Corbin Mosher
@ponderingpixels.dev
Principal engineer @wearfigs, formerly @etsy. Interested in browsers, site speed, a11y, and frontend architecture.
If you don't have a decent grasp on what people will appreciate, be it a PR/website/food/art/etc, how can you achieve anything worthwhile with just the skills to produce?
November 10, 2025 at 4:58 PM
If you don't have a decent grasp on what people will appreciate, be it a PR/website/food/art/etc, how can you achieve anything worthwhile with just the skills to produce?
This is a little more generic, but I have often felt that education should be more focused on teaching people to identify quality before teaching them to produce things.
Be able to identify aspects of a quality website. Then learn to build them.
Identify aspects of a quality PR, then make them.
Be able to identify aspects of a quality website. Then learn to build them.
Identify aspects of a quality PR, then make them.
November 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
This is a little more generic, but I have often felt that education should be more focused on teaching people to identify quality before teaching them to produce things.
Be able to identify aspects of a quality website. Then learn to build them.
Identify aspects of a quality PR, then make them.
Be able to identify aspects of a quality website. Then learn to build them.
Identify aspects of a quality PR, then make them.
It could actually be helpful, but it requires 1-2 good employees focus handling maintenance and improvements.
Which should still be worth the salary money, but executives tend to always think things don't require ongoing investment after launch.
Which should still be worth the salary money, but executives tend to always think things don't require ongoing investment after launch.
November 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
It could actually be helpful, but it requires 1-2 good employees focus handling maintenance and improvements.
Which should still be worth the salary money, but executives tend to always think things don't require ongoing investment after launch.
Which should still be worth the salary money, but executives tend to always think things don't require ongoing investment after launch.
In my anecdotal experience, the issue tends to come from the fact that companies often treat the bot like a time boxed project.
Buy it, set it up (maybe have consultants involved), celebrate the launch, and remove all engineers from working on it.
Buy it, set it up (maybe have consultants involved), celebrate the launch, and remove all engineers from working on it.
November 4, 2025 at 4:26 PM
In my anecdotal experience, the issue tends to come from the fact that companies often treat the bot like a time boxed project.
Buy it, set it up (maybe have consultants involved), celebrate the launch, and remove all engineers from working on it.
Buy it, set it up (maybe have consultants involved), celebrate the launch, and remove all engineers from working on it.
No one can predict the future or speak for all users and use cases. I certainly cannot.
All I can say is that the use cases I have seen in my career do not align with what you describe. Nor do many of the other examples shared on this thread.
All I can say is that the use cases I have seen in my career do not align with what you describe. Nor do many of the other examples shared on this thread.
November 3, 2025 at 10:21 PM
No one can predict the future or speak for all users and use cases. I certainly cannot.
All I can say is that the use cases I have seen in my career do not align with what you describe. Nor do many of the other examples shared on this thread.
All I can say is that the use cases I have seen in my career do not align with what you describe. Nor do many of the other examples shared on this thread.
I respectfully disagree. Solving a common issue the community has would not upset it due to the fact they could technically write CSS with this feature that didn't display as intended.
People do that everyday with CSS authoring, and they iterate to reach their goal. They would fix your example.
People do that everyday with CSS authoring, and they iterate to reach their goal. They would fix your example.
November 3, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I respectfully disagree. Solving a common issue the community has would not upset it due to the fact they could technically write CSS with this feature that didn't display as intended.
People do that everyday with CSS authoring, and they iterate to reach their goal. They would fix your example.
People do that everyday with CSS authoring, and they iterate to reach their goal. They would fix your example.
Basically forking the style calculation, some duplicative cost, but that is opt in by using this. Similar patterns are used in other domains.
November 3, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Basically forking the style calculation, some duplicative cost, but that is opt in by using this. Similar patterns are used in other domains.
Couldn't it be technically feasible to have two levels of detection? If it was actually chosen to be implemented.
Wrapped styling being based on the wrap detection of the base styles. Not the resulting wrapped state after they are applied?
Wrapped styling being based on the wrap detection of the base styles. Not the resulting wrapped state after they are applied?
November 3, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Couldn't it be technically feasible to have two levels of detection? If it was actually chosen to be implemented.
Wrapped styling being based on the wrap detection of the base styles. Not the resulting wrapped state after they are applied?
Wrapped styling being based on the wrap detection of the base styles. Not the resulting wrapped state after they are applied?
If I am not mistaken, feel like I also recall people wanting the wrapped items to have lower flex growth. So they are more visually cohesive with the items above that have reached their max compression and caused the wrap.
November 3, 2025 at 9:17 PM
If I am not mistaken, feel like I also recall people wanting the wrapped items to have lower flex growth. So they are more visually cohesive with the items above that have reached their max compression and caused the wrap.
This would require wrap detection not just for the items but also the flex container.
November 3, 2025 at 9:10 PM
This would require wrap detection not just for the items but also the flex container.
I feel like in the past I have seen designers want the alignment to alter on wrap to avoid center aligning a trailing item, giving it undo prominence.
November 3, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I feel like in the past I have seen designers want the alignment to alter on wrap to avoid center aligning a trailing item, giving it undo prominence.
Wasn't this the same argument against container queries for so long? That they couldn't exist due to the challenge of preventing an infinite loop?
It was solved for that. Probably lessons there.
It was solved for that. Probably lessons there.
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Wasn't this the same argument against container queries for so long? That they couldn't exist due to the challenge of preventing an infinite loop?
It was solved for that. Probably lessons there.
It was solved for that. Probably lessons there.
Not for CMS driven navs that are localized.
You don't always want a fixed number, you just want more control on how things adapt to newly added items or translation expansion.
You don't always want a fixed number, you just want more control on how things adapt to newly added items or translation expansion.
