Do we need to write markup?

<h1>Do we need to write <strong>markup</strong>?</h1>

<blockquote>Learning thrives in an environment where you can be fearless
with questions and generous with answers.</blockquote> <cite>– Kathy Sierra, two days ago</cite>

<h2>Who do I think I am?</h2>

http://home.web.cern.ch/

http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

http://line-mode.cern.ch/

http://home.web.cern.ch/topics/birth-web

http://a.tgcdn.net/images/products/additional/large/1107_unicorn_head_mask_inuse.jpg

1: Initial (Chaotic) 2: Repeatable 3: Defined 4: Managed 5:
Optimized Capability Maturity Model

<h2>Can we optimize HTML?</h2>

<blockquote>After all this research on humane markup languages, much to
my chagrin, I've come full circle. I now no longer think humane markup languages make sense for most uses. … HTML is generally the better choice</blockquote> <cite>– Jeff Atwood, 2008</cite>

<h3>HTML = PRETTY DAMN GOOD ALREADY.</h3>

<h2>What is markup?</h2>

http://www.amazon.com/Weaving-Web-Original-Ultimate-Destiny/dp/006251587X/

Source of http://http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html/hypertext/WWW/MarkUp/Tags.html

http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/MarkUp/Tags.html

<blockquote>When designing the HTML document type, consideration was given to
a certain simplicity in order to allow many browsers and hopefully editors to be developed on many platforms.</blockquote> <cite>– Sir Tim Berners Lee, 1993-ish</cite>

<h3>According to Tim:</h3> <ul> <li>HTML was always intended to be
generated by a   machine.</li> </ul>

generated by a   machine.</li> <li>HTML was intended for content.</li> </ul>

generated by a   machine</li> <li>HTML was intended for content</li> <li>HTML was intended for <strong>everyone</strong></li> </ul>

<ul> <li>Markup is <strong>NOT CODE</strong></li> </ul>

<ul> <li>Markup is <strong>NOT CODE</strong></li> <li>Markup is <strong>DESIGN</strong></li> </ul>

<ul> <li>Markup is <strong>NOT CODE</strong></li> <li>Markup is <strong>DESIGN</strong></li> <li>Markup is
<strong>EASY</strong></li> </ul>

<ul> <li>Markup is <strong>NOT CODE</strong></li> <li>Markup is <strong>DESIGN</strong></li> <li>Markup is
<strong>EASY</strong></li> <li>Markup is <strong>UNFORGIVING</strong></li> </ul>

<h2>What are the cognitive costs of markup?</h2>

<dl> <dt>Ego Depletion</dt> <dd>Self-control or willpower draw upon a limited
pool of mental resources that can be used up.</dd> </dl>

7313489

<dl> <dt>Flow</dt> <dd>Mental state in which a person is fully
immersed   in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in an activity.</dd> </dl>

Mihály Csíkszentmihályi

var MC = Mihály Csíkszentmihályi;

<ol> <li>Intense and focused concentration on   the present moment</li>
<li>Merging of action and awareness</li> <li>A loss of reflective self-consciousness</li> <li>A sense of control over the activity</li> <li>A distortion of temporal experience</li> <li>Experience of the activity as   intrinsically rewarding</li> </ul>

<ol> <li>Intense and focused concentration on   the present moment</li>
<li>Merging of action and awareness</li> <li>A loss of reflective self-consciousness</li> <li>A sense of control over the activity</li> <li>A distortion of temporal experience <li>Experience of the activity as   intrinsically rewarding</li> </ul>

<dl> <dt>Anti-Flow</dt> <dd>Mental state in which a person is fully
immersed in a feeling of <strike>energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment</strike> tedium in an activity.</dd> </dl>

<dl> <dt>Siloing</dt> <dd>An insular org structure incapable of reciprocal operation
with other, related teams or individuals.</dd> </dl>

http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Steven-Johnson/dp/1594485380/

<blockquote>Good ideas may not want to be free, but they
do want to connect, fuse, recombine. They want to reinvent themselves by crossing conceptual borders. They want to complete each other as much as they want to compete.</ blockquote> <cite>– Stephen Johnson, 2011</cite>

http://uproxx.ﬁles.wordpress.com/2014/05/sad-batman-meme-batﬂeck-03.gif?w=650

<ul> <li>Ego Depletion</li> <li>Anti-Flow</li> <li>Siloing</li> </ul>

<h2>What can we do about it?</h2>

<ol> <li>Call the company</li> <li>Describe what you need</li> <li>Wait on
the street</li> <li>Pay</li> <li>Receipt</li> </ul>

<h3>A clearer mental model = faster adoption.</h3>

<h3>Current models</h3>

<h3>Current models</h3> <ul> <li>Word processor</li> </ul>

<h3>Current models</h3> <ul> <li>Word processor</li> <li>Drawing boxes</li> </ul>

<h2>What about lists?</h2>

<h3>Efficiencies of the list model</h3> <ul> <li>Semantics, and validation built
in</li> </ul>

in</li> <li>An interface for learning</li> </ul>

in</li> <li>An interface for learning</li> <li>Smart defaults</li> </ul>

<h2>Styling, too?</h2>

Pad in Pad out .box { padding: 1em; box-sizing: border-box;
} .box { padding: 1em; box-sizing: content-box; }

float: left; clear: none; float: left; clear: left; float: right;
clear: none; float: right; clear: right; float: none; clear: both;

<h2>What shall we do with our days?</h2>

<h3>Get home faster</h3>

<h3>Less typing, more thinking</h3>

<h3>Explore the “Adjacent Possible”</h3>

<blockquote>The adjacent possible is a kind of shadow future, hovering
on the edges of the present state of things, a map of all the ways in which the present can reinvent itself. … The strange and beautiful truth about the adjacent possible is that its boundaries grow as you explore them.</blockquote> <cite>– Stephen Johnson, 2011</cite>

<h2>Thank you!</h2> ! ! ! <p class="twitter">@nathan_ford</p> <br> <p class="github">nathanford</p>
<br> <p class="email">[email protected]</p>

<h3>Further reading</h3> <ul> <li>Understanding the Dangers of Ego Depletion</li> <li>The
End of Design As We Know It</li> <li>Is HTML a Humane Markup Language?</li> <li>The birth of the web</li> <li>The first website</li> <li>The Genius of the Tinkerer</li> </ul>

Do we need to write markup?

Do we need to write markup?

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