I’m not the first to write a post like this, nor will I be the last. But Jetpack, the ubiquitous plugin from Automattic, is likely one of the most polarizing collections of code in the WordPress universe. And in recent days it has occupied its own special level of hell for me.
Tag: wordpress
“Stop bitching and fuckin adapt”
I think I just wrote my fastest plugin ever.
Inspired by a Twitter request from Jeff Chandler, I adapted Matt Mullenweg’s classic “Hello Dolly” plugin to instead stream the words of wisdom from the NFL’s now most famous cornerback.
(For this, Matt, I’m truly, truly sorry.)
Download the awesomeness from my GitHub account and let Richard Sherman’s rant become a part of your WordPress admin experience.
(P.S., I’m still looking for that “Stop bitching and fuckin adapt” inspiration poster.)
A Matter of Trust
Apple, in all their presumptuousness, has now pushed iOS 7.0.3 to both my iPhone and my iPad. I have not yet installed iOS 7 at all, nor do I want to. It’s ugly, it breaks with my muscle-memory conventions, and frankly I have no need for it. But there it sits anyway, consuming precious storage and trying to goad me into installation with the big red circle sitting atop the “Settings” icon.
Another red badge on my home screen is the number of apps on my phone with available updates. Currently, it reads 105. iOS 7 brings the promise of auto-updating my apps, so I never have to see this badge again. But for now it sits, like the world’s slowest odometer showing me exactly how obsolete I am becoming.
Lightning Storm
Last night, WordPress DC (which, if you live in/near Washington, D.C. and love WordPress, you really must join) held a round of lightning talks covering a range of WordPress and WordPress-related topics.
I gave a quick five-minute talk on some stupid Sass tricks you can do, including changing the entire color scheme on a page just using one hex color and a whole bunch of Sass color functions. Then I demoed how you can create odd grid systems by again, modifying only a handful of variables.
I’m in Love
I’ll admit it, I’m a WordPress theme junkie. It’s what I do, after all. I love seeing what the big theme shops put out almost as much as I love building them myself. I’m also perennially distracted by “the new shiny” — pretty much every new theme that comes out will catch my eye and earn my appreciation.
But then there are the ones… the ones that knock your socks off when you see them. It was like that for me on Wednesday when I first saw the new theme from The Theme Foundry, Collections.
Chapter 4 Now Available
Hi kids, here’s a book update. Chapters four through six are currently in review, but that’s not holding us back! If you’ve purchased the MEAP (Manning Early Access Program), chapter four is now available for download. In it, I go in depth in building your static prototype, a step that I do not consider optional when building a WordPress theme.
My WordCamp San Francisco Experience
I was fortunate enough to attend my first WordCamp San Francisco last weekend. When I say “fortunate,” I mean that in the very truest sense of the word, for I would not have been able to go without the support from some unexpected generosity. All in all, the experience was incredible, and I wanted to share with you some of what I got out of the trip.
The sessions were terrific, and not only did I learn a lot from the likes of Mark Jaquith, Konstantin Kovshenin, Josh Broton and more, but I also learned what I still need to learn. Once things settle down with our big project at RP3, I intend to buckle down and hop on the vagrant, grunt, puppet and all the other bandwagons a solid web developer needs to be on these days.
MEAP Deal of the Day
So all this week I’ve been bombarding you with the news that my book, Responsive WordPress Theming, is now available as part of Manning’s Early Access Program.
Well today, July 18, it is their MEAP Deal of the Day! (Insert trumpet fanfare here.) Use offer code dotd0718au for 50% off either the ebook MEAP or the ebook + print edition MEAP.
“Responsive WordPress Theming” Now Available in MEAP
Good news, everyone!
The first three chapters of my book, Responsive WordPress Theming, are now available through the Manning Early Access Program. When you subscribe to my book through the MEAP, not only do you get these chapters right away, but future chapters are delivered right onto your computer as I write them in real time, Google Docs style! Well, maybe not, but you will be getting chapters as they are released.
Continue reading ““Responsive WordPress Theming” Now Available in MEAP”
Thanks, Baltimore WordPress!
Last night, the Baltimore WordPress meetup was kind enough to let me talk a bit about CSS Preprocessors and how to use them in WordPress. It was a great crowd in ADG Creative‘s very swanky offices in Columbia, Maryland. If you couldn’t make it out, you can catch my slides here.
I hope to be giving this same talk at conferences later this year, including WordCamp Baltimore on September 21. I’ll keep you posted.