Added a brush preview. Fortunately/unfortunately also got an idea for a new layout set-up that I'm probably going to pause this to try out.

Multiple samples.

Got the freeform grid behavior going again. Last time it was in three.js to get nice zoom and pan, this time I'm sticking with the DOM.

To build a prototype, you must first build a window manager (not really, but I guess this time).

Connecting.

More drag experiments.

Webstrates is a webserver where the pages it serves are collaboratively editable. From: https://webstrates.net via https://twitter.com/qualmist/status/1578210324326780930

New feed site is up. Moved from hugo and a node server for posting to a next.js app backed by an actual database.

Experimenting with user-defined drag behaviors.

Yoshiki's sketches of visual and customizable list hierarchies.

From: https://www.notion.so/Dango-b46c07f3dc224f968c768885abe70e70

How to make spacing and appearance fully customizable while also making sure direct manipulation of things like size and position stay functional? AND hopefully avoid introducing "modes"?

We've got nesting.

Tailwind gives you a bunch of utility classNames to write CSS with. I've been loving prototyping with it, and I'm interested in why, because it's ideas often feel counterintuitive.

Benefits

Pragmatism

Something I think a lot about is what level of abstraction to attack a problem on. Here is a loose cataglog of where I've been thinking about it lately.

React libraries

Previously I've been reluctant to use libraries in my react code, generally preferring to roll my own solutions, believing that you tend to hit a wall with what you can do with libraries and working around their limitations becomes as much or more work than building your own. There are things I would use, like state management libraries, but I figured most of the interaction stuff I'd rather do myself.

Starting to figure out drop zones with dnd-kit.

Nice little boxes in a grid (the necessary foundation for something weirder).

Ink and Switch experiment with "bot cards" so that "computation follows the same rules as data".

From: https://www.inkandswitch.com/end-user-programming/

Rough draft of my current tools-for-thought thinking.

Trying out style paint for components, piggybacking off Tailwind.

I'm excited for all the energy around tools for thought. Some notes on my current thoughts (probably to be revised in future entries).

Blocks as the basic unit

Blocks as a basic, contained, and usually addressable unit feels to me "right". You can see it in Notion and Roam and many others.