Time is passing by
CSS selectors all exist within the same global scope. Anyone who has worked with CSS long enough has had to come to terms with its aggressively global nature — a model clearly designed in the age of documents, now struggling to offer a sane working environment for today’s modern web applications. Every selector has the potential to have unintended side effects by targeting unwanted elements or clashing with other selectors. More surprisingly, our selectors may even lose out in the global specificity war, ultimately having little or no effect on the page at all.
Any time we make a change to a CSS file, we need to carefully consider the global environment in which our styles will sit. No other front end technology requires so much discipline just to keep the code at a minimum level of maintainability. But it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s time to leave the era of global style sheets behind.
It’s time for local CSS.
In other languages, it’s accepted that modifying the global environment is something to be done rarely, if ever.
In the JavaScript community, thanks to tools like Browserify, Webpack and JSPM, it’s now expected that our code will consist of small modules, each encapsulating their explicit dependencies, exporting a minimal API.
Yet, somehow, CSS still seems to be getting a free pass.
Many of us — myself included, until recently — have been working with CSS so long that we don’t see the lack of local scope as a problem that we can solve without significant help from browser vendors. Even then, we’d still need to wait for the majority of our users to be using a browser with proper Shadow DOM support.
We’ve worked around the issues of global scope with a series of naming conventions like OOCSS, SMACSS, BEM and SUIT, each providing a way for us to avoid naming collisions and emulate sane scoping rules.
We no longer need to add lengthy prefixes to all of our selectors to simulate scoping. More components could define their own foo and bar identifiers which — unlike the traditional global selector model—wouldn’t produce any naming collisions.
import styles from './MyComponent.css';
import React, { Component } from 'react';
export default class MyComponent extends Component {
render() {
return (
<div>
<div className={styles.foo}>Foo</div>
<div className={styles.bar}>Bar</div>
</div>
);
}
The benefits of global CSS — style re-use between components via utility classes, etc. — are still achievable with this model. The key difference is that, just like when we work in other technologies, we need to explicitly import the classes that we depend on. Our code can’t make many, if any, assumptions about the global environment.
Writing maintainable CSS is now encouraged, not by careful adherence to a naming convention, but by style encapsulation during development.
Once you’ve tried working with local CSS, there’s really no going back. Experiencing true local scope in our style sheets — in a way that works across all browsers— is not something to be easily ignored.
Introducing local scope has had a significant ripple effect on how we approach our CSS. Naming conventions, patterns of re-use, and the potential extraction of styles into separate packages are all directly affected by this shift, and we’re only at the beginning of this new era of local CSS.
process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' ?
'[name]__[local]___[hash:base64:5]' :
'[hash:base64:5]'
)
Understanding the ramifications of this shift is something that we’re still working through. With your valuable input and experimentation, I’m hoping that this is a conversation we can have together as a larger community.
Note: Automatically optimising style re-use between components would be an amazing step forward, but it definitely requires help from people a lot smarter than me.
Me Myself and I
Many years ago, I worked for my parents who own a video production company. Because it is a family business, you inevitably end up wearing many hats and being the czar of many different jobs. I mainly managed projects and worked as a video editor. On production, there were times that I was called on to work as an audio tech and was made to wear headphones on long production days. In those days, having a really good set of headphones that picked up every nuance of sound was essential to making sure the client got what they needed.
First impressions.
Naturally, my first impression of these headphones is based off of the look of them. They have a classic over-the-ear style that is highlighted by a blue LED light that indicates the power for the noise canceling. The padding on the ear pieces seems adequate for extended usage periods.
They are wired headphones, but the 3.5mm stereo mini-plug cable is detachable. Something else I noticed right of the bat was the very nice carrying case that comes with them. It has a hard plastic exterior with a soft cloth interior that helps to protect the surface of the headphones from scratches. I never truly appreciated cases for headphones until I started carrying them from place-to-place. Now I can’t imagine not having a case.
A perfect fit.
Once I gave the headphones a thorough once-over exam, I tried them on. As I mentioned, they have a classic over-the-ear style and just looking at them, the padding on the ear pieces seem adequate and the peak of the headband seemed to be a bit lacking, but you don’t really know comfort unless you try on the product. So, I slipped the headphones on and found them to be exquisitely comfortable.
It’s safe to say that because of my unique professional experiences, I’ve tested out a lot of headphones.
Quality.
Now that I had the headphones on my head, I was finally ready to plug and play some music. I plugged the provided cable into the jack on the headphones and then the one on my iPhone 6. Then I called up Pandora. I tend to have a very eclectic music purview and have many stations set up for different moods. From John Williams to Fallout Boy, the sound quality of these headphones was remarkable. There is an amazing depth of sound and incredible highs and lows that make listening to music a truly breathtaking experience.
