Recently Amplify Framework and AWS Amplify Console added support for something called “multiple environments”. Multiple environment support gives you the ability to set up the infrastructure and separate environments needed to support your team’s workflow without having to leave the command line, much like how you interact with Git.

Amplify fits into the standard Git workflow where you switch between different branches. Similarly to how you run “git checkout BRANCH_NAME" you will run “amplify env checkout ENVIRONMENT_NAME" — Amplify Docs

Just as you may create a dev branch where all code is merged before you merge it to master, you…

When it comes to performance these days, it’s not uncommon to hear the term “JAMstack”. JAMstack stands for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup. The idea being to create static markup with JavaScript that is powered by communicating with APIs.

The reason this stack has become so popular is because it allows websites or apps to be bundled up and served at “the edge” via a CDN. Couple this with what is ideally a performant app that is talking to performant APIs and you get a speedy user experience.

GatsbyJS is a great solution for creating markup with JavaScript, but what about…

I’ve been dealing with depression for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried many different activities to work through more serious episodes. One of the things I have found that helps me the most when I’m starting to slip into a funk is remembering that it doesn’t last forever.

However, when you’re in the middle of feeling nothing it can be extremely difficult to recall the times when it wasn’t so bad. The good days seem so very far apart. I’ve started journaling in order to make it easier to recall the good times. I have found it to…

Everyday, I walk around telling little lies so I can project this false image of myself. I would like to tell you this is a story about how I feel like I don’t know enough, and then I realized that people don’t know shit either, but this isn’t that story.

Before we can go forward, we have to go backward

The year is 2004, it’s May 16th, and I just woke up in jail.

*Insert record scratch here*

Okay, I bet you are actually wondering how we got here. That, my friend, is an interesting story that starts with enough Xanax to kill an elephant. …

Recently I found myself in need of a flexible carousel solution that could support some pretty tough requirements, mainly:

• Support an infinite number of items
• Feel identical on iOS and Android
• Support snapping to nearest index
• Account for force (need to be able to move many items in one gesture)
• Be flexible enough to accommodate custom animations
• Have an easy-to-use API

Round 1

My first attempt was to utilize open-source and use something someone else had already created. So I set out on my Google journey, and while I was brought to so many amazing places, nothing felt quite like home.

Here…

I recently wrote about why we chose universal components at Major League Soccer and I received a lot of feedback asking about the specifics of how we actually implemented our UCs system.

While it doesn’t make sense for us to open source our MLS specific components, I didn’t want to leave everyone hanging on exactly how we implement UCs so I created an example repository and will walk through setting up your own UC system in this post.

The deployed storybook can be found here.

Choosing A Solution

The very first challenge you will face when implementing UCs is what solution…

Right this very second, as I type these very words, I’m depressed. I’m normally some varying degree of depressed that ranges from can’t fake a smile for the kids or wife, to life isn’t so bad so I’ll put on a happy face. Yet depression is always with me. A monkey on my back.

“Yet depression is always with me. A monkey on my back.”

Telling me how terrible of a father and husband I am. How bad I am at my job and how I’m falling behind and everything is on the verge of collapsing into full chaos. …

If you aren’t familiar with the idea of UCs (universal components) or want a refresher, I highly recommend checking out some talks by Leland Richardson or Nicolas Gallagher. Both have a done a lot of awesome work in the space.

Okay, so why universal components to begin with?

At MLS we have some interesting challenges. Since we’re in the sports entertainment industry it’s important that we reach our fans through as many platforms as possible. When you are attempting to deliver a consistent experience across a wide variety of devices, it can become tedious and extremely time consuming. …