Obama on Unity

Barack Obama gave an inspiring speech at the 2024 DNC:

We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last: money, fame, status, likes. We chase the approval of strangers on our phones. We build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves, and then we wonder why we feel so alone. We don’t trust each other as much because we don’t take the time to know each other. And in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other.

But here’s the good news, Chicago: All across America, in big cities and small towns, away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples. We share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold. Because the vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and the excitement that we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.

He went on:

As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for: a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other. A restoration of, what Lincoln called on the eve of civil war, our “bonds of affection.” An America that taps what he called “the better angels of our nature.”

Obama is such a good man. Respect!

Michelle Slapped That Bitch Up

In her 2024 DNC speech, Michelle Obama finally said his name and shredded him into small pieces of confetti:

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us.

See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black. I want to know—who’s going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

It’s his same old con. Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.

Look, because cutting our health care, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through I.V.F., like I did—those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers and daughters. Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books—none of that will prepare our kids for the future. Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love, look, that doesn’t make anybody’s life better. Instead, it only makes us small. And let me tell you this: Going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty. It’s unhealthy. And quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.

So, why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office. Why would we normalize that type of backward leadership?

Damn, you go First Lady!

HTML Sample Page

The following HTML example page is drawn from Manuel Matuzović’s Web Accessibility Cookbook.


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Page Name - Site Name</title>
</head>

<body>

<header>

<a class="skip-link" href="#content">Jump to main content</a>

<a href="/">Site Name</a>

<a href="/">
<img src="/img/logo.svg" alt="Site Name">
</a>

<nav aria-label="Main">
<ul>
<li><a href="" aria-current="page"></a></li>
<li><a href=""></a></li>
<li><a href=""></a></li>
</ul>
</nav>

<form role="search">
<label for="search">Search</label>
<input type="text" id="search">
</form>

<!-- Download link to a pdf -->
<a href="/file-name.pdf" download="custom-file-name.pdf">
Download File Name (PDF, 2MB)
</a>

<!--Automatic quotation marks-->
<p lang="vi">
<q>Lời trích dẫn tiếng Việt</q>
</p>

<!--Subject & body prefilled Email-->
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Hello&body=Message">
[email protected]
</a>

</header>

<main id="content">
</main>

<footer>
&copy; 2024
</footer>

</body>
</html>

Thank You, Toyota

Almost a month after I sent in my registration as a proof of ownership of my 2018 Sienna SE, I received a check from Toyota. I am glad they kept their word. Toyota has a good reputation and it is a good brand. Our 2011 Sienna XLE is around 195,000 miles. I am not sure how longer it will last. As much as I hate buying a new car, we’ll get another Toyota when that one is finished. If we have to have a car, it has to be a Toyota.

Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign: Vultures 2

Many critics are shitting on Vultures 2, but I am digging it. Sure, his lyrics are still misogynistic as fuck—“She givin’ blowjobs and I applied / She said she starvin’, order her some fries / Then I ate the breast, then the thighs / Then I gave the rest to the guys”–but what do you expect from Ye? Yep, his punchlines are hilarious—“You know I’m crazy, but you crazy glued to me.” Of course, he reserves the last word for Adidas—“Mass incarceration, mass in police stations / Mass incorporated, fuck Adidas.” Not every track is a banger, but Ye manages to pull through with the help of Ty Dolla $ign.

Người Việt mình nói

Trang nguoivietminhnoi.com của Như Trần tập hợp những câu chuyển ngữ Anh sang Việt mượt mà. Rất thú vị.

Web Books

I am in the process of creating a new web book for an author. I can’t wait to share it. In the meantime, I put together a landing page on my portfolio site to showcase web books I had designed. Crafting a long-form reading experience on the web has become my favorite type of design. If you have a book and wanted to bring it to the web, hit me up.

Things

Last week Đạo, Đán, and I got rid of two coaches. Yesterday, we brought up an office table in the basement and got rid of a shelf.

We need to get rid of more things to make space in the basement for a ping pong table. It is unbelievable how much crap we accumulated over the years.

If it is up to me, I can get rid of a lot of stuff or let them find a new home to take up space. I have seen how suffocating it is to live in a place filled up with things. It isn’t healthy at all.

Manuel Matuzović: Web Accessibility Cookbook

I read this cookbook cover to cover and bookmarked many recipes so I could refer back to them later on when I cook up new websites. With his clear writing and knowledgeable technical skills, Matuzović provides the solid foundation (HTML & CSS) to ensure that accessibility is baked in. If you want to learn web accessibility, this book obviously for you. What not so obvious is how well it teaches HTML and CSS. I definitely recommend it for designers and front-end developers.

Hà Nhi: Piano Session 1

Chủ nhật vừa rồi, trên đường lái xe về nhà sau khi tụ họp gia đình, vợ cho tôi nghe tiếng hát Hà Nhi (tôi chưa từng nghe bao giờ). Cô hát nhẹ nhàng nhưng nồng nàn, nhất là ca khúc “Mẹ tôi” của nhạc sĩ Trần Tiến. Đặc biệt là cô chỉ hát với tiếng đàn dương cầm giản dị làm tôi nhớ đến anh Tân. Thường thì tôi không thích nghe những ca khúc nhạc Hoa lời Việt như “Tình nhạt phai”, “Triệu đó hoa hồng”, và “Bình minh sẽ mang em đi” nhưng tôi lại thích các hát acoustic của Hà Nhi, nhất là ca khúc đã dựng lên tên tuổi của Đàm Vĩnh Hưng. Hơi tiếc là album này không có một concept rõ ràng.