In order to test how voices sounded, and the overall art of sound mixing, I pulled up Netflix on my iPad Air 2 and watched a few minutes of a movie to hear all the nuances of the film. None of them were lost. In fact, I ended up hearing sounds that I hadn’t heard before. Echoes…birds chirping…wind blowing through trees…breathing of the characters…it was very impressive what the headphones ended up bringing out for me.
I would highly recommend these to any sound mixing specialist.
Sounds from the streets
Many years ago, I worked for my parents who own a video production company. Because it is a family business, you inevitably end up wearing many hats and being the czar of many different jobs. I mainly managed projects and worked as a video editor. On production, there were times that I was called on to work as an audio tech and was made to wear headphones on long production days. In those days, having a really good set of headphones that picked up every nuance of sound was essential to making sure the client got what they needed.
It’s safe to say that because of my unique professional experiences, I’ve tested out a lot of headphones.
First impressions.
Naturally, my first impression of these headphones is based off of the look of them. They have a classic over-the-ear style that is highlighted by a blue LED light that indicates the power for the noise canceling. The padding on the ear pieces seems adequate for extended usage periods.
They are wired headphones, but the 3.5mm stereo mini-plug cable is detachable. Something else I noticed right of the bat was the very nice carrying case that comes with them. It has a hard plastic exterior with a soft cloth interior that helps to protect the surface of the headphones from scratches. I never truly appreciated cases for headphones until I started carrying them from place-to-place. Now I can’t imagine not having a case.
A perfect fit.
Once I gave the headphones a thorough once-over exam, I tried them on. As I mentioned, they have a classic over-the-ear style and just looking at them, the padding on the ear pieces seem adequate and the peak of the headband seemed to be a bit lacking, but you don’t really know comfort unless you try on the product. So, I slipped the headphones on and found them to be exquisitely comfortable.
Quality.
Now that I had the headphones on my head, I was finally ready to plug and play some music. I plugged the provided cable into the jack on the headphones and then the one on my iPhone 6. Then I called up Pandora. I tend to have a very eclectic music purview and have many stations set up for different moods. From John Williams to Fallout Boy, the sound quality of these headphones was remarkable. There is an amazing depth of sound and incredible highs and lows that make listening to music a truly breathtaking experience.
In order to test how voices sounded, and the overall art of sound mixing, I pulled up Netflix on my iPad Air 2 and watched a few minutes of a movie to hear all the nuances of the film. None of them were lost. In fact, I ended up hearing sounds that I hadn’t heard before. Echoes…birds chirping…wind blowing through trees…breathing of the characters…it was very impressive what the headphones ended up bringing out for me.
I would highly recommend these to any sound mixing specialist.
Some amazing buildings
Minimalism and geometric.
When you are alone for days or weeks at a time, you eventually become drawn to people. Talking to randos is the norm. I’ll never forget the conversation with the aquarium fisherman, forest ranger, and women at the Thai market. It’s refreshing to compare notes on life with people from vastly different backgrounds.
When you meet fellow travelers, you’ll find they are also filled with a similar sense of adventure and curiosity about the world. Five days of friendship on the road is like five months of friendship at home. It’s the experiences that bond you together, not the place. A rule I followed that worked well: be the first to initiate conversation. I met some incredible people by simply being the first to talk.
Long term travel is different than a luxury vacation. The point is to see the world, not stay in a 5-star hotel. During the trip, I stayed on a strict budget. The goal was to spend no more than $33 per day on accommodations. After a year, I was able to spend only $26.15 per day by booking through HostelWorld and Airbnb. When I wanted to meet people, I’d stay in a shared room at a hostel. When I wanted to be alone, I’d book a private room with Airbnb.
Take the cost of your rent or mortgage + food per month and divide it by 30. This is how much it costs per day to live at home. You will find that it’s possible to travel the world for roughly the same amount. Or, if you live in an expensive city like San Francisco, far less.
An universal language.
I was surprised how many people spoke English (apparently 1.8 billion people worldwide). Places where English was less prevalent, I made an effort to learn a handful of words and phrases in the local language. Even though it’s passable, I do desire to learn another language fluently. You can only take the conversation so far when all you can say is: “¿Esto contiene gluten?”
It’s possible to communicate a lot without saying a word. For instance, I left my phone at a restaurant in Chile. I pointed at the table where I was sitting, put my hand to my ear like a phone, then shrugged — 2 minutes later, my phone had been retrieved.
