Dispatches From The Internets

A good overview of layout and reflow triggers in JavaScript. It’s worth noting that this resource can be made more complete with contributions from the WebKit and Microsoft Edge teams (hopefully forthcoming).

I’ve written about why you should not autoplay videos, but here’s another account of why it’s bad and what you can do about it.

An excellent primer/reminder about HTML5’s organizational elements.

My good friend Stef Sullivan Rewis shared a bit about the process and decision-making that went into the CSS Framework underpinning Salesforce’s Lightning Design System. It’s a worthwhile read and will definitely be helpful if you’re undertaking a similar project.

My colleague Cynthia Shelly posted a bit about accessibility in Edge in terms of where we are and where we’re going. She included a bit about the roadmap as well.

While its title is a little hyperbolic, the article highlights some of the work Apple is doing to make their Privacy Policy more accessible. You know, so non-lawyers can actually understand what Apple does with their data and why.

Depending on how you read the title, your expectations for this article may not align with the subject: the technical means by which we talk to our devices. It’s not about the APIs or voice recognition, but rather how our desires are transferred from our mind to our device’s “ears”. Voice is obviously one way—and David spends a lot of time discussing microphone improvements—but it could also be silently using subvocalization.

If—like me—this stuff fascinates you, you should definitely give it a read.

This is a really thoughtful piece weighing the pros and cons of code schools against teaching yourself with a big focus on why you might want to learn to code. I highly recommend this piece for anyone thinking about getting into coding. Share away!

I’m so excited to see this resource making it out into the public. Congrats to the U.S. Digital Service and 18F folks for their awesome work and for their focus on accessibility!