Alvaro Montoro's website

About Me

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:54:57 +0300

Who am I. Where I come from. Where I am headed to.

Professional Experience

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:54:57 +0300

This is a list of the companies and positions I have worked over the past 10 years.

Writing and Blog

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:54:57 +0300

Articles, notes, and blog posts.

Projects

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:54:57 +0300

A small compilation of work that I've done using different technologies: from Web sites to tablet/phone apps, through jQuery plug-ins.

CSS Cartoons for comiCSS Second Anniversary

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:00:01 +0000

comiCSS turned two this week. To celebrate, I published a daily cartoon in preparation for the big day. This is a collection of those seven cartoons.

New HTML Control Lands in Safari

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Toggle switches are a common request by Designers and Developers. Safari proposed a native way to create switches in HTML without the hassle of dealing with CSS or unnecessary control states. Will it stick?

Creating Progressive Enhanced CodePen Links and Embeds

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 07:23:37 +0000

How to build an interactive link to CodePen that provides a customized experience depending on the user's configuration or limitations. All using progressive enhancement.

Cordova or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Native and Love the Web

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 15:35:41 +0000

Times are a-changin'. Many new frameworks have been created, and Cordova is far from a top choice for hybrid/mobile development. And looking at its progression, it is just slipping away. But I'm here to share my experience with it and why I like it and still use it to this day.

Creating an Interactive Image Gallery with HTML and CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Navigating on Dribbble, I found a photo gallery design that I liked. And, as with many things I find online, "How could this be built?" was the first thing that came to mind. This is how I did it.

One HTML Tag. Thirty+ CSS Drawings -My Divtober 2023 Collection.

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 08:03:44 +0000

The month of October hosts Divtober. Acoding challenge in which developers create CSS Art based on a daily word. The catch: you can only use a single

tag. This article contains the collection of drawings I did for Divtober 2023 (and some extras, too!)

Playing with the Gamepad API

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:58:22 +0000

My journey programming with the GamePad API with detailed explanations and code to get JavaScript games ready to use controllers on the browser

It's all just a little bit of history repeating

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:11:23 +0000

Browsing the Internet, I found a thread about a "funny" way to trick AI into saying whatever you want. This wouldn't be a problem if many people/companies didn't rely increasingly on systems that fall for the oldest trick in the book (literally!)

Shapes in CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 16:41:18 +0000

I recently published a short video with 16 figures coded with CSS. I'm adding this article to complement the video, describing how things are done (not just putting something out there) and making it easy for people to copy the code if they want to.

HTML Tip: Theme Colors

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 07:52:02 +0000

Learn about the theme-color meta tag and how it can help customize your website (with a 1-minute video)

1-Minute CSS Tip: Accent Colors

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 08:00:53 +0000

Learn about the accent-color CSS property and how it can improve user experience and accessibility (with a 1-minute video)

Small Details to Improve Your Website's Experience

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 08:40:11 +0000

A collection of five simple tips and tricks in HTML and CSS that will provide a better user experience and take just a few minutes to implement on any site.

Tiny Awards Finalists

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 15:19:09 +0000

This year a new award was created to celebrate websites that embody the the idea of the small, playful, heartfelt sites that used to populate the early Internet: the Tiny Awards. Here is my review of the 16 finalist, with some comments.

Elder Millennials Make the Best Managers

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 21:54:28 +0000

Elder Millennials are Millennials by age and Gen X at heart. Their culture is close to Gen X, growing up watching The A-Team, Knight Rider, or MTV... but also with the Power Rangers, Dragon Ball, or the rise of Cartoon Network. [...] This in-betweenness gives them a better understanding of the generation before them and the members of their own generation. They have insights and connections with both of them.

What color should the text be? (A CSS Quiz)

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 28 May 2023 22:15:18 +0000

Running a couple of polls about CSS selectors, specificity, and !important... and most people are getting it wrong. This article has both questions and their answers (with details and reasoning) at the end.

CSS Art: Drawing a Coffee Stain

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 15 May 2023 11:34:19 +0000

A few weeks ago, I did some CSS Art. This time it was a cup of coffee with a coffee ring stain next to it. All in HTML and CSS. And not as many elements as you'd think... if we don't count the bubbles. I tried to make it realistic but it was too cartoony/digital. However, I still like how it turned out.

