Robb

Independent Designer and full stack web developer from Abergavenny. Former Tokyoite and serial language botherer. Made Synthwave '84. 日本語ＯＫ

※写真はイメージです

Website: https://robbowen.digital/
Website: https://departures.robbowen.digital/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Robb0wen
Pronouns: He/Him

Public Key

npub1r42f8q8vxp4vsdye6y8tfhuvankd9fzemtzrd54vd3c35kvg79hs79qzuz

NIP-05 Address

robb_at_front-end.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsp64ynsrkrq6kgxjvazr45m7xwemxj53va43pk62kxcug6txy0zmcprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntqy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyrpk40y

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npub1r42f8q8vxp4vsdye6y8tfhuvankd9fzemtzrd54vd3c35kvg79hs79qzuz

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Last Notes

2025-06-17 19:54:34 UTC

Was not expecting to see a new Motion City Soundtrack song, let alone a new album. It's good to see Justin has recovered enough to be dancing about again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkwP8KsnvrI

2025-06-08 08:54:36 UTC

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Respectfully, I disagree. One of the purposes of a beta is to identify issues and improve software so, in that regard, constructive criticism should be welcomed. I also think it is a fair request that good html semantics should be the default rather than an opt-in. Kevin's video is not the only instance of this output so, if the lack of semantics is indeed down to user error, then steps should be taken to mitigate user error in future releases

2025-06-06 14:19:41 UTC

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Thanks so much for reading. I definitely spent the early part of my career trying to do too much on my own and I realise now that it never really felt safe. Knowing that I can support, and be supported by, others who are far better placed to do something than me is such a comfort

2025-06-03 11:30:07 UTC

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Thanks so much for reading, Michelle, and I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling it too. Your writing on CSS irl (and elsewhere) has always been such a fantastic and thoughtful resource for the community. Here's hoping that CSS Day lights a fire for you

2025-06-03 10:02:22 UTC

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Thanks for reading, and the kind words. I really appreciate it!

2025-06-03 07:04:38 UTC

Back when I was finding my feet in tech everybody was buzzing about building positive change. Somewhere along the way, something changed. Fortunately for us though, tech is not the first industry forced to defend itself against dubious practices.
What might we learn if we were to look elsewhere?
https://robbowen.digital/wrote-about/looking-elsewhere/

2025-06-03 07:03:42 UTC

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Thanks for sharing! 🙌

2024-10-31 10:33:40 UTC

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🌆 v0.1.17 of Synthwave '84 is now available on the VS Code Marketplace
Fixes the glow in VS code v1.95.0
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=RobbOwen.synthwave-vscode

2024-10-23 11:45:29 UTC

Phew, looks like the lights are back on - I've just published a community fix to Synthwave '84 to the marketplace. The glow should be working again in VS Code ^1.94.0.
Coincidentally, in updating the theme I noticed that it has recently passed 2 million installs...which absolutely blows my mind
https://cdn.masto.host/frontendsocial/media_attachments/files/113/356/564/760/047/147/original/4c53fb8f8010e8e6.png

2024-10-16 19:50:58 UTC

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Who does that, seriously

2024-10-16 10:58:09 UTC

Honouring a timeless tradition by getting sick the day after a contract finishes

2024-10-12 20:23:44 UTC

Transcending the "are we the baddies" phase in favour of fast-tracking "for me, it was Tuesday" levels of cartoon villainy

2024-10-12 19:52:19 UTC

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Honestly, I'm so fucking embarrassed by our industry lately

2024-10-10 08:03:23 UTC

Happy Thursday! Please have some often-odd and sometimes-sleazy, Norwegian jazz-funk to start the day:
https://album.link/s/2rqDOzIStz7SBh4Q02NbsK

2024-10-07 10:13:22 UTC

As sure as night follows day, the tide of random direct messages to my instagram let me know that Synthwave '84 has broken with the latest VS code update

2024-10-05 20:14:08 UTC

Credit where it's due: Google Japan's hardware shitposts are just on another level
https://youtu.be/EHqPrHTN1dU

2024-10-04 11:05:32 UTC

A very happy Kanelbullens dag / Korvapuustipäivä, to all who celebrate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_Roll_Day

2024-10-03 11:10:10 UTC

It's a proper crisp Autumnal day today and, to me, that has *never meant* anything more than a playlist full of jangly mid-west emo and math rock guitars.
Today's find is this track from Osaka based Cloud nine:
https://cloud-nine-9.bandcamp.com/album/passage-of-time

2024-10-03 08:47:30 UTC

Just head ChatGPT described as a "reasonable-looking-text emulator" and that's just about perfect

2024-10-01 17:05:10 UTC

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Thanks for sharing, I'll give it a read!

