also use responsive images. Here’s how I got them to play well together!

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  137. Fractional.

    The more I work with CSS Grid, the more I’ve realized I’m a big fan of the fr unit. And it’s subtly changed how I think about grids.

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  138. Just work.

    How I work, and how I want to.

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  139. My three steps.

    I’ve been thinking about how I learn new technologies.

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  140. World wide wrist.

    WebKit’s coming to the Apple Watch, in some fashion. In my own fashion, I’m excited to see what that means.

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  141. Bundt.

    Here’s what happened today, today.

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  142. A GIFt—or three!—from me, to thee.

    I have a website called bukk.it. It’s filled with pointless images. Here’s how I manage it.

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  143. Kumiho.

    Thoughts on bots.

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  144. When patterns get weird.

    Usually, you’ll get rid of design patterns that don’t contribute much to your design system. But sometimes, you won’t.

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  145. What’s in a pattern name?

    The benefit of creating a pattern library isn’t the patterns as such.

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  146. Notes from a conference.

    I just flew in from Florida, where I’d spoken—and workshopped!—at the 2018 Front End Design Conference. And boy, are my arms tired/sunburnt.

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  147. Spinning jenny.

    A few thoughts on the task, and the tool.

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  148. Framed.

    When offering advice, be careful how it’s offered.

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  149. The podcast is dead; long live the podcast!

    This was the vehicle; these were the people.

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  150. Campaign.

    The Google AMP team has announced they’d like to make the web faster—even for folks who don’t use AMP. That’s wonderful news. But I have some questions.

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  151. Notes from a sidewalk.

    She stood back up, running to catch her friends, her sign held high.

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  152. I, for one.

    We’re used to corporations stepping in to fix the problems they see on the web. But what would happen if we could fix the web?

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  153. Design, system.

    Your design system’s more than the sum of its patterns. (It’s all about the people, maaaaannnn.)

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  154. Stupid Jekyll tricks.

    Right now, my site runs on Jekyll. Here are two little things I find useful.

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  155. AMPlified.

    I don’t think there’s much you or I can do about Google’s AMP project. However.

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  156. A little advice.

    On occasion, people starting a career in web design ask me for advice. Here’s what I currently say to them.

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  157. Cardigan.

    Farewell, Dean. And thank you.

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  158. War rig.

    I come here not to praise 2017, but to bury it.

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  159. Rated zero.

    Google AMP, and services like it, are a kind of “zero-rating.” I worry about that.

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  160. Entitled to.

    A few thoughts about losing net neutrality protections in the United States, and what happens next.

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  161. A new bag.

    On a friend’s recommendation, I bought a Tom Bihn backpack for traveling. I really like it.

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  162. In range.

    Three outlines, each smaller than the last.

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  163. Seven into seven.

    A few more thoughts on AMP, on Ursula Franklin’s questions, and on just technology.

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  164. My foreword for Design Systems.

    I was asked to write an introduction for Alla Kholmatova’s new book on design systems, which I loved. (I think you’ll love it too.)

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  165. AMPersand.

    There’s a price to using Google’s “Accelerated Mobile Project.” I’m not sure the web can afford to pay it.

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  166. At dawn.

    Waking up, half-dreaming, before the sun’s up.

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  167. Upward and worn.

    The new Legend of Zelda is a gorgeous, fun game, but it’s also an isolation simulator. And I love that about it.

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  168. Designed lines.

    Designing a lightweight, inexpensive digital experience is a form of kindness.

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  169. A responsive spotlight.

    We’ve been trying something new on our little responsive design podcast. I’ve enjoyed the experiment; maybe you will, too.

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  170. A working pattern library.

    The value of a pattern library is tied directly to how much—and how easily—it is used.

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  171. Left to our own devices.

    For me, the real value of a device lab isn’t in testing. A device lab is a design tool.

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  172. Notes from a chair.

    They work kindly, quickly but steadily, under lights cold and bright.

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  173. Going offline.

    I’ve started taking parts of my site offline. Here’s how it works, right now.

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  174. Device intervention.

    Done right, a device lab’s a pretty good empathy engine.

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  175. The work I like.

    I’ve been thinking a lot about why I work the way I do, and how.

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  176. MOA—

    And yet.

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  177. A bit more on container queries.