Stumbled the concept
Life
••6 MinutesPRIMER PASO: CAMBIAR LA PERSPECTIVA, LAS PREGUNTAS Y EL MODO DE ACERCAMOS A LA INFORMACIÓN
Entender a nuestra audiencia en la complejidad del mercado actual es un desafío. Se requiere una mentalidad ágil, capaz de sintetizar enormes cantidades de información con la perspectiva correcta. La industria del entretenimiento está cambiando su manera de hacer negocios, adaptando sus modelos a esta nueva generación. Las nuevas audiencias son nómadas, multitarea, experienciales, agnósticas de formato e impredecibles. No hay dos espectadores iguales. Dentro del mismo grupo demográfico pueden no compartir gustos o intereses, y la mayoría de las veces, son indiferentes a las costosas estrategias de marketing de hoy en día. Pero si realmente queremos entender a nuestro público y como interactúan con nuestro contenido, tenemos que cambiar las preguntas y el modo de acercamos a la información. Con cada ‘tweet’, ‘me gusta’ ó ‘selfie’ se multiplican las chances, y si no estás sincronizado con el comportamiento de tu audiencia, o monetizando tus contenidos, otra persona lo hará. La competencia es dura.
ENTENDER A TU AUDIENCIA SE PARECE MUCHO A UNA “PRIMERA CITA”
Existen varias herramientas muy buenas de análisis de datos que buscan conexiones en la información, identificando hechos y comportamientos. Pero hay otros factores que no están en el reporte. Cuando se trata de entender a tu público, toda la información que puedas obtener es importante. Pero hay que ser inteligente y sensible para comprenderlos efectivamente. Es vital aprender a leer los signos, evaluar la información obtenida, y ajustar el acercamiento según sea necesario. Entender a tu audiencia se parece mucho a una “primera cita”, y la analítica es una forma de medir el “lenguaje corporal” de tu audiencia.
¡Seguro que obtendrás toneladas de datos! Desde mediciones en tiempo real, provenientes de herramientas de medición, hasta los reportes de mercado de tus propios productos, sean físicos o digitales. Estas mediciones te darán una idea aproximada de tus puntos fuertes y hasta donde puedes “coquetear” con tu audiencia. Contar con todos los detalles es importante, pero saber seleccionar la información es la clave.
Debes poder adaptarte rápidamente y ser flexible. Así como una sonrisa sutil, gestos, miradas y movimientos son importantes en una cita, hay varios indicadores que nos dicen lo que pasa por la “cabeza” de nuestra audiencia.Presta atención a las tendencias, las noticias relevantes de hoy, las redes sociales; El ‘timing’ es importantísimo. Incluso el clima te puede dar una métrica que los algoritmos hayan pasado por alto.
El “lenguaje corporal” la clave en toda relación
Simiras atentamente las señales. El “lenguaje corporal” de tu audiencia se vera tan claro como “Neo” ve a la Matrix. Un ejemplo muy actual fue el film Jurassic World. El lenguaje corporal de la audiencia fue bastante claro: durante el weekend del estreno, la tasa de vídeos compartidos en YouTube relacionados fue de 45 a 1 (la media es 9 a 1). El tráiler oficial en el canal oficial de Universal tuvo 66,6 millones de vistas (apoyando las razones de empresas que invierten en canales web). Twitter casi se rompió con su #JurassicWorld que alcanzó un máximo de 63K. La conversación en las redes sociales durante la cita fue muy fluida. Miles y millones de personas compartieron el trailer con su comunidad. Esto seria casi el equivalente a una intención de compra, un beso.
Otro factor fue que ese fin de semana no hubo grandes eventos deportivos, ni semifinales de futbol en TV. Sumemos también a Chris Pratt mostrando el torso –para las damas- incluso calendarios escolares y shows de TV estuvieron repletos de dinosaurios semanas previas del estreno. Por último, parece que familias enteras disfrutan de ver como ¡Pterosaurios se alimentan de turistas! ¡Puro entretenimiento familiar! Mundo Jurásico batió varios récords, siendo el film con mayor recaudación histórica en su estreno con unos lindos $511,8 millones de dólares en ventas sólo de entradas globales, superando incluso Harry Potter y la Cámara de los secretos. ¡Qué buena cita tuvo Universal Studios!
Conclusión. Las audiencias consumen e interactúan de las maneras más inesperadas, y hay que estar preparados para prestar atención, tanto a los reportes y datos analíticos como a lo que esta sucediendo fuera de ellos, casi en tiempo real. Los datos son generados por la misma audiencia que los consume, a través de sus propios dispositivos vía chat, canales online, redes sociales ó tweets. Hay que prestar atención a la “vibra” del lenguaje corporal y saber utilizarla a nuestro favor. Las analíticas pueden ser difíciles de entender, pero son sólo una parte de los datos. Mantente tranquilo, se tu mismo, observa y responde con la actitud justa, quizás este sea el inicio de una relación inolvidable.