DIY Puppy Ornament

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 11:14:24 +0000

A pattern to create a cute felt ornament to hang and decorate backpacks, trees, or whatever you want! This article is a short tutorial (more of a log) of how we created this puppy decoration.

New HTML Element: search

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 13:50:24 +0000

HTML is a living language in constant evolution. The latest addition has been a new semantic element for search operations In this article, we explore the new search element, how it works, and how to use it.

Drawing an Egg with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 21:21:49 +0000

In this short tutorial, we'll see how to draw an egg with CSS (no decorations included). And the best part is you need only two CSS properties!

CSS Art: Motorola RAZR V3

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 21:40:03 +0000

A drawing of the Motorola RAZR V3i flip phone, and some details about how it was drawn

My First Bug

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 19:57:42 +0000

A story of my 'first bug' while learning to program in college.

Daily Routine of a Texan Software Developer

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 07:44:53 +0000

Many people talk about 10x Developers, but deep down, we all know that what matters is being a TEx Developer. A developer in Texas. A resilient, resourceful, and experienced code (and horse) whisperer. It ain't our first rodeo. Here's a documented insight into a regular day in the life of a typical Software Developer in the great state of Texas. Follow this schedule, and you'll become a TEx Developer... or get a heart attack by age 38. Results may vary.

An Apple A Day...

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 08:37:40 +0000

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away... But does that apply to web development and CSS, too? Today's cartoon tried to answer that question.

Putting a Stop in Web Accessibility

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 15:19:54 +0000

Many of us think of web accessibility as "nice to have", most of us consider it optional, and some of us don't think about it at all. But what if these same accessibility standards that we build the "information superhighway" with were used to build a real highway.

CSS Art: Nintendo Switch

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 15:18:58 +0000

This weekend, I streamed while live coding/drawing a Nintendo Switch with HTML and CSS. This post has the demo (with a variation that uses the Gamepad API to make it "work") and a video with the live-coding process.

Drawing a chibi character with CSS (with video)

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:05:14 +0000

This cartoon was coded with CSS and a single HTML element... and there's a video showing the process!

CSS Tip: Style your Radio Buttons and Checkboxes for Printing

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 08:16:13 +0000

One common mistake when developing custom radio buttons and checkboxes: forgetting about the printing styles. This article shows a simple method to avoid problems using the print-color-adjust property.

CSS Nesting is coming

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 09:53:00 +0000

Browsing caniuse.com the other day, I found a pleasant surprise: a little green flag in a red box for a feature I'd been waiting for a long time. CSS Nesting is an exciting feature that will be available soon on Chrome.

Is ChatGPT testing its users?

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 11:47:46 +0000

ChatGPT is coded to provide wrong answers on purpose. But why? Is the system programmed to "test" the user? Is it some A/B testing? What and why? You won't find answers in this post, just the questions and some examples... I want the answers too!

Drawing kawaii sharks and sea life with HTML and CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 14:44:45 +0000

How to draw a shark and customize it into different cartoons... with code and examples!

Old Photo Effect with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 06:41:09 +0000

This article will review how to create an old photo effect on any picture using only CSS. No need for Photoshop or any other image editor. And all in just a few lines of code! We will check three different methods that build on top of each other, increasing the old photo effect with each iteration to make it look more realistic and nicer.

My Divtober 2022 Drawings

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 06:41:09 +0000

A collection of single-element CSS Art part of the divtober'22 coding challenge. ...and some surprises!

Creating a Splash Effect with HTML and CSS (with Video!)

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 17:12:54 +0000

Learn how to draw a splashing liquid with a single HTML element and some filters for today's divtober challenge. If you prefer videos, check the end of the article with a Youtube video live coding the splash drawing.

Creating a CSS-Only Toggle Switch

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 14:04:08 +0000

How to create a functional and accessible switch component with HTML and CSS (without JavaScript) There are many articles online about how to create a switch using HTML and CSS only, without any JavaScript. How will this one be different? What value will it add to the existing articles? Why did I write it?

The Pomodorito Technique

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 17:58:43 +0000

You may have heard about the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method that consists of repeating work and break intervals to help keep focus while getting some needed rest. ...Now let me introduce you to the Pomodorito Technique...

