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Barnaby Walters

Arranging atoms and pressurising air in a variety of manners, such as:

Pronouns: they/he

  2. Reading Lakoff+Johnson on time metaphors, wondering if the way we use the two main inconsistent metaphors (time as objects passing by a stationary observer vs time as a landscape through which an observer passes) has personality side effects, as one is a metaphor where the observer is helpless, whereas in the other the observer is in control.

  3. The things which have always inspired me the most to create have always been tools and reference rather than exemplar examples elevated on pedestals. Want to inspire people? Build tools and documentation.

  6. My favourite progressive-enhancement+AMD requirejs abstraction: enhanceEach

    It covers what is for me an extremely common use-case, of

    “I have a bunch of elements with some class which means that I want to progressively-enhance them, only loading the code required to do so in to pages which contain the elements” 

    var enhanceEach = function (selector, dependencies, callback) {
    var elements = document.querySelectorAll(selector);
    if (elements.length > 0) {
        require(dependencies, function () {
            var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
            Array.prototype.forEach.call(elements, function (element) {
                var innerArgs = args.slice();
                innerArgs.unshift(element);
                callback.apply(callback, innerArgs);
            });
        });
    }
};

    A typical example, activating CodeMirror on textareas with class|=codemirror if there are any on the page:

    enhanceEach('textarea.codemirror', ['codemirror/lib/codemirror', 'codemirror/mode/htmlmixed/htmlmixed'], function (el, CodeMirror) {
    var config = {
        indentUnit: 1,
        tabSize: 2
    };
    if (el.hasAttribute('data-codemirror-mode')) {
        config['mode'] = el.getAttribute('data-codemirror-mode');
    }
    var codemirror = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(el, config);
});

    (A fan of minimal, useful javascript abstractions, and the thought processes behind them? You may enjoy A Minimal Javascript HTTP Abstraction)

  8. Alternative, smaller, simpler logo based on super-helpful feedback from Aaron Parecki, Brian Suda, Brennan Novak, Kartik Prabhu:

    I kept the multi-stranded green connection as I couldn’t find a single green which looked effective on it’s own, and the whole thing was so much flatter without the extra depth they give.

    Also, an alternative version with randomly truncated segments – symbolising sites with different levels all interacting happily

    which was worth a try, but I think it lacks balance. Probably going to stick with the first one.

  9. Initial draft of a logo:

    Got stuck for inspiration (trees are cliché and, in the UK, ironically associated with the conservatives) so looked on wikipedia, and found this beautiful photo by Stephen Ausmus:

    So made a stylised version for a laugh, and actually really like it. It shares some colours with the indiwebcamp logo

    whilst remaining stylistically separate and visualises a lot of principals: a centralised node split up into a more diverse ecosystem, but still connected by the green strands of standards (many of which are , also associated with the colour green).

    Still a WIP though — thoughts?

  11. Kitchen disaster strikes! It turns out that the low melting point of chocolate in the mixture causes it to melt and flow out of the batter whilst frying, resulting in some vaguely chocolatey batter shells and guilty-looking chocolatey oil.

    Paying more attention to the second batch results in some passable fried chocolate milk. Looks like success here is a matter of very thick filling and precise frying timing.

  12. Tonight I shall be combining my two favourite @sumendirest recipes to create the single most unhealthy thing I’ve ever cooked: Fried Chocolate Milk!

    I made the main mixture yesterday and it’s been cooling in the fridge. Now for the fun part: frying.

  13. Learning about umw.domains, a project to give UMW students+faculty their own personal domains. It’s a great project!

    My own has been a place of experimentation and self-expression for years now and I’ve learnt a lot, and connected with many people through it. Anything which makes personal domains more accessible is a move in the right direction.