Russell J Pier

Why it may not be React or even Javascript at all

Mar 18, 2025

After years of building React apps, I've been exploring Phoenix LiveView. The results have been surprising - in both good and challenging ways.

Why I reach for it more often than not, despite the taste it leaves in my mouth

Feb 27, 2025

This isn't a story of complete conversion—it's a pragmatic journey from skepticism to acceptance. With Tailwind CSS 4.0 now available, it feels like the right time to dissect this cognitive dissonance that many developers, including myself, experience: loving a tool that seemingly violates everything we were taught about 'proper' CSS.

Feb 27, 2025

This snippet demonstrates how to build a fully accessible modal dialog component in React from scratch. The component includes critical accessibility features often overlooked in custom dialog implementations, such as focus trapping, background scroll locking, and proper ARIA attributes.

Feb 26, 2025

This trendy glass card design demonstrates how to effectively combine translucency with dynamic elements in modern UI. The rotating gradient outline creates visual interest while the frosted glass effect maintains readability, showcasing key principles of balance and hierarchy in contemporary digital design.

Create engaging shapes and animations with pure CSS

Feb 21, 2025

CSS clip-path is a powerful property that allows you to create complex shapes by defining a visible region of an element. Instead of being limited to rectangles, you can transform elements into circles, polygons, or completely custom shapes.

A Manual for centering any element in HTML/CSS

Feb 19, 2025

Centering elements in CSS can be one of those deceptively tricky tasks that every developer faces. Whether you're working on a simple blog layout or a complex application, knowing multiple techniques to center content both horizontally and vertically is invaluable. In this blog post, we’ll explore a wide array of methods to achieve centering, discuss when each method is most appropriate, and provide code examples to help you apply them in your projects.