Launching an images website... without any images

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 17:46:27 +0000

In preparation for Divtober, I published a website with a collection of single-element CSS drawings. This post includes a description, some challenges, and examples of the content. Check it out!

CSS-Only Reading Progress Indicator

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 21:36:17 +0000

You may have noticed those reading progress indicators on top of some pages (mainly news articles and blog posts). They are a bar that grows as you read the article and lets you know how much you have left to read visually. This component is a nice feature, especially on mobile, where the scrollbars are not always visible. But did you know that you can code a reading indicator with just a single HTML element and some CSS? No JavaScript code at all.

My Wordle Strategy

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 19:03:33 +0000

How I play the popular game Wordle and the method that helped improve my results considerably

Thirteen years

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 16:18:12 +0000

A little retrospect (or introspect) on the last thirteen years. Things that happened. How some decisions changed my life.

Is CSS an Object-Oriented Programming Language?

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 14:27:25 +0000

A tongue-in-cheek view of CSS and how it stands as a programming language. A comic strip I published as part of comiCSS.

The Importance of Being a Maintainer

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 06:37:21 +0000

Today, I read an article that listed the main phases of development as Development, Testing, Code Reviewing, and Deployment. But that misses two of the most important phases of the SDLC: Design and Maintenance. With many projects lasting 1-3 years, and many developers' tenures being in the 2-3 years before jumping to greener pastures, software developers often don't have to worry about maintenance or deal with the consequences of the software they developed.

LGBTQ+ Flags Coded in CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 05:22:21 +0000

What different LGBTQ flags mean and how to code them with CSS and a single HTML element. A little bit of history and a little bit of tech for this Pride Month.

Beware the Font Name

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 06:45:47 +0000

The other day at work, we were reviewing some CSS code when we stumped upon something interesting. It was related to how we imported the new font files that we got from an agency. Importing a font with the incorrect name may impact the page performance, and what assets it uses when presenting the information.

How to kill morale and get rid of your most valuable developers

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 31 May 2022 08:52:46 +0000

An opinion piece with behaviors that drive employees (and developers in particular) away. A cry for help from employees. A how-to guide for corporate.

Drawing with CSS: Anime Character

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 26 May 2022 01:18:37 +0000

How to draw a manga/anime character with HTML and CSS from scratch... with a video of the whole process. A detailed explanation of the process and the different decisions made to complete the drawing.

Fun with CSS Combinators

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 20 May 2022 16:23:12 +0000

Learning web development through comics: Four CSS combinators (and the universal selector) walk into a bar and... A comic about CSS combinators with a little bit of theory to explain them (and the joke.)

Fun with justify-content

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 16 May 2022 19:23:58 +0000

A cartoon with a tongue-in-cheek explanation of how justify-content works in Flexbox.

Drawing a flame with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 14 May 2022 19:33:29 +0000

I completed an initial version of this flame in around 30 minutes and shared it online. Then, I changed the initial version and updated the colors to make it more "realistic." In this article, I will describe the process of drawing a flame similar to that one with a single HTML element.

Creating a Firework Effect with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 08:09:48 +0000

Last week I created a firework effect with CSS. It is relatively simple (it only requires one HTML element per firework) and customizable (it uses CSS custom properties to customize colors, sizes, positions...) In this tutorial I explain, step-by-step how to replicate this effect and make it your own.

My ABC of Graphic Novels

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 07:10:10 +0000

An essential graphic novel or comic book for each letter of the alphabet (plus some extras) This article will be a nice break from the technical writing I usually do to focus on something I like: reading comic books and graphic novels. I won't claim to be a graphic novels expert because I am not. However, I enjoy reading them all the time (and some of them re-reading them several times) and appreciating the art.

comiCSS: Month One

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 13:15:50 +0000

Last month, I created comiCSS -a project with comics about CSS drawn in CSS. It is a fun project (I like drawing in general and drawing with CSS in particular), and I'm enjoying it so far. This post is a summary of all the changes and the progress during its first month of existence.

Giving new meanings to the color functions in CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 21:31:55 +0000

When talking about colors in HTML and CSS, most people only know the "classic three": RGB, Hex (which is a type of RGB), and HSL. But there are many ways to define colors in CSS. This article is a tongue-in-cheek review of some of the different ways to write a color in CSS. Starting with the old, and moving into the new.