    Paul Robert Lloyd persuasively argues that container queries are obsolete. I respectfully disagree.

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  178. A sticky situation.

    Ran into a little design bug, involving position: sticky and Chrome. Maybe it’d be of interest to you.

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  179. The bricks we lay.

    Design is not neutral.

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  180. Notes from a couch.

    I’ve got a week of rest lined up, so here’s what I’m reading and watching. (Riveting stuff, I know.)

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  181. On container queries.

    A number of prominent web folks have been asking for “container queries.” I think they’re right to do so, and here’s why.

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  182. New work: Source

    A new design for Source, a non-profit that makes journalism code more visible.

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  183. Notes from a protest.

    No hate. No fear.

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  184. Free, faster.

    Many of the free web themes I’ve seen recently are…slow. How can we fix that?

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  185. The good by.

    A few notes on farewells, and on coming home.

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  186. Pattern patter.

    On the web, can our patterns be more than just front-end code?

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  187. Hyper text.

    A few notes on political anxiety and Twitter, and how sentences turn into paragraphs.

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  188. Thread.

    Welcome to my new website.

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  189. Announcing my new book, Responsive Design: Patterns and Principles.

    I’ve written a new book! It’s about moving beyond the page, and designing with patterns. I hope you like it.

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  190. My questions for event organizers.

    When I’m asked to speak at an event, I ask a few useful questions. Maybe you’ll find them useful, too.

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  191. The second edition of Responsive Web Design.

    There’s a second edition of my book! It’s still about responsive design, but quite a bit has changed.

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  192. A Responsive Design Podcast.

    Along with Karen McGrane, I’m getting into that “pod-casting” game! (Guess what it’s about.)

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  193. Platformed.

    The web isn’t a platform. When we design and build for it, we should remember that.

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  194. So you’re interested in a responsive design workshop…

    Karen McGrane and I have teamed up to offer in-house workshops on—you guessed it!—responsive design. Hire us!

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  195. Speaking? Pack a plan.

    If you’re doing any public speaking, I have a few small (but useful!) tips.

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  196. “The second step is inclusiveness.”

    Here’s a quote on inclusive design I quite liked. (Maybe you’ll like it, too.)

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  197. Keynote, Magic Move, and you.

    One of my favorite features in Apple’s Keynote is “Magic Move.” I bet it might be yours, too.

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  198. “Offline First”

    I’m so excited about building more offline-friendly experiences. (You should be, too!)

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  199. Responsive design, screens, and shearing layers.

    Responsive design might begin with the screen, but it doesn’t end there.

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  200. Hello, Editorially.

    I’ve cofounded a startup with some dear friends. It’s called Editorially. I’d like to tell you a little about it.

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  201. The Boston Globe

    The first large-scale responsive website just launched, and I helped. Here’s how we did it.

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  202. So I wrote a book. It’s called Responsive Web Design.

    Want to learn responsive design? There’s a book for that. (And I wrote it!)

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  203. Henry.

    A few words I quite like.

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  204. Toffee-nosed.

    Many criticisms of responsive design are based on faulty logic. Let’s look at a few fallacies.

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  205. With good references.

    Every responsive design begins with a reference layout, either small- or widescreen. Which should you choose?

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  206. On being “responsive.”

    What makes a responsive design “responsive,” anyway?

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  207. Oversewing

    I’ve moved on from working at Happy Cog, and I’ve started up my own design practice again.

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  208. On fluid grids.

    I have a new article on A List Apart. It’s about creating complex grid-based layouts that are fluid. I hope you like it.

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  209. Bradley.

    A story about my late uncle, who I didn’t know as well as I wish I did.

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  210. Squee.

    I’ve written my first article for A List Apart. I’m so excited.

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  211. Day zero.

    Last Friday was my last day at a full-time job.

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  212. Stairwell.

    Starting a new job.

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  213. Second draft.

    And just as quickly, she’s gone.

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  214. On emergency rooms.

    We were in the process of haggling over which desserts my grandmother should order when the seizure hit.

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  215. In progress.

    A former teacher and his former student, and a house to paint.

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  216. She.

    Happy anniversary, to my one and lovely.

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  217. But we listened, every one.

    The bus arrives, and we board.

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  218. And miles to go.

    There’s something humbling about having a Vermont highway to yourself on a snowy Friday night.

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