November 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Not for CMS driven navs that are localized.
You don't always want a fixed number, you just want more control on how things adapt to newly added items or translation expansion.
You don't always want a fixed number, you just want more control on how things adapt to newly added items or translation expansion.
Gamification and the illusion of participation.
Removing it would bring a new set of challenges. I could be wrong, definitely have been before, but I think those new challenges would be healthier ones to have.
You could use a polling feature to maintain an outlet for gauging common sentiment.
Removing it would bring a new set of challenges. I could be wrong, definitely have been before, but I think those new challenges would be healthier ones to have.
You could use a polling feature to maintain an outlet for gauging common sentiment.
November 1, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Gamification and the illusion of participation.
Removing it would bring a new set of challenges. I could be wrong, definitely have been before, but I think those new challenges would be healthier ones to have.
You could use a polling feature to maintain an outlet for gauging common sentiment.
Removing it would bring a new set of challenges. I could be wrong, definitely have been before, but I think those new challenges would be healthier ones to have.
You could use a polling feature to maintain an outlet for gauging common sentiment.
It often makes me wonder if there could be a viable social media model without the upvote/like, just pure conversation.
Seeing the negatives of the downvote makes one wonder what the unintended consequences of the upvote are too.
Seeing the negatives of the downvote makes one wonder what the unintended consequences of the upvote are too.
November 1, 2025 at 12:50 PM
It often makes me wonder if there could be a viable social media model without the upvote/like, just pure conversation.
Seeing the negatives of the downvote makes one wonder what the unintended consequences of the upvote are too.
Seeing the negatives of the downvote makes one wonder what the unintended consequences of the upvote are too.
Reddit is rough... Downvoting as a feature seems to encourage the spiral to a hive-mind echo chamber.
People get swept up in the up/down momentum and stop feeling the need to think about things for themselves. They can just turn off brain and join the majority.
People get swept up in the up/down momentum and stop feeling the need to think about things for themselves. They can just turn off brain and join the majority.
November 1, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Reddit is rough... Downvoting as a feature seems to encourage the spiral to a hive-mind echo chamber.
People get swept up in the up/down momentum and stop feeling the need to think about things for themselves. They can just turn off brain and join the majority.
People get swept up in the up/down momentum and stop feeling the need to think about things for themselves. They can just turn off brain and join the majority.
It always makes me recall the Shakespeare vs Bible anecdote from the Dale Carnegie book.
To pick what you say based on the likely outcome of saying it, not on the instinctual desire to say it.
A simple but powerful thing to attempt to embrace. So rare to see in people though.
To pick what you say based on the likely outcome of saying it, not on the instinctual desire to say it.
A simple but powerful thing to attempt to embrace. So rare to see in people though.
November 1, 2025 at 4:58 AM
It always makes me recall the Shakespeare vs Bible anecdote from the Dale Carnegie book.
To pick what you say based on the likely outcome of saying it, not on the instinctual desire to say it.
A simple but powerful thing to attempt to embrace. So rare to see in people though.
To pick what you say based on the likely outcome of saying it, not on the instinctual desire to say it.
A simple but powerful thing to attempt to embrace. So rare to see in people though.
So many variations of this play out all the time.
Person A: Expresses enjoyment towards something.
Person B: Poisons the moment with a negative take on it that is not at all constructive.
The silver lining I guess is that it reminds me to strive to not be so careless with my words.
Person A: Expresses enjoyment towards something.
Person B: Poisons the moment with a negative take on it that is not at all constructive.
The silver lining I guess is that it reminds me to strive to not be so careless with my words.
November 1, 2025 at 4:47 AM
So many variations of this play out all the time.
Person A: Expresses enjoyment towards something.
Person B: Poisons the moment with a negative take on it that is not at all constructive.
The silver lining I guess is that it reminds me to strive to not be so careless with my words.
Person A: Expresses enjoyment towards something.
Person B: Poisons the moment with a negative take on it that is not at all constructive.
The silver lining I guess is that it reminds me to strive to not be so careless with my words.
The fastest end having lowest conversion rate is almost certainly related to the type of client/scenario that produces that data rather than the idea that the site spooking them.
Or the outcome of rendering something like 404 text rather than an actual product image having faster LCP.
Or the outcome of rendering something like 404 text rather than an actual product image having faster LCP.
October 30, 2025 at 9:42 AM
The fastest end having lowest conversion rate is almost certainly related to the type of client/scenario that produces that data rather than the idea that the site spooking them.
Or the outcome of rendering something like 404 text rather than an actual product image having faster LCP.
Or the outcome of rendering something like 404 text rather than an actual product image having faster LCP.
This is the general shape you see for most graphs of metrics like this. Data can be misleading. Faster vs slower is foremost an indication of the client scenario/device rather than site speed.
Improvements to site speed ideally just slightly shift the curve to create revenue.
Improvements to site speed ideally just slightly shift the curve to create revenue.
October 30, 2025 at 9:39 AM
This is the general shape you see for most graphs of metrics like this. Data can be misleading. Faster vs slower is foremost an indication of the client scenario/device rather than site speed.
Improvements to site speed ideally just slightly shift the curve to create revenue.
Improvements to site speed ideally just slightly shift the curve to create revenue.
Welp, today I learned about the Vary response header. I am shocked I have made it this far into my career without having to alter one before...
March 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Welp, today I learned about the Vary response header. I am shocked I have made it this far into my career without having to alter one before...
I'm with you here. Freddy's also has the best vanilla malts. If I have to do a fast food chain fries and burger, sign me up for Freddy's.
February 18, 2025 at 2:06 AM
I'm with you here. Freddy's also has the best vanilla malts. If I have to do a fast food chain fries and burger, sign me up for Freddy's.