Introducing comiCSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 22:19:36 +0000

I like comic books, and I like CSS. So it was a matter of time that I combined both things into a single hobby: drawing a comic strip about CSS (mainly)... and coding it in HTML and CSS. In this post I talk about the project, how it started, how it was coded, and what's next.

How to have fun (and win) in a hackathon

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 09:10:32 +0000

A hackathon is an event where developers collaborate on a project. The whole thing is fun and exhilarating and a great place to grow and meet new people. In this article, I will talk about my previous experiences in hackathons and how to do things that will boost the experience and, who knows, maybe even win a prize.

The Mystery of the Changing Favicon

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 09:01:11 +0000

An issue with a favicon highlighted a browser's bug (or maybe it's a feature.) In this post, I review the "bug," its root cause, and how we ended up solving the problem.

Centering vertically and horizontally with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 07:17:29 +0000

This article will show five different ways of centering vertically and horizontally with HTML+CSS, presented in chronological order: from how it was done in the past (which we should avoid now) to the modern ways of centering content in the present. If you prefer to watch a video version of this article, visit my YouTube channell.

Building a Robot Friend from a McDonald's Toy

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 07:53:40 +0000

The other day, my wife got Happy Meals at McDonald's for our kids, and I hate to admit it, but it was me, the one who enjoyed the toy the most. I used it to mimic the McDonald's app and create a small robot friend that tells jokes and ask trivia questions.

Building a coordinate system with HTML and CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:29:00 +0000

What does it take to generate a (basic) coordinate system? Thirty-five lines of CSS and one HTML element for each point. In this article, I explain how I created a customizable and dynamic cartesian system without using a heavy library, just with a few short lines of CSS and HTML.

Single element dice with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 18:24:22 +0000

Creating a 3D-looking dice with CSS is not especially difficult. It will most likely be the first demo you'll build when practicing 3D CSS. But can it be done with a single element? Then there's a challenge.

My Divtober 2021 Drawings

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 07:52:13 +0000

A collection of the different drawings (and videos) that I coded for the divtober 2021 event. Divtober is a coding challenge in which participants do CSS drawings using a single HTML element.

Myths about Web Accessibility

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 20:45:29 +0000

Web Accessibility is a must in every web development project, yet it seems to remain a mystery for many web developers. Like it's something legendary instead of an essential skill needed for the job. There are many misconceptions surrounding Web Accessibility, most of the time fueled by a lack of knowledge (or interest) in the matter. This article is a collection of some of those accessibility misconceptions or myths.

Typewriter Effect with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 15:04:10 +0000

A reddit user asked in the CSS channel if there was a way of building a typewriter effect. Some people pointed out at Geoff Graham's article on CSS Tricks (which includes different versions in CSS and JS), and many more recommended using JavaScript or some JS libraries/modules... and I tried to come up with my own CSS-only version.

My og:image bug

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 11:49:34 +0000

This is the story of a bug that I found while developing my blog. It may be a bit silly, but it could also be interesting because it showcases a difference in how social networks processed the page's metadata.

Twitter, Grifters, DevRels, and the end of everything as we know it

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 09:26:55 +0000

A rant about Dev Twitter and how the Twitter Grifters are leading the conversation without really improving it or moving it forward. Twitter Grifters are hoarding the conversation, but they are not really contributing much to its progress: their topics are repetitive, their messages are void of meaning or depth, and they don't really care about their audience (as long as it grows). And that causes the Dev Twitter ecosystem to become stale.

Drawing a cartoon of a boy with curly hair with HTML and CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 08:28:35 +0000

I enjoy coding CSS drawings for fun. I find it relaxing and think it's an excellent way to practice CSS. So today, I did a session and completed this drawing on CodePen. I recorded the process (as I normally do), but this time was a bit different: I recorded myself speaking and explaining the process on video for the first time. Typically, I only show time-lapses of the process as I'm too self-conscious of my voice and accent. Anyway, here's the video...