2024-10-01 17:00:55 UTC

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By presentational in this case, I mean repeatable markup with no real functionality. i.e. you could copy-paste the markup but dropping props into a React or Vue component is more pleasant.
If I were working without a JS framework though, I'd be more inclined to reach for a server-side partial to repeat markup rather than create a custom element with shadowDOM or whatever. Like you say, it's JS overhead for something that can be achieved on the server

2024-09-29 17:27:46 UTC

Well, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is Nintendo once again flexing that they know how to build a decent design system

2024-09-27 06:54:40 UTC

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When I get an empty website I like to play a quick round of devtools golf with the console errors

2024-09-27 06:27:01 UTC

On my way to Bristol for WDC. Already had one train delayed. Drove to another station but missed the connection train. Now waiting for the next. Not sure how I used to do this route every day. Very glad for remote work

2024-09-26 06:22:46 UTC

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I first wrote this satire of the tech industry 14 years ago, but updating a few specific tech references was all it took to keep it current. One thing I never changed though, was the line "I keep my Ray Bans on", which been there since 2010.
Anyhow, this photo made reminded me of that
https://departures.robbowen.digital/oh-you-make-websites/

2024-09-24 21:52:07 UTC

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Spec Ops: the line got yanked from every digital storefront and is essentially gone now because it used the Jimi Hendrix cover of star spangles banner on the menu

2024-09-24 21:44:47 UTC

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Ok, a compromise. If you need to change a song at an iconic moment, it defaults to Walk of Life by Dire Straits. It's already a proven formula:
https://www.wolproject.com/

2024-09-24 21:39:12 UTC

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Yeah, I guess it depends on how quickly they come to market. Licensing is super weird to me. I've heard that quite a few made-for-streaming shows even swap out songs depending on the region you watch them in. It's wild

2024-09-24 21:32:41 UTC

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"Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club"
[John strides across the football field with his fist in the air as Forgot About Dre plays defiantly]

2024-09-24 21:21:06 UTC

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[Diane gets up from the bed and walks to the window. Outside, Lloyd is stood in front of his Chevy Malibu sedan, holding a boom box above his head]
🎵 Boom, boom, boom, boom
I want you in my room
Let's spend the night together
From now until forever 🎶

2024-09-24 21:12:16 UTC

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"Marla, look at me, I'm really ok. Trust me, everything is going to be fine"
[Explosions flash in the distance and How You Remind Me by Nickelback plays as the buildings fall]
"You met me at a very strange time in my life"

2024-09-24 20:55:21 UTC

Removing or changing licensed music in old movies and TV shows when they're added to streaming services feels like another notch on my ever growing list of reasons to return to physical media
https://www.polygon.com/explained/448860/music-video-game-tv-licensing-rights-problems

2024-09-24 11:15:24 UTC

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Also, ffs. "tech-broroboros" was right there.

2024-09-24 10:42:37 UTC

IT feels to me like the web industry has gotten into such an uninspiring feedback loop of startups that exist only to profit off of other startups. Sure we used be flooded with "Airbnb for dog sitting" pitches, but at least they were funny. These days it's little more than a tech-bro ouroboros

2024-09-24 08:21:43 UTC

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Hell yeah! I love whimsical. The mind mapping is fantastic, and I've found the flowcharts are really useful for modelling components, TS types and their dependencies

2024-09-24 08:18:48 UTC

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I'd be interested in this too. I always feel like I see lots of people asking what Remarkable is like and never anyone who has one. They seem really cool, but opinions are super sparse

2024-09-23 19:49:06 UTC

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The Greatest Generation is probably my favourite and absolutely works best if you listen through as a whole album from start to finish
https://album.link/s/7q9crgUsEy4Clq2B77ijN9

2024-09-23 19:32:18 UTC

God damn, I love The Wonder Years. It's been too long since I saw them live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFRxGQ7wfOk

2024-09-23 18:45:18 UTC

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👋

2024-09-20 19:42:34 UTC

Just randomly got talking with someone in a rural Welsh pub who turned out to have taught English in the same area of rural Japan as one of my good friends. It's a small world

