Here at WordCamp Northeast Ohio, we are pretty big fans of the Lifehacker series “How I Work”. We asked our speakers to do a WordPress take on that idea, and thus was born “How I WordPress”- a series where some of the best minds in WordPress share a bit about their process with our readers/attendees.
Name
Eric Meyer
Location
Cleveland Heights, OH
Current Gig
Co-founder, An Event Apart
Career Summary
I started on the web in 1993, became a webmaster in 1994, worked for Netscape 2001-2003, went indie, and co-founded An Event Apart. Along the way, I wrote some CSS books for various publishers, and created a bunch of tools and techniques that got tossed onto the web for anyone to use. The ones I thought would be niche went viral, and the ones I thought could go viral stayed niche. Recently shifting into UX and the philosophy of design, but staying involved in the technical side.
One word that best describes how you work?
Randomly.
Current Mobile Device/Why
iPhone SE. I had an iPhone 4S, and the SE came along just as I needed a new phone (the battery on the 4S was wearing out), and the SE was the right size for me.
Current Computer/Why
2013 MacBook Pro. It just works for me, and being able to drop into the Unix shell or fire up a Windows VM mean I effectively have three platforms on one machine. Yes, despite my awareness of the technical realities, I still consider OS X and Unix as being distinct, mostly because users do.
What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
MailMate, Terminal, BBEdit, Transmit, all the browsers. Photoshop a close runner-up.
What do you listen to while working?
Usually a playlist of instrumental music, since writing gets disrupted by music with works. If I’m doing something a little more repetitive (like data analysis) or writing code, I mix it up with mood-appropriate playlists. If I’m doing something really basic but lengthy, like translating data from one format to another, NPR podcasts.
What sort of work are you up to now?
I’m part of the team running An Event Apart; writing the fourth edition of “CSS: The Definitive Guide”; creating CSS tests and participating in the discussions about CSS Grid Layout; and writing and thinking about how to promote more a more humane and respectful approach in design.
What’s your sleep routine like?
Sub-optimal.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
It’s worth enduring some temporary discomfort to get to do something remarkable.
This is a great way to get to know a bit about Eric. I have followed his work for a while and I looking forward to hearing him speak!