Don't make these mistakes when applying for a job

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 14:41:23 +0000

We've had a couple of openings on our team, and I have been reviewing resumes and running pre-screenings and interviews lately. It's one of the first times that I am fully on this side of the interviewing process, and so far, it has been an insightful and rewarding experience. I found a series of "common" mistakes that different candidates made during the hiring process. Some were unfortunate human errors, others were attempts to cheat the system... and they raised eyebrows.

Help a teacher. Become a better developer.

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 19:04:15 +0000

Teachers play a key role in our communities. They sacrifice their time, their money, and much more for their students. And, more often than not, their efforts are not as recognized and appreciated as they deserve. While fixing this situation requires systemic changes, there are some ways in which software developers can help. And in the end, it can be a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Using JS Speech Recognition to build a virtual assistant

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 07:31:35 +0000

The next school year is about to start, and my wife (a high-school Spanish teacher) had an idea for her class. So, let me introduce you to our latest creation: Teacher Assistant Frida. An animated character who will listen and answer basic questions in Spanish. It is still a work in progress and needs polishing, but it looks promising for what we want. After all, it was developed quickly in an afternoon -including the SVG- and it's less than 250 lines of code among HTML, JS, and CSS.

Creating Accessible CSS Art

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 15:43:21 +0000

CSS art has been a thing since the creation of CSS itself. It is a great way of practicing and learning and it makes for an interesting coding challenge. But it has a big problem: CSS art is inherently not accessible. In this post, we will not see how to create CSS drawings and illustrations (there are plenty of those posts). Instead, we will focus on some tips and best practices to make that CSS art more accessible for everyone.

Interactive window with a single div

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 09 May 2021 22:00:32 +0000

In this post we will talk about how to draw an interactive window with HTML and CSS, with the blinds going up and down as you pull the string. And we are going to do it with only 1 HTML element. This is what we are going to develop...

April 2021 Recap

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 02 May 2021 21:13:14 +0000

This is a summary of different projects I completed during the month of April 2021. This month was kind of slow. I got different mini-projects out (which is always fun) and did a bunch of CSS drawings and cartoons. Maybe next month I'll play a little bit more with 3D CSS again... we'll see.

Time for dePREcation?

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 14:10:00 +0000

In this article, we discuss the pre element in HTML, its usefulness and meaning, and to some extent, even if it should (or should not) be deprecated. We'll explore different arguments against deprecation and analyze the semantics of the HTML element, comparing it to other tags that have gone through obsolescence.

Spoiler/sensitive sections in HTML and CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 07:39:02 +0000

Sometimes we need to hide parts of the page from the users. It may be a spoiler or sensitive content and pictures that we want users to approve before displaying them. In this post, we are going to see how to create such a section using only standard HTML and CSS and letting the browser handle the logic.

Bezos' Calculator

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 13:49:54 +0000

Some developers use their weekends to develop cool and grandiose projects to learn new technologies and to double down as second (or third) sources of income... instead, I used this past weekend, to develop a small and silly project. I developed a web page that calculates how much money Jeff Bezos makes while you read it: Bezos' Calculator.

Drawing The Wizard of Oz characters in CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 06:07:50 +0000

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of the books I have read recently. So I decided to draw the story's main characters in a minimalist/vectorial way, just using 8 colors, HTML, and CSS. The drawings are done with clip-path, using the polygon() function. So the process was a little bit like carving from a square to the desired shape...

March 2021 Recap

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 11:27:14 +0000

A summary of the different projects I've completed during March 2021. Also of the books that I have read.

The Simpsons in CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 15:24:58 +0000

This is a personal project that I did over 2 years ago -before joining DEV-, and that CSS {IRL} reminded me about today. It is a collection of drawings of The Simpsons characters done in CSS. I learned a lot coding them, and I've learned even more since... so I'm scared of looking at my own code now.

Drawing a triangle with CSS

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 20:57:02 +0000

There are different methods to draw a triangle in CSS. In this article, we are going to explore three of them and review their pros and cons.

Build your dream job

alvaromontoro@gmail.com (Alvaro Montoro) — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 17:49:07 +0000

A dream job is not something that you aim for, but something that you build, and create, and enjoy every single day. Your dream job now is not the same dream job from 10 years ago or from 10 years from now. Not because the job changes, but because you change. Your needs and circumstances change, and with them, your criteria for a dream job change too.

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