2024-09-18 16:11:52 UTC

Krazam never miss
https://youtu.be/dLTUqPue9sQ

2024-09-18 15:52:45 UTC

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I do love this city
https://cdn.masto.host/frontendsocial/media_attachments/files/113/159/332/698/707/865/original/a810ab3262ce0565.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/frontendsocial/media_attachments/files/113/159/342/353/182/111/original/f81aa2b5b6bd77f7.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/frontendsocial/media_attachments/files/113/159/351/834/087/153/original/150cf9a2f7655c46.jpg

2024-09-18 14:20:30 UTC

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Amusingly, if you're coding in a language that supports utf8 variables, it's only four: ほげほげ

2024-09-18 12:51:50 UTC

As terrible as they are, foo, bar and baz are not universal. In Japanese language code examples it's common to see hoge, fuga, hogera and hogehoge.
Y'know, in case so you want to make code examples confusing in multiple languages

2024-09-18 11:36:37 UTC

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I am. Came with the intention of doing a bit of work with a change of scenery, but that scenery has now totally distracted me. The weather is perfect; warm sun, cool breeze and changing leaves. Love it

2024-09-18 11:25:35 UTC

Cardiff in the early autumn is lush 🍂

2024-09-17 15:39:20 UTC

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This is so, so good. The view transitions really bring it to life!

2024-09-17 12:39:54 UTC

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I still can't listen to Bright Eyes and few things give me panic like "there's a dog loose in the woods"
It's actually about to have a 4k rerelease in cinemas next month. Thanks but no thanks

2024-09-17 12:05:58 UTC

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I rate it alongside the 70s Watership Down as one of the most harrowing animated movies in existence

2024-09-17 12:03:34 UTC

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When I was a student in Tokyo I remember coming home from class to find one of my housemates ugly-snot-crying in the kitchen. When I asked him what the hell had happened he just pointed at the Grave of the Fireflies DVD lying next to the TV. Understandable tbh

2024-09-17 11:57:56 UTC

Just noticed Grave of the Fireflies has finally been added to UK Netflix. Worth a watch if you're in the mood to be absolutely emotionally ruined for a while

2024-09-17 10:30:47 UTC

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One of the biggest things has been presentational VS. functional components. By 'presentational' I mean something like a Card - it doesn't necessarily have any special functionality but it's repeated enough that wrapping markup in a `<Card>` component feels good. That mental-model is at odds with web components though as you still need to repeat all of the internal markup.
Thing is, we had these presentational components before React. They were server-side and we called them partials or macros

2024-09-17 10:20:48 UTC

I've been tinkering with web components again recently and it has been a great experience. I think the biggest challenge has actually been breaking the prop-heavy React / Vue / Whatever framework mindset on how pages and components should be composed and populated.
Of all the knock-on effects that JS frameworks have had, turns out that deeply messing with my two-decade-long mental model of server-side data flow is the most egregious

2024-09-16 17:36:59 UTC

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The movie and the song have been stuck in my head ever since haha

2024-09-15 21:48:57 UTC

PSA to go watch Robot Dreams. It's ace - beautifully animated and a surprisingly deep story about companionship and loneliness with almost no dialogue
https://youtu.be/hsJN20f9uAg

2024-09-08 22:54:22 UTC

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Surprisingly, I only took one whilst we were waiting for the veg to come out, and then neglected to take one after. The beef was perfectly cooked and the roasties were crispy on the outside and buttery inside. Perfick
https://cdn.masto.host/frontendsocial/media_attachments/files/113/104/381/877/915/763/original/0e125538ca672a04.jpg

2024-09-08 20:52:53 UTC

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She says hi too! 👋
We actually haven't been for a roast in ages but since the weather suddenly turned very autumnal, it felt almost mandatory. It didn't disappoint. Hopefully when you next get to have one it'll be equally satisfying

2024-09-08 20:43:28 UTC

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I can relate. Feels like it's gotten really bad lately too - We tend to watch on our TV and every ad break is at least 50 seconds of unskippable guff

2024-06-16 15:59:11 UTC

Happy father's day to all the dads out there.
Mine, sadly, isn't around anymore. A couple of years ago I wrote this. I've posted it before, but it gives me comfort sharing the man he was. One more time won't hurt.
https://for-dad.robbowen.digital