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
A personal reflection on rediscovering RSS feeds as a way to follow favorite blogs, comparing it to a curated weekly magazine.
A personal manifesto advocating for a more human-centric, intentional, and ethical web in response to the rise of AI-generated content.
A guide to generating custom shades of grey using the CSS color-mix() function for web design and UI development.
An article exploring how perfectionism hinders web development progress and advocating for incremental, sustainable improvements.
Discusses the negative impact of analytics tracking scripts on website performance, privacy, and environmental sustainability, suggesting alternatives.
A developer discusses web sustainability and related topics in an interview on the ShopTalk Show podcast.
Explores using the CSS color-mix() function to generate consistent color palettes and variations within a design system.
A curated list of February 2024 bookmarks on web development, CSS, sustainability, and AI criticism from various authors and sources.
Explores how common web design patterns lead to massive, wasteful data storage and discusses the environmental impact of 'junk data'.
A developer details how they fixed blurry font rendering in Safari on iOS by correctly configuring the @font-face rule for a variable font.
The Green Web Foundation has redesigned its directory to help users find and evaluate truly sustainable web hosting providers with better filtering and evidence.
Updates to an Eleventy starter project, including CSS bundling with Parcel, switching to CSS custom properties, and using Utopia for fluid typography.
A talk on digital sustainability, focusing on the environmental impact of web development and the role of AI.
A web developer reflects on the future direction of their CSS-focused blog, considering expanding into personal and broader tech topics.
A review of an online data visualization fundamentals workshop led by expert Andy Kirk, covering analysis, chart selection, and practical exercises.
Explains new and existing CSS techniques for vertically centering elements, including upcoming browser support for simpler methods.
An analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from streaming digital content, discussing the DIMPACT initiative and key factors like device usage and network type.
Discusses tools and challenges for measuring website carbon emissions, advocating for reporting to raise awareness and encourage sustainable web development.
Analyzing the significant performance and data cost of social media embeds, focusing on JavaScript bloat and browser caching behavior.
A quick CSS tip on using the :empty pseudo-class to hide and debug empty elements in layouts, especially useful for user-generated content.
