Richard GrosJean

Something About Me

As a web developer I that has seen my fair share of wonky technology trends appear and disappear I can only exclaim “thank God those days are over.” The dark times of patchy standards compliance between browser vendors is largely over and as a result more time can be spent elsewhere.

New features and standards are being regularly introduced and, thanks to a healthy update cadence for browsers, said features and standards will typically be feasible for use in production within two years.

The focus of development initially shifted for me from just making something work, to making something work well. These days, I'm trying to focus on making something that works well and turning it into a delightful experience for the end user.

The first can be characterized as simply displaying a result when the user requests a resource. The second would be akin to delivering it in a performant and optimized way, and the current goal would be to make sure that it is a delightful experience without excessively getting in the way of the consumption of information.

Implementing features with flare that don’t drop any frames or cause poor performance with symptoms like janky scrolling, while still supporting accessibility standards, is sometimes tricky but always goal worth reaching for.

Your greatest asset is the creation and adoption of systems and standards, for the web is an infinite canvas where any device is supported as long as you don’t optimize for any distinct device.

Hobbies

Outside of work? My significant other has two cats, so shooting them (with a smartphone camera) is a high priority. I also enjoy playing games on my PC, and when the weather is right, cycling or running.

Coffee?

Coffee has also entered my hobby repertoire as of roughly two years ago. These days I'm mostly pulling turbo shots on my Decent Espresso machine and Niche grinder. I also steam milk and try to imagine my latte art skills improving.

Coffee in general is no longer a pre-scientific diversion. Measuring devices like refractometers for coffee are no longer outlandishly expensive and allow for the analysis of methods, equipment and produce in order to reach consistency and high extraction yields. The classic Italian dark roast and 9 bar shot experience is frowned upon in specialist coffee circles and seen as a relic from a less civilized age.

And if you don't know, now you know.

From these experiments, ever more elaborate and expensive trends emerge.

Of course, I don't own a refractometer and read research - that's what the Internet is for, silly goose! Other people use the scientific method to further their techniques and publish easily digestible blog posts and videos. I just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.