Snippets

• Aaron Francis is good at teaching

  Practical developer resources from Aaron Francis. Links to his latest courses, podcasts, and educational sites focused on databases and efficient, non-hype AI workflows.

• Working with AI for coding in Feb 2026

  How I’m using Claude Code to automate and improve my coding workflow. Practical tips on using Plan Mode, custom slash commands, and !bash shortcuts to build better systems.

• GitHub Successor settings

  How to nominate a contact to manage your public repositories after you pass away. Includes steps for setup and a breakdown of what a successor can and cannot access.

• Matt Pocock on AI dev work as of 09 Feb

  Sage thoughts use of AI as a software developer at this point in time (09 Feb 2026).

• Create a user for Statamic

  This guide helps a user of the Statamic CMS (content management system) to create a user account for someone else.

• Engineering explained by Bartosz Ciechanowski

  Publishes a few articles each year, each one is an enormously impressive deep dive into how something works.

• makingsoftware.com

  Beautifully detailed and elaborate explanations of how hardware and software actually work.

• Marketing is about alignment

  Marketing in its purist form, is not about manipulation. It’s about bringing people around to your way of seeing the world.

• Redirect alias and legacy domains with Nginx

  Nginx configuration which is useful when a domain is changed or when multiple domains (eg: .co.uk, .com, etc) are held.

• The scorpion and the frog

  A fable about 'what did you expect?' and how this relates to privatisation.

• v5.wesort.co.uk

  The fifth and current version of wesort.co.uk which updates the dev and authoring experience. Sept 2025 - present

• Good to Great, by Jim Collins

  This book articulates many of the fundamental characteristics and values of what makes for great organisations.

• v4.wesort.co.uk

  The fourth version of wesort.co.uk was built with a CMS and expanded greatly on the content. November 2017 to September 2025

• 2000 Miles of Harvest

  A film about making hay while the sun shines. Except they’re cutting wheat and making straw.

• Speak to yours customers to see if you have customers

  Being in direct contact with your customers is key to understanding what your business is.

• Using Airtable for data management

  Airtable is an online database that I think is hugely underrated for data management in small businesses.

• Never waste a crisis

  Take advantage of the situation and see what you can learn.

• Be specific in your criticism. It is to your benefit

  Being specific when you criticise is empathetic and helpful.

• Do not do lists

  Every todo list needs a parallel for the things we shouldn’t be doing. These are the bad practices, the procrastinations, the habits we regret.

• Sharing DNS access

  Guide for sharing access to configure your domain for websites, email or other web services.

• Printworks Wedge

  A communal office space on Union Row, Margate. Also, my office.

• Strike while the iron is cold

  Come back to a heated topic later on. Revisit once emotions have settled.

• Who's opinion would you rather have?

  In the context of project budgets and cost estimating, be aware of who might be unrealistically optimistic.

• Web dev articles by Josh Comeau

  Josh is an amazing educator, designer and developer who publishes interactive pieces. He's also one of the nicest people on the internet.

• Interview: Chris Sowersby, Klim Type Foundry

  Two hours of candid conversation between two creative professionals.

• The problem with 'mates rates'

  I want the livelihoods of my friends to be successful.

• Hofstadter's law

  It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

• Optimising your working day

  Processes and workflows bring structure to our working lives and this structure brings efficiency and stability.

• Converting files and images on the web

  A few ways to edit images online

• Focus is a decision

  "Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do." – John Carmack

• v3.wesort.co.uk

  The third version of wesort.co.uk had multiple pages, was designed with intent with colour & type, and was responsive. March 2012 to November 2017

• Entrepreneurship is like one of those carnival games

  An analogy of carnival games and entrepreneurship as explained through the class system.

• Above the fold is a myth. Everybody scrolls.

  A site that’s purpose is to elaborate and demonstrate why ‘above the fold’ is an outmoded saying in the context of web design.

• Keeping track of 'things'

  Keeping track of things to do. Be that by paper or online.

• ROI on websites

  The website paid for itself within a couple days. – A client

• The responsive web design issue

  RWD solves the difficulty of placing images next to text on the web, adapting varying image and text heights for any screen size.

• Test a website in real life

  Visit your site on a bus, in bright sunlight, with a coffee in your dominant hand.

• Responsive logos as favicons

  Gets right to the point of how logos need to scale for context.

• Ray Tomlinson, Inventor Of Modern Email

  Raymond Tomlinson invented email in the early 70s and gave the humble @ symbol a great deal of power.

• % of time when developing software

  “In software, the first 90% of the work takes 90% of the time, the last 10% takes the other 90% of the time.” – Jeff Atwood

• The Problem with Time & Timezones - Computerphile

  A look at why programming features that relate to time (and timezones!) are exasperating, from Tom Scott

• The Web's Grain by Frank Chimero

  Companion essay to What Screens Want.

• What Screens Want by Frank Chimero

  A seminal piece of writing that has been fundamental to how I approach building websites.

• If it doesn’t work on mobile, it doesn’t work

  Mobile devices aren't simply common, they are baseline along with laptops and desktops.

• v2.wesort.co.uk

  The second iteration of wesort.co.uk had a bit more text and a bit of deliberate style. February 2011 to March 2012

• Stop solving problems you don’t yet have by Rachel Andrew

  Specifically about web projects but also a great read on how to prioritise

• v1.wesort.co.uk

  First iteration of wesort.co.uk was supremely basic and live for about seven months: June 2010 to February 2011