Michelle Barker is a front-end developer and writer behind CSS { In Real Life }, a blog dedicated to modern CSS and real-world web development. She shares honest, practical insights on evolving CSS features, front-end techniques, and the web community.
227 articles from this blog
The article critiques Adobe Acrobat's cluttered UI and draws parallels to the bloated, ad-heavy modern web, questioning if poor UX drives users to AI chatbots.
A personal reflection on attending the Green IO 2025 conference, focusing on sustainable technology, AI's energy impact, and community growth.
A tutorial on generating CSS custom properties (theme variables) from a JavaScript color theme object to maintain consistency across projects.
Wholegrain Digital critiques a BBC report on web sustainability, defending community-developed guidelines for eco-friendly web design.
An analysis of the ethical debate around LLMs, contrasting their use in creative fields with their potential for scientific advancement.
A developer shares insights and practical advice from migrating a Vue.js application's state management from Vuex to Pinia.
A technical guide on converting GeoJSON map data into static SVG files using D3.js to reduce JavaScript payload and enable simple interactivity.
Explores the proposed CSS syntax for creating masonry layouts, a grid-like design popularized by Pinterest, and the debate around its implementation.
A report reveals the significant environmental impact of AI, especially in inference stages like AI-powered search, using 4-30 times more energy than traditional methods.
A guide to creating versatile Markdown shortcodes in Eleventy for embedding HTML elements like asides and styled links while preserving Markdown syntax.
A web developer reflects on common HTML mistakes, specifically the misuse of the <blockquote> element for pull-quotes and incorrect citation placement.
Key takeaways from the Green IO conference on sustainability in digital technology, covering web design, measurement, and industry greenwashing.
A web developer explores creative CSS composition using custom properties and gradients, inspired by artistic constraints.
Explores using logical properties in CSS media queries and container queries, discussing syntax improvements and current limitations.
A CSS developer discusses the importance of the State of CSS survey, highlighting potential bias and the need for diverse participation.
A web developer discusses the importance of feedback in tech careers, covering its impact on motivation, junior developers, and conference talks.
A CSS expert discusses modern layout features like Grid, anchor positioning, and masonry, and why adoption of new CSS is slower than expected.
A technical demo and explanation of CSS anchor positioning using multiple named anchors for precise inline and block axis placement of elements.
A technical exploration of combining the CSS Anchor Positioning spec with the Popover API to create progressively enhanced toggletips for web references.
Explores using CSS Anchor Positioning and the Popover API to create interactive, accessible navigation menus without JavaScript.
